Abstract:
Un sistema de barrido para el barrido de un objetivo (12, 21, 31, 32) plano, en el que dicho objetivo (12, 21, 31,32) plano y una cabeza (11, 23, 33, 34) de barrido se definen como miembros de un par de barrido, siendo uno dedichos miembros móvil y siendo el otro fijo, comprendiendo dicho sistema de barrido: unos medios (15, 22) de correa sobre los cuales están montados dicho miembro móvil del par de barrido yun contrapeso (18, 25) en emplazamientos tales que la rotación de dichos medios (15, 22) de correaproduce el movimiento síncrono de dicho miembro móvil del par de barrido y dicho contrapeso (18, 25) endirecciones opuestas a lo largo de las trayectorias lineales de movimiento paralelas a y sobre un ladocomún de dicho miembro fijo del par de barrido; y unos medios (13) de accionamiento para hacer rotar dichos medios de correa para producir dichomovimiento síncrono; en el que (i) dicha trayectoria lineal de movimiento de dicho miembro móvil del par debarrido se produce entre dicha trayectoria lineal de movimiento de dicho contrapeso (18, 25) y dichomiembro fijo del par de barrido, o (ii) dichos medios (15, 22) de correa son un par de correas (15, 22)continuas con dicho miembro móvil de barrido montado sobre una de dichas correas (15, 22) y dichocontrapeso (18, 25) montado sobre la otra de dichas correas (15, 22) y dichos medios (13) deaccionamiento están comprendidos por una sola polea de sincronización que arrastra ambas correas (15,22) y una sola polea (14) loca que arrastra ambas correas (15, 22), o bien (i) y (ii) al mismo tiempo.
Abstract:
A thermal cycling instrument for PCR and other reactions performed on multiple samples with temperature changes between sequential stages in the reaction procedure is supplied with a thermal block to provide rapid changes and close control over the temperature in each sample vessel and a pressure plate incorporated into a motorized lid that detects anomalies in the reaction vessels or in their positioning over the thermal block, and automatically adjusts the plate position to achieve an even force distribution over the sample vessels.
Abstract:
A moving coil actuator that moves in a rapid back-and-forth motion is constructed with a magnet assembly that concentrates the magnetic flux in a region of limited length and with a coiled electric conductor that includes two separated regions of densely wound coil, the assembly and conductor arranged such that only one of the coil regions resides in a concentrated flux region at either end of the actuator stroke. This is achieved with either a single region of concentrated flux or two spatially separated regions of concentrated flux. In either case, the force constant, i.e., the motor force generated in each coil per unit of current through the coil, is non-linear, with a maximal force at each end of the stroke and a minimal force at the stroke mid-point. The result is an efficient use of the electric current and relatively small amounts of materials of construction, and accordingly less weight for the actuator to carry during its travel and its changes of direction.
Abstract:
Rapid and uniform temperature changes in the wells of a microplate or any thin-walled plate that contains an array of reaction wells or sample receptacles are achieved by the use of heating and cooling elements with a vapor chamber interposed between such elements and the microplate. The upper surface of the vapor chamber and the underside of the sample plate in certain embodiments are complementary in shape, i.e., they have identical but oppositely directed contours in the areas around each of the sample receptacles, to provide continuous surface contact along the surface of each receptacle. In other embodiments, an intermediary plate is placed between the vapor chamber and the well plate, with the top surface of the intermediary plate being complementary in shape to the underside of the well plate.
Abstract:
Nonuniformities in the efficiency of detection of individual fluorescing reaction mixtures in a well plate with a two-dimensional array well array are corrected. The nonuniformities arise both from the stimulation pattern and the detection pattern, and are corrected by adding additional segments to a pair of segmented mirrors. The additional segments are oriented to direct light to the outermost reaches (i.e., the four corners) of the array and thereby produce a stimulation pattern that has a greater intensity in the outermost regions. This compensates for a radial decline in the efficiency of the detector in detecting the emissions from the well plate, the radial decline being an artifact of systems that utilize CCDs or similar components as detectors.
Abstract:
A thermal cycling instrument for PCR and other reactions performed on multiple samples with tem-perature changes between sequential stages in the reaction procedure is supplied with a thermal block to provide rapid changes and close control over the temperature in each sample vessel and a pressure plate incorporated into a motorized lid that detects anomalies in the reaction ves-sels or in their positioning over the thermal block, and au-tomatically adjusts the plate position to achieve an even force distribution over the sample vessels.
Abstract:
A platform that supports a sample plate such as a microtiter plate, a multi-well plate of any size, or a glass slide with sample spots distributed over its surface, and presents the plate for assay detection by a movable scanning head that has a field depth on the millimeter scale is leveled or otherwise adjusted in a planar orientation by an apparatus that includes a rocker plate, position sensors, and motorized risers arranged on the apparatus to provide the rocker plate with tilting capability along either or both of two orthogonal axes.
Abstract:
A moving coil actuator that moves in a rapid back-and-forth motion is constructed with a magnet assembly that concentrates the magnetic flux in a region of limited length and with a coiled electric conductor that includes two separated regions of densely wound coil, the assembly and conductor arranged such that only one of the coil regions resides in a concentrated flux region at either end of the actuator stroke. This is achieved with either a single region of concentrated flux or two spatially separated regions of concentrated flux. In either case, the force constant, i.e., the motor force generated in each coil per unit of current through the coil, is non-linear, with a maximal force at each end of the stroke and a minimal force at the stroke mid-point. The result is an efficient use of the electric current and relatively small amounts of materials of construction, and accordingly less weight for the actuator to carry during its travel and its changes of direction.