Kendro Laboratory Products Gmbh

Thermo Electron Led Gmbh

Heraeus Instruments Gmbh & Co. Kg

Hubert Heeg

Stefan Ferger

Achim Melching

Stefan Betz

Sonja Jelinski

Helmut Loscher

Karl-Heinz Hessler

Elke Paul

Karlheinz Hessler

Thomas Kaus

Bernd Schmidt

Klaus Kaufmann

Bernd Czwak

The invention relates to a shaking incubator with at least one specimen storage device comprising several superposed specimen storage spaces. A shaking unit comprising a specimen storage position, a shaking platform and a base unit is arranged in at least one specimen storage space. The invention makes it possible to shake different specimens, located in the same specimen storage device, individually and independently of each other under incubator conditions.

Shaking incubator

The invention relates to an object storage station having a front area for loading the objects, a back, and two sidewalls arranged on opposite sides, and having object holding rails with support surfaces that are arranged in pairs on opposite sides and extend substantially horizontally along the sidewalls in the interior of the object storage station. The invention is characterized in that the sidewalls have a plurality of identical, horizontally extending openings, which are arranged one above the other in the two sidewalls in identical number and position and always spaced at an identical distance from adjacent openings. The number of the openings in each sidewall corresponds to the number of the object holding rails of the sidewall and each of the openings has the same distance from the respectively closest object holding rail. The invention furthermore relates to a detachable mounting of the holding rails.

Object storage station and climatic chamber

A gassing incubator includes an inner housing bounding a inside space. The inside space communicates to the exterior through an opening. The opening is selectively sealed closed by a movable door. The inner housing includes a floor which is configured to receive and retain water. To disinfect the inside space, water is disposed on the floor and the opening is sealed closed. The inside space is then heated to a disinfecting temperature of about 90&deg; C. The water is also heated so as to produce a relative humidity of greater than about 80% within the inside space. This atmosphere is maintained for a disinfection phase of at least 9 hours. The hot and humid atmosphere of the inside space produces great heat sensitization of cells which might be present. As a result, substantially all of the cells within the inside space are killed during the 9-hour disinfection phase. Before the subsequent initial operation of the gassing incubator, there follows a condensation phase to reduce the relative humidity within the inside space, and a cooling and post-heating phase.

Procedure to produce a disinfecting hot atmosphere and device to accomplish this

To regulate the temperature in the processing chamber of an incubator with a fault protection function, two temperature sensors are provided to measure actual temperatures or rather sensor signals, and they and their associated peripherals undergo a plausibility check during which the sensor signals may not exceed a specified difference. if the plausibility condition is met and if an error in the feedback control circuit, for example a permanently closed contact of the temperature stabilization actuator, should cause the temperature sensor signal value (actual value) to exceed or fall below a specified error tolerance band about a desired value, then control is transferred from a first feedback control circuit to a primary feedback control circuit with a controller/monitoring device.

Procedure for regulating the temperature of a material to be processed in a processing chamber and device to accomplish this

A thermal conductivity detector system within an incubator having an atmosphere of moisture and CO.sub.2 therein is calibrated this way: in a first phase, the incubator, after ambient air being supplied thereto, is closed with respect to further gas or air admission; in a second phase, and after a predetermined time interval, a CO.sub.2 measurement is made by means of the thermal conductivity cell, and upon deviation of the measured value from a CO.sub.2 zero value, the deviation is stored and utilized for 0.2 correction of the CO.sub.2 measured value. A CO.sub.2 tolerance range of measured values of, for example, .+-.0.2 vol. % CO.sub.2 is determined. After introduction of moisture or humidity into the chamber, a third phase is initiated for a predetermined time interval and run through so often until the CO.sub.2 measured value for the entire time interval remains within the CO.sub.2 tolerance range. After successful termination of the third phase, the moisture of said value of the CO.sub.2 measuring is determined, stored, and utilized for 0.2 correction of the CO.sub.2 measured value. Considering the CO.sub.2 offset, as well as the CO.sub.2 humidity offset value, the 0.2 value of the CO.sub.2 measuring is indicated, and the calibration is terminated, permitting gas valves to be opened--provided a predetermined calibration range has not been exceeded; if it has been exceeded, the calibration has to be repeated, or the range reevaluated. Thereafter, laboratory test samples can be introduced into the interior of the incubator.

Method of zero-point setting of a thermal conductivity detector system

A device for humidifying the useful space of a climatic chamber, the humidifying device having a flexible bag which defines water-holding reservoir defined by watertight walls. The flexible bag can be refilled through a closure. The flexible bag is at least partly made of a water-vapor-permeable material, such as a copolymer of tetrafluorethylene and hexafluoropropylene, or polypropylene. The efficiency can be improved compared with conventional open humidifying systems by appropriately structuring the surface of at least the water-vapor-permeable part of the humidifying bag, for example, by providing tufts. To impart form stabilization to the bag, its opposite faces can be joined to each other through the inside of the bag by heat-sealing or stitching.

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Mömbris, Germany

Hubert Heeg