Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.

Katsunori Akatsu

Masaharu Aizawa

Yoshinori Tobita

Tomohiro Koizumi

Shinji Watanabe

Yoshitaka Niinai

Kenichi Tetsu

Yukiyoshi Maehara

Takayuki Watahiki

Masahiro Inaniwa

Hisanobu Ooyama

Noriyasu Matsufuji

Tatsuya Konno

Hisanobu Oyama

According to an aspect of the invention, a centrifuge includes: a rotor for separating samples; a motor for driving and rotating the rotor; a drive shaft for connecting together the motor and the rotor; a rotation sensor for detecting at least one of the rotation speed of the motor and the rotor; and a displacement sensor for detecting the swinging motion of the rotor or the drive shaft, wherein, after one of speed of the motor and the rotor is accelerated up to previously set rotation speed, when the swinging amount of the rotor or the drive shaft is equal to or more than preset allowable value, the supply of power to the motor is stopped to decelerate the motor, wherein, during the deceleration, signal from the displacement sensor is compared with the preset allowable value, and wherein when the signal from the displacement sensor becomes equal to or less than the preset allowable value, the motor is accelerated.

Centrifuge having displacement sensor

A centrifugal separator includes a sample line and a rotating apparatus portion including a rotor that has a rotor chamber. The centrifugal separator centrifugally separates a sample by supplying the sample from the sample line into the rotor and driving to rotate the rotor in the rotor chamber and discharges the centrifugally separated sample from the rotor via the sample line. The centrifugal separator includes a sterilizing apparatus for sterilizing at least a portion with which the sample is brought into contact by making a sterilizing fluid flow through the sample line.

Method for sterilizing a centrifugal separator

Centrifugal separator with sterilizing apparatus

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a centrifuge in which a steam sterilization of a sample flow passage is performed, the centrifuge including: a rotor configured to centrifuging a liquid sample; a drive portion that drives and rotates the rotor; a chamber that accommodates the rotor therein, the chamber having a first and a second penetration holes provided on an upper and a bottom portions thereof, respectively; and a first and a second valves disposed on the first and the second penetration holes, respectively; wherein a cooling gas is introduced through one of the first and the second penetration holes and discharged through the other to cool a periphery of the rotor before or after execution of a centrifuging operation of the liquid sample.

Centrifuge with steam sterilization

A centrifugal separator includes a rotator part that separates a liquid sample and has a rotor and a drive part. The rotor receives a liquid sample therein and rotates to separate the liquid sample. The drive part drives the rotor to rotate. A controller part controls operations of the rotator part which is mounted in a rotator casing. A controller casing which is separate from the rotator casing mounts the controller part, and the controller part is connected via a drive wire to the drive part in the rotator part. The rotor casing is disposed at a clean room, the controller casing is disposed outside the clean room, and the drive wire passes through a wall of the clean room via an air-tight sealing mechanism.

Centrifugal separator with isolated rotor part

A centrifugal separator includes: a sample line; and a rotating apparatus portion including a rotor that has a rotor chamber. The centrifugal separator centrifugally separates a sample by supplying the sample from the sample line into the rotor and driving to rotate the rotor in the rotor chamber and discharges the centrifugally separated sample from the rotor via the sample line. The centrifugal separator includes: a sterilizing apparatus for sterilizing at least a portion with which the sample is brought into contact by making a sterilizing fluid flow through the sample line.

A centrifugal separator includes a rotator part, a controller part, and a first control panel. The rotator part has a rotor for separating components in a liquid sample, and a drive shaft for driving the rotor to rotate. The controller part controls operations of the rotator part. The first control panel is provided with a first operating part for setting operating conditions of the rotator part including the desired rotating speed of the rotor and the desired operation period of time of the rotor, and a first display unit for displaying the operating conditions and status of the rotator part. A second control panel having the same functions as the first control panel is provided in a location separate from the controller part. Hence, a user can check the operating status of the centrifugal separator and set and modify operating conditions for the centrifugal separator not only by using the first control panel but also by using the second control panel.

Centrifugal separator with first and second control panels

Each of changeable rotors has an identification mark portion thereon. The identification mark portion is detected to generate an identification signal. A microprocessor starts and accelerates rotation of the motor, detects whether the identification signal is detected during acceleration of the rotor, detects whether the identification signal has been detected before the motor reaches a predetermined rotation speed, to provide detection of the identification mark portion by the ID sensor. The microprocessor cyclically detects whether the identification mark portion is detected during rotating the rotor at the steady state rotation speed. The user is informed of error when the microprocessor fails to detect the identification mark portion a predetermined number of times or within a predetermined interval.

Centrifugal separator capable of reading a rotor identification signal under different rotor rotation conditions

The rotor data including a model name, a maximum rotating speed, and a rotor identification number of a rotor that is purchased after installation, for example, is stored through the inputting unit in an EEPROM in addition to the rotor data that was stored in the ROM before shipping. The inputted rotor data is displayed on the display in a list image together with the rotor data of the rotor data in the ROM to provide easily selection of the rotor. The inputted rotor data may be displayed with priority to the rotor data in the ROM. The rotor data may further include check data. It may be judged that the inputted rotor data is correctly inputted. If the rotor data is incorrectly inputted, an error message is displayed and the rotary data is not stored. If the rotor data is correctly inputted, the rotary data is registered in the RAM.

Centrifugal separator with rotor data list indication

A motor control system for controlling power supplied to an electric motor rotating a rotor employed in a centrifuge is provided. The motor control system includes first, second, and third converters and first and second smoothing capacitors. In a motor power mode, the first converter operates to transfer the charged energy in the first smoothing capacitor to the second smoothing capacitor for providing power to the motor through the third converter, while the second converter transfers, in a motor braking mode, the charged energy in the second smoothing capacitor to the first smoothing capacitor to return the power regenerated by the motor during a braking operation to the AC power supply through the first converter. The second converter performs a function of providing an initial energizing energy to the motor for a given period of time at the start of the braking operation for stability of a power-regenerating operation of the motor.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Katsunori Akatsu