Swinging Apparatus For Supporting Containers For Seaweed Cultures Or The Like

Abstract

An apparatus for holding containers of seaweed cultures or the like and for inducing within the cultures a rotational movement has a frame with several tables for supporting the containers. The tables are mounted on horizontal shafts, and a set of connecting rods and arms cause all of the tables to oscillate in unison with the same amplitude as one of the arms which is driven by a driving shaft.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting a plurality of containers, in particular flasks, where seaweed cultures or the like are contained, whose growth is accelerated by light effect, by a supply of air and CO.sub.2 and by an uniform motion of the culture liquid means.

The object of this invention is an apparatus wherein a single device is provided for each flask or the like, and means for transmitting in unison a swinging movement round a horizontal axes to each of said supporting devices, said motion being transmitted by a centralized driving unit so that all the flasks and the materials contained therein have a same swinging conditions, whatever may be the location of a flask on said apparatus.

Laboratory apparatus are known wherein containers are placed into which micro-organisms cultures of a small volume are caused to contemporaneously grow, said apparatus being used for various types of researches. The most part of said known apparatus provide that the containers or flasks are fixedly mounted on a single table to which a reciprocating linear motion is transmitted. In an other type of known apparatus a circular reciprocating motion round a vertical axis is provided.

The main request of this problem consists in the fact that the agitation which is induced within the liquid cultures of all the containers or flasks is the most uniform possible.

According to another solution of the same problem this latter is solved by the provision of a single table swinging round a horizontal axis, on said table being fixedly mounted a plurality of flasks. But this solution does not meet the demand to achieve uniform agitation conditions in all the flasks as will be hereinbelow proved.

The apparatus of this invention is substantially based on this same informing principle, i.e., of transmitting a swinging motion round a horizontal axis to the containers, but it is now also provided that each container is caused to swing round an own rotation axis in unison with the other containers so that the swinging conditions of all the containers are quite equal.

The accompanying drawing shows an embodiment of this invention given merely by way of example. In this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of a conventional apparatus which is based on the same informing principle;

FIGS. 3a and 3b show, in a partial side view, the detail of two of the flasks mounted on the apparatus, shown in FIG. 2, and in particular FIG. 3a shows the liquid positions into a flask at the ends of the oscillations, the axis of which is concentric with the swinging axis of the table and FIG. 3b shows the corresponding limit positions of the liquid of a flask which is located at the remote location with respect of said swinging axis.

Now referring to the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 2 and to the FIGS. 3a,3b in particular, it is to be noted that the single swinging table 1 carries a plurality of flasks 2,2a,2a, and 2b,2b, said swinging table 1 rotating round a horizontal pivot axis 2. Therefore it may be observed that into the central flask 2 the liquid oscillates between two end positions a--a and b--b (FIG. 3a), while in the case of one of the flasks 2b (FIG. 3b) the liquid oscillation is comprised between two end positions c--c and d--d which are much different from the preceeding ones, which in this FIG. 3b are indicated by broken lines in order to make easier their comparison.

The apparatus of this invention (FIG. 1) comprises a stationary supporting frame 4 mounted on adjustable feet 5 enabling to adjust the position of said frame 4 so that the axes of all the shafts 7 each supporting a table 6 are placed in a same horizontal plane. Therefore the frame 4 supports a plurality of tables 6 each made integral with a shaft 7 having a horizontal axis, said shafts 7 being supported by said frame 4 so as to be able to freely swing in unison. All the shafts 7 are parallel to each other. In order to promote the better equilibrium of the system one of the shafts 7, is located at the vertical centre plane of the apparatus and each other pair of shafts 7 are spaced apart on each side from said plane of an equal distance. On each table 6 an upper seat 6a is arranged wherein at least one flask or a row of flasks or the like is mounted along the centre plane of said table 6 which passes across the axes of the shaft 7, while from the lower part of each table an arm 8 extends downwardly which is set at a right angle to said table 6. All said arms 8 are similar to each other except the arm 8a of the central table 6 which has to perform two tasks. In fact provision is made that must not only serve to cause the oscillation of the respective table 6 as also do the other arms 8, but also it must act as control means designed to receive the motion transmitted by a driving shaft 9 driven by a motor 10, and to transmit said motion in unison to all the other arms 8. For such a purpose the control arm 8a is longer that the other arms 8 and is driven by the driving shaft 9 through a link crank-mechanism. The invention further provides means enabling to vary, according to the working circumstances the oscillation amplitude of the flasks; therefore said crank mechanism is provided with means adapted to adjust said oscillation amplitude for instance, a crank of an adjustable length may be provided. For such a purpose in the body of the crank 11 which is keyed on the driving shaft 9 a longitudinal slot 12 is arranged in which a pin 13 is received which can be fixed in any desired position, the head of which pin is slidably engaged within a longitudinal guiding slot 14 arranged in the arms 8a. In consequence thereof, as the distance of the pin 13 from the driving shaft 9 is varied, accordingly varies the oscillation amplitude of the arm 8a which directly caused the swinging of its own table 6 and of the flask or flasks mounted thereon. At an intermediate point 17 of the arm 8a which has a distance from its swinging shaft 7 substantially equal to that of each end of the other arms 8 from their swinging shafts 7, said point 17 being located between the shaft 7 and the slot 14 of the control arm 8a, are two longitudinal rods 15, are pivotally connected to this arm 8a which at their other ends are in turn pivotally connected to the ends of the adjacent arms 8, other similar rods 15 connecting each pair of the other arms 8 one to the other so that the upper portion of the arm 8a which is comprised between the point 17 and its respective shaft 7, all the arms 8 and the bars or rods 15 form in combination a plurality of similar linked parallelograms, each having a side common with the adjacent parallelogram. In such a manner as the driving shaft 9 rotates, all the tables 6 swing in unison accomplishing oscillations of the same amplitude.

It will be apparent that any number of tables 6 can be provided.

As has hereinabove been stated, the cultures containing micro-organisms will grow in all the flasks in the same manner only as the motion conditions are the same and there are similar aeration and feeding of CO.sub.2 into each of said flasks.

Further the apparatus of this invention provides known means (not shown in the drawing) for lighting in a convenable and uniform manner all the flasks during their swinging movements as well as other means to feed the required quantity of air and CO.sub.2.

Claims

I claim:

1. An apparatus for carrying containers or flasks of seaweed cultures or the like and for inducing within the liquids contained into said flasks swinging movements round a horizontal axis and which comprises:

a stationary supporting frame carrying a plurality of tables, each mounted on a horizontal shaft, said shafts being parallel to each other and being mounted on the said frame so as to be able to accomplish swinging movements round axes placed in a same horizontal plane, on each table a housing for at least one flask is arranged while from each table an arm extends, said arms being connected to each other by longitudinal connecting rods the length of the arms and rods being such that said arms and rods form a plurality of juxtaposed linked parallelograms adapted to cause all the arms and the tables fixed thereto to swing in unison and with the same oscillation amplitude, one of said arm also serving to receive and transmit the motion to the other arms, said arm being driven by a driving shaft through a transmission adapted to transform the rotary shaft as well as of the other shafts and of the tables integral therewith.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the transmission included between the driving shaft and the control arm of the apparatus, comprises a link crank mechanism, where the control arm, which is constructed longer than the other arms acts as driven reciprocating arms, while the crank cooperating therewith is keyed on the driving shaft, said crank mechanism including means adapted to vary the operative length of said crank in order to vary the oscillation amplitude of the plurality of arms controlled by said control arms and of the tables fixed thereon.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first crank keyed on the driving shaft has a longitudinal slot in which a pin is mounted which is associated with means adapted to lock said pin in the desired position along said slot so as to vary the operative length of said first crank, the head of said pin being slidably received into a longitudinal slot arranged in said control arm.