Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus, systems and methods for adding a humidity-controlled system to a thermogravimetric instrument. A humidity-controlled controlled chamber incorporates a housing, a humidifier, a sample chamber, a reference chamber, Peltier devices, humidity and temperature sensors, and gas transmission lines into a single unit. This single unit along with an electronic control unit and mass flow controllers provide a humidity-controlled system designed to control the atmosphere of TGA sample and reference chambers simultaneously. A system comprising an arm, motorized linear actuator an electric control unit, allows a humidity-controlled chamber to be automatically opened and closed, in turn, allowing reference and sample chambers to automatically be accessed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus, systems and methods for adding a humidity-controlled system to a thermogravimetric instrument. A humidity-controlled chamber incorporates a housing, a humidifier, a sample chamber, a reference chamber, Peltier devices, humidity and temperature sensors, and gas transmission lines into a single unit. This single unit along with an electronic control unit and mass flow controllers provide a humidity-controlled system designed to control the atmosphere of TGA sample and reference chambers simultaneously. A system comprising an arm, motorized linear actuator and electronic control unit, allows a humidity-controlled chamber to be automatically opened and closed, in turn, allowing reference and sample chambers to automatically be accessed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a platen to be used with a sample tray of an automatic sampler. According to an aspect, the platen includes both electrically conductive and reflective areas that can be used to calibrate the sample tray. According to another aspect, calibration of the sample tray can be performed in all three dimensions. According to another aspect, the platen is used to calibrate the sample tray, including its height and the location of its wells. The platen may include electrically-responsive (i.e., conductive) and optically-responsive (i.e., reflective) areas that can be sensed by electrical sensors and optical sensors in order to compute the coordinates of representative wells.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic sampler device. According to one aspect, the automatic sampler includes a cell having a sample platform and a reference platform; a sample tray; and a sample arm. The sample tray has wells into which sample pans and reference pans are inserted. The geometry of the automatic sampler device permits the sample platform, the reference platform, and the wells in the sample tray to be accessed by the sample arm along a common arc. According to another aspect, the automatic sampler device includes a sample tray with wells, a sample arm, and a gripper device. The gripper device has gripping fingers. The gripping fingers open or close in a manner that tends to center objects grasped by the gripper device. According to another aspect, the automatic sampler device includes a sample tray with wells, a sample arm, and a gripper device. The sample arm has an optical sensor and an electrical sensor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for opening an autosampler sealed sample pan prior to TGA testing. The sealed sample pan comprises a pan, cover, and bail. A notch is formed in the seal sample pan cover. The cover can be opened by applying a concentrated force to the inside of the notch with a punch element integrated into the autosampler. This causes the center disk portion of the cover to be partially sheared and the sealed sample pan to be opened. It also prevents the punch element from touching the sample. A force sensor is used to determine if the cover has been opened. If the cover has been opened, then the sample pan is loaded to the TGA balance. If the cover has not been opened, the autosampler will not load the pan and will automatically move to the next sealed sample pan.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a technique for performing calibration of an automatic sampler device. According to an aspect, the automatic sampler device includes a cell with a sample platform and a reference platform; a sample arm; a sample tray, and a platen. The sample tray includes wells into which pans are inserted. The platen may include conductive and/or reflective areas for calibration. The sample arm has an electronic sensor and an optical sensor. The electrical sensor and the optical sensor are used to calibrate the positions of one or more of: the sample platform, the reference platform, and a well. According to another aspect, autocalibration is optimized by adjusting autocalibration results with a set of stored offset coefficients. The offset coefficients are generated by performing a manual calibration. The difference between the results of the manual calibration and an autocalibration are stored as offset coefficients.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a technique for performing calibration of an automatic sampler device. According to an aspect, the automatic sampler device includes a cell with a sample platform and a reference platform; a sample arm; a sample tray, and a platen. The sample tray includes wells into which pans are inserted. The platen may include conductive and/or reflective areas for calibration. The sample arm has an electronic sensor and an optical sensor. The electrical sensor and the optical sensor are used to calibrate the positions of one or more of: the sample platform, the reference platform, and a well. According to another aspect, autocalibration is optimized by adjusting autocalibration results with a set of stored offset coefficients. The offset coefficients are generated by performing a manual calibration. The difference between the results of the manual calibration and an autocalibration are stored as offset coefficients.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a technique for performing calibration of an automatic sampler device. According to an aspect, the automatic sampler device includes a cell with a sample platform and a reference platform; a sample arm; a sample tray, and a platen. The sample tray includes wells into which pans are inserted. The platen may include conductive and/or reflective areas for calibration. The sample arm has an electronic sensor and an optical sensor. The electrical sensor and the optical sensor are used to calibrate the positions of one or more of: the sample platform, the reference platform, and a well. According to another aspect, autocalibration is optimized by adjusting autocalibration results with a set of stored offset coefficients. The offset coefficients are generated by performing a manual calibration. The difference between the results of the manual calibration and an autocalibration are stored as offset coefficients.

Abstract: The invention relates to a gripper device. According to one aspect, the gripper device includes fingers with grasping ends. The gripper device includes a mechanism to cause the grasping ends to open and close. When the mechanism is engaged, the grasping ends open and close to define a circumference. According to another aspect, the gripper device includes fingers, an upper flat member, and a lower flat member. The fingers have grasping ends. The fingers are inserted into the upper flat member and lower flat member. When the upper flat member is rotated relative to the lower flat member, the grasping ends of the fingers open and close. According to another aspect, a gripper assembly has a gripper device with fingers and a rotating member. The gripper assembly also has a motor and mechanism for rotating the rotating member. The gripper device opens or closes the grasping ends in response to the rotation of the rotating member.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sample tray to be used by an automatic sampler having a sample arm. According to an aspect, the sample tray includes wells that can be accessed by a sample arm along a common arc of rotation, without moving the sample arm in and out. According to another aspect, the sample tray has several concentric rows of wells for holding sample pans and reference pans. Each row of wells lies along an inner circumference of the sample tray. The rows are placed so that when the sample tray is rotated, every well can be located on a common arc of rotation relative to a sample arm. According to another aspect, a well in a sample tray is configured with a pan receiving area and finger receiving areas. Gripper fingers can be extended into the finger receiving areas to access pans of different sizes.

Abstract: A heater controller for allocating heaters to cool a thermal chamber of a scientific instrument evaporates cryogenic liquid to produce a coolant gas. The gas is injected into a chamber to cool a sample disposal therein. The controller allocates low-capacity heaters in compliance with IEC guidelines to prevent problems generally associated with switching of large current loads, such as heaters. In one embodiment, heaters are activated so as to avoid jump discontinuities by effectively averaging the power delivered by the heaters. A second embodiment reduces complexity by essentially disregarding the problem of the jump discontinuity. A third embodiment groups the heaters according to a binary grouping scheme. The heater controller of the present invention can be used to control temperature according to a user supplied temperature profile.

Abstract: A Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) which has constant calorimetric sensitivity over its entire range of operating temperatures from -200.degree. C. to 540.degree. C. The DSC sensor consists of a pair of thin-film Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) which are used to sense the temperature of a sample and the temperature difference between the sample and an inert reference. The RTDs are supplied with an excitation current which varies according to the temperature of the reference to achieve constant calorimetric sensitivity, independent of the operating temperature.

Abstract: A dynamic and thermal mechanical analyzer incorporating a slide driven vertically in an air bearing guidance system with a large displacement capacity, very low friction and low mass. The position of the slide is measured by digitizing and interpolating two quadrature output signals generated by an optical encoder with very high spatial resolution and a long stroke. A force is applied to the slide using a linear permanent magnet motor with high force, high force linearity and low sensitivity to temperature variations. Position signals derived from the digitized and interpolated quadrature output signals are analyzed as a function of the applied force to calculate viscoelastic properties of a sample of material.

Abstract: A parallel plate or single surface dielectric analyzer is disclosed including: a distance sensor for accurately measuring the varying distance between the electrodes, such as a linear voltage differential transformer (LVDT), and apparatus responsive to the distance sensor for positioning the electrodes; a force transducer for measuring the applied force on the sample and apparatus responsive to the force transducer to give a desired force by varying the electrode spacing; disposable electrodes made using thick film technology composed of a ceramic substrate with a conductor adhered to its surface; and a temperature sensor built into one of the electrodes such as a platinum ring adhered to the surface of one of the electrodes and apparatus to measure the resistance across the platinum ring.

Abstract: A parallel plate dielectric analyzer is disclosed including:(a) a distance sensor for accurately measuring the varying distance between the electrodes, such as a linear voltage differential transformer (LVDT), and means responsive to the distance sensor for positioning the electrodes;(b) a force transducer for measuring the applied force on the sample and means responsive to the force transducer to give a desired force by varying the electrode spacing;(c) disposable electrodes made using thick film technology composed of a ceramic substrate with a conductor adhered to its surface; and(d) a temperature sensor built into one of the electrodes such as a platinum ring adhered to the surface of one of the electrodes and means to measure the resistance across the platinum ring.

Abstract: A parallel plate dielectric analyzer is disclosed including: a distance sensor for accurately measuring the varying distance between the electrodes, such as a linear voltage differential transformer (LVDT), and a motor responsive to the distance sensor for positioning the electrodes; a force transducer for measuring the applied force on the sample and where the motor responsive to the distance sensor is also responsive to the force transducer to give a desired force by varying the electrode spacing; disposable electrodes made using thick film technology composed of a ceramic substrate with a conductor adhered to its surface; and a temperature sensor built into one of the electrodes such as a platinum ring adhered to the surface of one of the electrodes and means to measure the resistance across the platinum ring.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling and moving a plurality of objects such as containers each holding a sample to be analyzed by an analytical instrument contains the following:a. a robotic arm assembly capable of vertical, horizontal and rotational movement;b. gripper mechanism for holding objects attach to the arm of the assembly;c. stepper motors for driving the robotic arm assembly;d. a power source that drives the stepper motors electrically coupled to the motors;e. a sensing system with a feedback loop that monitors the movement of arm assembly, the objects being manipulated by the arm assembly and the force applied to the objects by the gripper mechanism;f. a computer electrically interfaced with the linear stepper motors, the power means and the sensing system with the feedback loop andg. a means for providing operating data input to the computer;operating data is provided to the computer for operation of the autosampler and the autosampler moves the object as directed.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for NO.sub.x analysis in which a sample gas is introduced into a sample cell and mixed with oxygen to induce conversion of NO to NO.sub.2. After a given time, prior to complete conversion of NO to NO.sub.2, the absorbance and the time rate of change of absorbance is measured. The time rate of change of absorbance is indicative of the initial NO concentration in the sample gas; and the sum of the absorbance and the time rate of change of absorbance is indicative of the initial NO.sub.x concentration in the gas. A better indication of the initial NO.sub.x concentration can be obtained from the sum of the absorbance and the square root of the time rate of change of absorbance.