Adjustment mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9754775-B2
Application number	US-201514962946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A magnetic adjustment mechanism 100 comprising a chamber 10 , an element 12 pivotally mounted within the chamber 10 and comprising a magnetic portion 14 , and a magnetic actuator 18 arranged outside the chamber 10 to allow magnetic coupling with the magnetic portion 14 of the element 12 such that movement of the magnetic actuator 18 causes an adjustment of the position of the element 12 . The adjustment mechanism 100 may be used within a vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer to control the position of a moveable element from outside the chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A magnetic adjustment mechanism, comprising:
a chamber, the chamber being a vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer;
an element comprising a magnetic portion, the element pivotally mounted within the chamber;
a magnetic actuator arranged outside the chamber to allow magnetic coupling with the magnetic portion of the element, such that movement of the magnetic actuator causes an adjustment of the position of the element.

2. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the chamber is a pressure chamber.

3. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic portion comprises a material that can be temporarily magnetised.

4. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic portion is confined to a region of the element.

5. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic portion is confined to a region of the element positioned distal from the pivotable mount.

6. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the movement of the magnetic actuator between a first and a second location causes the position of the element to be adjusted between a first position and a second position.

7. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 6 , further comprising a first and a second end stop arranged to restrict the extent of adjustment of the element, the first and second end stop arranged to permit adjustment of the element only between the first and second position.

8. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the element comprises a plate having one or more apertures and wherein adjustment of the position of the element results in selection of an aperture.

9. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the one or more apertures have different dimensions.

10. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment of the position of the element causes movement of a component of the mass spectrometer in relation to an ion beam path in the vacuum chamber.

11. A mass spectrometer comprising or including the magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 1 .

12. A magnetic adjustment mechanism, comprising:
a chamber, the chamber being a vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer;
an element comprising a magnetic portion, the element pivotally mounted within the chamber;
a magnetic actuator arranged outside the chamber to allow magnetic coupling with the magnetic portion of the element, such that movement of the magnetic actuator causes an adjustment of the position of the element, wherein the movement of the magnetic actuator between a first and a second location causes the position of the element to be adjusted between a first position and a second position; and
a magnetic shielding element arranged between the magnetic portion of the element and the magnetic actuator when the magnetic actuator is the first location and/or arranged between the magnetic portion of the element and the magnetic actuator when the magnetic actuator is in the second location.

13. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 12 , wherein the magnetic shielding element is arranged to at least partially surround the magnetic actuator when the magnetic actuator is in the first position and/or in the second position.

14. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 12 , wherein the magnetic shielding element is arranged to enclose the magnetic actuator when the magnetic shielding element is in the first position and/or in the second position.

15. The magnetic adjustment mechanism of claim 12 , wherein the magnetic shielding element is formed of a material which can be temporarily magnetised.

16. A magnetic adjustment mechanism, comprising:
a chamber, the chamber being a vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer;
an element comprising a magnetic portion, the element pivotally mounted within the chamber;
a magnetic actuator arranged outside the chamber to allow magnetic coupling with the magnetic portion of the element, such that movement of the magnetic actuator causes an adjustment of the position of the element; and
a pneumatic piston configured to move the magnetic actuator.

Assignees

• Thermo Fisher Scient (Bremen) Gmbh

Inventors

• Seedorf Silke
• Krummen Michael

Classifications

• H01J49/04

  Arrangements for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed, e.g. vacuum locks; Arrangements for external adjustment of electron- or ion-optical components · CPC title

• H01J49/24 Primary

  Vacuum systems, e.g. maintaining desired pressures · CPC title

• H01J49/06 Primary

  Electron- or ion-optical arrangements · CPC title

• H01F7/0242 Primary

  Magnetic drives, magnetic coupling devices · CPC title

• H01J49/02 Primary

  Details · CPC title