Laboratory samples, such as organic and inorganic substances in suitable containers, sometimes have to be stored at very low temperatures, such as −80° C. Equipment for this purpose must provide a storage zone where a large number of different samples can be stored, sometimes for extended periods of time.
A storage of this type is described in EP 1 972 874.
Manual access to the storage zone should, in normal operation, be avoided because it would affect temperature stability. In addition, any humidity brought into the storage zone tends to freeze and to create ice deposits which, due to very low sublimation rates, tend to accumulate over time and to affect the operation of the device.
To alleviate this problem and in order to quickly access any of a large number of samples within the storage zone, the device according to EP 1 972 874 is equipped with an automated transport device.
A further problem faced by devices of this type is the fact that the low temperature can affect reliable operation of equipment, in particular of mechanically movable equipment adapted to manipulate the probes.
For this reason, the device of EP 1 972 874 comprises a handling zone located above the storage zone and being maintained at a higher temperature than the storage zone. The automated transport device is arranged at, least partially in the handling zone, where its components are not in thermal contact with the low-temperature storage zone.