Compact specimen processing station.

摘要

The present invention is a compact specimen processing station (10) that processes vertically oriented specimens. Specimen storage, transport, and inspection components (26,28, and 30) are all mounted to a vibration-damped support structure (14) and are designed to handle specimens (34) positioned with a generally vertical orientation. The station is designed to minimize undesirable specimen motion and contamination caused by an operator (42). A specimen processing station (10) that performs inspection functions is equipped with a microscope (32) and a display monitor (36) that provide a real image and a video image, respectively, of a microscopic region of the specimen under inspection. The station is equipped with failsafe mechanisms (176 and 182) that prevent the dropping of a specimen during an electrical power failure or a vacuum pressure loss.