Measuring unit for measuring characteristics of a sample liquid, in particular viscoelastic characteristics of a blood sample

1. A measuring unit for measuring viscoelastic characteristics of a blood sample, comprising:

a support member having at least one upper bearing arm with an upper bearing unit, at least one lower bearing arm with a lower bearing unit and a base for being attachable to a respective measuring system;

a shaft having shaft toes and being rotatably supported about a rotation axis by said upper bearing unit and said lower bearing unit, wherein said upper bearing unit, said lower bearing unit and said shaft toes form toe bearings, respectively; and

an interface member having a detecting element and a drive element, said interface member being fixed on said shaft and being connected to a coupling shaft with a probe connector section for measuring characteristics of said sample liquid;

wherein said interface member and the coupling shaft are coaxially aligned with said shaft, wherein said upper bearing unit is a moveable bearing being adjustable by adjusting means comprising a spring configured to adjust a pretension of the bearing units and the shaft.

2. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein said upper bearing unit and said lower bearing unit are removable inserts each being fixed in said respective bearing arm.

3. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein said lower bearing unit is a thrust bearing.

4. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein said upper bearing unit and said lower bearing unit comprise bearing plates made of a kind of jewel and/or ceramic.

5. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein said interface member comprises:

an upper connector section connected to said shaft;

a frame having an opening for a passage of said lower bearing arm of said support member;

a lower connector section connected to said coupling shaft;

a front for securing that said detecting element thereon; and

a receptacle for securing that said drive element therein.

6. The measuring unit according to claim 5 , wherein said interface member further comprises a fixing unit for fixing said interface member to said shaft.

7. The measuring unit according to claim 6 , wherein said fixing unit is at least one screw.

8. The measuring unit according to claim 6 , wherein said fixing unit is formed having clip means cooperating with a corresponding clip means of said shaft.

9. The measuring unit according to claim 5 , wherein said lower connector section is formed having clip means cooperating with corresponding clip means of an interface section of said coupling shaft.

10. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein said probe connector section of said coupling shaft is formed having clip means cooperating with corresponding clip means of a probe element being detachably fixed onto said probe connector section.

11. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein said detecting element is a mirror.

12. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein the drive element is a spring wire.

13. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , comprising axial stop means to limit an axial movement of the shaft and the interface member.

14. The measuring unit according to claim 13 , wherein the axial stop means are formed by a shoulder of the interface member and/or a shoulder of the shaft, said shoulder of the interface member and/or the shoulder of the shaft pointing to the upper bearing arm and co-operating with a corresponding shoulder of the upper bearing arm and/or corresponding shoulder of the upper bearing unit.

15. The measuring unit according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said upper bearing unit and said lower bearing unit comprises at least one bearing cover plate.

16. Measuring system for measuring characteristics of a sample liquid, in particular viscoelastic characteristics of a blood sample, comprising at least one measuring unit according to claim 1 .