Adjustable Flange Connection Mechanism for Cell Culture Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cell culture processing system faces challenges with manufacturing cost and accuracy due to integral attaching-detaching units, leading to positional errors between flanges when attached to a housing, which affects the airtightness and alignment.
Innovation Solution
A connection mechanism with adjustable flanges, featuring a first flange with a through hole and an attaching portion that includes adjusters to align the flange vertically and adjust its position about a horizontal axis, ensuring accurate attachment and maintaining airtightness using elastic sealing members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If flanges are manufactured independently and attached to the side wall, then manufacturing cost decreases, but positional accuracy and vertical alignment of flanges deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is designed with adjustable positioning mechanisms including adjustable positioning holes and movable positioning blocks that allow the flange to be positioned and fixed at different locations and angles on the side wall, transforming a static rigid connection into a dynamic adjustable one to compensate for attachment errors
Solution Approach 2:
The flange incorporates adjustable positioning parameters through multiple positioning holes with different orientations and positions, allowing the attachment angle and location to be modified to correct vertical alignment deviations caused by independent manufacturing
2Ease of manufacture
If flanges are manufactured independently and attached to the side wall, then manufacturing cost decreases, but airtightness deteriorates due to attachment errors
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure uses adjustable sealing elements that can be positioned and angled correctly after flange attachment, allowing compensation for attachment errors to maintain effective sealing between the first housing and second housing
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism incorporates adjustable parameters including the position and orientation of sealing elements that can be modified to ensure proper sealing contact despite variations in flange attachment accuracy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism allows for individual adjustment of flange positions, reducing positional deviations and maintaining airtight connections between housings, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
an annular elastic sealing member which is provided between the first flange and the first side wall to surround the first through hole and the first opening
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The attaching position of a first flange is individually adjusted. A connection mechanism 10 includes two connection parts 11. Each connection part 11 includes a first flange 12 having a through hole 12a and an attaching portion 15 by which the first flange 12 is attached to a partial wall portion 1a1a while the through hole 12a faces an opening 1b. The attaching portion 15 includes: a vertical adjuster 60 which adjusts the attaching position of the first flange 12 so that a surface 12c of the first flange 12, which is opposite to a surface of the first flange 12 facing the partial wall portion 1a1a, to be vertical; and a rotation adjuster 80 which adjusts the attaching position of the first flange 12 about a horizontal axis H passing the center of the through hole 12a and extending in the thickness direction.