Automatic Analyzer UV Sterilization Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic analyzers face challenges in sterilizing reagents with ultraviolet light, as improper irradiation intensity can lead to incomplete microbial killing or reagent decomposition, and the transfer process risks contamination and property changes, especially when reagent levels are low.
Innovation Solution
An automatic analyzer with a sterilization mechanism that includes a control section to adjust ultraviolet light intensity based on the remaining reagent amount, using ultraviolet LEDs and a magnetic stirrer for uniform sterilization, and a design that eliminates the need for reagent transfer, ensuring appropriate irradiation without excessive exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ultraviolet light is used to sterilize the reagent, then microorganisms are killed, but the reagent properties may change due to excessive or insufficient irradiation intensity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the ultraviolet light intensity adjustable and variable rather than fixed. The control section dynamically adjusts the irradiation intensity based on the remaining reagent amount, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions and maintain optimal sterilization effectiveness while preventing reagent decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the control section to monitor the remaining reagent amount and adjust the ultraviolet light intensity accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures that the irradiation intensity is always appropriate for the current reagent level, preventing both insufficient sterilization and excessive decomposition.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the irradiation light intensity is reduced for small remaining reagent amounts, then reagent decomposition is prevented, but sterilization effectiveness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the ultraviolet light intensity based on the remaining reagent amount. When reagent level is high, higher intensity is used for effective sterilization; when reagent level is low, intensity is reduced to prevent decomposition. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between sterilization effectiveness and reagent stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of ultraviolet light intensity according to the remaining reagent amount. By varying this critical parameter dynamically, the system optimizes both sterilization effectiveness and reagent stability across different usage stages.
3Reliability
If reagent transfer is performed to sterilize, then sterilization can be achieved, but contamination risk and work time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sterilization function from the reagent container itself by introducing a separate sterilization mechanism with ultraviolet light sources. This allows the reagent to remain in its original container while still achieving sterilization, eliminating the need for complex transfer operations to separate sterilization containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The reagent container is designed to serve multiple functions: storage, dispensing, and sterilization. By integrating the ultraviolet sterilization mechanism into the container system, the patent eliminates the need for separate sterilization containers and transfer processes, reducing complexity while maintaining sterilization capability.
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
This solution effectively sterilizes the reagent while maintaining its properties, reducing the risk of contamination and extending the reagent's usable life by adjusting light intensity according to the reagent level and eliminating the need for transfer, thus ensuring accurate and reproducible analysis results.
Implementation Method 1
a sterilization mechanism removably attached to an opening of a container (1) that holds a reagent and having an ultraviolet light generation section (6) that radiates ultraviolet light
Implementation Method 2
using ultraviolet LEDs and a magnetic stirrer for uniform sterilization
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic analyzer is equipped with a sterilization mechanism removably attached to an opening of a container that holds a reagent and having an ultraviolet light generation section that radiates ultraviolet light; a suction nozzle removably attached, together with the sterilization mechanism, to the opening of the container; an analysis section adding the reagent drawn in by suction from the container via the suction nozzle to the reagent, and executing an analysis operation; and a control section exercising variable control over an irradiation light intensity of the ultraviolet light generated by the ultraviolet light generation section.