Breath Sampling Valve Control for Animal VOC Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collecting a breath sample from animals like cows, pigs, or sheep is challenging due to their inability to be instructed to exhale on command, leading to contamination or insufficient sample volume for accurate analysis.
Innovation Solution
A biological sample analysis device with a mask that fits over the animal's nostrils, an electrically operated valve, and a sensor system that measures VOCs and CO2 levels, automatically controlling the valve to capture a breath sample of optimal concentration for analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual breath collection from animals is attempted, then the simplicity of the collection process is maintained, but the sample quality deteriorates due to contamination or insufficient volume
Solution Approach 1:
The device automatically monitors breath parameters (CO2 concentration, flow rate, volume) and triggers sample collection without user intervention. The system self-regulates the collection process by activating the valve when optimal breath conditions are detected, eliminating the need for manual timing or judgment while ensuring high sample quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors breath parameters in real-time and uses this feedback to control the sampling valve. When the sensor detects that breath volume, CO2 concentration, and flow rate meet predetermined criteria, the system automatically activates the valve to collect the sample, ensuring optimal sample quality while simplifying operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If automated sensor-based control is implemented, then the sample quality is improved through precise concentration monitoring, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor acts as an intermediary between the breath sample and the control valve, translating physical breath parameters into electrical signals that the microcontroller can process. This intermediary component enables automated decision-making without requiring complex direct mechanical linkages between the breath flow and valve control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical judgment and timing with electronic sensors and microcontroller-based logic. Instead of requiring a user to manually judge when to collect a sample, the electronic system automatically monitors CO2 concentration, flow rate, and volume, then triggers the valve through electronic control, simplifying the overall control architecture despite adding sensing components.
3Device complexity
If breath sampling is performed without automated control, then the device complexity is reduced, but the productivity deteriorates due to repeated failed sampling attempts
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of breath parameters before initiating sample collection. By continuously measuring CO2 concentration, flow rate, and volume in advance, the system identifies the optimal moment to activate the valve, ensuring that each sampling attempt is likely to succeed and reducing the need for repeated attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
Real-time feedback from the sensors allows the system to continuously assess breath quality and automatically trigger collection when criteria are met. This feedback mechanism ensures that samples are collected at the optimal moment, maximizing the success rate of each sampling attempt and improving overall productivity without requiring complex manual intervention.
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 device effectively captures and stores a sufficient breath sample of high quality, allowing for accurate analysis of VOCs and CO2 levels, such as determining pregnancy in cattle, with minimal user expertise and without invasive methods.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor located in the body and disposed at or near the inlet in a manner such that the sensor is capable of measuring the presence of at least one compound contained in the breath sample to provide an electrical signal indicative of the presence of the at least one compound
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, there is described a biological sample analysis device. The device comprises a body including an outlet connectable to a chamber arranged to sealingly hold a biological sample and an inlet connectable to a mask portion arranged to fit over the nostrils of an animal to capture a breath sample from the animal. In a specific embodiment, there is provided an electrically operated valve located within the body and positioned between the inlet and outlet, and there is also provided a sensor located in the body and disposed at or near the inlet in a manner such that the sensor is capable of measuring the presence of at least one compound contained in the breath sample to provide an electrical signal indicative of the presence of the at least one compound to a microcontroller. In one embodiment, the microcontroller is arranged, upon determining the relative concentration of the at least one compound in the breath sample, and if the relative concentration is a desired concentration, the microcontroller moves the valve to an open condition, to allow the breath sample to flow into the chamber.