Antigen Exposure Chamber Airflow Layout for Uniform Concentration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional antigen exposure chamber systems suffer from non-uniform antigen concentration distribution, antigen leakage, and inaccurate concentration measurement due to variable sampling tube materials and arrangements.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a ceiling-mounted outdoor air diffuser, fan units in each corner for circulating air flow, a floor-mounted air exhaust port, and PVC sampling tubes with fixed routes to ensure uniform antigen distribution and minimize leakage, with controlled airflow and filtration systems to maintain chamber pressure and prevent antigen escape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional air supply and exhaust ports are used at ceiling or wall positions, then air flow is generated in the chamber, but antigen concentration distribution becomes extremely non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The air supply function is segmented into multiple outdoor air diffusers positioned at ceiling, wall, and floor locations. The air exhaust function is segmented into multiple exhaust ports at different heights. This segmentation enables uniform antigen distribution by creating coordinated air flows from multiple directions rather than relying on a single supply/exhaust configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the chamber are provided with different types of air supply ports (ceiling diffuser, wall diffuser, floor diffuser) tailored to their specific locations. This local quality approach ensures that each region receives appropriate air flow characteristics to achieve overall uniform antigen concentration throughout the chamber space.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If chamber pressure is made negative to prevent antigen leakage, then antigen flow out is reduced, but the measure is extremely insufficient for preventing antigen leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by establishing a negative pressure environment in the guard room surrounding the exposure chamber, and using air showers at entrances/exits before subjects enter or leave. These preventive measures are in place before antigen leakage can occur, creating multiple barriers to antigen escape rather than relying solely on chamber pressure control.
Solution Approach 2:
An air shower system acts as an intermediary barrier between the exposure chamber and the external environment. The air shower creates a controlled air flow barrier at the entrance/exit that prevents antigen particles from escaping or entering, supplementing the pressure control measures and significantly enhancing antigen containment reliability.
3Measurement precision
If various materials and arrangements of sampling tubes are used for measuring antigen concentration, then measurement flexibility is provided, but antigen particle loss is large and accurate concentration measurement cannot be conducted
Solution Approach 1:
The sampling tube is standardized with homogeneous properties: PVC material throughout, fixed length of 1.5m, and consistent inner diameter of 10mm. This homogeneity eliminates variability in antigen particle loss that would occur with different materials, lengths, or configurations, enabling accurate and reproducible antigen concentration measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a relatively short (1.5m) sampling tube made of inexpensive PVC material that can be easily replaced. This approach minimizes antigen particle loss by keeping the tube length short while maintaining measurement functionality, and allows for easy replacement if contamination or degradation occurs, ensuring ongoing measurement 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
This configuration achieves uniform antigen concentrations within ±10% variation, reduces antigen leakage, and enables accurate concentration measurement, allowing for simultaneous exposure of multiple subjects to consistent antigen levels.
Implementation Method 1
outdoor air is supplied via an outdoor air diffuser provided in a ceiling surface of an exposure chamber into the exposure chamber from the ceiling surface of the exposure chamber in a horizontal direction
Implementation Method 2
a fan unit, including a supply port and a suction port, is provided in each of the four corners of the exposure chamber to provide a circulating flow of air flowing with circulation in the horizontal direction in the exposure chamber
Implementation Method 3
an antigen is supplied from an antigen supply device to the outdoor air diffuser provided in the ceiling surface so that the antigen is mixed with the outdoor air
Implementation Method 4
an air exhaust port is provided in a floor surface of the exposure chamber to exhaust an air from the floor surface of the exposure chamber
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to solve the problems in conventional art antigen exposure chambers, and specifically, to provide an antigen exposure chamber system capable of simultaneously exposing a large number of test objects in a chamber to a uniform antigen (pollen, mite or house dust, etc.) in all seasons. In order to achieve the above object, in an antigen exposure chamber system according to the present invention, an outdoor air is supplied via an outdoor air diffuser 2 provided in a ceiling surface of an exposure chamber 1 into the exposure chamber from the ceiling surface of the exposure chamber in a horizontal direction, a fan unit 15, including a supply port and a suction port, is provided in each of the four corners of the exposure chamber to provide a circulating flow of air flowing with circulation in the horizontal direction in the exposure chamber, an air exhaust port 4 is provided at a floor surface of the exposure chamber to exhaust an air from the floor surface of the exposure chamber, an antigen is supplied from an antigen supply device to the outdoor air diffuser provided on the ceiling surface so that the antigen is mixed with the outdoor air, and a uniform concentration antigen exposure is enabled by the circulating flow of air.