Aspiration Tip Plunger Air Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional aspiration tips face challenges in accurately and efficiently aspirating and discharging small amounts of viscous liquids or cell cultures due to air volume fluctuations, leading to decreased efficiency and sample contamination.

Innovation Solution

The aspiration tip features a syringe section with a tubular passage and a plunger that moves to discharge air before aspiration, ensuring no air intervenes during the process, allowing for precise and efficient aspiration and discharge of small volumes by maintaining contact with the inner wall to prevent residual samples.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If air is present in the tubular passage during aspiration and discharge, then the conventional aspiration tip can operate with simple structure, but volume fluctuations occur due to air expansion and contraction, reducing aspiration and discharge accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaspiration and discharge accuracyVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates air from the tubular passage by introducing a plunger that pushes against the liquid column to discharge air before aspiration. This removes the harmful factor (air) that causes volume fluctuations, thereby improving measurement precision without significantly complicating the device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The plunger performs a preliminary action by discharging air from the tubular passage before the actual aspiration process begins. This preliminary removal of air prevents subsequent volume fluctuations during aspiration and discharge, ensuring accurate measurement from the start.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If air is discharged and re-introduced during aspiration and discharge, then the conventional aspiration tip can be operated repeatedly, but sample contamination occurs between successive samples

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesample purityVSAvoidrepeated operation efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The plunger extracts and removes air from the tubular passage, creating a sealed liquid column that prevents sample contamination. This allows repeated operations without introducing contaminants, maintaining sample purity while enabling continuous use of the aspiration tip.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If air remains in the tubular passage during observation, then the observation system can be simple, but observation accuracy is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobservation accuracyVSAvoidtubular passage structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The plunger removes air from the tubular passage, creating a clear liquid-filled path that improves observation accuracy. The extracted air is discharged, leaving only the liquid and sample visible for observation, thereby enhancing measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Quantity of substance

If the aspiration tip uses pressure fluctuations from air movements to aspirate and discharge objects, then the operation mechanism can be simple, but very small amounts of objects cannot be aspirated and discharged efficiently and accurately

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesmall volume handling accuracyVSAvoidaspiration and discharge efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces the air-pressure fluctuation mechanism with a direct mechanical plunger system that pushes against the liquid column. This mechanical substitution eliminates the inefficiencies of air compression and expansion, enabling precise and efficient handling of very small liquid volumes through direct contact and controlled displacement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 design enhances the accuracy and efficiency of aspirating and discharging small volumes, reducing contamination and maintaining high observation accuracy, especially for biological cells and cell aggregations.

Implementation Method 1

a plunger (160) movable back and forth while coming in contact with an inner wall surface of the syringe section (110)... generating an aspiration force in the tubular passage to aspirate the object

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure gradient: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

a pump mechanism is driven to generate an aspiration force in the tubular passage to aspirate the object

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure gradient: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP3075839B1Aspiration tip
Publication Date: 2019.03.20 YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP3075839B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3075839B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3075839B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

An aspiration tip is provided with: a syringe section including an inner tubular passage defining an aspiration path for aspirating an object; and a plunger movable in the tubular passage while coming in contact with an inner wall surface of the tubular passage, wherein the syringe section includes an aspiration opening formed in a distal end of the tubular passage for aspirating the object, and the plunger includes a plunger leading end portion configured to protrude from the aspiration opening before the aspiration of the object and at the time of discharge of the object, and retract in the syringe section at the time of the aspiration of the object.