Environmental Sampling Assay Device with Automatic Coupon Wetting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current biological detection systems, such as the Joint Biological Point Detections System (JBPDS), are bulky, expose users to contamination, and are limited by rigid requirements for assay coupon geometry and wetting procedures, failing to provide rapid detection of a broad range of biological and chemical threats.
Innovation Solution
An environmental sampling and assay system with a coupon storage assembly, automatic wetting mechanism, digital camera for image evaluation, and data processing and control system that allows for flexible coupon sizes, real-time wetting verification, and early detection of biological or chemical substances, housed in an air-tight glove box for user protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the JBPDS uses a predetermined geometry assay coupon requirement, then the system can operate with a fixed design, but it blocks the use of many commercially available assay strips and reduces adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal assay reader that can accommodate multiple types of assay coupons with different geometries. The reader is designed with adjustable components and a flexible reading mechanism that can adapt to various coupon formats, allowing the system to use commercially available assay strips while maintaining a unified detection platform.
2Productivity
If the JBPDS does not verify coupon wetting before assay time expires, then the system operates continuously without additional verification steps, but the full assay time period must elapse before botched tests are detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a wetting verification step that occurs during the assay process before the full assay time expires. The system checks whether the assay coupon has been properly wetted with the sample, and if not, it can abort the assay early and alert the user, preventing waste of the full assay time period on botched tests.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the JBPDS is configured for biological substance detection only, then the system can be optimized for specific detection, but it cannot detect chemical threats and has rigid assay requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes an environmental sampling and assay system that can detect both biological and chemical substances. The system uses a universal reader that can interpret results from different types of assay coupons, and the environmental sampling assembly can collect samples suitable for both biological and chemical analysis, enabling a single system to address multiple threat types.
4Reliability
If the JBPDS lacks automatic wetting verification, then the system operates with simpler control, but personnel are exposed to biological substances and tests may fail undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system monitors and verifies that the assay coupon has been properly wetted during the assay process. The reader detects whether the coupon is adequately wetted and provides feedback to the control system, which can then alert the user or abort the assay if proper wetting is not achieved, ensuring reliable test results.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically verifies coupon wetting without requiring manual intervention. The reader independently checks the wetting status of the assay coupon and communicates the result to the user, eliminating the need for personnel to manually inspect wetting and reducing exposure to biological substances.
Data Source
AI summary
An environmental sampling and assay system, having a coupon storage assembly, storing coupons; an environment sampling assembly, the sampling assembly mixing an environmental sample with a liquid to create a sample-liquid, bearing the environmental sample; a coupon moving assembly; a coupon wetting assembly for automatically wetting a coupon with the sample-liquid; a coupon perceiving device; a data input, adapted to receive a signal; and a data processing and control assembly, controlling the environmental sampling system, the coupon moving assembly, the wetting assembly and the coupon perceiving device. Further, the coupon moving assembly can retrieve a coupon from the coupon storage assembly and move it in a linear manner to the coupon wetting assembly.