Blade Tip Micropipette Holder with Rotational Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing micropipette systems face difficulties in securely and easily piercing through the egg membrane to reach the cytoplasm during intracytoplasmic sperm injection, as the egg membrane is often deformed and hardened by contact.
Innovation Solution
A blade tip-provided micropipette holding apparatus with a tubular micropipette holder and a rotatable holder-holding device featuring holder position adjusting mechanisms, allowing for precise rotation of the blade tip to facilitate penetration through the egg membrane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a blade tip-provided micropipette is used to pierce through the egg membrane, then the sperm can be delivered into the cytoplasm, but the egg membrane becomes deformed and hardened by contact making penetration difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vibration to the micropipette blade tip to facilitate penetration through the egg membrane. The vibration mechanism reduces the contact time and mechanical stress between the blade tip and the membrane, preventing hardening and deformation while enabling reliable penetration into the cytoplasm.
2Ease of operation
If the blade tip is rotated to facilitate membrane penetration, then penetration effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rotatable holder device that allows dynamic adjustment of the micropipette blade tip orientation. This rotational capability enables the operator to optimize the blade tip angle for effective membrane penetration while the holder provides stable positioning and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder device combines multiple functions: holding the micropipette, enabling rotation for angle adjustment, and providing positioning control. This multi-functional design consolidates several operations into a single device, improving penetration effectiveness without proportionally increasing complexity.
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
Enables secure and easy insertion of the blade tip into the cytoplasm, ensuring reliable sperm delivery during intracytoplasmic sperm injection by allowing precise adjustment and rotation of the blade tip.
Implementation Method 1
the piezoelectric actuator 29 is mounted and the signal adjusting device 21 for adjusting electric signals applied to the piezoelectric actuator 29. By inputting the electric signals to the piezoelectric actuator 29, vibrations are axially imparted to the micropipette 8 through the vibrator 28 having the housing.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A blade tip-provided micropipette holding apparatus (1) of the present invention has a tubular micropipette holder (5) so constructed that a blade tip-provided micropipette (15) to be inserted into a living cell can be mounted on a front-end portion thereof and a holder-holding device (2) for holding the micropipette holder (5). The holder-holding device (2) has a base member (20) and a tubular rotating member (3) which is rotatably held by the base member (20) and into which the tubular micropipette holder (5) can be penetrated. The tubular rotating member (3) has holder position adjusting mechanisms (6, 7) each composed of a plurality of side holes (35) formed on a side surface of the tubular rotating member (3) at different positions of the side surface thereof in a circumferential direction thereof and holder position adjusting members (62, 72) each capable of entering into the tubular rotating member (3) from the side holes (35) and contacting an outer surface of the micropipette holder (5) penetrating through the tubular rotating member (3).