Blood Sampler with Membrane Guide for Gravity-Driven Plasma Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preprocessing small fluid samples, such as blood, are inefficient and prone to errors, especially in lab-on-a-chip or field inspection settings, where precise handling and minimal sample volumes are required.
Innovation Solution
A sampler with a chamber and membrane guide system that uses gravity and capillary forces to separate blood components, allowing for easy manipulation and direct use of extracted plasma, featuring a hydrophilic surface treatment and microchannel design to enhance separation efficiency and reduce membrane blocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a pipette or fountain pen filter is used to preprocess small fluid samples, then the sample can be processed, but the preprocessing is imprecise and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The sampler enables self-service preprocessing through automated capillary action and gravity-driven filtration. The device automatically separates blood components without requiring manual pipetting or complex filtering operations, eliminating human error while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual mechanical pipetting with a passive mechanical system utilizing capillary forces and gravity. The microchannel structure and membrane filtration system automatically transport and separate samples without requiring precise manual manipulation, thereby improving precision while maintaining simplicity.
2Reliability
If manual pipetting is used for field inspection, then sample processing can be performed, but injection errors occur due to imprecise sample handling
Solution Approach 1:
The sampler performs self-service sample preparation and transport. The device automatically meters and delivers precise sample volumes to the injection point through integrated microchannels and membranes, eliminating manual pipetting errors without requiring complex external handling equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges sample collection, filtration, separation, and injection preparation into a single integrated device. This consolidation eliminates multiple handling steps that could introduce errors, improving reliability while keeping the overall system manageable in complexity.
3Productivity
If traditional filtration methods are used, then blood components can be separated, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The sampler implements continuous filtration and separation through integrated microchannels and membranes. Blood flows continuously through the device under capillary action and gravity, with plasma separated and collected without interruption, eliminating the batch processing steps that consume time in traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential separation function from complex traditional filtration systems. By using specialized membranes and microchannel structures, the device achieves rapid plasma separation without requiring multiple processing steps, centrifugation, or manual intervention, thereby dramatically reducing separation time.
4Measurement precision
If small sample volumes are processed manually, then the analysis can be performed, but the sample handling is difficult and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The sampler handles small sample volumes through self-service capillary action and gravity-driven flow. The device automatically meters, transports, and processes microliter-scale samples without requiring precise manual manipulation, eliminating handling errors while maintaining operational simplicity for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from three-dimensional manual pipetting operations to two-dimensional planar microchannel flow. Samples move through integrated microchannels on a flat substrate, allowing precise handling of small volumes through controlled flow paths rather than manual displacement, thereby improving precision while simplifying user interaction.
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 one-step filtration, collection, and discharge of desired substances from small samples with increased user convenience, improved separation yield, and reduced separation time, even from small sample volumes.
Implementation Method 1
a membrane guide, one side of which is coupled to a membrane, and which includes a channel in which a substance filtered from the sample stored in the storage space through the membrane moves
Implementation Method 2
The channel comprises a microchannel, and the filtered substance moves due to at least one of a force of gravity and a capillary force
Implementation Method 3
A hydrophilic surface treatment is performed on the membrane guide
Implementation Method 4
a channel in which a substance filtered from the sample stored in the storage space through the membrane moves in the direction of gravity
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a sampler which is capable of rapidly and easily separating blood corpuscles from blood, being operated conveniently, and directly using extracted plasma. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a sampler includes a chamber and a membrane guide. Here, the chamber includes an insertion unit having an insertion hole on one side, wherein the other side is opened, and an inner side includes a receiving space for receiving a sample. Additionally, one side of the membrane guide is combined to the membrane, and the membrane guide includes a channel wherein filtered materials, which are filtered through the membrane among the samples received in the receiving space, are moved in a gravitational direction.