Carousel Injector-Spray Assembly for High-Throughput Chick Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Efficient and safe administration of medicaments to large numbers of animals, particularly day-old-chicks, is challenging due to the difficulty in handling and ensuring correct administration without causing damage.
Innovation Solution
An administration device with multiple stations, including an injection and spray station, a carousel system, and a control unit, which automatically administers medicaments using injectors and spray nozzles while ensuring precise needle placement and dosage control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual injection methods are used to administer medicaments to large numbers of animals, then flexibility in administration is maintained, but productivity is low and the risk of injection malfunction or damage to animals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The administration device is divided into multiple independent stations (injection station, spray station, loading station, unloading station) arranged on a carousel. Each station performs a specific function, allowing simultaneous treatment of multiple animals through different administration methods while maintaining reliable automated control at each station.
Solution Approach 2:
The device combines multiple medicament administration methods (injection and spray) into a single integrated system. The carousel can rotate to position animals at different stations, enabling the same animal to receive different types of medicament administration depending on treatment requirements, thereby increasing both productivity and treatment reliability.
2Productivity
If automated administration devices are used to increase productivity, then the number of animals treated per unit time increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple administration functions (injection, spray, loading, unloading) are merged into a single carousel-based platform. The carousel structure integrates animal positioning, movement between stations, and coordination of different administration methods, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The carousel is designed to rotate dynamically to position animals at different stations. This dynamic positioning system allows the device to adapt to different treatment protocols and animal flow rates, managing complexity through flexible, motion-based coordination rather than rigid mechanical linkages.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple medicaments are administered at different points in the animal lifecycle, then comprehensive treatment coverage is achieved, but the difficulty of ensuring correct administration increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different stations on the carousel are configured with specific administration methods appropriate for different treatment stages. The injection station provides precise injectable medicament administration, while the spray station delivers aerosolized medicaments. This local specialization at each station ensures correct administration for different lifecycle stages without increasing overall operational difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The device automatically controls medicament administration at each station based on programmed protocols. The system self-regulates injection depth, spray duration, and medicament flow rates, reducing the need for manual intervention and ensuring correct administration across different treatment scenarios.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed medicament administration devices can include a plurality of stations including at least an injection station and a spray station. The injection station can be configured to automatically administer a medicament to one or more subjects using one or more injectors, and the spray station can be configured to automatically administer a medicament to the one or more subjects using one or more spray nozzles.