Rotatable Carousel Sample Purification Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sample purification devices in automated analyzers lack efficient and independent handling of fluids, particularly in washing steps, which can lead to contamination and inefficiencies in processing samples.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable carousel system with vertically arranged levels, featuring a toothed rack for needle movement, motor actuation, light barriers for fluid monitoring, and injector assemblies for dispensing and aspirating fluids, ensuring precise and contamination-reduced handling of samples.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single container-receiving position is used for loading and unloading containers, then the device complexity is reduced, but the productivity is limited due to sequential processing
Solution Approach 1:
The carousel is divided into multiple independent container-receiving positions (first, second, third, and fourth positions), each capable of holding a container. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple samples simultaneously, improving productivity while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-position linear arrangement to a multi-position carousel configuration, adding the dimension of parallel processing. The carousel rotates to bring different container-receiving positions to the processing area, enabling multiple operations to occur simultaneously at different positions.
2Productivity
If multiple container-receiving positions are provided on the carousel, then the productivity is improved through parallel processing, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each container-receiving position on the carousel is designed with the same structure and capabilities, allowing any position to perform any function (loading, unloading, or processing). This universality simplifies the overall system design by using identical modular units repeated multiple times, reducing the complexity increase that would result from designing specialized positions for different functions.
3Ease of operation
If the aspiration needle can move vertically to different positions, then the ease of operation is improved for fluid handling, but the device complexity increases due to additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical movement mechanism for the aspiration needle is integrated with the carousel structure, combining the needle positioning function with the existing rotational mechanism. This merging allows the needle to access different vertical positions (including container-receiving positions) without requiring a completely separate complex positioning system, thus improving ease of operation while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for the purification of samples and provides a device for the purification of samples, comprising a rotatable carousel with container-receiving position, each for receiving a container and a fixed circuit board attached to one side of the carousel, wherein the fixed circuit board comprises a toothed rack guiding for vertically moving an aspiration needle up and down; a motor for actuating the toothed rack; light barriers for determining the angle of rotation of the carousel; bubble sensors for monitoring aspiration of fluids from the containers and for monitoring rinsing of the aspiration needle; and wherein the rotatable carousel comprises four vertically on top of each other arranged level, wherein a first level, which is the upper level, comprises injector assemblies which are arranged on a first level plate for dispensing fluids and an aspiration needle rinsing station for cleaning of the vertically crossing aspiration needle which is arranged onto said first level plate; a second level, below the upper level, comprises a plurality of container-receiving position, each for receiving a container, wherein each container-receiving position of the plurality of container-receiving position is arranged above a second level plate; a third level, below the second level, comprises stacked printed circuit boards; a fourth level, below the third level, comprising a base plate comprising counter bearings for the centrally arranged rotor axis comprising a motor as a drive for rotating the carousel and slide bearings between an upper end of the rotor axis and the first plate and between the base plate and the lower end of the rotor axis.