Cuvette Guide Rail With Upward Deflections for Low-Volume Mixing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cuvettes require a large amount of liquid to achieve a certain fill level, which is undesirable for applications requiring light transmission, and conventional stirring methods exert high pressure on the liquid, especially for sensitive samples.
Innovation Solution
A cuvette design with a guide rail formed by projections from opposite walls, allowing a ball to move along a defined path with upward deflections, minimizing liquid pressure and enabling efficient mixing with a small liquid volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cuvette with a guide rail has a large cross-section to accommodate the stirring ball, then the ball can move freely for effective mixing, but a larger amount of liquid is required to reach a certain fill level
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is deflected upwards at both ends, transforming the ball's movement from a purely horizontal path to a three-dimensional path that includes vertical components. This dimensional change allows the ball to clear the liquid surface at the ends of the straight section, enabling effective mixing in a narrower cuvette cross-section with reduced liquid volume.
2Reliability
If the guide rail extends straight across the cuvette, then the ball can be contained within the cuvette, but the ball may hit the end wall and exert high local pressure on the liquid
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is deflected upwards at both ends, moving the ball's trajectory into a third dimension (vertical). This prevents the ball from contacting the end walls of the cuvette, eliminating high local pressure on the liquid while maintaining reliable sample containment through the elevated rail structure.
3Quantity of substance
If the cuvette is designed narrow to reduce liquid volume, then less liquid is needed for analysis, but it becomes difficult to guide the ball along a defined path
Solution Approach 1:
By deflecting the guide rail upwards at both ends, the invention creates a three-dimensional guidance path that fits within a narrow cuvette cross-section. The vertical deflection provides the necessary guidance structure without requiring increased horizontal spacing, enabling effective ball guidance in a compact design with reduced liquid volume.
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
The cuvette design achieves complete and even mixing of liquids with minimal pressure, facilitating optical measurements with a small liquid volume and reducing the risk of sample degradation.
Implementation Method 1
As the ball rolls along the bottom of the cuvette, the liquid is subjected to considerable pressure
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a test cell for mixing a liquid. The test cell comprises an interior space (18) for receiving the liquid and a running rail (20), which is formed in the interior space (18), for a ball (22), wherein the running rail (20) is formed by two projections (12, 13) which project into the interior space (18) from opposite side walls (10, 11) of the test cell (14). According to the invention, the running rail has a straight section and is deflected upward at both ends. In the test cell (14) according to the invention, a high filling level can be achieved with a low quantity of liquid, this being advantageous for optical measurements. The invention also relates to a measuring method using the test cell.