Transparent Droplet Dispensing Position Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional droplet dispensing devices struggle to precisely adjust the discharge position of transparent droplets due to the difficulty in recognizing alignment marks printed with colorless and transparent droplets, making it challenging to calibrate the discharge position accurately.
Innovation Solution
A droplet dispensing device with an adjustment plate, sensors, and a controller that switches between two operation modes: one for dispensing droplets onto the well plate and another for adjusting the position based on sensor detection, allowing precise adjustment of the discharge position by using the sensor information to correct for errors and clog determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a transparent droplet is used for dispensing, then the sample can be preserved without contamination, but the discharge position cannot be adjusted with high precision due to difficulty in recognition
Solution Approach 1:
An adjustment plate with a sensor is introduced as an intermediary component. The sensor detects the position of transparent droplets discharged onto the adjustment plate, providing feedback information to the controller. This mediator enables precise position detection and adjustment without compromising the transparency and non-contamination properties of the droplets themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback mechanism is established where the sensor detects droplet positions and transmits this information to the controller. The controller then adjusts the discharge position based on this feedback, enabling closed-loop control that achieves high precision while maintaining droplet transparency for sample preservation.
2Measurement precision
If a camera is used to detect droplet position, then position information can be obtained, but transparent droplets cannot be recognized
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment plate serves as an intermediary surface that enhances the detectability of transparent droplets. The plate's surface properties or markings provide contrast or reference features that enable the sensor to detect transparent droplet positions effectively, solving the recognition problem without altering the droplets themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment plate may incorporate visual markers, contrast patterns, or surface treatments that create detectable differences when transparent droplets are discharged onto it. This allows the sensor to distinguish droplet positions through optical contrast rather than relying on the droplets' inherent visual properties.
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 high-precision adjustment of the discharge position of transparent droplets, even when they are colorless and transparent, by using sensor feedback to correct for positional errors and nozzle clogging, ensuring accurate dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor, provided on an upper surface of the adjustment plate and detecting a position of the transparent droplet attached to a front surface
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A droplet dispensing device includes an adjustment plate; a first sensor, provided on an upper surface of the adjustment plate and detecting a position of the transparent droplet; a tray, on which one of the well plate and the adjustment plate is detachably mounted; a head part, discharging the transparent droplet; and a CPU, switching an operation mode from one of a first mode and a second mode to the other. In the first mode, the transparent droplet is discharged from the head part toward the well plate, and in the second mode, the transparent droplet is discharged from the head part toward the first sensor. The CPU adjusts the position on the well plate in which the transparent droplet is discharged from the head part in the first mode based on a position of the transparent droplet detected by the first sensor in the second mode.