Dual-Cap Tube Assembly for Automated PCR Sample Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current laboratory sample holders, such as PCR tubes, require manual decapping and capping, which is labor-intensive and slow, and also face issues with sample tracking due to the risk of collar separation from the tubes.
Innovation Solution
A closable tube assembly with a two-piece cap system, where a first cap is manually removable and a second cap is automatically engageable with an automatic decapping machine, allowing for both manual and automated access to samples while maintaining sample tracking through an integral identification plate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual decapping and capping is used for PCR tubes, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity is reduced and labor intensity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is divided into two distinct parts: a first manual cap that can be easily removed by hand and a second automated cap that interfaces with automated decapping machines. This segmentation allows the same tube system to serve both manual operations (maintaining ease of operation) and automated processing (improving productivity), resolving the contradiction between manual handling convenience and processing speed.
2Measurement precision
If a collar with 2-D code is affixed to PCR tubes for sample tracking, then measurement precision of sample identification is improved, but reliability decreases due to collar separation risk
Solution Approach 1:
The identification plate is integrated directly into the cap structure, merging the tracking function with the closure mechanism. This eliminates the separate collar component that could detach, ensuring that sample identification remains reliably attached to the tube throughout the entire process while maintaining precise identification capabilities.
3Device complexity
If standard PCR tubes are used with separate collars for tracking, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information occurs due to collar separation and misidentification
Solution Approach 1:
The identification plate is merged with the cap as an integral component rather than a separate attachment. This ensures that sample tracking information remains permanently associated with the correct tube, preventing misidentification and information loss while adding minimal complexity to the overall system.
4Ease of operation
If manual processing of PCR tubes is used, then ease of operation is maintained, but loss of time increases due to labor-intensive procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-cap design segments the closure system into manual and automated interfaces. The first manual cap allows quick hand removal for manual operations, while the second automated cap enables rapid machine-based decapping. This segmentation eliminates time-consuming manual decapping steps while preserving manual accessibility when needed, directly reducing processing time without sacrificing operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A closable tube assembly including a tube vessel, a first cap assembly, and a second cap assembly. The tube vessel has walls defining an opening to an interior of the tube vessel. The first cap is removably connected to the tube vessel over the opening and engages an edge of the opening and the tube vessel interior to close the opening at least in part. The second cap is removably connected to the tube vessel and the first cap so that opening closure is commonly effected by both the first cap and the second cap. Removal of the second cap opens the opening with the first cap engaged to the edge of the opening. Both the first cap and the second cap have an insert closure configuration relative to the opening, and the second cap has an insert configuration relative to the first cap.