Fluid Sampling Adapter With Penetrable Diaphragm Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting fluid samples from vehicles and machinery are prone to contamination due to exposure of the sample bottle to the environment, leading to incorrect test results, especially in harsh environments like hot, dusty, and windy conditions.
Innovation Solution
A fluid sampling apparatus comprising a storage container with a cap and adapter that provides an airtight seal, using a penetrable diaphragm and twist lock mechanism to connect the adapter to the fluid sampling device, ensuring that the fluid outlet tube extends through the cap and into the storage region without exposing the sample to contaminants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the bottle is stored inside a sealed plastic bag and the cap is removed through the bag, then contamination is reduced, but the operation becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the sealing function into separate components: a cap with aperture for the bottle and a separate lid that seals the aperture. This segmentation allows the cap to remain on the bottle while the lid provides the sealing function, eliminating the need to manipulate caps through bags.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter acts as an intermediary component between the sampling device and the bottle. It includes a penetrable diaphragm that allows the sampling tube to pass through while maintaining the sealed environment, serving as a mediator that enables connection without opening the seal.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the bottle is stored inside a sealed plastic bag, then contamination is reduced, but the sampling process becomes complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the cap and lid into a single integrated assembly where the lid is positioned within the cap structure. This combination simplifies the overall structure by eliminating the need for separate bag handling and cap manipulation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter with its penetrable diaphragm serves as an intermediary that simplifies the connection process. The diaphragm allows the sampling tube to penetrate through the sealed structure, enabling direct connection between the sampling device and bottle without opening the seal or manipulating components through a bag.
3Productivity
If the fluid outlet tube protrudes into the bottle through the bag, then sampling can occur, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The penetrable diaphragm is a flexible thin film that allows the fluid outlet tube to pass through while maintaining the sealed environment of the cap and lid assembly. This flexible film structure enables sampling capability while preserving the protective seal against contamination.
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 apparatus effectively prevents contamination, ensuring accurate laboratory results and simplifies the sampling process, even in challenging environmental conditions, by maintaining a sealed pathway for the fluid sample from the vehicle to the storage container.
Implementation Method 1
a penetrable diaphragm that is connected to an inside surface of either the cap or the storage container to provide an airtight seal over a storage region of the storage container below the penetrable diaphragm
Implementation Method 2
an external screw thread extending around an outermost surface of the cylindrical body, wherein the external screw thread is adapted to engage threadedly with an internal screw thread extending around an innermost cylindrical surface of an aperture of the fluid outlet coupling port
Implementation Method 3
a connector assembly for connecting the adapter releasably to the cap such that the outlet aperture of the cylindrical body is fluidly aligned with the aperture of the cap, wherein the surface of the cap and the lowermost end of the cylindrical body are mutually adapted to provide an airtight seal therebetween
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for collecting and storing fluid samples from vehicles and machinery comprises a storage container having a fluid inlet sealed by a cap, the cap having an aperture releasably sealed by a lid. An adapter connects the cap releasably to a fluid outlet coupling port of a fluid sampling device. The adapter comprises a lumen, having an inlet and an outlet aperture, an external screw thread engageable with an internal screw thread of the coupling port and a connector assembly for connecting the adapter releasably to the cap. A penetrable diaphragm provides an airtight seal over a storage region of the storage container. When the adapter is connected to the coupling port and the cap is connected to the adapter, a fluid outlet tube extending from the coupling port extends through the aperture and protrudes through one or more perforations provided in the penetrable diaphragm into the storage region.