Hematocrit Tube Dispenser With Grip Ring for Breakage Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hematocrit tube dispensers face issues such as breakage due to tensile and rotational loading, lack of control over dispensing rate, and incompatibility with plastic tubes, leading to safety risks and inefficiencies in handling and sample loss.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser design that grips the tube's outer diameter without a flared end, using a cylindrical holding mechanism with a differential resistive force provided by a circumferential grip ring and a plunger for controlled dispensing, compatible with both glass and plastic tubes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flared end is added to the hematocrit tube to prevent movement during dispensing, then the tube can be securely held by the dispenser, but the tube becomes more complex to manufacture and more prone to breakage under tensile and rotational loading
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the tube end (flaring) to improve gripping, the invention inverts the approach by modifying the dispenser to grip the tube body directly. The dispenser includes a gripping mechanism that contacts the tube exterior at a point away from the ends, allowing secure holding without requiring tube modifications that create stress concentrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the flared end feature from the tube design entirely. By removing this modified section, the tube returns to its simple cylindrical form with uniform strength, eliminating the stress concentration points that caused breakage while the dispenser's gripping mechanism adapts to hold the smooth tube body.
2Reliability
If a flared end is used on the tube, then the dispenser can engage securely, but glass tubes are weakest under tensile and rotational loading and prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional approach by having the dispenser grip the tube body rather than the tube end. This eliminates the need for flared ends that create stress concentrations, allowing glass tubes to be used without the harmful tensile and rotational stresses that cause breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping force is applied locally at a specific point on the tube body rather than requiring structural modification of the entire tube. The dispenser's gripping mechanism concentrates force at a localized contact point on the tube exterior, allowing the rest of the tube to maintain its uniform, stress-resistant structure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If plastic hematocrit tubes are used to eliminate breakage risks, then safety is improved, but the tubes can easily slip out of conventional dispensers and do not have pre-inserted plugs for centrifugation and dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is designed with universal compatibility to work with both glass and plastic tubes. The gripping mechanism is configured to securely hold various tube materials and types, including plastic tubes without flared ends, while also accommodating tubes with pre-inserted plugs for centrifugation and dispensing functions.
4Ease of operation
If the dispenser is held with two fingers during plunging action, then operation is simplified, but control over dispensing rate is reduced and fluid is ejected in an uncontrolled burst
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser incorporates a dynamic control mechanism that adjusts the plunging action based on real-time feedback. This allows the system to maintain ease of operation while providing precise control over dispensing rate, preventing uncontrolled bursts of fluid ejection through adaptive mechanical feedback.
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
Reduces tube breakage, enhances control over dispensing rate, and accommodates various tube designs, ensuring safe and efficient fluid delivery.
Implementation Method 1
a circumferential grip ring disposed between the outer holding part and the inner holding part to provide a differential resistive force at each side of the circumferential grip ring
Implementation Method 2
The plunger is configured to dispense the fluid contained in the tube
Implementation Method 3
a tube having a first end and an opposed second end, the tube adapted to draw a fluid into the tube by virtue of capillary action
Data Source
AI summary
A device for dispensing fluid for testing including a tube having a proximal end and a distal end, a cylindrical holding mechanism, and a plunger. The cylindrical holding mechanism includes an outer holding part for holding the tube within the outer holding part, an inner holding part configured to engage with the outer holding part, wherein one end of the inner part holding part is connected to a handle assembly, and a circumferential grip ring disposed between the outer holding part and the inner holding part to provide a differential resistive force at each side of the circumferential grip ring, wherein the tube extends through the inner holding part and the outer holding part. The plunger is configured to dispense the fluid contained in the tube.