Inflatable Bladder Lid for Uniform Cartridge Pressure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical lids fail to provide uniform support and pressure over wide cartridges with multiple channels, leading to non-uniform pressure distribution and potential inflation of cartridge flow channels during assays.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable bladder lid system that inflates to a desired pressure, using a flexible membrane to conformally contact the cartridge surface, providing uniform force distribution and reducing the need for thick mechanical support, with multiple bladders optionally used to cover specific regions and control reagent movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical lid is used to support the cartridge, then the cartridge channels are prevented from inflating, but the pressure distribution becomes non-uniform across wide cartridges with multiple channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical lid with an inflatable bladder that uses pneumatic pressure to support the cartridge. The bladder is inflated to a controlled pressure to prevent cartridge channel inflation while maintaining uniform pressure distribution across the entire cartridge surface, including wide cartridges with multiple channels. This pneumatic approach eliminates the non-uniform pressure distribution problem inherent in mechanical lid systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable bladder acts as a flexible shell that conforms to the cartridge surface, providing uniform distributed pressure. The flexible nature of the bladder allows it to adapt to the cartridge geometry and maintain consistent contact pressure across the entire surface, unlike rigid mechanical lids that create localized stress concentrations.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the cartridge wall is made thin to allow strong coupling with the excitation source, then the cartridge becomes prone to inflation due to hydraulic flow pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bladder provides preliminary counter-pressure to the hydraulic flow pressure before the cartridge walls can inflate. By pre-inflating the bladder to a pressure slightly higher than the maximum expected hydraulic pressure, the system prevents cartridge wall deformation and maintains structural integrity while allowing thin walls for optimal excitation coupling.
3Reliability
If a mechanical door is used to close over the cartridge, then support is provided to prevent channel inflation, but the device complexity increases and uniform pressure control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential support function from the complex mechanical door structure and implements it through a simple inflatable bladder. The bladder provides the necessary cartridge support and pressure control without the mechanical linkages, hinges, and adjustment mechanisms of a traditional door, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability.
4Productivity
If the cartridge width is increased to accommodate multiple parallel assays, then more channels can be integrated, but maintaining uniform back-pressure becomes significantly more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bladder provides a universal pressure distribution mechanism that works equally well for narrow single-channel cartridges and wide multi-channel cartridges. By inflating the bladder, uniform pressure is distributed across the entire cartridge surface regardless of width, enabling the system to handle cartridges with any number of parallel assays while maintaining consistent back-pressure control.
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 inflatable bladder lid system achieves uniform pressure across the cartridge surface, reducing the thickness and mass of required mechanical support, enhancing assay reliability and simplifying instrument design by eliminating the need for a mechanical door, while allowing for easy tuning of pressure via a small regulator.
Implementation Method 1
An inflatable bladder lid system that inflates to a desired pressure, using a flexible membrane to conformally contact the cartridge surface, providing uniform force distribution
Implementation Method 2
using a flexible membrane to conformally contact the cartridge surface, providing uniform force distribution
Data Source
AI summary
In certain embodiments, the disclosure provides an inflatable bladder lid that configures with a cartridge configured for assay testing. The inflatable bladder provides substantially uniform pressure to the cartridge. The pressure is substantially distributed across the one or more regions of the cartridge to extend pressure over a wide cartridge surface. At least a portion of the bladder lid may comprise a flexible membrane material that inflates and stretches over at least a portion of the cartridge to conformally contact its first/top surface.