Intestinal Capsule Assembly with Electrolysis-Driven Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current designs for untethered ingestible devices to collect intestinal fluid samples from deep within the small intestine are invasive, mechanically infeasible, leaky, complex, or require more energy than available, and struggle with sampling viscous fluids effectively.
Innovation Solution
An intestinal capsule assembly with a housing, a releasable module containing a battery and fluid container, and a retaining mechanism that uses electrolysis to generate gas pressure for releasing the module, allowing expansion of the sample chamber for fluid collection, utilizing low voltage and minimal energy to facilitate easy ingestion and effective sample collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a releasable module with battery and fluid container is used to power the capsule, then sufficient energy is available for sample collection, but the device size increases making ingestion difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a housing containing the sample chamber and a separate releasable module containing the battery and fluid container. The releasable module is temporarily retained within the housing during ingestion to minimize overall device size, then released to provide power for sample collection functions.
2Quantity of substance
If the sample chamber volume is expanded to collect sufficient intestinal fluid samples, then adequate sampling is achieved, but the device becomes too large for easy ingestion
Solution Approach 1:
The releasable module containing the fluid container is nested within the housing during the ingestion phase. This allows the sample chamber to have sufficient capacity when expanded, while the overall device footprint remains compact when the releasable module is retained inside the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The sample chamber volume is dynamic - it expands after the releasable module is released. The chamber can accommodate a larger volume when the releasable module is removed, providing sufficient sampling capacity only when needed, while maintaining a compact form factor during ingestion.
3Volume of moving object
If a retaining mechanism is used to hold the releasable module, then the device remains compact for ingestion, but the mechanism adds complexity to the device design
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining mechanism uses magnetic retention instead of complex mechanical locking systems. The releasable module is retained within the housing by magnetic forces, which can be easily overridden by applying a magnetic field from an external device, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining compact device size.
4Use of energy by moving object
If electrolysis is used to generate gas pressure for releasing the module, then low voltage and minimal energy are required, but the mechanism must be precisely controlled to avoid premature activation
Solution Approach 1:
A valve mechanism acts as an intermediary between the electrolysis gas generation system and the releasable module retention system. The valve controls when gas pressure is applied to release the magnetic retention, allowing precise control of activation timing while using minimal energy for electrolysis. The valve prevents premature activation by blocking gas pressure until appropriate release conditions are met.
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 solution enables non-invasive, efficient collection of intestinal fluid samples by using low-energy electrolysis to power the capsule, ensuring it can be ingested by children and smaller animals, and effectively handles viscous fluids through controlled expansion of the sample chamber.
Implementation Method 1
the releasable module is arranged to be activated, to cause the battery to supply power to the fluid container so as to cause, in use, electrolysis of a fluid within the fluid container to create a gas pressure
Data Source
AI summary
An intestinal capsule assembly includes a housing. The housing has a first opening, and a sample chamber 2 defining a volume for collecting a sample of intestinal fluid. The assembly also includes a releasable module, comprising a battery and a fluid container, retained by a retaining mechanism. In a pre-activation configuration, the releasable module is located within the housing. In a post-activation configuration, the releasable module is located outside of the housing. The releasable module is arranged to be activated, to cause the battery to supply power to the fluid container so as to cause, in use, electrolysis of a fluid within the fluid container to create a gas pressure, wherein the gas pressure causes release of the retaining mechanism, so as to allow movement of the releasable module out of the housing through the first opening, resulting in expansion of the volume of the sample chamber, thereby filling it with the fluid sample.