Microscope Slide With Bare Margins For Precise Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microscope supports for liquid-based biological substances like animal semen suffer from imprecise positioning due to manufacturing tolerances and lack of mechanical regularity, affecting optical quality and stability during analysis.
Innovation Solution
A support system with a bare and uncovered upper face of the object-carrying slide, featuring marginal regions for precise mechanical positioning and sliding, and a system with a support plate and clamping mechanism that maintains focus across individual compartments by gripping the support plate and stage, ensuring consistent alignment with the microscope lens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the upper face of the object-carrying slide is covered with adhesive lines to secure the cover glass, then the structural integrity is improved, but the mechanical positioning precision deteriorates due to lack of bare regions for direct contact
Solution Approach 1:
The upper face of the object-carrying slide is segmented into two functional zones: covered regions with adhesive lines for structural securing and bare marginal regions for mechanical positioning. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally without interference from the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the upper face are assigned different properties: the central and peripheral covered areas provide adhesive bonding strength, while the bare marginal regions provide smooth, regular surfaces for precise mechanical contact and sliding during positioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the support plate is made movable to allow stage translation for aligning compartments, then the operational flexibility is improved, but the positioning stability deteriorates due to lack of fixed reference points
Solution Approach 1:
The support plate is pre-equipped with guide grooves and positioning features that establish a stable reference framework before the stage begins to move. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that even during dynamic translation, the positioning stability is maintained through the guide grooves constraining the movement path.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide grooves act as intermediaries between the movable stage and the fixed support plate, mediating the translation motion while maintaining positioning stability. These grooves translate the movement requirement into a controlled path that preserves the reference framework.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the microscope stage is designed to translate in left-right direction to align compartments, then the analysis capability is improved, but the focus consistency deteriorates due to manufacturing tolerances in the support structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces purely mechanical positioning reliance with a hybrid system combining mechanical guide grooves and optical focus adjustment mechanisms. This substitution allows the stage to translate for analyzing different compartments while the focus consistency is maintained through optical adjustment rather than relying solely on mechanical precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system compensates for manufacturing tolerances by allowing dynamic adjustment of optical parameters (focus) independent of mechanical position. This parameter change capability ensures that focus consistency is maintained across different compartments even when mechanical tolerances vary.
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
This solution enables precise positioning and stable analysis of biological samples by eliminating uncertainty from manufacturing tolerances and maintaining focus across multiple compartments, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of microscopic examination.
Implementation Method 1
lines of adhesive disposed between the object-carrying slide and the cover glass to secure them to each other
Implementation Method 2
The drops are then each entrained by capillarity in the individual compartment with which the well communicates
Data Source
AI summary
The support comprises an object-carrying slide (11) and a cover glass (12) secured by lines of adhesive (13) peripherally defining individual compartments (14) for receiving a sample of the biological substance; characterised in that the upper face (17) of the object-carrying slide is bare and uncovered over at least one front marginal region (41) and at least one rear marginal region (42), each having an extension in the front-rear direction equal to at least 2.5 mm and an extension in the left-right direction equal to at least the distance between the respective axes of the two individual compartments furthest apart from one another. The system comprises the support (40) and a microscope for enclosing the support between a stage and a support plate provided with fingers, the distal ends of which are in contact with the marginal regions (41, 42) exclusively.