Mobile Rack Device for Breeding Cage Parts Washing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rack systems for washing breeding cages in pharmaceutical preclinical research are limited by the need for a larger gap between shelves to accommodate bigger cages, leading to reduced loading capacity, instability of cage parts during washing, and difficulty in reconfiguring the number of rows, resulting in inefficient washing performance and mobility issues.
Innovation Solution
A mobile rack device with a load-bearing frame and hooking elements that allow for adjustable positioning and retention of cage parts, enabling increased row capacity and stability, and facilitating reconfiguration of the number of rows and spacing between them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gap between shelves is increased to accommodate bigger cages, then the adaptability to different cage sizes is improved, but the number of rows that can be loaded is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rack system employs adjustable shelves that can be repositioned vertically along the rack structure, allowing the gap between shelves to be dynamically changed. This enables the same rack to accommodate different cage sizes (improving adaptability) while maintaining a high number of rows by optimizing the vertical space utilization (maintaining productivity).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of shelf spacing from fixed to variable. By providing adjustable shelf positions at multiple height levels, the system can modify the gap size according to the specific cage dimensions being washed, thereby achieving both adaptability to different cage sizes and optimal row capacity.
2Productivity
If the gap between shelves is decreased to increase the number of rows, then the productivity is improved, but the ability to accommodate bigger cages is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable shelf mechanism allows the user to dynamically modify the vertical spacing between shelves. When washing bigger cages, the shelves can be positioned farther apart; when washing smaller cages, the shelves can be positioned closer together, thus maximizing the number of rows that fit within the available vertical space.
3Ease of manufacture
If fixed containment shelves are used to house cage parts, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the flexibility to reconfigure the number of rows is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rack structure is segmented into modular components, with shelves that can be independently adjusted along vertical guides or tracks. This segmentation allows each shelf to be repositioned without affecting the entire structure, enabling flexible reconfiguration of the number of rows while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process for each individual component.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the rack structure is made more complex to allow reconfiguration of rows, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic adjustability through simple mechanical means such as adjustable feet, telescopic shelves, or sliding mechanisms that allow the number of rows and their spacing to be changed. These dynamic elements are designed to be intuitive and easy to operate, minimizing the complexity increase while maximizing the reconfiguration flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack-type mobile device for presenting parts of breeding cages for washing, the device being adapted to be inserted into a washing/rinsing machine for use in pharmaceutical preclinical research centres, the device including: a load-bearing structural frame for the parts of breeding cages; apparatus adapted for moving the mobile device, connected to the frame; one or more hooking and positioning elements for hooking and positioning the parts of breeding cages on the device, the hooking and positioning elements being located on at least one lateral face of the frame and being constrained to the load-bearing structural frame; the hooking and positioning elements being shaped as an open hook tilted downwards relative to the horizontal plane, with the hook bottom facing outwards from the lateral face of the mobile device, and the hook tip facing inwards, the open hook having such a width as to be able to internally house at least a part of the cage parts.