Modular Laboratory Vessel Storage for Flexible Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laboratory storage systems are complex, expensive, and primarily designed for high-throughput clinical analysis, failing to accommodate a variety of vessel types and provide flexible, space-saving, temperature-controlled storage for a constantly changing work environment.
Innovation Solution
A modular storage system with interchangeable laboratory vessel inserts and a carrier frame that supports various vessel shapes, sizes, and materials, integrated with a temperature control device for efficient temperature management and automatic detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional storage systems are used for high-throughput clinical analysis, then sample throughput is maximized, but the system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into modular components: a carrier frame with standardized slots and interchangeable vessel inserts. Each insert can be independently designed for specific vessel types, allowing the system to handle diverse samples without increasing overall system complexity. This modular segmentation enables high-throughput capability while maintaining manageable system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier frame with standardized slots serves multiple functions: it accommodates different vessel inserts, provides temperature control interface, and enables automated handling. The universal slot design allows the same carrier frame to work with various vessel types through interchangeable inserts, reducing the need for multiple specialized storage systems.
2Productivity
If storage systems are designed for specific analysis devices, then sample throughput is optimized, but adaptability to different vessel types is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs interchangeable vessel inserts that can be dynamically configured based on the specific analysis task. Users can swap inserts designed for different vessel types (e.g., test tubes, microplates, vials) into the same carrier frame, allowing the system to adapt to different vessel types while maintaining optimized throughput for each configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized slot design in the carrier frame provides universal accommodation for different vessel inserts. This multi-functional approach allows a single carrier frame to support various vessel types through interchangeable inserts, combining adaptability with optimized throughput performance.
3Area of stationary object
If space-saving workstation integration is implemented, then laboratory space is reduced, but the ability to accommodate diverse vessel types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple vessel inserts can be nested within a single carrier frame, with each insert holding multiple vessels. This nesting arrangement allows diverse vessel types to be accommodated in a compact footprint, reducing laboratory space while maintaining the ability to handle various vessel configurations through interchangeable inserts.
4Reliability
If temperature control is added to prevent evaporation, then sample integrity is improved, but energy consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature control function is merged with the vessel insert design, where the insert itself serves as the temperature-controlled chamber. This integration eliminates the need for separate temperature control systems for each vessel, reducing overall system complexity and energy consumption while maintaining sample integrity through effective temperature management.
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
Enables flexible, space-efficient storage of diverse laboratory vessels and containers, maintaining sample integrity by preventing evaporation and supporting automated workstations with optimal temperature control and easy integration of new vessel types.
Implementation Method 1
Samples can be kept at a set temperature, for example, to make evaporation of the often very valuable substances more difficult
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the invention, a modular storage system for laboratory fluids is characterized in that a carrier frame comprises a defined number of slots for at least two different laboratory vessel inserts, which can be inserted so that they can be arbitrarily interchanged and inserted in arbitrary combinations with a positive fit in the slots of the carrier frame and which each comprise at least one laboratory vessel and/or at least one compartment for at least one laboratory vessel.