Multi-well plate planar registration via front-side collet gripping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-well plate scanning systems face challenges in maintaining accurate and uniform scanning due to irregularities in plate thickness and the need for secure positioning, which interferes with the scanning head's travel and requires specialized fixtures that may distort the plate's dimensions.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus supports multi-well plates from the well side using posts with exposed tips and collets that grasp the well walls, allowing for independent adjustment and compensation of irregularities, enabling precise registration of well floors and maintaining a stable scanning distance regardless of plate irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the plate is held in a secure position at a uniform distance from the scanning head, then scanning accuracy is improved, but the plate cannot be grasped or secured from the rear since any such securement would interfere with the travel of the scanning head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by securing the plate from the front (scanning head side) rather than from the rear. The collets grasp the wells from the front, allowing the plate to be held securely at the required distance without interfering with the scanning head's travel path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces collets as intermediary gripping elements that indirectly secure the plate. Instead of directly holding the plate body, the collets grasp the wells through the transparent bottom, transmitting force while maintaining the required spacing and not interfering with the scanning head.
2Reliability
If specialized fixtures are built into the plate bottom for securement, then the plate can be held securely, but the plate length or width must be increased to accommodate such fixtures
Solution Approach 1:
The collets serve multiple functions: they secure the plate, maintain the required distance from the scanning head, and do so without requiring any modifications or additional fixtures on the plate itself. The same collet mechanism that grasps the wells also provides the securing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the securement function from the plate structure itself and implements it through separate, movable collets. This eliminates the need for integrated fixtures that would increase plate dimensions, as the collets are independent components that can be positioned as needed.
3Measurement precision
If the distance between the glass surface and scanning head is kept small (1.0-1.7 mm), then scanning performance is improved, but the plate cannot be grasped or secured from the rear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the securing direction to work around the space constraint. Instead of reaching from the rear, the collets grasp the wells from the front, enabling securement despite the limited space between the glass surface and scanning head.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-well plate such as a microtiter plate is secured from its well side in a manner that corrects or compensates for any deviations of the plate base from a planar configuration. This is achieved by an apparatus that includes an array of posts with exposed tips that define a plane, a plurality of movable collets that, when appropriately actuated, seize the walls of selected wells, and a biasing means to urge the collets in a direction that forces the wells of the microtiter plate against the exposed tips of the posts.