Integrated Needle Alignment for High-Pressure Low-Dead-Volume Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle seats in chromatography systems face issues with stability under high pressures, misalignment leading to blockages and contamination, and wear due to contact with centering sleeves, resulting in reduced service life and inaccurate sample analysis.
Innovation Solution
A needle assembly with an aligning component in the needle housing facilitates precise alignment with the needle receiving assembly, reducing the need for complex actuators and minimizing contact with other components to prevent blockages, abrasion, and contamination, while maintaining high-pressure resistance and low dead volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a needle is centered using a centering sleeve, then alignment is improved, but the needle contacts the centering sleeve causing wear and blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the centering sleeve component entirely and replaces it with an integrated alignment feature directly formed on the needle seat. This extraction eliminates the harmful contact between the needle and separate centering components, resolving the contradiction by maintaining alignment precision without causing wear and blockages.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment function is merged into the needle seat itself through an integrated alignment feature. Instead of using a separate centering sleeve, the needle seat incorporates the alignment capability directly, eliminating the need for needle-contacting centering components while maintaining precise alignment.
2Reliability
If sealing material is used to seal the needle, then sealing is improved, but material can flow away causing leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-chambering the sealing material within the needle seat before needle insertion. The sealing material is contained in a controlled chamber that prevents it from flowing away during operation, ensuring both sealing performance and preventing leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and containment parameters of the sealing material by forming it as a pre-chambered element within the needle seat structure. This parameter change restricts the sealing material to a defined space, preventing flow away while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If a conical needle seat with large opening angle is used, then needle insertion is facilitated, but material can flow through causing blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a localized flow restriction zone within the needle seat that specifically addresses material flow control at the critical insertion point. The alignment feature and chambered sealing material work together to locally manage material flow, preventing blockages while maintaining ease of needle insertion through the optimized geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a needle assembly comprising a needle, a needle housing, wherein the needle housing comprises at least one aligning component. The present invention also relates to a needle receiving assembly comprising a fluid conducting element and a fluid conducting element housing, wherein the fluid conducting element housing comprises at least one aligning component. Additionally, the present invention relates to connection assemblies, samplers and systems that can comprise the needle assembly and the needle receiving assembly.