Off-Center Injection Hole Design for Compact Liquid Droplet Tank

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional blood analyzers face challenges in maintaining a suitable state for the diluent, leading to potential leakage and difficulties in releasing the sealed state, which complicates the containment and injection of liquid droplets.

Innovation Solution

A liquid droplet introducing tank with a tank body and an injection hole design where the injection hole is offset from the center, featuring a hydrophilic region and a resistance boundary line to facilitate efficient injection and spreading of liquid droplets, preventing blockage and allowing for a compact size.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the injection hole is located at the center of the tank body, then the liquid droplets spread evenly, but the tank size increases and residual space increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetank sizeVSAvoidliquid droplet injection efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The injection hole is positioned asymmetrically relative to the tank body center, specifically at an off-center location. This asymmetric positioning allows liquid droplets to spread more efficiently across the tank surface while reducing the overall tank volume and minimizing residual space, thereby resolving the contradiction between compact size and injection efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If the diluent is sealed in the diluent tank, then leakage is prevented, but additional means are required to release the sealed state and pump the diluent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediluent containmentVSAvoidsealed release mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the diluent from its sealed tank environment and introduces it as liquid droplets through the off-center injection hole. This eliminates the need for complex sealed release mechanisms and pumping systems, while maintaining reliable containment during storage and transport. The diluent is only released when needed for analysis, simplifying the overall device structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Volume of moving object

If the injection hole is large enough to allow easy injection, then liquid droplets are easily introduced, but the tank size increases and residual space increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetank sizeVSAvoidliquid droplet injection ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The injection hole is positioned at a specific local region of the tank body (off-center location) rather than at the center. This localized positioning optimizes the balance between injection ease and tank compactness, allowing efficient liquid droplet introduction while maintaining a small tank size and minimizing residual space

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 effective injection and spreading of liquid droplets within the tank, reducing residual space and allowing for a more compact analyzing device, suitable for disposable type applications.

Implementation Method 1

liquid droplets are injected from the injection hole, and the center of the injection hole is closer to the side surface than the center of the surface of the pair of surfaces that has the injection hole

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSurface tension: Surface Tension

Implementation Method 2

featuring a hydrophilic region and a resistance boundary line to facilitate efficient injection and spreading of liquid droplets

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectWetting: Wetting

Implementation Method 3

When blood 99 is introduced into an introduction port 93a, the blood 99 permeates into flow paths 93c and 93d by capillary phenomenon

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCapillary action: Capillary Action

Data Source

PatentEP2275822B1Tank for introducing liquid drop thereinto and analyzing device
Publication Date: 2018.11.21 ARKRAY INC
  • EP2275822B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2275822B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2275822B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A liquid droplet introducing tank 3A includes a tank body 31, which is formed by mutually opposing top surface 31a and bottom surface 31b, and a side surface 31c. The tank also includes an injection hole 32 that is opened in the top surface 31a. Liquid droplets Dr are injected from the injection hole 32. The center of the injection hole 32 is closer to the side surface 31c than the center of the top surface 31a. The liquid droplet introducing tank 3A enables liquid droplets to be suitably injected therein and is suitable for reducing size.