Hermetically Sealed Pellet Sensor for Immediate Liquid Sample Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bioassays face challenges in maintaining sample integrity due to potential contamination, degradation, or compromise during the time between sample collection and analysis, especially during transportation and storage.
Innovation Solution
A submersible sensor device in the form of a small pellet with hermetically sealed sensors, allowing for immediate testing at the point of collection by being submerged in the liquid sample, equipped with various sensors for data collection and transmission to a data management system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a test strip is dipped into a liquid biological sample and analyzed using a benchtop analyzer, then the sample can be transported and stored before testing, but the sample may become contaminated, degraded, or compromised during the time between collection and analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by enabling the sensing device to be pre-prepared and immediately submerged in the sample at the collection site, performing the analysis function before transport or storage can cause degradation. The hermetically sealed sensors are ready in advance to contact the sample, eliminating the time delay between collection and testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetically sealed housing acts as an intermediary that protects the sensors from contamination while allowing them to detect analytes in the liquid sample. The housing enables direct contact between the sensing device and sample at the collection site, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between sample collection and analysis without requiring transport to a separate testing facility.
2Productivity
If the sensing device is made fully submersible with hermetically sealed sensors, then immediate testing at the collection site is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor components and housing into a single integrated submersible unit. The hermetically sealed housing encapsulates multiple sensors, power sources, and communication components together, allowing the entire assembly to be submerged as one device. This combining of functions into a unified structure enables immediate testing while managing complexity through integration rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing device is designed as a universal submersible unit that can be deployed in various liquid samples at different collection sites. The hermetically sealed housing provides a universal protection mechanism for multiple sensor types, allowing the same basic structure to serve multiple testing functions across different applications and locations.
Data Source
AI summary
A submersible sensor device configured as a small pellet for testing biological and other liquid samples is provided. In one aspect, a sensing device includes: a housing; and one or more sensors contained within the housing, wherein the housing hermetically seals the sensors such that the sensing device is fully submersible in a liquid analyte. A method and system for analysis of a liquid sample using the present sensing device are also provided.