Petri Dish Seeding Device for Homogeneous Fluid Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining microorganism concentration in biological samples using Petri dishes and seeding devices are laborious and prone to errors due to non-homogeneous fluid distribution, leading to inaccurate concentration measurements.
Innovation Solution
A locating means and method that utilizes a Petri dish with a culture medium and a seeding device capable of rotating relative to the dish, distributing fluid along a seeding line and defining locating zones with a consistent distance traveled by each point of contact, allowing for precise identification of microorganism concentration using concentric circles and a correspondence table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the comb moves to distribute fluid on the culture medium, then the fluid is distributed across the Petri dish, but the distribution becomes non-homogeneous within sectors due to varying distances travelled by different comb teeth
Solution Approach 1:
The Petri dish is divided into multiple sectors (e.g., 8 octants) with each sector containing a specific number of comb teeth. This segmentation ensures that each sector receives a controlled amount of fluid, compensating for the varying distances travelled by different teeth and achieving homogeneous distribution across all sectors.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sectors are designed with different numbers of comb teeth based on their specific requirements. Sectors farther from the center receive fewer teeth or adjusted spacing to compensate for the longer distance travelled, ensuring uniform fluid distribution across the entire Petri dish surface.
2Measurement precision
If the user surveys all colonies in all octants to determine bacterial concentration, then the concentration level can be evaluated, but the process becomes laborious and generates counting errors
Solution Approach 1:
The method extracts the concentration determination process from manual surveying of all colonies. Instead of counting every colony, the system uses the known relationship between comb tooth movement distance and fluid volume to directly calculate bacterial concentration from a limited sample, eliminating the time-consuming manual survey process.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical counting process is replaced with a calculation-based system. By substituting the physical act of surveying and counting with mathematical calculations based on comb tooth displacement and sector fluid volumes, the method achieves rapid and accurate concentration determination without manual intervention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If each sector contains variable bacteria concentration due to non-uniform fluid distribution, then the comb can move freely, but measurement errors increase when determining microorganism concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback by calculating the exact distance travelled by each comb tooth and the corresponding fluid volume in each sector. This feedback information is used to adjust the concentration calculation for each sector, compensating for non-uniform distribution and eliminating measurement errors while maintaining comb movement flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A locating method and system of determining a microorganism concentration of a fluid in a Petri dish is disclosed. The Petri dish includes a culture medium on which a seeding device is rotatable relative to the Petri dish. The seeding device distributes the fluid and includes at least one point of contact with the culture medium. The point of contact is associated with a contact zone.