Pipette System Sensor for Residual Liquid Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
In genetic sequencing, small volumes of expensive reagents like nucleotide reagents and enzymes are used, and residual liquid left in vessels after aspiration represents significant cost due to inefficiencies in pipetting systems.
Innovation Solution
A pipette system with a rail, carriage, and pipette pump, equipped with a sensor to detect relative movement, allowing for precise positioning and aspiration to minimize residual liquid by creating a clearance distance between the pipette tip and the vessel bottom, thereby reducing reagent waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pipette tip contacts the vessel bottom surface to maximize liquid aspiration, then the liquid retrieval efficiency is improved, but the risk of tip damage or positioning error increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor detects the vessel bottom surface before the pipette tip reaches it, allowing the system to pre-calculate and execute the withdrawal动作. This preliminary detection enables the tip to aspirate liquid as close to the bottom as possible without actually contacting it, thus maintaining high retrieval efficiency while avoiding tip damage
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor acts as an intermediary between the pipette tip and the vessel bottom surface. It provides indirect detection of the bottom surface position, allowing the control system to adjust the tip position accordingly. This intermediary detection mechanism enables precise control that balances liquid retrieval with tip protection
2Loss of substance
If the pipette tip is positioned closer to the vessel bottom to reduce residual liquid, then the reagent utilization is improved, but the precision required for positioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor provides real-time feedback on the distance between the pipette tip and the vessel bottom surface. This feedback loop allows the control system to dynamically adjust the tip position, maintaining an optimal distance that minimizes residual liquid while accounting for variations in vessel geometry and liquid level. The feedback mechanism effectively reduces the precision burden on the positioning system
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter from direct contact (zero distance) to a controlled non-contact distance. By optimizing this distance parameter based on sensor feedback, the system achieves minimal residual liquid (less than 2 microliters) without requiring extreme positioning precision. The parameter change transforms a high-precision mechanical problem into a controllable sensing and control problem
Data Source
AI summary
A pipetting system includes a rail; a carriage to engage the rail, the carriage movable relative to the rail substantially along a first axis; a pipette pump slidably engaged with the carriage, the pipette pump slidable relative to the carriage substantially along the first axis; and a sensor to detect movement of the pipette pump relative to the carriage.