QMAX Device Hinge and Spacer Mechanism for White Blood Cell Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current biological and chemical assays, such as white blood cell counting, face challenges in efficiently measuring and detecting analytes due to difficulties in manipulating sample thickness and maintaining uniformity, particularly with manual operation of devices like the QMAX card, which requires easy and fast plate configuration changes.
Innovation Solution
The QMAX device employs a hinge mechanism for easy plate opening and closing, combined with spacers to regulate sample thickness, and an optical adapter for accurate analyte measurement using a mobile communication device, enabling precise counting and differentiation of white blood cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of QMAX card is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but plate configuration change speed and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a hinge mechanism for plate manipulation, spacers for thickness regulation, and an optical adapter for analysis. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function independently, improving ease of operation while keeping overall device complexity manageable through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
A hinge mechanism acts as an intermediary between the user and the plate configuration, providing easy opening and closing motion. The spacers serve as intermediaries between the plates and the sample, regulating thickness uniformly. These intermediary components simplify manual operation without requiring complex direct control mechanisms.
2Measurement precision
If sample thickness is manually manipulated, then device simplicity is maintained, but sample thickness uniformity and measurement precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are designed to self-regulate the sample thickness automatically when plates are closed. The spacer height directly determines the sample layer thickness, eliminating the need for manual thickness adjustment. This self-service mechanism ensures uniform thickness and improves measurement precision without adding complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes the physical parameter of spacer height to control sample thickness. By selecting spacers with specific heights (e.g., 50 μm, 100 μm), the sample thickness is precisely controlled. This parameter change approach replaces manual manipulation with standardized dimensional control, improving both uniformity and precision.
3Measurement precision
If traditional counting methods are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but white blood cell differentiation capability and measurement precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The optical adapter is designed to perform multiple functions: illumination, imaging, and analysis of white blood cells. By integrating these functions into a single adapter that can be attached to mobile devices, the system achieves precise cell differentiation capability without requiring separate complex instruments for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces complex mechanical counting and differentiation systems with an optical system. Instead of mechanical separators or multiple physical chambers, the invention uses optical imaging and image analysis to identify and count different white blood cell types, achieving high precision differentiation with simpler overall system architecture.
4Adaptability or versatility
If fixed plate configuration is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but adaptability for different sample types and measurement conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism provides dynamic plate configuration, allowing the plates to open and close easily. This dynamic capability enables the device to adapt to different sample types and measurement conditions by simply opening the plates for sample loading and then closing them for analysis, without requiring complex reconfiguration mechanisms.
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
The solution enhances the accuracy and consistency of white blood cell counting and differentiation by maintaining uniform sample thickness and utilizing mobile technology for efficient analysis, reducing manual operation complexities and improving diagnostic accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
The spacers have a predetermined uniform height and a predetermined inter-spacer distance... the uniform thickness of the layer is confined by the sample contact areas of the two plates and is regulated by the plates and the spacers
Implementation Method 2
an optical adapter configured to be attached to a mobile communication device... capturing images of the sample in the layer of uniform thickness
Data Source
AI summary
Among other things, the present invention is related to devices and methods of performing biological and chemical assays, such as but not limited to assay related to analysis of white blood cells.