Reagent Bottle Rack Handling for Continuous Medical Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic analysis devices face interruptions and reduced efficiency due to the need for manual replacement of reagents, which disrupts the analysis process and can compromise the stability of temperature-controlled environments, leading to issues like evaporation and condensation.
Innovation Solution
An automated device with a storage zone, conveyor, and modular system that allows for continuous operation during bottle loading or unloading, featuring a closed-loop bottle transport mechanism and air-conditioned storage to maintain reagent stability and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If bottles are stored in open drawers that can be removed for replacement, then reagent replacement is simplified, but the automatic device must be interrupted and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage zone is divided into multiple independent racks, each capable of being removed and replaced independently. This segmentation allows the automatic device to continue operating with remaining racks while one rack is being replaced, thus maintaining productivity while simplifying reagent replacement operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous analysis by allowing rack replacements to occur without interrupting the automatic device's operation. The robotic sampling system can continue sampling from bottles in remaining racks while racks are replaced in the background, ensuring uninterrupted productivity.
2Ease of operation
If bottles are removed from storage for replacement, then reagent management is facilitated, but temperature stability is compromised leading to evaporation and condensation
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the storage zone into separate racks, only the specific rack containing empty or expiring reagents needs to be removed for replacement. Other racks remain in place, maintaining their temperature stability and preventing unnecessary disturbances to the air-conditioned environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The problematic rack is extracted from the storage zone for replacement while the rest of the system remains undisturbed. This selective extraction minimizes the disruption to the temperature-controlled environment, reducing evaporation and condensation risks in remaining bottles.
3Productivity
If multiple racks can be independently extracted, then analysis can continue during replacement, but device construction becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into multiple standardized racks that can be independently handled. Each rack is designed as a modular unit with standardized interfaces, making the overall system more manageable despite the increased number of components. The robotic system is programmed to handle these modular units systematically.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic sampling system is designed with universal capabilities to handle multiple rack types and perform both sampling and rack replacement functions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized mechanisms for each task, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
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 continuous operation of the device during reagent replacement, reduces evaporation losses, and maintains temperature stability, enhancing overall efficiency and reducing the complexity of reagent management.
Implementation Method 1
The storage zone is preferably air-conditioned. The invention makes it possible to avoid moving a rack or a drawer and disturbing the air-conditioned environment in which the other bottles are placed. The control of the temperature of the bottles is improved and the risk of condensation is limited.
Data Source
AI summary
Automatic device for the automated conduct of analyses, notably medical analyses, including:43. a storage zone for bottles,44. an automated sampling system for selectively sampling the content of a bottle among those present in the storage zone,45. a loading zone for introducing a new bottle into the automatic device,46. an unloading zone for collecting a bottle previously present in the storage zone,47. a bottle conveyor and storage system, configured selectively and individually to transport a bottle from a location in the storage zone to the unloading zone or from the loading zone to a location in the storage zone.