Rinse Liquid Supply Port for Automatic Analyzer Nozzles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic analyzers face inefficiencies in rinsing dispensing nozzles, leading to increased processing time and potential carryover, which limits sample measurement capacity and accuracy, especially when reducing sample and reagent amounts.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a rinse liquid supply port directly on the dispensing nozzle rinse tank, allowing for rapid rinsing of both inner and outer nozzle surfaces by shortening the nozzle's movement distance, thus maintaining processing speed without reducing analysis efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the dispensing nozzle is moved to the reagent disk to suction a rinse liquid and then moved to a rinse tank located away from the reagent disk to discharge the rinse liquid, then the dispensing nozzle can be rinsed, but it takes longer time to rinse and the number of samples that can be measured within a given amount of time is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the rinsing function directly at the reagent disk location by providing a rinse liquid supply port on the reagent disk. This merging of the rinsing function with the reagent dispensing location eliminates the need for the dispensing nozzle to travel to a separate rinse tank, thereby reducing movement time and increasing processing speed while maintaining effective rinsing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rinse liquid supply port is positioned to supply rinse liquid in advance at the reagent disk location before the dispensing nozzle completes its dispensing cycle. This preliminary provision of rinse liquid allows the nozzle to be rinsed immediately after dispensing without requiring travel to a distant rinse tank, thus maintaining high processing speed.
2Quantity of substance
If the amount of samples and reagents used is decreased to reduce patient burden, then patient burden is reduced, but more accurate dispensation is necessary to prevent carryover and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing nozzle performs self-rinsing by suctioning rinse liquid from the rinse liquid supply port located on the reagent disk. This self-service rinsing mechanism ensures that the nozzle is thoroughly cleaned between dispensing operations, preventing carryover and contamination even when dispensing very small amounts of samples and reagents, thereby maintaining high dispensing accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the rinse liquid supply function directly to the reagent disk location, separate from the main rinse tank system. This extraction allows the nozzle to access rinse liquid immediately at the dispensing location without traveling elsewhere, ensuring rapid and accurate rinsing that prevents carryover when handling minimal sample volumes.
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
This approach enables swift and effective rinsing of dispensing nozzles, preventing carryover and contamination, while maintaining high processing speed and accuracy, even with reduced sample and reagent amounts.
Implementation Method 1
a rinse liquid supply port for supplying a rinse liquid for rinsing an inner wall of a reagent dispensing nozzle from below the reagent dispensing nozzle
Implementation Method 2
the dispensing nozzle is temporarily moved onto the reagent disk to suction a rinse liquid
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention performs cleaning on the inner and outer surfaces of a dispensing nozzle without reducing the processing speed of a device. To achieve the object, a feature of the invention is that a dispensing nozzle rinse tank includes a rinse liquid supply port. More specifically, by suctioning rinse liquid from the rinse liquid supply port provided on the dispensing nozzle rinse tank and discharging the rinse liquid into the rinse tank, the inner and outer surfaces of the dispensing nozzle can be rinsed in a short amount of time. According to the invention, it is only required that a rinse liquid supply port be provided on the dispensing nozzle rinse tank, the structure is simple. Moreover, because the inner and outer surfaces of the dispensing nozzle can be rinsed in a short amount of time by shortening the movement distance of the dispensing nozzle, analyses can be performed without reducing the processing speed of the device.