Rotating Inlet Chamber for Compact Liquid Analysis Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatus for analyzing test liquids, such as saliva or urine, lack a compact design and reliable handling mechanisms, often resulting in undefined quantities of test liquid and potential contamination or incorrect analysis results due to improper liquid flow during the analysis process.
Innovation Solution
A compact apparatus with a cylindrical housing design featuring a rotating preparation element and inlet element, allowing for precise positioning and separation of chambers to control test liquid flow, ensuring a defined quantity and preventing contamination, with a plug system for secure handling and efficient washing-out liquid supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the inlet chamber is displaced by pressing the sample collector onto the base, then test liquid flows from the inlet chamber into the preparation chamber, but the quantity of test liquid is not precisely defined and contamination may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet chamber is designed to be rotatable relative to the preparation chamber, allowing dynamic repositioning between a first position (for liquid transfer) and a second position (for separation). This dynamic configuration enables precise control over liquid flow while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into functionally independent chambers (inlet chamber, preparation chamber, analysis element) that can be independently positioned. The inlet chamber can be rotated to align with the preparation chamber for controlled liquid transfer, then separated to prevent overflow and contamination.
2Reliability
If the apparatus is designed with separate chambers for sample collection and preparation, then contamination is prevented, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet chamber is positioned within or adjacent to the preparation chamber in a nested or integrated configuration. The inlet chamber can rotate to align with the preparation chamber for liquid transfer, then rotate away for separation, achieving contamination prevention within a compact footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable inlet chamber provides dynamic positioning that allows the same physical space to serve multiple functions: close proximity for liquid transfer and separation for contamination prevention. This eliminates the need for permanently separate chambers while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the test strip is arranged to be visible from the outside, then result reading is simplified, but the housing design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The housing incorporates a transparent or translucent wall in the region of the analysis element, allowing optical viewing of the test strip results. This thin film or transparent structure provides external visibility without significantly complicating the housing design.
Solution Approach 2:
The test strip results can be optically copied or projected through the transparent housing wall to an external viewing surface, allowing result reading from outside the housing without requiring complex mechanical ejection or display 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 apparatus achieves a compact and user-friendly design with precise control over test liquid quantities and flow, ensuring accurate and reliable analysis results by allowing for defined preparation and analysis processes without contamination.
Implementation Method 1
The preparation element can be rotated with respect to the inlet element and the housing
Implementation Method 2
The test strip is acted on at one end by a test liquid which then flows through the test strip
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~8
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for analyzing a test liquid. The invention starts from an apparatus (10) which has an inlet chamber (19), a preparation chamber and an analysis element. The apparatus (10) moreover has a housing (11) with an inner housing space (16) in which a preparation element ( 17) bounding the preparation chamber and an inlet element (18) bounding the inlet chamber (19) are arranged. The test strip is arranged in the housing such that it is visible from the outside. Test liquid can be brought from the inlet chamber (19) via the preparation chamber onto the analysis element. In accordance with the invention, the inner housing space (16) is of cylindrical design and the preparation element (17) can be rotated with respect to the inlet element (18) and the housing (11). It is thus possible to design the housing (11) in a very compact manner, in particular with a cylindrical or parallelepiped-shaped outer contour.