Sample Bottle Lateral Conduit for Automated Liquid Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The handling of liquid samples for analysis in vials poses a risk of human error during transfer to analytical instruments, necessitating improved reliability and automation to reduce errors and protect operators from hazardous substances.
Innovation Solution
A bottle design with a lateral conduit for connecting to a sample transfer tube, a septum for needle access, and a modular insert to receive and transfer precise sample volumes, enabling automated and remote sample handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual handling of vials is used to transfer liquid samples, then operational flexibility is maintained, but human error increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lateral conduit as an intermediary component that enables automated needle access to the vial contents without requiring manual vial handling. The conduit provides a controlled pathway for sample transfer, eliminating direct operator contact with hazardous samples while maintaining reliable transfer through a fixed, predetermined route.
Solution Approach 2:
The vial system is segmented into distinct functional components: the vial body, the stopper, the lateral conduit, and the needle access path. This segmentation allows the automated needle to access samples through the lateral conduit without requiring manual manipulation of the entire vial, thereby increasing automation while maintaining reliability through specialized component design.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If manual handling of vials is used, then ease of operation is maintained, but operator protection from hazardous substances deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral conduit acts as a protective intermediary between the operator and hazardous liquid samples. By routing sample transfer through this fixed conduit rather than direct manual handling, the system provides operator protection while maintaining ease of operation through automated needle insertion and sample aspiration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling of vials with an automated needle-based system that accesses samples through the lateral conduit. This substitution eliminates the need for operators to physically manipulate vials, thereby protecting them from hazardous substances while maintaining operational simplicity through automation.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional vial design is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but sample transfer precision and automation compatibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The vial is segmented with a dedicated lateral conduit that provides a precise, controlled pathway for sample transfer. This segmentation enables high precision in sample transfer by defining a fixed geometry for needle insertion and sample aspiration, while the modular nature of the conduit design keeps overall device complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral conduit design provides multi-functionality: it enables automated needle access, defines precise sample transfer geometry, and maintains compatibility with standard vial dimensions. This universal design approach achieves high manufacturing precision without requiring completely new vial architectures, thereby limiting complexity increase.
4Productivity
If manual vial handling is used, then adaptability to different procedures is maintained, but productivity and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral conduit serves as an automated intermediary that enables high-speed sample transfer without manual intervention. By providing a fixed, predetermined pathway for needle access and sample aspiration, the system achieves high productivity through automation while maintaining adaptability to different analytical procedures through standardized conduit dimensions and positions.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a bottle (10) for receiving a sample of liquid, the bottle (10) comprising an inner volume and a body (12) with a side wall (14), the body (12) delimiting the inner volume, the bottle (10) being adapted to receive the sample in the inner volume, a top opening in the body (12), a stopper (20) for closing the top opening, a septum (22) coupled to the stopper (20), the septum (22) being adapted to be pierced by a sample collection needle, a lateral conduit through the side wall (14), the lateral conduit being adapted to connect the bottle (10) to a sample transfer tube in the inner volume of the bottle (10).