Centrifugable Sample Carrier With Piercing Film Opening Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugable sample carriers with liquid reservoirs face issues of uncontrolled emptying and potential liquid leakage due to uncontrolled opening of the reservoir, which is undesirable in applications like lab-on-a-chip systems.
Innovation Solution
The sample carrier features activation elements adjacent to a sealing film that can pierce it with minimal force, allowing controlled opening and emptying of the liquid reservoir using centrifugal force, with the elements being part of the carrier to prevent contamination and forming a chamber to contain the liquid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the liquid reservoir is opened to connect to the fluidic system, then the liquid can be extracted for analysis, but uncontrolled emptying and liquid leakage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing film is pre-positioned to seal the liquid reservoir before use. The activation elements are pre-formed and positioned to pierce the sealing film only when activated by centrifugal force, ensuring controlled opening at the appropriate time in the analysis process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes changes in centrifugal force parameters to control the opening mechanism. At low centrifugal forces, the sealing film remains intact. When centrifugal force exceeds a threshold, the activation elements are forced against the sealing film to pierce it, enabling controlled liquid extraction based on force parameter changes.
2Ease of manufacture
If the sealing film is thin to facilitate piercing, then activation requires little force, but the risk of uncontrolled opening increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing film has different properties at different locations: it is thin and easily piercable at the activation points where activation elements contact it, while remaining sufficiently thick and strong at other areas to maintain sealing integrity and prevent uncontrolled opening or leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The activation elements are pre-formed with specific geometries (pointed or tapered shapes) that concentrate force at specific contact points on the sealing film, enabling controlled piercing with minimal force while maintaining overall sealing integrity through the preliminary design of force distribution.
3Reliability
If the liquid reservoir is oriented with opening upwards against gravity, then liquid cannot escape due to gravity, but activation elements must be positioned above the sealing film
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from gravity-based vertical containment to centrifugal force-based radial containment. By orienting the reservoir opening upwards and using centrifugal force during rotation, liquid is contained against gravity and directed radially outward through piercing openings, adding a rotational dimension to the containment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The activation elements are pre-positioned above the sealing film in the upward-oriented configuration. When centrifugal force is applied, these elements are automatically forced downward against the sealing film, eliminating the need for complex positioning mechanisms while maintaining simple geometric relationships.
4Reliability
If activation elements are part of the sample carrier, then contamination is prevented, but the elements require precise integration with the carrier structure
Solution Approach 1:
The activation elements are integrated as integral parts of the sample carrier structure, merging the carrier and activation functions into a single component. This eliminates interfaces where contamination could occur and simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of separate parts that need to be assembled.
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
Ensures controlled and complete emptying of the liquid reservoir without leakage, even when opened against gravity, by utilizing centrifugal force to expel the liquid through designed openings, preventing contamination and ensuring efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
Piercing the sealing film therefore requires little force. Furthermore, the activation element can be pointed or tapered, which makes piercing the sealing film even easier.
Implementation Method 2
This centrifugal force pushes the liquid in the liquid reservoir outwards towards an opening in the sealing film pierced by the activation element.
Implementation Method 3
A kind of chamber can be formed between the activation element and the sealing film, which can prevent the liquid from leaking out of the sample carrier.
Implementation Method 4
an air space is formed beneath the sealing film when the sample carrier is in its operating position. This means that the liquid in the reservoir does not rest on the sealing film in this position.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A centrifugable sample carrier (1) with a liquid reservoir (2) sealed with a sealing film (7), wherein the sample carrier (1) has at least one deformable area (8), wherein the liquid reservoir (2) can be opened by deformation of the deformable area (8), characterized in that the deformable area (8) has at least one activation element (10) which, upon deformation of the deformable area (8), pierces the sealing film (7). (Fig. 1)