Sample Vessel With Additional Openings for Reliable Aspiration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nanowell designs face challenges in efficiently extracting samples, particularly biological cells, due to flow-related difficulties arising from the need to avoid direct contact with tools, leading to inadequate aspiration flows and unreliable sample transport.
Innovation Solution
A sample vessel design with an additional opening opposite the bottom and separate channels for generating pressure differences to create controlled aspiration flows, allowing the use of tools with similar dimensions to the first opening, and an evacuation needle with secondary channels to enhance flow stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the intake opening of the tool is made larger than the diameter of the object to be sucked in to avoid direct contact, then the object is protected from damage, but substantial negative pressure is generated in the cavity without creating a corresponding intake flow
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity is divided into multiple openings: a first opening for introducing the object and additional openings positioned at the bottom for generating aspiration flow. This segmentation allows the tool to maintain a larger intake opening for object protection while the additional openings create the necessary flow through the cavity
Solution Approach 2:
A medium (fluid) is introduced as an intermediary to transport the object from the cavity to the tool. The medium flows through the additional openings and carries the object, eliminating the need for direct contact between the tool and object while maintaining reliable transport
2Measurement precision
If the nanowell dimensions are reduced to accommodate only one object per cavity, then selective extraction and analysis are enabled, but flow-related difficulties arise including inadequate aspiration flow
Solution Approach 1:
The additional openings are positioned specifically at the bottom of the cavity, creating localized flow generation points. This local modification to the cavity structure enables effective aspiration flow in small nanowells without affecting the overall miniaturization that enables selective extraction
Solution Approach 2:
The additional openings are positioned at the bottom of the cavity, utilizing the vertical dimension to create upward flow. This dimensional approach allows effective flow generation in horizontally constrained small cavities, enabling reliable object extraction while maintaining selective extraction capability
3Productivity
If aspiration flow is generated in small nanowells, then object transport is enabled, but the flow does not spread throughout the cavity and the object is not reliably transported out
Solution Approach 1:
The additional openings are pre-positioned at the bottom of the cavity to establish flow pathways before object extraction begins. This preliminary configuration ensures that when aspiration is applied, flow immediately spreads throughout the cavity from multiple bottom points, reliably transporting the object to the tool
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 reliable and efficient extraction of samples from nanowells with minimal interference to adjacent samples, supporting high-throughput analysis and handling of multiple samples.
Implementation Method 1
generating the first flow and the second flow by causing pressure differences in the at least two channels
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a sample vessel including a cavity for accommodating a sample, a first opening for introducing the sample and a bottom opposite the first opening as well as at least one additional opening of the cavity. According to the disclosure, the at least one additional opening opens toward the outside of the cavity on the side of the cavity opposing the bottom. The disclosure further relates to a carrier plate, an evacuation needle, as well as a method for evacuating a sample.