Seamless Optical Measuring Cell for Hygienic Laminar Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing measuring cells with windows and channels for optical measurements face issues such as contamination risks due to seals, eddies and turbulence, dead volumes, and complex assembly, making them unsuitable for hygienic applications and cost-effective disposability.
Innovation Solution
A measuring cell design featuring two half-shells with integrated windows and joints that eliminate gaps between components, allowing for a seamless channel with no seals, reducing turbulence and dead volumes, and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If windows are inserted with spacers to adjust optical path length, then measurement flexibility is improved, but seal complexity and contamination risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The window is merged with the channel wall structure, eliminating the need for separate spacers and seals. The window forms an integral part of the channel wall, creating a seamless design that maintains optical path adjustability while eliminating seal complexity and contamination risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The problematic seal component is extracted/removed from the design entirely. By making the window an integral part of the channel wall, the seal is completely eliminated, removing the source of contamination risk while preserving the ability to adjust optical path length through alternative means.
2Measurement precision
If windows extend further into the flow cell block to reduce optical path length, then measurement precision is improved, but flow quality deteriorates due to eddies and turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending windows into the channel to reduce optical path length (which creates turbulence), the approach is inverted: the channel cross-section is reduced at the measuring section while maintaining window position. This achieves short optical path length without the windows protruding into the flow, thus avoiding eddies and turbulence.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel cross-section is locally modified only at the measuring section where the optical measurement occurs. The cross-section is reduced specifically in this region to achieve the desired optical path length, while the rest of the channel maintains its original cross-section to ensure smooth flow and avoid turbulence.
3Measurement precision
If windows protrude into the inner chamber to adjust optical path, then optical measurement capability is improved, but dead volume increases affecting measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of protruding windows into the channel to reduce optical path length, the approach is inverted: the channel cross-section is reduced at the measuring section. This achieves the same optical path length reduction without creating dead volumes, as the window remains flush with the channel wall.
4Ease of manufacture
If multiple components are assembled with seals to create measuring cell, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple components (window, channel wall, seals) are merged into a single integrated structure. The window becomes an integral part of the channel wall, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and seals, thus reducing assembly complexity while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through monolithic fabrication methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A measuring cell for a measuring apparatus for optically measuring a parameter of a medium comprises two half-shells and at least one window. The half-shells each have a recess on their mutually facing inner sides, each of which forms one half of a channel running through the measuring cell. The half-shells are connected to one another by two joints arranged on opposite sides of the channel and directly adjacent to the channel over the entire length of the channel. Each window is either formed by a transparent region of one of the half-shells adjacent to the measuring portion of the channel or is enclosed in one of the half-shells without any gap, with or without the interposition of a seal, in such a way that it seals with the front flush on an inner surface of the corresponding half-shell adjacent to the measuring portion of the channel.