Sensor Cap Dialysis Device With Feedback Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dialysis devices are mechanically complex, bulky, prone to leakage, and sensitive to material changes, leading to sample loss and contamination, with inefficient sample handling and monitoring processes.
Innovation Solution
The development of a simplified dialysis device with a frame and cap design that provides aural, haptic, and visual feedback for secure sealing, along with a sensor cap for real-time monitoring and wireless data transmission, reducing leakage and enhancing workflow efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid outer body is used to support the dialysis membranes, then the risk of rupturing membranes is reduced, but the device becomes bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a rigid frame for structural support, flexible dialysis membranes for the actual separation function, and a cap assembly for sealing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the frame provides rigidity without requiring the entire device to be bulky.
Solution Approach 2:
The dialysis membranes themselves are thin flexible films that are stretched across the frame to form the sample chamber. These thin films provide the necessary separation function with minimal material usage, reducing overall device weight while maintaining membrane integrity through the rigid frame support.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate pipette and syringe ports are incorporated into the rigid body, then sample loading and removal are enabled, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cap assembly serves multiple functions: it seals the sample chamber, provides access ports for both pipette and syringe, and includes alignment features for proper positioning. By consolidating these functions into a single cap component, the design reduces manufacturing complexity compared to having separate ports integrated into the body.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed to fit over the sample chamber opening, nesting the access ports within the cap structure rather than requiring them to be molded into the main body. This nested arrangement simplifies the body molding process while still providing the necessary sample access capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If large air bladders are incorporated into the frame, then the device can float when submerged, but the bulk and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding large air bladders to counteract weight, the design uses the inherent buoyancy of the flexible dialysis membranes when submerged. The membranes can be inflated or filled with fluid to provide the necessary buoyancy force, eliminating the need for separate air bladder components and reducing manufacturing complexity.
4Reliability
If traditional sealing caps are used, then the sample chamber can be sealed, but accidental leakage occurs due to misalignment or overtightening
Solution Approach 1:
The cap includes alignment features such as alignment pins or guide ribs that provide tactile feedback during installation. When the cap is properly aligned and tightened, the user feels a distinct sensation indicating correct positioning, preventing both misalignment and overtightening. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable sealing while making the installation process easier.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing element or gasket is introduced as an intermediary component between the cap and the sample chamber body. This intermediate element compensates for minor misalignments and provides a reliable seal without requiring precise alignment or risking damage from overtightening, thereby improving both sealing effectiveness and ease of operation.
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 solution results in a lighter, less bulky device with reduced sample waste and contamination, enabling efficient dialysis and real-time monitoring, thereby optimizing sample handling and workflow management.
Implementation Method 1
Dialysis membranes are semi-permeable structures that have been incorporated into many research protocols as a means for the size-based separation of molecules
Implementation Method 2
The additional weight can be offset by large air bladders incorporated into the frame, which allow the device to float when submerged in a fluid
Data Source
AI summary
Dialysis devices include a frame defined by a plurality of sidewalls that are impermeable to a sample being dialyzed, a pair of dialysis membranes that are each associated with an opposing face of the plurality of sidewalls such that the plurality of sidewalls and the pair of dialysis membranes define a sample chamber, an outer shell surrounding at least a portion of the pair of dialysis membranes, and a cap selectively associated with the sample chamber. The cap can be selectively associated with the sample chamber via an attachment mechanism that is configured to provide aural and/or haptic feedback when the cap forms a tight association with the sample chamber. The cap can be a sensor cap having one or more probes for measuring at least one property of fluid inside and/or outside the sample chamber and a transmitter for transmitting data captured at the probe(s) to a destination device.