Tissue Sampling Device with Segmented Cutting and Pusher Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tissue sampling techniques for animals, such as those used for disease detection and identification, face issues like hair contamination, difficulty in sample preservation, and user safety due to the integration of cutting and storage mechanisms, leading to inefficient and potentially hazardous operations.
Innovation Solution
A device utilizing separate movable elements for cutting and pushing tissue samples into storage, allowing for effective cutting and preservation without hair contamination, with a cylindrical cutting element and pusher element design, and a permeable end for desiccation, along with a protective element for user safety and sample preservation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a punch serving as both cutting element and stopper is used, then the device structure is simplified, but hair contamination occurs and sample preservation is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional elements: a cutting element (punch) for tissue sampling and a stopper element for sealing the microtube. This segmentation allows each element to be optimized for its specific function, preventing hair contamination while maintaining structural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper function is extracted from the cutting element and implemented as a separate element. The cutting element no longer serves as the stopper, allowing the stopper to be designed specifically for sealing without the interference of hair or tissue remnants from the cutting process.
2Productivity
If the punch is inserted into the microtube, then direct sample insertion is achieved, but no preservative or reagent can be added without removing or cutting the punch
Solution Approach 1:
The microtube is prepared in advance with preservative or reagent before the sampling operation. This preliminary action ensures that the chemical agent is already in place, allowing the cutting element and stopper to be inserted without requiring subsequent removal or modification for adding preservative.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates movable elements that can be adjusted during the sampling process. The cutting element and stopper can be independently positioned and removed, providing dynamic flexibility to add preservative or reagent at appropriate stages without compromising the sealed environment.
3Ease of operation
If the punch is manipulated to extract the tissue sample, then the sample can be removed, but the operation becomes difficult and complex with cutting risk for the user
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue sample is extracted by removing the stopper element from the microtube, which releases the sample without requiring manipulation of the cutting element. This extraction method eliminates the need for users to handle the sharp cutting edge, removing the cutting risk entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper element serves as an intermediary between the cutting element and the user. By manipulating the stopper rather than the cutting element directly, users can extract the sample without exposure to sharp edges, making the operation safer and simpler.
4Volume of moving object
If the cutting element has smaller diameter to fit in microtube, then insertion is possible, but cutting edge length is reduced limiting sample size
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting element and stopper are segmented as separate components with different dimensional requirements. The cutting element can have a larger diameter optimized for effective tissue cutting, while the stopper is sized appropriately for the microtube opening, allowing both functions to be optimized independently.
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 enables quick, efficient, and safe tissue sampling with improved preservation and reduced risk of contamination, allowing for larger sample sizes and automated sample handling, enhancing the reliability of animal identification and disease detection.
Implementation Method 1
a permeable end for desiccation
Data Source
Figure 1~4B
Figure 5~7
Figure 8A~8B
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for collecting a tissue sample from an animal, comprising: a collection means having at least one cutting element (21) for cutting a tissue sample from the animal, and a means for storing said sample. According to the invention, the collection means also includes a push element (23) which can move in relation to the cutting element (21) in order to push the sample into the storage means after the sample has been cut with said cutting element (21).