Urine Collection Assembly with Valve-Controlled Sample Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional urine sample collection methods are cognitively and physically demanding, often leading to contaminated samples and erroneous results due to the complexity and manual handling involved.
Innovation Solution
A urine collection assembly with a container, funnel, and valve system that allows for selective communication between collection chambers, enabling automatic separation of a first catch and mid-stream clean catch samples with minimal user intervention, reducing contamination risks and improving sample quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional manual urine collection methods are used, then the device complexity is low, but the sample purity deteriorates due to contamination from cognitive and physical demands
Solution Approach 1:
The collection container is divided into multiple sealed compartments (first catch compartment, mid-stream compartment, third catch compartment) that are physically separated by dividers. This segmentation prevents contamination between different sample types while allowing automated collection through selective valve activation, resolving the contradiction between sample purity and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses automated valve control mechanisms that respond to fluid flow detection to automatically direct urine into appropriate compartments without requiring manual intervention. The device serves itself by using the urine flow itself as the triggering mechanism for valve actuation, maintaining sample purity while minimizing user cognitive and physical demands.
2Ease of operation
If automated valve control systems are implemented, then the ease of operation improves by reducing cognitive demands, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve control system is designed to automatically activate based on fluid flow detection within the collection stream. The urine flow itself triggers the valve actuation sequence, eliminating the need for user cognitive processing or manual valve operation. This self-service mechanism improves ease of operation while the modular valve design keeps complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical valve operation with an automated control mechanism that detects fluid flow and actuates valves accordingly. This substitution eliminates the need for user intervention in the valve control process, significantly improving ease of operation while using relatively simple mechanical or electromagnetic actuation mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If multiple collection chambers are used to separate samples, then the measurement precision improves for different sample types, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collection container incorporates multiple sealed compartments with physical dividers that completely separate first catch, mid-stream, and third catch samples. This segmentation ensures that each sample type is collected in isolation, preventing cross-contamination and enabling precise measurement and analysis of different urine fractions without requiring complex separation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve control system is pre-programmed with the correct sequence for activating different valves based on detected fluid flow patterns. This preliminary programming ensures that samples are automatically directed to the correct compartments in the proper sequence, achieving accurate sample separation without requiring real-time user decision-making or complex control algorithms during the collection process.
Data Source
AI summary
A urine collection assembly includes a container; a funnel removably coupled to the container, the funnel in fluid communication with the container; a first collection chamber in selective communication with the funnel; a valve configured to allow selective communication between the first collection chamber and the funnel; a second collection chamber in selective communication with the funnel; and a lid removably coupleable to the funnel. A saddle may be removably coupleable to the funnel and configured to guide urine into the container.