Vision-guided pipette tracking for liquid transfer accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current handheld pipette devices lack the ability to track and verify the accurate location and volume of liquid aspiration and dispensing, leading to potential errors in laboratory settings due to manual operation and calibration issues.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a vision system and sensors that automatically tracks the pipette's location and volume during liquid transfer, using cameras and lighting to validate correct positioning and volume accuracy, and notifies operators of errors, with features like real-time monitoring and error prevention software.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of handheld pipette is used, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability and measurement precision deteriorate due to lack of location tracking and calibration drift
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation with an optical vision system and automated control system. The vision system uses cameras and image processing to automatically track pipette location and verify positioning accuracy, eliminating reliance on manual operator skill and calibration drift while maintaining ease of use through automated guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback through the vision system that continuously monitors pipette tip location, compares it against target locations, and provides automated verification. This feedback loop ensures location tracking accuracy is maintained throughout operation, preventing errors before they occur.
2Reliability
If vision system and automated tracking are added, then reliability and measurement precision improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks pipette location, verifies positioning accuracy, monitors liquid transfer volumes, and provides automated documentation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, managing overall system complexity while achieving high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a software control system as an intermediary that coordinates between the vision system, pipette actuation, and data documentation. This software layer manages the complexity by providing a unified interface and automated decision-making logic, reducing the burden on individual hardware components.
3Measurement precision
If real-time monitoring and validation are implemented, then measurement precision and reliability improve, but productivity decreases due to additional validation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system performs preliminary validation by pre-identifying target locations and verifying pipette positioning before liquid transfer occurs. This prevents errors upfront, eliminating the need for time-consuming post-transfer verification and rework, thus maintaining productivity while ensuring precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring and validation operations run continuously and parallel to the liquid transfer process rather than as separate sequential steps. The vision system tracks location and verifies accuracy in real-time during the transfer itself, maintaining continuous useful action without interrupting the workflow, thereby preserving productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Manually operated pipettors, widely used in clinical, forensics, pharmaceutical research, hospital and biotech laboratories to transfer small volumes of liquid, may be subject to positional errors, operator use errors and hidden performance degradation. Manual pipette performance cannot be accepted without monitoring and reporting. This invention concerns a computer controlled vision tracking and lighting system working in conjunction with a sensor controlled fluid dispensing device and controller to confirm pipette tip positional locations during aspiration and dispensing operations with automatic monitoring of liquids entering and leaving a pipette apparatus to digitally track a manual pipetting operation with a digital output file of validated liquid transfer results. The invention may also monitor possible error conditions and prevent improper liquid transfers during the manual process.