Well Plates with Embedded Artifacts for Fluid Sampling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microplates with shallow or deep wells are poorly suited for fluid modulation systems requiring multiple samples and are fragile under pressure, limiting their application in sampling and thermal conduction processes.
Innovation Solution
The use of well plates with embedded artifacts that allow instrumentation to identify the type of well plate, enabling safe pressurization, fluid level sensing, and thermal management by incorporating inter-well channels, conductive materials, and thermally conductive elements, which facilitate specific processes without damaging the plate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If microplates with shallow wells are used for thermal conduction, then thermal management is improved, but fluid volume capacity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The well plate is segmented into multiple well types: shallow wells optimized for thermal conduction and deep wells optimized for fluid volume storage. This segmentation allows different regions of the same plate to serve different functional purposes, resolving the contradiction between thermal management efficiency and fluid volume capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If microplates with deep wells are used for fluid volume, then fluid capacity is improved, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plate structure is segmented into deep wells for fluid storage and thin support walls for structural integrity. The deep wells are strategically positioned and sized to maximize fluid capacity while the reduced wall thickness in non-critical areas maintains overall structural strength, allowing the plate to withstand pressurization during sampling operations.
3Temperature
If thin microplates are used for thermal conduction, then thermal efficiency is improved, but mechanical durability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The microplate exhibits local quality variations: thin regions provide high thermal conduction efficiency where needed, while thicker reinforced regions provide mechanical durability in areas subject to stress. This spatial variation in thickness and material properties allows the plate to simultaneously achieve thermal efficiency and mechanical reliability.
4Device complexity
If conventional microplates are used without identification features, then device simplicity is improved, but system compatibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Identification features (such as specific well patterns, depth variations, or embedded markers) are incorporated into the microplate design during manufacturing. These features enable the automated system to preliminarily identify and characterize the plate type before processing, allowing the system to automatically adjust parameters and select appropriate protocols, thereby improving compatibility without significantly increasing operational complexity.
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
Enables accurate fluid sampling and thermal control while preventing damage to the well plates, improving the compatibility of microplates with fluid modulation systems and thermal management systems.
Implementation Method 1
the bottom surface of the microplate may be placed in contact with a thermal plate that cools the liquid samples via thermal conduction through the microplate
Implementation Method 2
cold gases or fluids may be circulated against the underside of the microplate to cool the liquid samples again via thermal conduction through the microplate
Data Source
AI summary
A well plate includes a frame section that defines a plane, and a plurality of well structures. Each well structure extends in a direction away from the plane defined by the frame section, and each well structure defines a well for holding a fluid. The well plate further includes an artifact connected to at least one well structure. The artifact uniquely identifies a type of the well plate among other types of well plates. Along these lines, a result of a well plate type identification operation, which indicates whether the well plate includes the artifact, may determine whether a predefined pressure is applied to the well plate to facilitate fluid sampling in response to the result, whether fluid level sensing can be performed to gauge amounts of fluids drawn from the wells and/or identify how much fluid is left in the wells, etc.