The Ware for December 2018 is shown below.
Finishing off the year with a (hopefully) easy one that’s slightly off the beaten path.
Happy holidays! Stay safe, and stay free.
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 16th, 2018 at 8:06 pm and is filed under name that ware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Appears to be a some sort of fluid particle counting and/or speed sensor device
The single input/output port arrangement seems somewhat quizzical, however it could work if there are check valves inside the green fittings and pulsating pressure at the i/o port
Likely not particle counting, but mix monitoring.
Each of the four transcievers that the tubing passes through is likely for a different wavelength of light based on the properties of whatever is supposed to be flowing through the tubing.
For example, in the medical field, a pulse oximeter is able to measure how much oxygen is in your arterial blood based on the way the hemoglobin changes color as it adsorbs oxygen molecules. They compare the transmistivity at two different wavelengths (one red and one infrared, generally)
Although, I do have to say that the fact that both ends of the tube are connected to a single port is rather vexing. Sure, you could get a flow through the tube if there are check valves in the fittings and an oscillating flow into it, but I’m at a loss as to why you’d do it that way instead of just allowing the fluid to pass through the sensor.
Then I noticed the tubing makes loops where it passes under the washers on the top and bottom of the circuit. If those washers actually crimp off the tube at those points, I’d have said this might be a way to measure the amount of pressure in the system the sensor is attached to. But, again, I’m at a loss as to why you’d do it that way.
My interpretation of the paths under the washers is that it is there to cool sample before it goes to the next sensor. Otherwise it would just be a straight run.
To my eyes the tubes on on the right don’t seem to be a loop, but rather both disappearing upward into the metal (there’s a diagonal cutoff that’s consistent, and both tubes seem to be vertical and straight in that area, not curving towards each other).
Of course, then the question is what is in that area. If you look at the bottom edge of the casing, there seems to be possibly a cutout on the bottom right corner suggesting that there could be ports or some other device on the underside?
I think you are correct about the loop! Perhaps then this device, in addition to measuring something, also mixes two liquids together
Blood air bubble detector!
Surely something that would be used for blood would be single-use… I can’t see being able to sanitize that very easily, yet it looks too expensive to be a single-use item.
The tubing could easily be exchangeable
Seems like some sort of gas sniffer/analyzer like a breathalyzer. The oddest part is that the tubes are from the same port and just appear to be in a loop though. Other ports/inputs may be on the other side and the aluminum body may act as a manifold for parts we cannot see.
A low power time-traveling experiment?
All I can see is a miniaturized Flux capacitor on the left side :)
Some sort of gas analyzer?
The two pipes come in from the right, one contains the sample and the other contains a reference. They pass through sensors and then get joined together and exit via exaust port on left.
Is it a microphone array?
Some sort of fiber optic conduit maybe?
Introtek AD8/AD9 series ultrasonic bubble sensors, datasheet says they are for “Patient-connected medical devices, including: Apheresis, Heart-lung bypass, Auto-transfusion, Dialysis, Infusion pumps • Cardiac assist pumps, Perfusion-based “life support” devices, Chromatography and separations technology, Immunoassay and diagnostic equipment, Liquid and chemical dispensing, Blood processing equipment”
https://www.sensor-rep.com/pdf/various/AD8-9-06.1_PDF_PROOF2.pdf
After having looked at service/parts documentation for some infusion pumps and other medical equipment with bubble sensors, I’m not too sure what this module came out of since everything I’ve looked at so far uses just one of these sensors.
I used google image search to get a clue but nothing… to me look likes of box with some sensors…being part of a bigger device
A peristaltic pump of some sort?
Looks to me like:
A) There are two parallel paths with a flow from left to right . The duplication protects against a path failing or a sensor issue?
B) The diameter of the tubing is very thin, so a low viscosity fluid e.g. air is being sampled
C) the y shaped fork ensures exactly the same external source being measured is input.
I am guessing air; and the sensors are measuring colour / transmissibility?
If the fluid lines can be independently controlled (eg by solenoids that we can’t see on the back) then the system could be used to “trap” small bubbles in one path while allowing redundant, hopefully bubble-free flow in the other.
A trigger on a left-hand sensor would shut off that path in preference for the other. A trigger on the right-hand is an “oh s**t” moment, and supply would be shut off completely rather than allow air to flow further down the line to the patient.
The redundancy is interesting – it’s obviously important to keep the flow rather than rely on manual intervention.
I think that this measures the flow rates of two fluids that need to be combined in a specific ratio. Each inlet tube goes through two air bubble sensors and then combine. By measuring the time between a bubble appearing on the first sensor and the second sensor you can get a measure of flow rate. I’d guess the loops are in there to add more time between the bubble being sensed on each sensor while maintaining a small package.
CMYQ Fluid colour meter probe?
Right on, Stuart: A bubble trap for microfluidics. One path is the inlet, looking for bubbles. The Y junction sucks out the bubbles when detected. The other path is the outlet, verifying that the fluid is bubble-free.
https://www.elveflow.com/microfluidic-tutorials/microfluidic-applications/avoid-air-bubbles-during-your-microfluidic-experiments/