Free-Floating Bladder Agitator for Infusion Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing infusion devices face challenges in mixing and agitating liquids within their bladders, particularly during infusion cycles, and struggle with thawing and heating frozen contents efficiently, leading to potential separation of suspended materials and increased retained fluid volume.
Innovation Solution
The use of free-floating internal bladder support members, such as cylindrical or spherical agitators, that can travel within the bladder to mix and agitate the fluid, while also reducing retained volume, and the incorporation of materials that can aid in heating, like microwave susceptors, to facilitate efficient thawing and mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If free-floating internal bladder support members are used to mix and agitate fluid, then mixing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal bladder support member is designed to automatically perform mixing and agitation functions through its own movement within the bladder during inflation and deflation cycles, eliminating the need for separate powered mixing mechanisms. The support member's geometry and material properties enable it to self-agitate the fluid by contacting and disturbing the fluid as the bladder expands and contracts.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal bladder support member serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support to the bladder, reduces retained volume, and acts as an agitator for fluid mixing. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while achieving effective mixing.
2Loss of time
If microwave susceptor materials are incorporated to accelerate thawing, then thawing speed is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bladder material's interaction with microwave radiation is modified by incorporating susceptor materials that change the thermal parameters of the system. These materials absorb microwave energy and convert it to heat, dramatically accelerating the thawing process. The susceptor materials are integrated into the bladder structure in a way that maintains manufacturability through standard molding processes.
3Volume of moving object
If cylindrical bladders are used instead of spherical, then storage efficiency is improved, but inflation uniformity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical bladder is designed with locally optimized properties including variable wall thickness and strategically placed reinforcement zones that compensate for the non-uniform stress distribution during inflation. These local modifications ensure uniform expansion and consistent performance while maintaining the space-efficient cylindrical geometry for storage.
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
This solution effectively mixes and re-suspends fluids during infusion, reduces retained volume, and accelerates the thawing process, ensuring homogeneous delivery of medicaments and minimizing waste.
Implementation Method 1
Elastomeric bladders generate pressure when stretched to expel liquid from an infusion device
Implementation Method 2
The infuser contains at least one free-floating internal bladder support member, such as cylindrical or spherical agitators, that can travel within the bladder
Implementation Method 3
the incorporation of materials that can aid in heating, like microwave susceptors, to facilitate efficient thawing and mixing
Data Source
AI summary
An internal bladder agitator member(s), which are free to travel in the retained fluid when the bladders are in the filled state. When the bladders are not inflated, the agitator member(s) take up some of the free internal space of the bladder core, resulting in reduced retained fluid volume at the end of an infusion cycle. The free floating bladder agitator member(s) act in the dual role of elastomeric bladder support member(s) and agitator/mixer(s).