Compact Peristaltic Pump Segmentation for Concealability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Compact medical pumps that can administer larger quantities of medical fluids, such as feeding solutions, are not easily concealable in a patient's clothing due to the need for a single unit with both a sufficient fluid volume and a pumping mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A compact medical pumping apparatus that consists of a separate reservoir and a portable pump, where the pump is designed to be concealed in clothing and uses a belt with fingers to compress a tube connecting the reservoir to the patient, driven by a motor-powered pulley system, allowing for efficient fluid delivery from a remote reservoir.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a syringe pump encloses a reservoir having a relatively large volume of fluid, then the pump can supply larger quantities of medical fluids, but it is not easily concealable in the patient's clothing
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the traditional single-unit pump into two separate components: a compact pump unit that can be concealed in clothing and a separate reservoir that can be held in a pocket. This segmentation allows the pump to remain small while the fluid volume is maintained in the separate reservoir, resolving the contradiction between pump size and fluid quantity.
2Volume of moving object
If a medical pump is designed to be concealed in clothing, then it achieves high portability, but it cannot enclose both a sufficient fluid volume and a pumping mechanism in a single unit
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is extracted from the pump housing, allowing the pump to be minimized in size for concealability while the fluid storage function is performed by the separate reservoir. The pump unit contains only the essential pumping mechanism, which can be hidden in clothing, while the reservoir is held separately in a pocket.
3Productivity
If a single unit contains both sufficient fluid volume and pumping mechanism, then it can deliver medical fluids effectively, but it compromises portability and concealability
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the fluid delivery function into a compact pump unit and a separate reservoir, allowing each component to be optimized independently. The pump unit is minimized for portability while the reservoir provides sufficient fluid volume, and both work together to maintain effective fluid delivery.
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 discreet and continuous medical treatment by allowing the reservoir to be carried in one clothing pocket while the pump is in another, providing a compact and portable solution for delivering medical fluids effectively and consistently.
Implementation Method 1
The fingers squeeze the tube against a platen of the pump and, as the belt travels proximate the tube, the fingers displace the fluid from the reservoir and move the fluid through the tube to the patient
Implementation Method 2
Motive force is provided to the belt by a motor located within a space defined by an inner surface of the belt
Data Source
AI summary
A compact medical pump includes a linear peristaltic pumping mechanism driven by a motor located within a periphery of a belt of the pumping mechanism. The motor drives a gear set that drives a driving pulley which engages the belt having the rollers. A battery for the pump is positioned adjacent to the gear set. The pump includes a controller and user interface for operating the pumping mechanism as a function of pumping parameters input via the user interface. The controller may sense motor current and determine fluid path characteristics based on the sensed current.