Infusion Connector Wall Surface Design for Trapped Fluid Drainage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional connectors for infusion lines often trap fluid, air, or bacteria in the space portion of the third port, leading to potential contamination and improper delivery of infusion solutions during medical infusions.

Innovation Solution

A connector design with a wall surface on the internal flow channel that reduces the cross-sectional area near the space portion, increasing fluid momentum and promoting efficient drainage of trapped fluids, ensuring safer and more reliable infusion solutions delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a wall portion is provided on the internal flow channel to guide infusion solution into the space portion, then fluid drainage is promoted, but the fluid force remains relatively small and trapped fluid is insufficiently drained

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid drainage efficiencyVSAvoidfluid force
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The wall surface is positioned specifically at a location where it can effectively guide fluid into the space portion while creating sufficient fluid force. This localized structural feature optimizes the drainage function without requiring the entire flow channel to be modified, thereby improving trapped fluid drainage while maintaining adequate fluid force characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the cross-sectional area of the flow channel is reduced near the space portion, then fluid momentum is increased and trapped fluid drainage is promoted, but the flow channel geometry becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetrapped fluid drainageVSAvoidflow channel geometry
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cross-sectional area of the flow channel is specifically reduced near the space portion to increase fluid momentum and promote trapped fluid drainage. This parameter change is implemented in a controlled manner to achieve the desired drainage effect while minimizing overall geometric complexity of the flow channel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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

The connector effectively drains trapped fluids, enhancing the safety and reliability of infusion solutions by increasing fluid momentum and preventing contamination, thus ensuring accurate delivery to patients.

Implementation Method 1

reducing a cross-sectional area of the flow channel for the fluid near the space portion, so that a momentum of the fluid flowing from the internal flow channel to the space portion is increased

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid momentum: Conservation of Momentum

Data Source

PatentEP2902072B1connector
Publication Date: 2018.12.12 TERUMO KK
  • EP2902072B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2902072B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2902072B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A connector (10) includes, in a main body (38), first to third ports (24, 26, 28) each having a flow channel allowing inflow or outflow of an infusion solution, an internal flow channel (52) configured to communicate between flow channels of the first port (24) and the second port (26), and a through hole (76) connected to an internal flow channel (52). On the internal flow channel (52), an upstream side wall surface (92) is provided which guides infusion solution flowing into the internal flow channel (52) from the first port (24) to the through hole (76), and reduces the cross-sectional area of the flow channel for the infusion solution near the through hole (76) relative to the cross-sectional area of the flow channel of the first port (24).