Combined Dialysis Machine Plug for Concurrent Grounding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dialysis machines, particularly hemodialysis machines, face challenges in ensuring safe electrical grounding to prevent leakage currents, which can pose risks to patients due to the potential for inadequate connection of grounding cables, especially when only the power supply cable is connected for operation.
Innovation Solution
A combined plug configuration that includes separate grounding connections for the power supply and hydraulics systems, ensuring both connections are made simultaneously and maintained concurrently, compliant with standards like IEC 60364-7-710, to provide a safe electrical pathway and prevent unacceptable leakage currents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If only the power supply cable is connected for operation, then the dialysis machine can operate, but the grounding connection may be inadequate posing risks to patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the power supply plug and hydraulics grounding plug into a single combined plug assembly. This ensures that both the power supply connection and the hydraulics grounding connection are made simultaneously in one action, eliminating the risk that only the power supply cable is connected without the grounding cable. The combined plug integrates multiple functions (power delivery and grounding) into one unified component, guaranteeing both operational capability and grounding safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The combined plug is designed so that the grounding connection is established before power is supplied. When the combined plug is inserted into the receptacle, the grounding prongs make contact first, ensuring the grounding path is already in place before the power prongs establish electrical power delivery. This preliminary grounding action prevents any period where the machine could operate without adequate grounding.
2Reliability
If separate grounding connections are provided for power supply and hydraulics systems, then patient safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining separate grounding connections for the power supply and hydraulics systems, the patent merges these into a single combined plug assembly. This integration reduces operational complexity by ensuring both grounding connections are made simultaneously in one action, even though the electrical connections remain separate and distinct within the plug structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The combined plug serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides power supply connection through the power supply cable and separate grounding connection through the hydraulics grounding cable. This multi-functionality in a single component achieves patient safety through separate grounding paths while avoiding the complexity of managing multiple separate plug operations.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a combined plug is used to ensure simultaneous grounding connections, then leakage current prevention is improved, but ease of operation may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The combined plug merges the power supply connection and hydraulics grounding connection into a single integrated component. By inserting one combined plug, the operator simultaneously establishes both the power supply cable connection and the hydraulics grounding cable connection, eliminating leakage current risks without requiring multiple separate connection actions. This actually simplifies the operation compared to managing separate plugs.
Solution Approach 2:
The combined plug is designed with grounding prongs that extend further than power prongs, ensuring grounding connections are established first when the plug is inserted. This preliminary grounding action prevents leakage currents from the outset while maintaining simple, intuitive operation - the operator simply inserts the combined plug without needing to understand or manage separate connection sequences.
Data Source
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AI summary
A dialysis machine comprising: a power supply for providing power to the dialysis machine, the power supply including a power supply cable that includes a first ground wire electrically connected to a first ground prong; and a hydraulics system for making dialysate, supplying the dialysate to a dialysate circuit, and draining spent dialysate from the dialysate circuit, the hydraulics system including a hydraulics grounding cable that includes a second ground wire electrically connected to a second ground prong.