Dialysis Machine Plug with Separate Hydraulics Grounding

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Dialysis machines, particularly hemodialysis machines, face challenges in ensuring safe electrical grounding connections, which is crucial for patient safety and compliance with standards like IEC 60364-7-710. The existing systems often lack a separate and distinct grounding connection for the hydraulics system, leading to potential risks from leakage currents.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a combined plug that includes both the power supply cable with a first ground wire and prong, and the hydraulics grounding cable with a second ground wire and prong, ensures that both grounding connections are made simultaneously and maintained concurrently. This combined plug is designed to connect to a single AC power outlet, with the first grounding connection for the power supply and the second grounding connection for the hydraulics system being separate and distinct.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single grounding connection is used for both power supply and hydraulics system, then device complexity is reduced, but patient safety deteriorates due to potential leakage currents

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrounding connection structureVSAvoidleakage current risk to patient

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The grounding system is segmented into two separate grounding connections: one for the power supply and another for the hydraulics system. This segmentation ensures that leakage currents in the hydraulics system do not affect the patient, while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of a combined plug.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If separate grounding cables are used for power supply and hydraulics system, then patient safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased connection steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveleakage current protectionVSAvoidgrounding connection process

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Two separate grounding cables (power supply grounding cable and hydraulics system grounding cable) are merged into a single combined plug. This allows both grounding connections to be made simultaneously in one operation, maintaining patient safety while significantly improving ease of operation and reducing the risk of operator error.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If grounding connections are made separately, then reliability of each grounding connection is ensured, but loss of time increases due to multiple connection steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrounding connection reliabilityVSAvoidgrounding connection time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The combined plug is designed with both grounding connections prepared in advance, allowing the operator to establish both grounding connections simultaneously in a single action. This preliminary preparation maintains the reliability of separate grounding connections while eliminating the time loss associated with sequential connection steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250192487A1Electrical plug for a dialysis machine

Publication Date: 2025.06.12 FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE HOLDINGS INC

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.