Disposable Rigidity Testing for Blood Treatment Volumetric Balancing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood treatment devices face challenges in ensuring the rigidity of disposable components for volumetric balancing, which is crucial for maintaining accurate fluid volume balance during treatments like haemodialysis, as current methods lack a reliable and efficient way to measure the rigidity of these components.
Innovation Solution
A method involving filling the disposable with fluid, occluding a certain volume, and measuring pressure changes caused by pump pulsations to assess rigidity, allowing for the identification of defective components and ensuring the desired level of inflexibility for precise volumetric balancing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the disposable is made from plastic material with convolutions to form a batch volume for volumetric balancing, then the system can be made compact and highly integrated, but the rigidity of the disposable may be insufficient to ensure the required balancing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing a rigidity test on the disposable before actual blood treatment. The test involves occluding a portion of the disposable, applying a known force, and measuring the resulting volume change to determine if the disposable meets rigidity requirements. This preliminary verification ensures that only disposables with sufficient rigidity are used for volumetric balancing, thereby resolving the contradiction between compact integration and balancing accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If the convolutions of the disposable are designed to provide constant volume for volumetric balancing, then balancing accuracy is improved, but the disposable becomes more difficult to manufacture and test
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing the disposable with self-testing capability. The disposable includes integrated pressure sensors and fluid pathways that allow it to autonomously perform rigidity tests without requiring external testing equipment. The disposable tests itself by occluding portions, applying forces, and measuring volume changes, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process while ensuring volume constancy for accurate volumetric balancing.
3Manufacturing precision
If a rigid chamber is used to ensure constant volume for volumetric balancing, then balancing accuracy is improved, but the system cannot be implemented in a compact disposable format
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from a rigid chamber design to a flexible disposable design with controlled mechanical properties. Instead of using a rigid chamber that cannot be integrated into a compact disposable, the invention modifies the physical parameters of the disposable material and convolutions to achieve the desired rigidity. The disposable material and convolution design are optimized to provide sufficient structural stability for volumetric balancing while maintaining flexibility for compact integration.
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 method effectively measures the rigidity of disposable components, ensuring accurate fluid volume management and preventing errors during treatments by distinguishing between rigid and flexible components, thereby enhancing the reliability of blood treatment devices.
Implementation Method 1
measuring the pressure change caused by the supply and/or discharge of said fluid volume
Data Source
AI summary
A method for testing the rigidity of a particular disposable for volumetric balancing, for a blood treatment device. The method includes filling the disposable or portion thereof with a liquid, enclosing the filled liquid, so that a certain volume of liquid is present in the disposable unit or the portion thereof, supplying and/or discharging a certain volume of liquid, and measuring the change in pressure caused by the supply and/or discharge of the volume of liquid. A blood treatment device is also provided.