Dome-Shaped Filtration Unit Centrifugation Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid filtration units used in blood and blood component processing are prone to damage and can damage adjacent bags during centrifugation, leading to contamination and system failure, while flexible units are difficult to manufacture and not always effective in preventing damage.
Innovation Solution
A rigid filtration unit with a casing design featuring domed portions and curved external profiles, eliminating sharp edges and angular protrusions, allowing safe centrifugation without compromising adjacent bags, and incorporating a filtration medium capable of removing leukocytes and pathogens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid housing with angular edges and protruding ports is used, then structural strength and manufacturing ease are improved, but the risk of damaging adjacent bags during centrifugation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing angular edges and sharp protrusions with rounded contours. The housing features curved transition zones between walls and domed portions, and the inlet/outlet ports have rounded external profiles instead of sharp edges. This eliminates stress concentration points and prevents puncture of adjacent flexible bags during centrifugation, while maintaining structural integrity through the domed portions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a flexible housing is used, then the risk of damaging adjacent bags during centrifugation is reduced, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by combining rigid and flexible characteristics in different parts of the housing. The domed portions provide rigid structural support where strength is needed, while the curved transition zones and rounded port profiles provide smooth, non-damaging surfaces where contact with flexible bags may occur. This localized differentiation allows the housing to be manufactured as a rigid structure that nonetheless prevents bag damage.
3Device complexity
If angular edges and protruding ports are used, then device complexity is reduced, but the reliability during centrifugation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains relatively simple device geometry while improving reliability through strategic curvature. The housing retains a straightforward box-like structure with domed portions, but incorporates rounded contours at critical locations (edges, port profiles, transition zones) to eliminate stress concentrations and prevent bag damage during centrifugation, thereby enhancing reliability without significantly increasing complexity.
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 solution enables the safe centrifugation of blood components without damaging the filtration units or adjacent bags, ensuring effective removal of leukocytes and pathogens while reducing the risk of contamination and system failure.
Implementation Method 1
with the pressure generated by centrifugation, these angular parts can puncture the bags
Implementation Method 2
the apex having a curved outer profile extending between said median planes at the junction between the inner and outer walls
Implementation Method 3
a filtration medium capable of removing undesirable substances from the fluid is contained within these filtration units
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~9
AI summary
The invention relates to a filtration unit (1) for filtering a fluid, comprising a rigid housing consisting of a first and a second housing member (2, 3) between which a filtration medium (4) is disposed, said housing having an inlet and an outlet conduit, each of said housing members comprising at least one dome-shaped portion (13, 14) delimited by a perimeter and having an inner wall (15, 16) extending from said perimeter to an apex (17, 18), and an outer wall (19,20) extending from the apex (17, 18) to the perimeter, wherein at least one of the inlet and outlet conduits opens out through the outer wall (19, 20), the inner wall (15, 16) and the outer wall (19, 20) respectively extend in a median plane forming therebetween an angle strictly greater than 90°, and the apex (17,18) has an outer curved profile extending between the median planes at the junction between the inner wall (15, 16) and the outer wall (17, 18).