Double Lumen Tube Coupling for Stable Annular Fluid Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing double lumen tubes face challenges in easy connection and maintenance due to annular arranged connection pieces, leading to issues with fluid communication and flexibility, particularly in medical applications like transanal irrigation catheters.
Innovation Solution
A flexible annular double lumen tube with a tube coupling system featuring end fittings that allow for easy connection and customization, utilizing a first coupling component with a female part and a second coupling component with a multifunctional design to establish fluid communication through annularly arranged flow passages, ensuring flexibility and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If an annular double lumen tube is used to reduce volume and protect the interior tube, then the combined exterior volume is reduced and the interior tube is protected, but the interior tube can move freely radially causing variable fluid flow through the annular gap
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible exterior tube that can radially expand and contract to maintain a consistent annular gap between the interior tube and exterior tube wall, ensuring reliable fluid flow while preserving the volume reduction benefits of the nested configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the radial dimension parameter of the exterior tube through expansion or contraction, allowing the annular gap to maintain a substantially constant cross-sectional flow area despite the flexible nested configuration
2Reliability
If radial struts or spacers are added to keep the annular tube gap open, then fluid flow consistency is improved, but the tube becomes rigid and less bendable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible exterior tube that dynamically adjusts its radial dimension to maintain a consistent annular gap, eliminating the need for rigid struts or spacers and preserving the tube's flexibility and bendability
3Ease of operation
If end fittings with coupling components are added to facilitate connection, then ease of connection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs coupling components that can connect to multiple types of connection structures (e.g., both annular and parallel connection pieces), allowing a single end fitting design to serve multiple connection purposes and reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The end fittings act as intermediary components that bridge the annular double lumen tube to various external connection structures, simplifying the connection interface while maintaining flexibility in how the tube can be connected to different devices
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A tube coupling system serves for providing annular flow through a flexible annular double lumen tube (3) between fluid reservoir(s) and flexible connection pieces (56,57) of an annular double lumen device (2). The tube coupling system has a first coupling component (4) and a second coupling component (6) and an end fitting system. The first coupling component (4) that has a female coupling part (11) and a male coupling part (12) adapted for coupling to a proximal end (5) of the flexible annular double lumen tube (3). The second coupling component (4) has a second interior pipe (31) that axially extends inside a second exterior pipe (32), a first end fitting (33) adapted for coupling to at least the female coupling part (11) of the first coupling component (4), and a second end fitting (34) adapted for coupling to any of the flexible annular double lumen tube (3) or the flexible connection pieces (56,57) of an annular double lumen device (2).