Flexible Double Lumen Tube Structure for Kink-Resistant Annular Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing double lumen tubes face challenges in maintaining sustained fluid flow and ease of connection due to radial struts or spacers that can make the tubes rigid and obstruct flow, particularly in medical applications like transanal irrigation catheters.
Innovation Solution
A flexible annular double lumen tube design with an interior flexible tube inside an exterior flexible tube, where the interior tube is free to move radially, maintaining a consistent cross-sectional flow area and avoiding radial connections, combined with a tube coupling system featuring end fittings and a flow converter for efficient fluid communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If radial struts or spacers are used to maintain tube structure, then structural stability is improved, but tube flexibility and fluid flow are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes radial struts or spacers from the double lumen tube structure entirely. The interior flexible tube is allowed to move freely within the exterior flexible tube without radial support elements, eliminating the obstruction to fluid flow while maintaining flexibility. This extraction of the stabilizing elements forces an alternative approach to structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested configuration where the interior flexible tube is positioned within the exterior flexible tube. The interior tube has a smaller exterior diameter than the interior diameter of the exterior tube, creating an annular gap. This nesting allows both tubes to move independently while maintaining their relative positions, providing flexibility without requiring radial struts.
2Stability of the object's composition
If radial struts or spacers are used to maintain annular gap, then gap stability is improved, but fluid flow and ease of connection are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts radial struts or spacers that would otherwise maintain the annular gap between the interior and exterior tubes. By removing these elements, the annular gap remains open and unobstructed, allowing sustained liquid flow without the harmful obstruction that radial support elements would create.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the interior flexible tube dynamically movable within the exterior flexible tube. The interior tube is free to move radially and is not fixed at any point along its length to the exterior tube. This dynamic configuration allows the tubes to adapt to bending and flexing while maintaining fluid flow paths.
3Stability of the object's composition
If interior tube is fixed radially to exterior tube, then structural stability is improved, but vulnerability to kinking and flow obstruction are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the interior flexible tube dynamically movable within the exterior flexible tube rather than fixing it radially. The interior tube can shift position radially and is not attached to the exterior tube at any point along its length. This dynamic freedom prevents kinking and maintains reliable sustained liquid flow through the annular gap, even when the catheter is bent or flexed during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible tubes that can bend and deform without kinking. Both the interior and exterior tubes are made of flexible material that allows them to conform to curved paths while maintaining their structural integrity and fluid flow capabilities. The flexibility of the shells allows the system to adapt to various insertion and positioning requirements without creating flow obstructions.
Data Source
AI summary
A tube coupling system serves for providing annular flow through a flexible annular double lumen tube between fluid reservoir(s) and flexible connection pieces of an annular double lumen device. The tube coupling system has a first coupling component and a second coupling component and an end fitting system. The first coupling component that has a female coupling part and a male coupling part adapted for coupling to a proximal end of the flexible annular double lumen tube. The second coupling component has a second interior pipe that axially extends inside a second exterior pipe, a first end fitting adapted for coupling to at least the female coupling part of the first coupling component, and a second end fitting adapted for coupling to any of the flexible annular double lumen tube or the flexible connection pieces of an annular double lumen device.