Double Take-off Needle with Crescent-Shaped Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing double take-off needles face inefficiencies in dividing liquid flow evenly between two containers, often resulting in disturbed flow due to imperfections in the internal geometry of the pipes, which can lead to unequal volume collection and require costly surface preparation for assembly.
Innovation Solution
A take-off needle design featuring a main hollow lance with a sleeve having crescent-shaped surfaces that connect directly to a holding body with internal cylindrical surfaces, ensuring a laminar flow without dead spaces and imperfections, allowing for mass production at lower costs and improved rigidity through molding and angular positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional double take-off needles are used with internal pipes in a polymer body, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the flow division is uneven due to imperfections and dead spaces in the internal geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hollow lance and pipe functions into a single integrated component. The lance itself is formed with internal channels that directly define the pipe pathways, eliminating the need for separate internal pipes within the polymer body. This integration removes dead spaces and geometric imperfections that caused uneven flow division, while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through single-piece construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the problematic intermediate polymer body containing internal pipes. By removing this component, the design eliminates the dead spaces and imperfections within the polymer's internal geometry that disrupted flow division. The liquid flow path is simplified to go directly from the lance through cleanly formed channels to the spigots, without passing through the problematic intermediate structure.
2Reliability
If surface preparation is applied to improve assembly quality, then the connection quality improves, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the lance and pipe functions into a single component eliminates the need for separate assembly operations. Since the channels are formed directly within the lance body during manufacturing, there are no separate parts requiring surface preparation, gluing, or mechanical fastening. This eliminates the cost and complexity of surface preparation while ensuring reliable fluid-tight connections through the integrated structure.
3Productivity
If the hollow lance is integrated with the holding body, then the number of assembly steps is reduced, but the rigidity and positioning precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the holding body and spigot assembly into the lance structure itself. The lance is formed as a single piece that includes the holding features and spigot connection points, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps. This integration maintains rigidity because the structural support is built into the lance's own geometry rather than relying on separate components, while simultaneously maximizing productivity by eliminating assembly operations.
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 design ensures equal distribution of liquid flow to both pipes, avoiding disturbances and imperfections, resulting in consistent volume collection and reduced production costs, while maintaining the ability to be mass-produced without the need for surface preparation or additional assembly steps.
Implementation Method 1
A laminar flow of liquid can thus be established between the hollow lance and the two pipes
Data Source
AI summary
The take-off needle comprises a main hollow lance having a distal end adapted to perform a pricking operation, said hollow lance being connected to two pipes each provided with a spigot for it to be connected to a tube, said needle further comprising a body for holding the main hollow lance, said holding body defining two internal cylindrical surfaces forming said pipes, the main hollow lance comprising, at its proximal end, a sleeve having an internal channel of which the distal end is connected to the proximal end of the main hollow lance, and of which the proximal end opens into the holding body, said sleeve comprising at its proximal end two crescent-shaped surfaces inclined towards the interior of the internal channel and towards the distal end of the sleeve, each of said crescent-shaped surfaces being disposed so as to extend in line with one of the internal cylindrical surfaces of the holding body.