Dual Poppet Valve Alignment in Penile Prosthesis Pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing implantable penile prosthesis pump systems face issues with air lock-ups and misaligned poppet valves, leading to malfunction and uncontrolled leakage during operation, which increases the risk of damage during testing and use.
Innovation Solution
A dual poppet valve assembly with a suction and cylinder poppet design, where the poppets are biased to prevent fluid flow until actuated, and a mechanism to prevent vacuum lock-up, including an elongated head and fingers to control poppet movement, ensuring proper alignment and fluid direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional poppet valves are used in the pump system, then fluid flow control is achieved, but the poppets can become misaligned during filling and operation causing uncontrolled leakage or operational failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the poppet valves by adding elongated heads that extend beyond the poppet bodies. These heads are designed with specific dimensions (length greater than the diameter of the poppet body) to ensure proper alignment and prevent vacuum lock-up. The elongated heads maintain consistent positioning relative to the poppet bodies through manufacturing processes, ensuring precise alignment during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongated heads act as intermediary elements between the poppet bodies and the sealing surfaces. These heads serve as alignment references and prevent direct contact between misaligned poppet surfaces, thereby preventing vacuum lock-up and ensuring reliable fluid flow control throughout the pump operation cycle.
2Productivity
If the pump bulb is actuated quickly or air is present in the system, then fluid transfer occurs, but the pump bulb can remain compressed and lock up, preventing further operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by designing the poppet valves with elongated heads that prevent vacuum lock-up before it can occur. The elongated heads maintain a consistent gap between the poppet body and the sealing surface, preventing complete vacuum formation that would cause the pump bulb to lock up. This design allows the pump to operate continuously even when actuated quickly or when air is present in the system.
3Reliability
If dual poppet design is implemented with elongated heads, then alignment and vacuum lock-up prevention are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the alignment function and the vacuum lock-up prevention function into a single structural feature - the elongated heads of the poppet valves. This integration eliminates the need for separate alignment mechanisms and vacuum prevention devices, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining improved reliability.
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 reduces the risk of pump system malfunctions and air lock-ups, ensuring reliable operation by maintaining poppet alignment and preventing uncontrolled fluid flow, thus enhancing the safety and effectiveness of the implantable penile prosthesis pump system.
Implementation Method 1
releasing the compressed pump bulb creates a suction that pulls the suction poppet into the disengaged position and draws a quantity of working fluid through the suction annulus into the pump bulb
Implementation Method 2
compressing the pump bulb creates a positive pressure pushing the cylinder poppet into the disengaged position and a forcing a quantity of working fluid through the cylinder annulus into the inflatable cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
A dual poppet valve assembly for a pump assembly of an implantable penile prosthesis having a suction poppet engagable by a plurality of fingers allowing free travel of the poppet and to prevent vacuum lockup of the pump assembly. The suction poppet can also include an elongated shaft receivable within a corresponding bore of a cylinder poppet to prevent the suction poppet from becoming misaligned during the operation of the pump assembly.