Fluid Pump with Multi-Sound Air Whistle for Compliance Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hand cleaning fluid dispensers lack effective compliance monitoring, especially for those not connected to a power source, and struggle to provide distinct sound profiles for accurate data collection.
Innovation Solution
The development of fluid dispensers that generate multiple sounds using pressurized air, with pressure stabilizing components and sound generators, allowing for improved sound profiles that can be distinguished from environmental noise, enabling accurate compliance monitoring without an electric power source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single sound generator is used in fluid dispensers, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of compliance monitoring deteriorates because the sound cannot be distinguished from environmental noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sound generation function into multiple separate sound generators (e.g., first sound generator and second sound generator), each producing distinct sounds. This segmentation allows the monitoring system to distinguish between dispenser sounds and environmental noise, improving measurement precision without requiring a single complex sound generator.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic action by timing the operation of multiple sound generators to occur at different times within the dispensing cycle. The first sound generator operates during a first time period and the second sound generator operates during a second time period, creating a temporal pattern that enhances sound profile distinction and compliance monitoring accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If pressurized air is delivered continuously to sound generators, then the sound output is maintained, but the ability to create distinct sound profiles for monitoring purposes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by controlling pressurized air delivery to sound generators in timed intervals. The air pump delivers pressurized air during specific time periods corresponding to actuator positions, creating distinct sound patterns that improve compliance monitoring accuracy while maintaining proper timing control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the sound generation system responsive to actuator position. The air pump and sound generators are controlled to operate dynamically based on the actuator's location between first and second positions, allowing the system to adapt sound delivery timing to the actual dispensing cycle and improve monitoring precision.
3Reliability
If air pressure in the air pump chamber is not regulated, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of sound generation deteriorates due to pressure fluctuations affecting sound profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback through a pressure sensor that monitors air pressure in the air pump chamber and provides signals to control the air pump operation. This feedback mechanism ensures consistent pressurized air delivery to sound generators, maintaining reliable and consistent sound profiles while enabling the monitoring system to adapt to pressure variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by actively controlling air pressure as a variable parameter. The system monitors and adjusts air pressure levels to optimize sound generation, transforming pressure from an uncontrolled parameter into a regulated variable that enhances sound profile consistency and monitoring 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 enhanced sound profiles allow for more accurate and comprehensive compliance monitoring, enabling the calculation of fluid dosage, actuator movement, and dispenser identification, improving data detail and precision.
Implementation Method 1
an air pump that delivers both of the two streams of air through the sound generator mechanism on movement of the actuator in the cycle of operation in the first stroke
Implementation Method 2
a sound generator mechanism which generates two sounds on movement of the actuator in the cycle of operation... configured to produce each sound from a respective one of two streams of air passing through the sound generator mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid dispenser with a fluid pump for dispensing fluid on movement of an actuator, and an air pump for delivering a stream of air through at least one sound generator on movement of the actuator. The sound generator produces at least two sounds as the actuator is moved from a first position to a second position, with each sound produced in a different time period during a cycle of operation, or differing from the other sound in respect of one or more detectable sound characteristics, such as duration, frequency, temporal alignment, amplitude, and/or timbre. The time period of each sound is a function of the relative location of the actuator between the first and second positions.