Fluid Selector With Grooved Housing For Precise Flow Rate Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid flow regulators, particularly in medical infusion systems, are difficult to use for unskilled individuals and fail to accurately adjust flow rates over time due to pressure changes, leading to potential misuse and side effects from medications like painkillers.
Innovation Solution
A selector with a body, inlet, outlet, and parallel upper and lower passages with tubes of varying diameters, a rotatable sealing member, and a control lever that allows for simple adjustment of flow rates by rotating the sealing member to align with specific tubes, enabling precise control of fluid discharge without adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a disk is manipulated to roll along the housing to adjust flow rate, then the apparatus has a simple structure, but it is very difficult for unskilled persons to accurately adjust the amount of chemical
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple grooves at different positions, each groove corresponding to a specific flow rate setting. This segmentation allows the thumb to simply press into the appropriate groove rather than manually rolling a disk, making accurate adjustment intuitive and easy for unskilled persons while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Device complexity
If the flow rate is adjusted by applying pressure to a flexible tube, then the structure is simple with only two to three components, but the flow rate cannot be adjusted according to the lapse of time due to pressure changes
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple grooves are pre-formed at specific positions on the housing during manufacturing, each groove calibrated to provide a predetermined flow rate. This preliminary action eliminates the need for dynamic pressure adjustment mechanisms, ensuring consistent and reliable flow rate control over time while keeping the device simple with only essential components.
3Measurement precision
If electronic equipment and driving motors are used to control insulin injection, then the accuracy of injection amount is improved, but the apparatus becomes larger and more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a simple mechanical selector with grooves that can be manufactured inexpensively as a disposable or single-use component. This eliminates the need for expensive electronic equipment and driving motors, achieving adequate precision for medical applications while dramatically reducing device size, cost, and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooved housing structure allows the user's thumb to naturally select the appropriate groove position based on the desired flow rate, eliminating the need for external electronic control systems. The device serves itself through intuitive mechanical interaction, reducing dependency on complex electronic components.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a selector, and more particularly, to a selector that may interrupt or regulates flows of a fluid, and selectively discharge a preset quantity of the introduced fluid. Because the fluid introduced may be accurately discharged at a predetermined flow rate according to the set inner diameters of the tubes through a simple manipulation, the selector may be conveniently used and an accurate flow rate may be consistently adjusted, and the selector may be conveniently manufactured without using an adhesive.