Foldable Suction Pipe Structure for Compact Fluid Pump Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fluid pumps, both manual and electric, face challenges in packaging and transportation due to excessive length, leading to high costs and potential damage to rigid suction pipes, which also cause contamination issues when removing the suction pipe from fluid containers.
Innovation Solution
A fluid pump design featuring a suction pipe with a bellows tube-shaped bending part and a discharge hose that can fold, along with a pipe sleeve and holders to reduce length and facilitate easy storage, and vents to allow quick fluid drainage, ensuring the discharge pipe remains close to the suction pipe for improved workability and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid long rod-shaped suction pipe is used, then suction power and durability are improved, but packaging length increases and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suction pipe is divided into multiple sections that can be collapsed or folded relative to each other, allowing the pipe to be compressed into a shorter configuration for packaging while maintaining its full length and rigidity when in use
Solution Approach 2:
The suction pipe transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic collapsible structure that can change its configuration between operational state (extended) and storage state (compressed), enabling reduced packaging length without sacrificing suction performance
2Reliability
If a rigid long rod-shaped suction pipe is used, then suction power is improved, but the pipe is easily bent and damaged during careless transportation and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The suction pipe is segmented into multiple connectable sections with joint mechanisms that provide both flexibility for compression and structural integrity when assembled, reducing vulnerability to bending damage while maintaining suction capability
Solution Approach 2:
Protective features such as reinforcement ribs, corrugated structures, or cushioning materials are incorporated into the pipe design beforehand to absorb and distribute bending stresses during transportation and storage, preventing damage before it occurs
3Reliability
If the suction pipe is made long and rigid, then suction performance is improved, but packaging and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suction pipe sections are designed to nest within each other when collapsed, similar to nested dolls, allowing the long pipe to be compressed into a compact form factor for packaging while maintaining full operational length when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The suction pipe utilizes three-dimensional folding or collapsing mechanisms rather than simple linear compression, enabling the pipe to reduce its length in one dimension while maintaining its functional surface area and suction cross-section
4Adaptability or versatility
If a bellows tube-shaped discharge pipe is used, then bendability is improved, but the pipe cannot be kept close to the suction pipe during packaging
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge pipe is integrated with or attached to the collapsible suction pipe structure, allowing both pipes to be compressed and positioned close together during packaging while maintaining their individual bendability and functional independence when in use
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 allows for reduced packaging size, minimizing transportation costs, preventing suction pipe damage, and ensuring quick fluid drainage to prevent contamination, while maintaining the folded state for easy carrying and storage.
Implementation Method 1
a suction pipe connected to the inlet of the pump body and including a bending part formed in the shape of a bellows tube between an upper suction pipe part and a lower suction pipe part which are formed in a rigid rod shape
Implementation Method 2
a pipe sleeve formed with length of which both ends are partially fitted into the upper suction pipe part and the lower suction pipe part of the suction pipe, and installed on the outer circumferential surface of the suction pipe in the shape of a cylinder or a 'C' with one end cut out from the cylinder shape so as to move from a bending part position to an upper suction pipe part position
Implementation Method 3
vents reaching the bending part, support protrusions are provided on the inner ends of the vents so as to tightly fit the pipe sleeve into the vents, and a plurality of fluid passages are provided between the support protrusions so that atmospheric pressure acts in the vents and the fluid passages
Implementation Method 4
when a suction pipe is pulled out of the fluid in a fluid container after the operation of the pump is stopped, the fluid on a bellows tube-shaped bending part can flow down more quickly so that it is possible to prevent contamination of the floor by dripping fluid when the suction pipe is removed from the fluid container
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid pump includes a pump body with a manual operation bulb or a power supply unit provided on an upper end and an inlet and an outlet provided on both sides of a liquid passage. A suction pipe connected to the inlet of the pump body includes a bendable part between an upper suction pipe part and a lower suction pipe part which are formed in a rigid rod shape. A discharge hose shaped as a bellows tube is connected to the outlet of the pump body. A pipe sleeve has ends partially fitted into the upper suction pipe part and the lower suction pipe part. It is installed on the outer circumferential surface of the suction pipe and shaped as a cylinder or a “C” with one end cut out from the cylinder to facilitate moving its position from the bending part to the upper suction pipe part.