Handheld Negative-Pressure Nasal Irrigator With Vacuum Pump Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nasal irrigators are bulky, inconvenient to carry, prone to water leakage, and have a short service life due to waste water entering the vacuum pump, resulting in a poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
A portable hand-held negative pressure nasal irrigator with a simple design, featuring a clean water tank, waste water tank, vacuum pump, and one-way valves to prevent water backflow and leakage, combined with a 360-degree rotating nasal interface and a self-made one-way valve to protect the vacuum pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional nasal irrigator is designed with sufficient components for effective nasal irrigation, then the irrigation function is reliable, but the device becomes bulky and inconvenient to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the vacuum pump, water tanks, control circuitry, and nasal interfaces into a single integrated handheld unit. The machine body houses all essential components in a compact arrangement, eliminating the need for separate carrying cases or multiple components, thus achieving both reliability and portability
Solution Approach 2:
The device integrates multiple functions including vacuum generation, water storage (clean and waste tanks), filtration, and nasal irrigation delivery within one unit. The vacuum pump serves both to draw waste water out and to create negative pressure for effective irrigation, while the control circuit manages all operations from a single interface
2Reliability
If the nasal irrigator uses a vacuum pump to remove waste water, then the irrigation effectiveness is improved, but waste water easily enters the vacuum pump affecting service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an air suction end positioned at the top portion of the waste water tank that acts as an intermediary between the vacuum pump and the water. This design ensures the vacuum pump only handles air and vapor rather than direct water contact, while still effectively removing waste water through the negative pressure system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful element (water contact) from the vacuum pump system by positioning the air suction end above the water level in the waste tank. This separation allows the vacuum pump to perform its function without being exposed to water that would degrade its service life
3Ease of operation
If the nasal irrigator is designed to be portable and handheld, then the convenience of use is improved, but the structure becomes simpler which may compromise functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device into distinct functional modules: a machine body containing the vacuum pump and control circuitry, separate clean water and waste water tanks, removable nasal interfaces, and a filter system. This modular segmentation allows for compact handheld design while maintaining all necessary functions and enabling easy cleaning and maintenance
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 easy portability, one-handed operation, and extended service life by preventing water ingress into the vacuum pump, maintaining hygiene, and providing a user-friendly experience.
Implementation Method 1
portable hand-held negative pressure nasal irrigator
Implementation Method 2
air suction end of the vacuum pump is at a top portion of the waste water tank
Implementation Method 3
automatic one-way valve is located in the left nasal interface, so as to prevent water from flowing out of the left nasal interface due to gravity
Implementation Method 4
air outlet one-way valve is located at an air outlet in the clean water tank and connected with the air outlet of the vacuum pump, so as to prevent water in the clean water tank from entering the vacuum pump
Implementation Method 5
self-made one-way valve blocks an air suction port of the vacuum pump with the buoyancy of water and the suction of the vacuum pump
Implementation Method 6
self-made one-way valve is located in the intermediate adapter seat
Data Source
AI summary
A portable hand-held negative pressure nasal irrigator comprises a clean water tank, a machine body, left and right nasal interfaces, a vacuum pump, an intermediate adapter seat and a waste water tank. The left and right nasal interfaces are inserted into the machine body, the clean water tank is located in the machine body, the intermediate adapter seat is located below the machine body, the waste water tank is located in the intermediate adapter seat, a left nasal interface of the left and right nasal interfaces is communicated with the clean water tank, a right nasal interface of the left and right nasal interfaces is communicated with the waste water tank, the clean water tank and the waste water tank are connected by the vacuum pump, and an air suction end of the vacuum pump is at a top portion of the waste water tank.