Medical Inflation Device Plunger Coupling Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices for inflating balloons in procedures like angioplasty and valvuloplasty face challenges in efficiently generating and controlling high fluid pressure, particularly in coupling and decoupling plungers to syringe bodies, which affects the precision and ease of fluid displacement.
Innovation Solution
The design involves a handle that rotates to selectively couple and decouple a plunger to a syringe body through threaded mechanisms, allowing for precise control over fluid displacement by altering the engagement of plunger threads with internal nut threads, enabling both quick fluid displacement and locking the plunger in place to manage high pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a plunger is manually pushed to displace fluid in a syringe body, then fluid displacement can be achieved, but it requires excessive manual effort and cannot efficiently generate high fluid pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a mechanical advantage system using a lever arm and fulcrum to amplify the user's manual input force, transforming it into high fluid pressure through hydraulic principles. The force applied to the lever arm is mechanically amplified to generate sufficient pressure to advance the plunger against high resistance in the syringe body, eliminating the need for excessive direct manual pushing effort.
2Reliability
If the plunger is securely coupled to the syringe body to maintain position under high pressure, then pressure stability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to coupling and decoupling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes a dynamic coupling mechanism where the plunger's engagement with the syringe body can be selectively changed between coupled and decoupled states. The lever arm system provides a mechanical locking effect during the coupled state to maintain pressure stability, while allowing easy decoupling when needed. This dynamic state change capability enables both reliable pressure maintenance and operational flexibility without excessive complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the plunger is decoupled from the syringe body to release pressure, then pressure control is improved, but the time required for pressure adjustment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a pre-positioned lever arm system that is ready to be actuated for quick pressure release. The mechanical advantage system is pre-configured so that a simple lever movement can rapidly decouple the plunger from the syringe body, enabling fast pressure adjustment without requiring complex multi-step operations or significant time investment.
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
This solution provides a method for efficiently inflating medical devices by allowing precise control over fluid pressure and displacement, facilitating procedures like angioplasty and valvuloplasty with reduced manual effort, even under high pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The inflation device includes a handle selectively coupleable to a plunger. Rotation of the handle from a first position to a second position about a longitudinal axis of the plunger causes the plunger to be longitudinally displaced with respect to the syringe body.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
Inflation devices and methods to inflate medical devices are disclosed. Certain embodiments enable the selective coupling of a plunger to a syringe body through manipulation of a handle. Other embodiments facilitate the generation of relatively high fluid pressures through inflation device designs that incorporate multiple plungers.