Infusion Pump Mechanical Stop Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing infusion devices face challenges in ensuring safe and controlled medication delivery due to potential controller malfunctions, which can lead to over-delivery of medication, and current safety measures like solenoid actuators or stepper motors are costly and energy-inefficient, making them unsuitable for compact and lightweight designs.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical stop facility is introduced that mechanically blocks pump motion using a locking mechanism, requiring periodic resetting by the controller to prevent over-delivery, which can be configured for fixed time intervals or specific rotations, ensuring safe and controlled infusion even in case of controller failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solenoid actuators or stepper motors are used to drive the infusion pump, then safety against controller failure is improved, but cost and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive and energy-consuming solenoid actuators or stepper motors with a simple mechanical stop facility consisting of a spring-loaded locking member that engages with a locking surface on the drive shaft. This mechanical system provides reliable stopping without the high energy consumption of electromagnetic actuators, while still ensuring safety against controller failure through periodic resetting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking member is designed as a simple, inexpensive mechanical component that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. The spring-loaded mechanism uses basic mechanical elements rather than expensive electromagnetic components, reducing both cost and energy consumption while maintaining safety functionality.
2Reliability
If solenoid actuators or stepper motors are used to drive the infusion pump, then safety against controller failure is improved, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces heavy solenoid actuators or stepper motors with a lightweight mechanical stop facility using a spring-loaded locking member and locking surface. This mechanical system achieves the same safety function with significantly reduced weight, enabling compact and portable infusion device design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential safety function from complex electromagnetic actuation systems and implements it through a simple mechanical stopping mechanism. By taking out only the necessary stopping function and implementing it mechanically, the device achieves safety without the excess weight of full electromagnetic actuation systems.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a mechanical stop facility with periodic resetting is implemented, then over-delivery of medication is limited, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical stop facility is pre-configured with a spring-loaded locking member that automatically engages with a locking surface on the drive shaft. The spring is pre-compressed to provide the locking force, and the geometry of the locking surfaces is pre-designed to ensure proper engagement. This preliminary configuration ensures automatic stopping without requiring complex real-time control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded locking member automatically engages with the locking surface to stop the pump without requiring active control signals. The spring provides continuous locking force, and the mechanical geometry ensures automatic disengagement when the drive shaft rotates to the unlocked position. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for complex electronic control while limiting over-delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
An infusion device with safeguards for protecting a patient from inappropriate infusion during a malfunction comprises a pump, an electronic controller for controlling the pump, and a mechanical stop facility for stopping the pump by mechanically blocking pump motion. The stop facility periodically requires resetting by the controller to continue infusion.