Integrated Safety Valve Micropump Arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing micropumps face issues with free flow when an overpressure is applied to the inlet reservoir without an operating voltage, leading to increased space and cost requirements due to separate components, large dead volumes, and inefficient flow rates.
Innovation Solution
A pump arrangement with an integrated safety valve at the pump outlet, where the valve seat and pump inlet are patterned on the same surface, preventing free flow with a positive pressure at the inlet and minimizing dead volume by integrating the pump and safety valve into a single element with a reduced number of parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate safety valve components are used, then the safety function is achieved, but space requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The safety valve is integrated directly into the pump housing, merging two previously separate components (pump and safety valve) into a single unit. This eliminates the need for separate safety valve components while maintaining the safety function, thereby reducing space requirements and assembly complexity.
2Reliability
If separate safety valve components are used, then the safety function is achieved, but cost requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the safety valve into the pump housing, the patent reduces the total component count and assembly steps. This merging of functions into a single manufactured unit lowers production costs by eliminating separate manufacturing processes, inventory management, and assembly operations for separate safety valve components.
3Volume of stationary object
If pump and safety valve are integrated, then dead volume is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the safety valve into the pump housing creates a compact, unified structure that eliminates dead volume between separate components. The single-piece construction with integrated fluid passages ensures minimal residual fluid volume while the manufacturing process remains feasible through standard molding or machining techniques.
4Productivity
If positive pressure is applied to inlet reservoir, then free flow occurs without operating voltage, but pump cannot prevent flow
Solution Approach 1:
The safety valve is designed to automatically respond to pressure conditions without requiring external control signals or operating voltage. When pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold, the valve self-activates to prevent free flow, providing reliable flow control through its inherent pressure-sensitive mechanism.
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 solution effectively prevents free flow in an unactivated state while reducing space and cost requirements, achieving a simple setup and small dead volume, suitable for micropumps with microliter-scale volumes and micrometer dimensions.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure in this inlet reservoir acts on that side of the diaphragm
Implementation Method 2
When the pump is switched on, it generates a negative pressure at the pump inlet and the valve outlet, thereby opening the valve
Data Source
AI summary
A pump arrangement includes a pump having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, and a safety valve arranged between the pump outlet and an outlet of the pump arrangement and having a valve seat and a valve lid. The valve seat, the pump outlet and the pump inlet are patterned in a first surface of a first integrated part of the pump arrangement, whereas the valve lid is formed in a second integrated part of the pump arrangement. An inlet of the pump arrangement and a fluid region fluidically connected thereto are formed in a third part of the pump arrangement. The second integrated part is arranged between the first integrated part and the third part of the pump arrangement such that a pressure in the fluid region has a closing effect on the safety valve, the pump inlet and the inlet of the pump arrangement being connected fluidically.