IV Flow Regulator With Cover-Based Locking for Precise Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IV flow regulators face issues with precise flow rate control and are susceptible to unintended changes due to carelessness or unauthorized manipulation, posing risks such as shock when flow rates are excessively high.
Innovation Solution
An IV flow regulator with a cover that can be positioned to enable or disable regulation operations by switching between a restraint state and a free state, using a switching restraint unit to prevent unauthorized access and ensure stable flow rate control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a roller clamp is used to control IV flow rate, then the structure is simple and operation is easy, but precise control of flow rate is difficult and unintended changes occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The flow regulator is divided into two separate levers: an upper lever for precise flow rate adjustment and a lower lever for locking the position. This segmentation allows the upper lever to provide fine control while the lower lever maintains stability, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and precision control.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper lever acts as an intermediary between the user's intent and the final flow rate setting. It allows preliminary adjustment without committing to a final position, enabling precise control before the lower lever locks the setting, thus improving both precision and operational ease.
2Measurement precision
If a flow rate regulator with two levers is used, then precise flow rate control is improved, but unauthorized manipulation by third parties remains possible
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed to be removable only after the lower lever is properly positioned and locked. This preliminary action sequence ensures that even if someone attempts to access the upper lever, they cannot adjust the flow rate without first disassembling the cover, which requires accessing the lower lever mechanism first.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper lever is nested within the cover structure, which itself is attached to the lower lever assembly. This nested configuration creates multiple layers of access control, where the outer cover protects the inner upper lever, preventing unauthorized manipulation while maintaining precise control capabilities.
3Reliability
If the cover completely covers the lower lever in free state, then unauthorized access is prevented, but the lower lever cannot be gripped by hand for operation
Solution Approach 1:
The cover transitions between two dynamic states: closed position for protection and open position for operation. The switching restraint unit enables this dynamic behavior, allowing the cover to be moved between states based on operational needs, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The switching restraint unit requires preliminary action to move the cover from closed to open state. This preliminary action ensures intentional access rather than accidental exposure, maintaining security while enabling authorized operation when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an IV flow regulator, which includes an upper lever; a lower lever which is disposed below the upper lever and regulates the flow rate of the IV by a regulation operation of rotating by facing the upper lever; a cover fastened to the lower lever; and switching restraint unit which switches a restraint state in which the cover and the lower lever are mutually restrained to enable the regulation operation and a free state in which the cover and the lower lever are not mutually restrained to disable the regulation operation, according to a relative position of the cover and the lower lever.