Liquid-Filled Light Guide Assembly for Bubble-Free UVC Tube Disinfection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid light guides for medical devices face issues such as air bubble entrapment, liquid leakage, and inefficient coupling with light sources, leading to reduced disinfection efficacy and potential contamination.
Innovation Solution
A light guiding assembly comprising a liquid filled polymer tube with a gasket for overflow functionality and a coupling element that ensures complete filling without air bubbles, along with a leak-free connection to a light source, allowing optimal light transmission and alignment for disinfection of medical devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid light guides are used to disinfect medical devices, then disinfection effectiveness is improved, but air bubbles are trapped inside the light guide resulting in degraded performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing pre-filled, sterile light guides that are prepared in advance and packaged in sterile containers. The light guide comes pre-filled with the liquid medium (water or saline) and sealed with a sterile barrier, eliminating the need for users to perform the filling operation themselves. This ensures complete filling without air bubbles while maintaining sterility throughout the manufacturing and storage process.
2Illumination intensity
If liquid light guides are used for disinfection, then light transmission is improved, but liquid leakage occurs contaminating optical surfaces and reducing transmittance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible thin films as sterile barriers that seal the distal end of the light guide. This membrane or foil acts as a leak-proof closure that prevents liquid from escaping while allowing the light guide to maintain its flexibility and function. The thin film barrier ensures that the liquid remains contained within the light guide throughout use, preventing contamination of optical surfaces and maintaining light transmittance.
3Reliability
If liquid light guides are used, then disinfection coverage is improved, but leakage creates air spaces causing abrupt light loss by diffraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a disposable light guide system where the entire light guide assembly is designed for single-use. The light guide is pre-filled, sealed with a sterile barrier at the distal end, and intended to be discarded after one use. This eliminates the risk of leakage and air space formation that would cause light loss, as each new disposable unit guarantees complete liquid filling and proper sealing without the need for refilling or reuse.
4Productivity
If reusable light sources are used, then cost efficiency is improved, but cross-contamination risk increases requiring no physical contact with medical devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into two distinct parts: a reusable light source and a disposable light guide. The reusable light source remains external and never contacts the medical device or patient, while the disposable light guide is inserted into the medical device for disinfection. This segmentation allows the light source to be reused multiple times without risk of cross-contamination, as the disposable light guide acts as a sterile interface that is discarded after single use.
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 assembly effectively disinfects medical devices by ensuring complete filling of the light guide with liquid, minimizing light loss, and preventing contamination, while being suitable for single-use disposable applications.
Implementation Method 1
light can be guided into the liquid filled polymer tube and preferably emitted radially through the transparent tube wall
Implementation Method 2
light propagation in the longitudinal direction of the tube and simultaneous light emission in radial direction from the tube along a substantial length of the tube
Implementation Method 3
a proximal closure comprising a gasket with overflow functionality at the proximal end of said tube
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a light guiding assembly for light exposure of the interior of medical tubes, e.g. for disinfecting said tubes using ultraviolet-C (UVC) light. The light guiding assembly preferably comprises a coupling element, which in the proximal end is connectable to a light source assembly and in the distal end is connectable to a light guiding element. Said light guiding element preferably comprises a liquid filled polymer tube, a distal closure at the distal end of said tube, and a proximal closure comprising a gasket with overflow functionality at the proximal end of said tube. The present disclosure further relates to a method for filling said light guiding assembly.