Lobed Pump Bulb for Penile Prosthetic Dexterity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users with reduced dexterity, often due to arthritis or limited hand mobility, face difficulties in grasping and repeatedly squeezing the spherical pump bulb of traditional penile prosthetics, leading to challenges in effectively operating the implantable penile prosthetic.
Innovation Solution
The design of a pump bulb with a lobed structure, featuring three convex lobes and concave side walls, provides improved grasping surfaces and reduces the likelihood of slipping, allowing for easier manipulation and efficient squeezing, especially for users with limited dexterity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spherical pump bulb is used, then the device structure is simple, but users with reduced dexterity have difficulty grasping and squeezing it effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The pump bulb is divided into multiple lobes (typically three) instead of being a single spherical structure. Each lobe can be independently compressed, allowing users with reduced dexterity to grasp and squeeze the bulb more effectively by distributing the compression force across multiple segments rather than requiring precise grip on a single spherical surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the pump bulb are given different geometric properties - the lobes provide convex surfaces for grasping while the spaces between them create recessed areas that are easier to compress. This local variation in geometry allows users to apply force more effectively at specific locations rather than requiring uniform compression of the entire bulb.
2Reliability
If a spherical pump bulb is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the pump bulb tends to slip out of the user's grasp
Solution Approach 1:
The pump bulb transitions from a symmetrical spherical shape to an asymmetrical lobed structure. The multiple lobes create an irregular surface profile that provides mechanical interlocking with the user's fingers and palm, preventing the bulb from slipping out of grasp during compression. The asymmetrical geometry creates friction and normal forces that anchor the device in the user's hand.
Solution Approach 2:
While abandoning the perfect sphere, the design retains curved surfaces through the use of lobes with rounded contours. These curved surfaces maintain comfort against the user's skin while the variations in curvature between lobes and recesses create grip points that prevent slippage, combining the benefits of smooth curved surfaces with enhanced graspability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A penile prosthetic (20) includes an inflatable member (24) that is implantable into a penis of a user, a reservoir (22) that is implantable in an abdomen, and a pump (26). The pump is configured to be attached between the inflatable member and the reservoir and is implantable in a scrotum. The pump includes a pump bulb (42) having an internal cavity formed by a side surface connected between a bottom surface and a top surface of the pump bulb. The side surface provides an outside circumference of the pump bulb and includes at least two concave side walls with each concave side wall connected between two adjacent convex lobes of the pump bulb.