Medical Pump Valve Retention for High-Flow Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical pumps face challenges with high flow rates causing valve displacement, gas or air bubbles, and maintaining sterility, particularly in piston pumps with mushroom-shaped valves that block downstream channels and are difficult to vent.
Innovation Solution
A pump unit with mushroom- or umbrella-shaped valves having a shank supported in a pocket-like structure, allowing fluid passage without blocking, and cylinders arranged vertically for easy venting, combined with seals to maintain sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If mushroom-shaped valve closing members are used in piston pumps, then the valve can be made simple and sterilization can be facilitated, but at high flow rates the valve closing member is displaced in the downstream side channel and blocks it
Solution Approach 1:
The valve closing member is nested within a valve body structure that includes a downstream side channel with a specific geometry. The valve closing member is positioned such that it is contained within the valve body's internal geometry, preventing displacement while maintaining the simple mushroom shape. The downstream side channel acts as a retaining structure that guides and constrains the valve closing member during high flow conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
A seat structure serves as an intermediary element between the valve closing member and the valve body. The seat provides a stable mounting position for the valve closing member, ensuring it remains properly positioned during operation. The seat acts as a mediator that transfers forces and maintains the valve closing member's position without requiring complex attachment mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If the valve closing member is made freely movable for easy sterilization, then sterilization gas can access all surfaces easily, but the valve closing member may be carried away by high flow velocities
Solution Approach 1:
The valve closing member is nested within the valve body's internal geometry, specifically within a chamber formed by the seat and the downstream side channel. This nesting arrangement allows sterilization gas to access all surfaces of the valve closing member while the surrounding structure prevents the valve closing member from being carried away by flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body is designed with different geometric characteristics in different regions: the upstream side provides a sealed chamber for the valve closing member, while the downstream side includes a specifically shaped channel that constrains the valve closing member's movement. This local differentiation of geometry provides both sterilization accessibility and flow resistance.
3Ease of manufacture
If the valve closing member is supported with play for easy manufacturing, then the valve can be manufactured more simply, but flow resistance increases and the valve may be displaced
Solution Approach 1:
The valve closing member is nested within a precisely configured downstream side channel that compensates for manufacturing play. The channel's geometry is designed to guide and constrain the valve closing member, ensuring proper positioning even when manufacturing tolerances result in some play. This nesting approach maintains flow efficiency without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The downstream side channel acts as an intermediary structure that mediates between the valve closing member and the fluid flow. It provides a guiding path that reduces the impact of manufacturing play on flow resistance and prevents displacement while allowing the valve closing member to be manufactured with standard tolerances.
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 reduces flow resistance, prevents valve displacement, effectively removes air bubbles, and ensures easy sterilization, enhancing the pump's operational efficiency and sterility.
Implementation Method 1
the valve closing member can open the valve seat and thus the fluid passage in that the valve head slightly curves away from the valve seat and/or in that the shank of the valve closing member is slightly compressed
Implementation Method 2
The piston is sealed against the cylinder wall and comprises for this purpose, for example, a head formed of an elastic material
Data Source
AI summary
A pump unit comprises at least one improved valve in which a non-ball-shaped valve closing member is reliably held in a support structure and in which the support structure is surrounded by a flow on the outside. A shank of the valve closing member is held in a pocket-shaped receptacle of the support structure such that the valve closing member is reliably held in place. The shank is located in a receptacle through which no flow passes that is formed in the support structure. The pump unit may be provided with two cylinders that are arranged in a horizontally lying manner and with one valve arranged vertically above the other. The second valve assigned to the outlet channel may be arranged directly adjacent to a cylinder wall at the vertically highest point thereof to simplify venting of the pump unit.