Membrane Dispensing Device Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for dispensing liquids, such as food products, face challenges including difficulty in cleaning due to complex constructions, slow operation, potential for liquid solidification, high maintenance needs, and inability to accurately dispense small quantities, especially in food processing where hygiene and precision are critical.
Innovation Solution
A device with a membrane that connects to multiple dispensing openings, controlled by a medium-filled system, allowing for precise and high-speed dispensing by varying pressure, eliminating the need for mechanical drives and minimizing mass inertia, and featuring parallel channels for uniform liquid distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a complex device with cylinders and pistons is used for dispensing liquid, then a predetermined quantity can be dispensed, but the device becomes difficult to clean and requires high maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex mechanical drive means (cylinders, pistons, membranes) from the dispensing system and replaces them with a simple pressurized reservoir. The dispensing openings are directly connected to the reservoir without intermediate mechanical components, eliminating the complex structure while maintaining precise dispensing control through pressure regulation alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical piston-cylinder system with a pressure-controlled fluid system. Instead of using mechanical movement to dispense liquid, the invention uses pressure differential created by the pressurized reservoir to force liquid through the dispensing openings, substituting mechanical actuation with fluid pressure control.
2Manufacturing precision
If alternating piston movement is used to dispense liquid, then precise dosing is achieved, but the operation speed becomes slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous liquid flow from the pressurized reservoir through the dispensing openings without the need for alternating piston movements. The constant pressure differential maintains continuous flow, allowing multiple dispensing operations to occur simultaneously and continuously, dramatically increasing production speed while maintaining dosing precision through pressure control.
3Manufacturing precision
If narrow feed channels are used in the dispensing device, then precise liquid delivery is possible, but liquid solidification occurs and cleaning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the narrow feed channels entirely by directly connecting the dispensing openings to the pressurized reservoir. This eliminates the narrow passages where liquid could solidify and where cleaning would be difficult, while still achieving precise liquid delivery through controlled pressure and properly sized dispensing opening cross-sections.
4Manufacturing precision
If a membrane with great wear is used to control liquid flow, then dispensing control is achieved, but the device becomes susceptible to wear and requires high maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the wear-prone membrane component from the system. Instead of using a membrane that must flex and seal repeatedly (subjecting it to great wear), the invention uses a pressurized reservoir with direct connections to dispensing openings, maintaining dispensing control through pressure regulation without any flexible sealing components that wear.
5Quantity of substance
If large liquid storage capacity channels are used, then sufficient liquid supply is possible, but accurate dispensing of small quantities becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different characteristics to different parts of the liquid path: the reservoir provides large storage capacity for sufficient liquid supply, while the dispensing openings are designed with specific, small cross-sections to enable accurate dispensing of tiny quantities. This local differentiation of channel characteristics allows both large storage and precise small-quantity dispensing to coexist.
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
Enables precise and high-speed dispensing of liquids with minimal resistance and maintenance, suitable for various viscosities, and allows for accurate dosing and decoration applications on substrates with improved hygiene and reduced wear.
Implementation Method 1
which is displaceable between a first sealing position, in which the dispensing openings are covered by the membrane, and a second opened position in which the dispensing openings are left clear by the membrane. The device is also provided with a medium-filled control system which connects to the membrane such that the membrane is displaceable between the first and the second position by means of pressure variation on the medium.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
Device and method for dispensing a liquid, comprising a liquid container; a plurality of dispensing openings connecting to the liquid container for controlled dispensing of the liquid to a substrate, and at least one membrane which connects onto the dispensing openings and which is displaceable between a first sealing position, in which the dispensing openings are covered by the membrane, and a second opened position in which the dispensing openings are left clear by the membrane, which device is also provided with a medium-filled control system which connects to the membrane such that the membrane is displaceable between the first and the second position by means of pressure variation on the medium.