Micro Valve Elastic Deformable Seal Lip Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microvalves used in implantable systems, such as artificial sphincter prostheses, face issues with permanent damage due to repeated membrane impact on hard valve seats, leading to irreparable failure and reduced maintenance-free operating time.
Innovation Solution
An elastically deformable valve lip made from a polymer with high elasticity modulus is used for sealing, which is mechanically prestressed in the closed position to ensure a secure seal and adapt to substrate unevenness, reducing material wear and improving tightness, and is produced in a single photolithographic step for cost-effective and precise manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hard valve seat is used for sealing, then sealing capability is improved, but material wear increases leading to permanent damage and reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using a flexible membrane as the valve seat instead of a hard substrate. The membrane deforms elastically under pressure to create sealing contact, avoiding the hard-hard contact that causes wear. This flexible structure maintains reliable sealing while preventing material damage and extending service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a flexible membrane with a substrate structure. The membrane provides compliant sealing contact while the substrate provides structural support. This composite approach achieves both good sealing capability and resistance to wear-induced failure.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the valve is kept in closed state without energy input, then energy consumption is reduced, but sealing tightness may deteriorate over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by pre-stressing the flexible membrane during assembly. This pre-applied stress compensates for relaxation that would occur over time, ensuring the membrane maintains sufficient contact pressure for reliable sealing throughout the device's operational life without requiring continuous energy input.
3Manufacturing precision
If micromechanical etching techniques are used to machine valve lips, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the valve lip structure from the rigid substrate and implements it as a separate flexible membrane component. This simplifies manufacturing by allowing the membrane to be fabricated using standard thin-film deposition techniques rather than complex micromechanical etching, while still achieving the necessary sealing precision.
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 provides a microvalve with enhanced long-term stability, reduced energy consumption, and improved sealing capabilities, preventing undesired fluid transfer and pressure losses, while maintaining the valve in a closed state without expending energy, thus extending the service life of implantable systems.
Implementation Method 1
an elastically deformable sealing lip (110) for sealing at least one of the passage openings (102, 104) in a valve produced using microsystems engineering methods
Implementation Method 2
In many active valves, a diaphragm is deflected to open or close the valve
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a micro-valve (100) which is formed from two firmly connected substrates (112, 114) and preferably has an actuator element (106, 108), for example that is diaphragm-driven, for the controlled opening and closing of a first and/or second passage (102, 104). The invention further relates to a method for producing such a micro-valve and to a micro-pump which uses at least one such micro-valve. Said micro-pump is intended to be used in particular in conjunction with the development of an artificial sphincter. The micro-valve has a first substrate and a second substrate (112, 114) which are non-detachably joined to each other in order to form a controllable fluid flow section, and at least one first passage (102) and at least one second passage (104). According to the invention, the micro-valve has at least one elastically deformable seal structure (110) which, for example, can be formed by a photostructurable silicon, to seal off the first and/or second passage.