Micro Valve Pump With Elastic Valve Seat for Backflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing micropumps with separate pump diaphragms and valve units are complex, prone to defects, and suffer from parasitic flow due to uncontrolled fluidic resistance variations, leading to reduced performance and increased complexity in miniaturization.
Innovation Solution
A fluid pump design featuring a pump body with a diaphragm and an elastic valve seat that dynamically adjusts fluidic resistance by changing gap height, allowing for efficient unidirectional flow through hysteretic behavior, reducing parasitic flow and enhancing pumping efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate pump diaphragms and valve units are used, then the pump can achieve basic pumping function, but the device complexity increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pump diaphragm and valve units into a single integrated structure. The diaphragm is formed as one piece with the valve units, eliminating separate components and their associated connections. This merging reduces the number of parts, simplifies the structure, and improves reliability by removing potential failure points at interfaces between separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The diaphragm structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the pumping element and the valve mechanism. The integrated design allows the diaphragm to perform pumping action while its integrated valve units control fluid flow direction, eliminating the need for separate valve assemblies and reducing overall device complexity.
2Productivity
If traditional valve designs are used, then the pump structure is simpler, but parasitic flow increases due to uncontrolled fluidic resistance variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic fluidic resistance control through the integrated valve units that respond to pressure differentials. The valve units automatically adjust their opening degree based on the pressure difference between inlet and outlet, dynamically optimizing fluidic resistance to minimize parasitic flow during the pumping cycle while maximizing net fluid flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve units modify the fluidic resistance parameter in response to changing pressure conditions during operation. By changing the effective opening area of the valves based on pressure differentials, the system optimizes fluid flow characteristics to reduce parasitic flow and improve overall pumping efficiency.
3Volume of moving object
If the pump is miniaturized, then the device size is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated one-piece construction of the diaphragm and valve units eliminates the need for precise assembly of multiple small components. By merging functions into a single manufacturable component, the patent reduces the cumulative tolerance stacking that would otherwise be required in miniaturized assemblies, thereby lowering manufacturing precision requirements while achieving compact size.
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 design achieves improved net fluid flow with reduced backflow and increased resistance control, simplifying the pump structure and enhancing performance by leveraging the elastic valve seat's hysteretic properties to manage fluidic resistance dynamically.
Implementation Method 1
The valve seat has an elastic body and a gasket with a sealing surface. The pump diaphragm is deflectable and is adapted to open and close a fluidic pathway of the outlet by moving into and out of contact with the valve seat.
Implementation Method 2
The design achieves improved net fluid flow with reduced backflow and increased resistance control, simplifying the pump structure and enhancing performance by leveraging the elastic valve seat's hysteretic properties to manage fluidic resistance dynamically.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid pump for pumping a fluid from an inlet toward an outlet comprises a pump body, a pump diaphragm, and a valve seat. The pump body has a first opening and a second opening. The pump diaphragm is attached to the pump body and forms a pump chamber between the pump body and the pump diaphragm. The pump chamber is fluidly connected to the inlet by the first opening and to the outlet by the second opening. The valve seat is disposed inside the pump chamber and around the second opening. The valve seat protrudes with an undeformed height from the second opening into the pump chamber in a direction toward the pump diaphragm. The valve seat has an elastic body and a gasket with a sealing surface. The pump diaphragm is deflectable and is adapted to open and close a fluidic pathway of the outlet by moving into and out of contact with the valve seat.