Negative-Pressure Nasal Irrigator With Pump Backflow Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nasal irrigators are bulky, inconvenient to carry, prone to water leakage, and have a short service life due to waste water entering the vacuum pump, leading to a poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
A portable hand-held negative pressure nasal irrigator with a simple design, featuring a clean water tank, waste water tank, vacuum pump, and one-way valves to prevent water backflow, combined with a 360-degree rotating nasal interface and a self-made one-way valve to block water entry into the vacuum pump, ensuring a compact and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional nasal irrigator is designed with sufficient components for effective nasal cleaning, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the device becomes bulky and inconvenient to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separable components including a machine body, a detachable water tank, and interchangeable nasal interfaces. This segmentation allows the water tank to be removed for filling and cleaning, and different nasal interfaces to be swapped based on user needs, maintaining effectiveness while improving portability and ease of maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The water tank is extracted as a separate detachable component from the machine body, allowing it to be easily removed, filled, and cleaned. This extraction solves the portability issue by enabling the user to carry only the compact machine body and refill the tank at destination, while still providing sufficient water capacity for effective nasal irrigation
2Ease of operation
If the device structure is simplified to improve portability, then the ease of operation is improved, but water leakage and vacuum pump contamination occur
Solution Approach 1:
A one-way valve is introduced as an intermediary component between the water tank and the vacuum pump system. This valve allows water to flow in one direction only, preventing waste water from entering the vacuum pump while maintaining the simplified portable structure. The intermediary component protects the pump without requiring complex sealing mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The one-way valve provides automatic protection against water backflow into the vacuum pump without requiring user intervention or complex control systems. The valve self-regulates the water flow direction, ensuring the pump remains protected while maintaining device simplicity and portability
3Ease of operation
If a compact design is used to improve portability, then the ease of operation is improved, but the service life of the vacuum pump decreases due to water entry
Solution Approach 1:
The one-way valve serves as a protective intermediary that physically blocks waste water from reaching the vacuum pump. This simple mechanical barrier effectively extends the pump's service life by preventing water contamination, while allowing the device to maintain its compact portable design without requiring larger protective housings or complex sealing systems
Solution Approach 2:
The one-way valve is installed in advance as a preventive measure against potential water backflow. This prior protection mechanism ensures that even if water levels rise or pressure changes occur during operation, the vacuum pump remains protected from water entry, thereby extending its service life while maintaining device compactness
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 ensures a simple, portable, and cost-effective nasal irrigator that maintains hygiene, prolongs the device's service life, and provides effective nasal cleaning with a one-handed operation.
Implementation Method 1
portable hand-held negative pressure nasal irrigator
Implementation Method 2
a right nasal interface of the left and right nasal interfaces is communicated with the waste water tank through a pipeline inside the machine body
Implementation Method 3
the self-made one-way valve blocks an air suction port of the vacuum pump with the buoyancy of water and the suction of the vacuum pump
Data Source
AI summary
A portable hand-held negative pressure nasal irrigator comprises a clean water tank, a machine body, left and right nasal interfaces, a vacuum pump, an intermediate adapter seat and a waste water tank. The left and right nasal interfaces are inserted into the machine body, the clean water tank is located in the machine body, the intermediate adapter seat is located below the machine body, the waste water tank is located in the intermediate adapter seat, a left nasal interface of the left and right nasal interfaces is communicated with the clean water tank, a right nasal interface of the left and right nasal interfaces is communicated with the waste water tank, the clean water tank and the waste water tank are connected by the vacuum pump, and an air suction end of the vacuum pump is at a top portion of the waste water tank.