Ophthalmic Mist Delivery Pump with Nested Collapsible Cartridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ophthalmic liquid dispensers struggle to deliver very small volumes of medicament or saline solution efficiently, often dispensing excessive amounts and requiring cumbersome priming processes, making them unsuitable for precise dosing and compact designs.
Innovation Solution
A device with a specially configured pump that allows for the precise delivery of small volumes (around 6 microliters) of ophthalmic liquids by using a collapsible cartridge and a dual-air-stream mechanism, enabling quick priming and compact design, with components suitable for plastic injection molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional pumps are used to dispense ophthalmic liquid, then the device can deliver liquid, but it dispenses excessive amounts and cannot deliver precise small volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber dimensions are specifically designed to match the desired dose volume (e.g., 6 microliters), changing the geometric parameters of the pump to achieve precise small-volume dosing. The piston displacement volume is calibrated to deliver exactly the required amount of liquid per stroke.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump system is segmented into distinct functional components: a reservoir for bulk storage, a precisely dimensioned pump chamber for metering, and a delivery system. This segmentation allows the bulk liquid to be stored separately from the precise dosing mechanism, enabling accurate small-volume delivery.
2Ease of operation
If conventional pumps are used, then liquid can be pumped, but the priming process is cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is pre-filled with liquid through a fill port before use, eliminating the need for cumbersome priming operations during patient administration. The reservoir design allows easy preliminary filling, and the one-way valve ensures the pump chamber remains primed and ready for immediate use.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump chamber automatically maintains its primed state through the one-way valve mechanism that prevents air or liquid backflow. The system self-regulates to keep the pump chamber filled, eliminating the need for manual priming interventions by the user.
3Measurement precision
If the pump is designed for precise small-volume delivery, then dosing accuracy improves, but the device dimensions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber is nested within the larger reservoir structure, with the piston and seal assembly fitted within the pump chamber. The dose supply conduit is integrated into the chamber wall. This nested arrangement minimizes the overall device volume while maintaining precise pump dimensions for accurate dosing.
Solution Approach 2:
The reservoir wall is merged with the dose supply conduit, and the pump chamber is integrated into the reservoir structure rather than being a separate external component. This merging of functions and structures reduces the total device volume while preserving the precise metering capability of the pump chamber.
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 efficient delivery of precise, small doses of ophthalmic liquids as a mist, reducing waste and simplifying the priming process while allowing for a compact device format, suitable for small dimensions and multiple doses.
Implementation Method 1
a pump for pumping, via a dose supply conduit, the dose of the liquid to the holding chamber
Implementation Method 2
an air flow conduit for supplying a flow of air to the holding chamber so as to force the dose delivered by the pump to the holding chamber out through the discharge opening
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for the delivery of a mist of a dose of an ophthalmic liquid, including a housing with a holding chamber having a discharge opening for holding the dose of liquid to be delivered, a pump for pumping, via a dose supply conduit, the dose of the liquid to the holding chamber, the pump being connected with a container containing a plurality of the doses, and an air flow conduit for supplying a flow of air to the holding chamber so as to force the dose delivered by the pump to the holding chamber out through the discharge opening.