Axial Sliding Peristaltic Pump for Sterile Tube Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reusable peristaltic pumps in medical injection systems face challenges in maintaining sterility and mechanical integrity, particularly during the loading of delivery tubes, which can lead to contamination and incorrect operation if not handled properly.
Innovation Solution
Designing a peristaltic pump with two distinct parts that couple through axial sliding, allowing for guided and safe loading of the delivery tube, reducing manual handling and ensuring proper alignment with the rollers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If a reusable peristaltic pump is used, then cost reduction and ecological benefits are achieved, but maintaining sterility and preventing contamination becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The peristaltic pump is divided into a reusable pump body and a disposable tube, allowing the tube to be replaced between patients while reusing the expensive pump mechanism. This segmentation enables cost reduction while maintaining sterility through tube replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery tube is extracted as a separate replaceable component from the pump body. This allows the tube to be discarded after single use while the pump body remains for reuse, addressing both cost and contamination concerns.
2Ease of operation
If manual loading of delivery tube is required, then flexibility is maintained, but mechanical integrity and sterility are compromised due to handling risks
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system performs self-loading of the delivery tube through an automatic loading mechanism. The tube is fed and positioned automatically by the pump structure, eliminating manual handling and ensuring consistent, contamination-free loading while maintaining reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If complex loading procedures are used, then proper alignment and sterility can be achieved, but operation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery tube is pre-packaged in a sterile container with pre-attached connectors. The pump system is designed to receive and load this pre-prepared tube assembly in a single automated motion, eliminating complex step-by-step procedures while maintaining sterility and reducing loading time.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery tube is nested within a sterile protective housing that integrates with the pump's loading mechanism. The tube is contained within the housing during storage and transport, then automatically extracted and loaded into position, ensuring sterility throughout the process while simplifying the loading operation.
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
This solution enhances sterility and mechanical integrity by simplifying the loading process, minimizing the risk of contamination and ensuring accurate operation of the peristaltic pump, thereby improving the safety and efficiency of medical fluid injection.
Implementation Method 1
a peristaltic pump which comprises a first housing component and a second loading component, said second loading component being at least partially contained within said first housing component and being axially movable with respect to said first housing component inside thereto, said second loading component comprising at least a couple of rollers for engaging and squeezing a delivery tube
Data Source
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AI summary
A peristaltic pump (200) is proposed which comprises a first housing component (210) and a second loading component (230), said second loading component being at least partially contained within said first housing component and being axially movable with respect to said first housing component inside thereto. The second loading component further comprises at least a couple of rollers (235) which engage and squeeze a delivery tube (146) for delivering a fluid passing there through when, in operation, the second loading component is fully snapped into said first housing component. Moreover the second loading component comprises a guiding path (240) for guiding the delivery tube around said at least a couple of rollers towards an exit port (244) which is provided at a distal end surface of the second loading component. The present invention also relates to a patient set and to an injection system comprising said peristaltic pump, as well as to a method of operating said injection system.