Planar Fluid Housing for Intravenous Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for heating flowing fluids are often bulky due to the space required for the fluid channel and stabilization, which limits their compactness and ease of installation.
Innovation Solution
A flat and space-saving fluid housing design with a meandering fluid channel, where a flat frame follows the contour of the channel, allowing the cover film to be attached only to opposite sides, and stabilizing tongues provide internal stabilization, enabling efficient heat transfer and minimizing installation space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the fluid channel is arranged in a closed pocket of the cover film, then the fluid housing is stable, but the installation space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid housing is segmented into distinct functional components: a flat frame providing structural support, cover films forming the fluid channel walls, and integrally formed stabilizing tongues. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while reducing overall space requirements compared to a monolithic closed-pocket design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a traditional three-dimensional closed-pocket fluid channel to a flat, two-dimensional planar design. The fluid channel is formed by the cover film attached to the flat frame, creating a planar structure that maintains stability through integrally formed stabilizing tongues while dramatically reducing the installation footprint.
2Area of stationary object
If the fluid housing is designed to be flat and compact, then installation space is reduced, but structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing tongues are integrally formed with the flat frame, merging the structural support function and the stabilization function into a single unified component. This integral design ensures that the stabilizing tongues move with the frame as a unified structure, providing reliable stability without requiring separate stabilization components that would increase space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover film is used to form the walls of the fluid channel, providing a flexible yet stable enclosure. The thin film structure, when attached to the rigid flat frame and secured at the periphery, creates a stable fluid housing with minimal material and space, while the frame and stabilizing tongues provide the necessary structural support.
3Reliability
If the cover film is attached around the entire perimeter, then the fluid channel is well-sealed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is extracted and concentrated at the peripheral region where the cover film is attached to the flat frame. Instead of requiring complex sealing mechanisms throughout the entire fluid channel, the design relies on the peripheral attachment to provide both structural support and sealing, simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
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 results in a stable, easy-to-handle fluid housing that requires less space, promotes the removal of air bubbles, and allows for direct heat input from an external heating device, ensuring effective heat transfer and stability without bulkiness.
Implementation Method 1
electrically operated heating plates can be attached to both sides of the flat fluid housing to heat the fluid flowing through the fluid channel
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for heating flowing fluids, in particular intravenous fluids, with a planar fluid housing containing a fluid channel through which the fluid can be conveyed between an inlet and an outlet and with a cover film, and with a heater arranged on the outside of the fluid housing for the purpose of heating the fluid flowing through the fluid channel, wherein the fluid housing has a flat frame with a shape following a contour of the fluid channel, the flat frame has a flat side on both sides of a longitudinal central plane thereof and the two flat sides are each integrally bonded to a cover film, such that walls of the fluid channel are formed by the two opposite cover films and by opposite boundary edges of the flat frame.