Pressure Sensing Chamber Bubble Trap Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fluid pressure sensing chambers in ophthalmic surgical equipment face challenges in preventing air bubbles from entering and becoming trapped, which complicates the priming process and leads to undesirable pressure variations due to the surface tension and adhesion of air bubbles.

Innovation Solution

A pressure sensing chamber design with a tubing extension containing strategically sized ports that prevent air bubbles from entering, while allowing fluid flow, ensuring easy priming and bubble retention within the tubing extension.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If air bubbles are allowed to enter the pressure sensing chamber, then the system can be easily primed, but air bubbles become trapped due to surface tension and adhesion, causing pressure variations and fluctuations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepriming processVSAvoidpressure sensing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pressure sensing chamber is segmented into distinct regions: an air bubble trap chamber separated from the pressure sensing chamber by a restricted aperture. This segmentation allows air bubbles to be isolated in the trap chamber while maintaining pressure sensing functionality in the separate sensing chamber, resolving the contradiction between easy priming and reliable pressure measurement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A restricted aperture acts as an intermediary element between the air bubble trap chamber and the pressure sensing chamber. This aperture allows pressure transmission while blocking air bubbles from entering the sensing chamber, enabling the system to benefit from bubble trapping during priming while preventing bubbles from affecting pressure sensing accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If ports are made larger to allow fluid flow, then priming is easier, but air bubbles can more easily enter and become trapped in the chamber

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefluid flow rateVSAvoidair bubble entrapment

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Different regions of the system have different port characteristics: the air bubble trap chamber has larger ports for easy fluid flow and bubble escape during priming, while the pressure sensing chamber maintains restricted aperture openings that allow pressure transmission but prevent bubble entry. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between productivity and harm prevention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The restricted aperture, which initially seems to hinder fluid flow, actually benefits the system by preventing air bubbles from entering the pressure sensing chamber while still allowing adequate fluid flow for priming. The air bubble trap chamber converts the harmful effect of bubbles into a beneficial feature by providing a dedicated space for bubble collection and removal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Reliability

If the chamber is designed to prevent air bubbles from entering, then pressure sensing reliability is improved, but the priming process becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepressure sensing accuracyVSAvoidpriming process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The air bubble trap chamber provides a preliminary action by capturing and removing air bubbles before they can enter the pressure sensing chamber during the priming process. This preliminary bubble trapping ensures that subsequent pressure sensing operations are reliable while maintaining ease of priming.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The restricted aperture provides preliminary anti-action by preventing air bubbles from entering the pressure sensing chamber while still allowing fluid flow during priming. This preliminary prevention mechanism resolves the contradiction by blocking the harmful effect (bubble entry) before it can affect pressure sensing reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

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 solution effectively prevents air bubbles from entering the chamber, ensuring reliable pressure sensing and reducing pressure fluctuations, thereby enhancing the efficiency and safety of ophthalmic surgical procedures.

Implementation Method 1

The crystals supply the required ultrasonic vibration needed to drive both the horn and the attached cutting tip during phacoemulsification

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPiezoelectric effect: Piezoelectric Effect

Implementation Method 2

a thin phacoemulsification cutting tip is inserted into the diseased lens and vibrated ultrasonically. The vibrating cutting tip liquefies or emulsifies the lens

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectUltrasonic vibration: Ultrasonic Vibration

Implementation Method 3

the surface tension of the air bubble (as opposed to the unencapsulated air generally involved in the initial priming of the system) causing the bubble to be relatively robust and not easily broken and drawn out of the pressure sensing chamber

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSurface tension: Surface Tension

Data Source

PatentUS8202243B2Fluid pressure sensing chamber

Publication Date: 2012.06.19 ALCON INC

AI summary

A pressure sensing chamber having a tubing extension extending through the chamber. The tubing contains a plurality of ports so as to allow the purging of air from the chamber, but the ports are sized so that bubbles entering the tubing cannot easily flow into the chamber.