Infusion Pump Door Seal With Tube Channel Against Contaminant Ingress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infusion pumps face issues with seepage of contaminants such as dust, moisture, and fluid leaks into the actuation area due to manufacturing tolerance gaps between the door and pump casing, affecting actuator operation and requiring frequent maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An improved door seal configuration that encloses the actuation area, including a gasket seal with a tube channel and window, cradling the IV tube to create a substantially impenetrable barrier against contaminants, and is agnostic to manufacturing tolerances, allowing for standard IV tubes without specialized components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gaps are designed into the infusion pump to reduce stress on IV lines and prevent occlusion, then IV line reliability is improved, but contaminants can enter the actuator area through these gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is segmented into multiple components: the door itself, a seal member positioned at the door cavity, and a seal member positioned at the actuator area. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the door provides structural support and stress relief, while the separate seal members provide contamination protection without compromising IV line reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Seal members are introduced as intermediary elements between the door/casing and the actuator area. These seal members mediate the interaction by providing a barrier against contaminants while allowing the door to maintain its stress-reducing gaps for the IV lines. The seal members effectively decouple the conflicting requirements of gap design and contamination prevention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If tight tolerances are used for door and casing mating surfaces to prevent contaminant entry, then actuator protection is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Flexible seal members are used to create the barrier against contaminants. These seal members can be made from elastomeric materials that provide effective sealing without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances on the door and casing. The flexible nature of the seal members allows them to conform to slight variations in manufacturing, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining contamination protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the sealing approach from relying on dimensional parameters (tight gaps between rigid surfaces) to relying on material properties (compressible or conformable seal members). This parameter change allows for relaxed manufacturing tolerances on the door and casing while maintaining effective contamination prevention through the seal members' ability to deform and fill gaps.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If specialized IV line sets with integrated cassettes or over-molds are used to seal the actuator area, then contaminant protection is improved, but device complexity and part count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly with integrated seal members serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, reduces stress on IV lines through intentional gaps, prevents contaminant entry via the seal members, and allows use with conventional IV line sets. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for specialized integrated cassettes or over-molds, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining actuator protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is extracted from the IV line set and placed into the door assembly itself. Instead of requiring specialized IV line sets with integrated sealing components, the seal members are taken out and integrated into the door assembly, allowing the use of conventional IV line sets while maintaining actuator protection. This extraction reduces overall device complexity.
Data Source
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Figure 6A~6B
AI summary
An infusion pump for delivering an intravenous ("IV") fluid includes a housing comprising an actuation area that engages a portion of an IV tube. The actuation area includes a first end that receives the IV tube from a fluid container and a second end that provides the IV tube to a patient. The housing also includes a seal section located along a perimeter of at least a portion of the actuation area. The seal section includes a gasket rib positioned along the seal section and a tube channel configured to cradle the IV tube. The example infusion pump also includes a door connected to the housing and configured to engage the gasket rib to enclose the actuation area of the housing.