Pump Module Parking Position for Medical Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pump modules for medical applications, particularly those used for water jet therapy, face challenges in sterilization due to the sealing element's interaction with the pump piston, making effective disinfection or sterilization difficult, and are costly to produce and sterilize in sterile conditions.
Innovation Solution
The pump module design includes a fixation mechanism that allows the pump piston to be fixed in a parking position, where the sealing element does not abut against the cylinder, enabling easy sterilization and disinfection, and uses a conical feed-in device and positive-fit connections to facilitate assembly and operation, allowing the piston to move into a sealing position upon activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pump piston is designed with a sealing element that abuts against the cylinder during pumping operation, then reliable sealing is achieved, but effective sterilization or disinfection becomes difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The pump piston is designed to be movable between a parking position (where the sealing element does not abut against the cylinder, allowing sterilization access) and a pumping position (where the sealing element abuts against the cylinder for reliable sealing). This dynamic repositioning resolves the contradiction by separating the sterilization state from the operating state.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump piston is pre-positioned in a parking position before sterilization, where the sealing element is disengaged from the cylinder. This preliminary positioning allows sterilizing agents to access and effectively treat the sealing region without the obstruction of engaged sealing elements, while subsequent movement to the pumping position restores full sealing functionality.
2Reliability
If the pump module is designed as a disposable article for single use, then sterilization requirements are simplified, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump module is designed as a disposable article with a pump piston that can be pre-positioned in a parking state during manufacturing. This allows cost-effective production without requiring expensive sterile manufacturing facilities, as the piston remains in a non-sealing position that permits standard sterilization processes. The disposable nature eliminates the need for complex re-sterilization procedures.
3Ease of manufacture
If the pump piston is removed for sterilization and reassembled after sterilization, then effective sterilization is achieved, but time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump piston is pre-positioned in a parking position during assembly, where the sealing element is disengaged from the cylinder. This preliminary configuration allows the entire pump module to be sterilized as a complete assembly without disassembly, eliminating the time-consuming steps of removal, sterilization, and reassembly while ensuring effective sterilization of the sealing region.
Data Source
AI summary
A pump module with a casing having at least one pump piston is mounted in a reciprocatingly movable manner and may include a sealing element which, in pumping operation, abuts in a sealing manner against a cylinder. An embodiment of a pump module, which is easy to produce and can be disinfected or sterilized in a simple manner, includes a pump piston that can be fixated in a parking position in which the sealing element does not abut against the cylinder.