Medical Pump Housing Rack Coordination Control

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The arrangement of multiple medical pumps in a housing rack complicates operation, leading to potential errors when using the W method for simultaneous infusion, as it requires precise monitoring of each pump's operation state to prevent errors and ensure safe infusion.

Innovation Solution

A medical pump housing rack with a control method and communication module that monitors and coordinates the operation of multiple pumps, determining cooperation permissions and flow rate adjustments to prevent user errors by ensuring correct pump interactions and maintaining consistent infusion rates.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If multiple medical pumps are arranged and housed in a medical pump housing rack, then the operation load and space utilization are improved, but the risk of operating the wrong pump and operation errors increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation loadVSAvoidoperation error risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit receives operation state information from each medical pump and provides feedback to the user through display units. This feedback mechanism allows users to confirm which pump is currently being operated and its status, reducing the risk of operating the wrong pump while maintaining the benefits of housing multiple pumps in a rack.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The control unit acts as an intermediary between the user and multiple medical pumps. It receives operation instructions from the user, determines the target pump based on operation state information, and transmits control signals to the appropriate pump. This intermediary layer prevents direct confusion between multiple pumps and reduces operation errors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple medical pumps are used for simultaneous drug administration, then the treatment capability is improved, but the setting operation and operation instruction become more complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment capabilityVSAvoidsetting operation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit provides universal control functionality for multiple different types of medical pumps (infusion pumps, syringe pumps). It can manage various pump types through a unified interface and control mechanism, allowing simultaneous drug administration with simplified operations rather than requiring separate control systems for each pump type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple medical pumps are merged under a single control unit that manages them collectively. The control unit combines control functions for multiple pumps into one system, and the housing rack combines multiple pumps in a unified structure. This merging reduces the operational complexity compared to managing separate pump systems independently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If medical pumps are juxtaposed on a desk or placed on a floor, then the operation accessibility is improved, but the space utilization and organization are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation accessibilityVSAvoidspace utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The housing rack transitions from horizontal placement (desk or floor) to vertical arrangement, utilizing the vertical dimension for space optimization. Multiple pumps are stacked vertically in the rack structure, maintaining front-facing accessibility for operations while significantly reducing the horizontal space footprint compared to placing pumps side-by-side on a desk or floor.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2623141B1Medical pump housing rack and control method thereof
Publication Date: 2021.10.27 TERUMO KK
  • EP2623141B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2623141B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2623141B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a medical pump housing rack which monitors a plurality of medical pumps which perform infusion by the W method, and reduces operation errors on the medical pumps. The medical pump housing rack according to this invention is characterized by including a cooperation permission/inhibition determination means for determining whether two predetermined housed medical pumps can operate in cooperation with each other, based on information indicating housing positions at which the two medical pumps are respectively housed and drug information set in each of the two medical pumps, and a cooperation permission notification transmission means for, if the cooperation permission/inhibition determination means determines that the two medical pumps are configured to operate in cooperation with each other, transmitting, to the two medical pumps, cooperation permission notifications for validating operation of issuing infusion start instructions for a drug to the two medical pumps.