Irrigation Pump Tubing Insertion Door Mechanism

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical irrigation and infusion fluid pumps face challenges in securely and easily inserting tubing due to tight fitting sensor slots, requiring users to elongate and manually push the tubing, which can lead to partial insertion and user difficulty.

Innovation Solution

A device with a door mechanism that provides mechanical leverage and guiding stubs to assist in uniformly inserting tubing into sensor slots, along with connectors that securely hold and retain the tubing, ensuring proper alignment and contact for accurate fluid delivery and measurement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If tight fitting sensor slots are used to secure tubing, then tubing retention is improved, but insertion difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetubing retentionVSAvoidinsertion difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The door mechanism is pre-configured with guiding stubs and mechanical leverage structures that automatically guide the tubing into the sensor slots during the insertion process, eliminating the need for users to manually elongate and push the tubing while ensuring complete insertion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The door mechanism acts as an intermediary device between the user and the sensor slots, providing mechanical leverage and guidance to facilitate tubing insertion into the tight-fitting slots without requiring direct manual manipulation of the tubing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If manual pushing of tubing is required for insertion, then insertion completeness can be achieved, but user effort increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinsertion completenessVSAvoiduser effort

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The door mechanism is designed to automatically provide the mechanical leverage needed for complete tubing insertion through its closing action, eliminating the need for users to apply manual pushing force while ensuring the tubing is fully inserted into the sensor slots

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If guiding structures are added to assist tubing insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinsertion easeVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The door mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides guiding structures for tubing alignment, mechanical leverage for insertion force, and retention for the tubing once inserted, thereby improving ease of operation without requiring separate dedicated components for each function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10603480B2Method and device for insertion of tubing into irrigation and infusion fluid pumps

Publication Date: 2020.03.31 STELLARTECH RESEARCH CORP

AI summary

In one embodiment, a door is used to provide uniform pressure to insert tubing into slots of a pump having walls that are narrower than the outer diameter of the tubing. In another embodiment, connectors are attached to receptacles on the pump, where the connectors insert and/or hold the tubing in slots of the pump. The connectors push the tubing into the slots while closing thereby covering the slots, which helps assure that the tubing is properly inserted into the slots. Optionally, the tubing may be partially affixed to the connectors so that detaching the connectors from the pump receptacles may remove the tubing from the slots. In one embodiment, as long as the connectors are connected to the pump receptacles properly, the tubing is properly inserted and/or retained in the slots.