Reversible Vacuum Filter Cartridge With Interlocking Couplings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum filter cartridges are non-reversible, require complex assembly with welding, and are designed for one-time use due to welded filter membranes, making them costly and difficult to reuse, with challenges in injection molding for precise features like the venting passageway.
Innovation Solution
A reversible vacuum filter cartridge with male and female couplings that are injection molded, allowing easy assembly without welding, with a filter element that can be retained between the couplings and used with either as a vacuum or air intake port, and capable of using polymeric or paper filters, eliminating the need for precise molding techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If welding technique is used to assemble the cartridge holders and bond the filter membrane, then the cartridge achieves structural integrity and liquid-tight sealing, but the assembly complexity increases and the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The male and female cartridge holders are bonded together using ultrasonic welding to form an integral body, merging two separate components into a single unified structure. This eliminates the need for additional sealing elements and ensures liquid-tight sealing while reducing assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding technique (ultrasonic welding) replaces traditional mechanical fastening methods such as screws or clips. This substitution provides more reliable liquid-tight sealing while maintaining relatively simple assembly through the bonding process.
2Reliability
If welding technique is used to bond the filter membrane to the plate, then the filter membrane is securely fixed, but the cartridge becomes non-reusable and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter membrane is bonded to the plate using welding technique, creating a secure but permanent fixation. This design accepts that the filter assembly is single-use, with the membrane becoming saturated with trapped particles after one filtration cycle, making the entire cartridge disposable rather than reusable.
3Adaptability or versatility
If injection molding is used to create the venting passageway with dimensions of 0.015 inches or less, then the cartridge maintains liquid-tight capabilities without additional membranes, but the molding pin deflects and breaks due to flashing
Solution Approach 1:
The venting passageway is designed with specific dimensional parameters (0.015 inches or less) that allow it to function as both an air vent and a liquid barrier. The small dimensions create surface tension effects that prevent liquid leakage while allowing air ingress, eliminating the need for additional membranes.
Solution Approach 2:
The venting passageway serves multiple functions: it allows air to enter the upper tube during filtration, maintains liquid-tight sealing due to its small dimensions, and is integrated directly into the cartridge body through injection molding. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components.
4Reliability
If the filter cartridge is designed for one-time use, then the filter membrane can be securely welded in place, but the cost increases and waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter cartridge is designed as a disposable single-use device where the filter membrane is securely welded to the holders. After one filtration cycle, the entire cartridge is discarded as the membrane becomes saturated with trapped particles. This design prioritizes reliable filter performance over reusability, accepting the environmental and economic cost of waste.
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 provides a cost-effective, easy-to-use, and reusable filter cartridge with precise fluid-tight connections, overcoming the limitations of complex assembly and one-time use, while maintaining liquid-tight capabilities without additional membranes.
Implementation Method 1
a filter element which is not welded in the cartridge but which is retained captive between the male and female coupling elements when connected together and wherein the filter element may be constructed of polymeric material as well as paper
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum port is provided whereby a vacuum can be applied to the bottom tube whereby the sample liquid medium to be filtered in the upper tube is drawn through the filter
Implementation Method 3
An air vent is provided in the cartridge to permit the ingress of air into the upper tube containing the sample liquid medium
Data Source
AI summary
A reversible vacuum filter cartridge for connection to a pair of tubes or other entities to filter a liquid medium placed in one of the tubes or other entities is described. The filter cartridge is comprised of a male coupling and a female coupling. The couplings are interconnected to one another by simply pushing a mating projection of the male coupling into a mating cavity of the female coupling. A connecting port is provided in the male and female coupling and has a conduit communicating with tube connecting ends of each of the couplings which communicate with an open end of a tube connected to each of the couplings. The connecting port is identical in each of the couplings and serves either as vacuum port or an air intake port. A filter disk is retained captive between perforated outer walls of each of the couplings when interconnected together in fluid-tight relationship.