Same-Side Ultrasonic Gas Detection Sensor Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas detection systems in liquid conduits, particularly in medical and dialysis applications, are complex and costly due to the need for multiple components and precise assembly, with ultrasonic sensors requiring transmitter and receiver placement on opposite sides of the cassette, leading to increased manufacturing and contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
A sensor-conduit assembly with a transmitter and receiver placed on the same side of the flexible membrane, utilizing waveguides to transmit and receive ultrasonic or optical waves, allowing for compact design and assembly outside the apparatus, reducing complexity and contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ultrasonic transmitters and receivers are placed on opposite sides of the conduit, then gas detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the transmitter and receiver into a single integrated sensor unit that is inserted directly into the conduit lumen. This merging of components eliminates the need for separate transmitter and receiver housings on opposite sides of the conduit, significantly simplifying the assembly process while maintaining the dual-function capability of both transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves for accurate gas detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a coupling medium (such as gel or fluid) as an intermediary between the sensor and the conduit wall to facilitate ultrasonic wave transmission. This intermediary ensures efficient energy transfer from the transmitter to the receiver through the conduit wall, maintaining detection accuracy while allowing the sensor to be positioned on a single side rather than requiring precise opposite-side alignment.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple components are integrated into a cassette, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gas detection system into a modular sensor unit that can be independently manufactured and then inserted into the cassette. This segmentation allows the sensor to be produced separately with standard tolerances, avoiding the need for high-precision integration of transmitter and receiver components into the cassette structure, thereby reducing overall manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
3Volume of moving object
If transmitter and receiver are placed on the same side of the membrane, then spatial requirements are minimized, but wave transmission efficiency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the transmitter and receiver on the same side of the membrane but utilizes the third dimension (depth/distance through the membrane) to separate their functional paths. The transmitter directs waves through the membrane into the conduit, while the receiver detects waves that have traversed the same path, effectively using the membrane thickness as a transmission medium that compensates for the co-planar positioning, thus maintaining energy efficiency while minimizing spatial footprint.
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
This configuration minimizes spatial requirements, simplifies assembly, and reduces manufacturing costs while enabling non-invasive detection of gas bubbles in liquids, enhancing safety and efficiency in applications like dialysis.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver placed on either side of the conduit in which the fluid to be analysed circulates... generates an ultrasonic wave that propagates through the conduit to the receiver
Implementation Method 2
utilizing waveguides to transmit and receive ultrasonic or optical waves
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an assembly for detecting the presence of a gas in a liquid contained or circulating in a conduit including an element for supporting the conduit and a sensor allowing the transmission and reception of acoustic or light waves. The sensor is arranged on the support of the conduit facing the one and the same side of the conduit and the support element includes a waveguide capable of routing the wave transmitted by the transmitter of the sensor to the receiver of the sensor.