Medical Suction Pump Sound Damping Chamber Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor-driven medical suction pumps face challenges in achieving a compact design while providing effective sound damping, as they often require complex housing structures and additional sound damping components like hoses, which can compromise manufacturing ease and efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A motor-driven medical suction pump design where the sound damping chamber is directly connected to and encloses the air release or ventilation opening, creating a compact and soundproofed structure with a sound damping housing that effectively dampens noise by ensuring sound enters the chamber directly, rather than escaping through slots or hoses, and is made from materials like ABS plastic for rigidity and ease of production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If the pump unit housing completely encloses the pump unit to provide soundproofing, then sound damping is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple housing parts and joints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesound dampingVSAvoidhousing structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sound damping chamber is integrated directly into the pump unit housing as a unified structure, eliminating the need for separate sound damping components and complex assembly of multiple housing parts. The housing serves dual functions as both structural enclosure and sound damping chamber.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The sound damping chamber is nested within the pump unit housing structure, with the chamber forming an internal cavity that encloses the air release opening. This nested arrangement provides soundproofing while maintaining a compact overall design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If air release opening is connected via hose to sound damping chamber, then sound damping is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesound dampingVSAvoidmanufacturing ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The sound damping chamber is formed as an integral part of the housing structure through injection molding, eliminating the need for separate hoses and sound damping components. The chamber is directly molded into the housing, simplifying manufacturing to a single molding process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing material is selected with appropriate acoustic damping properties, and the chamber geometry is optimized through molding parameters to achieve effective sound damping without requiring additional components or assembly steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Volume of moving object

If sound damping chamber is directly connected to air release opening, then device compactness is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice compactnessVSAvoidmolding precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The sound damping chamber and air release opening are formed as a single integrated molding, eliminating the need for separate connections or assemblies. The direct integration achieves compactness while using standard injection molding tolerances.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The molding process parameters are optimized to achieve the required precision for the integrated chamber and opening, using material shrinkage compensation and mold design techniques to maintain tight tolerances without requiring post-manufacturing adjustments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If ventilation opening is connected via ventilation valve to vacuum line, then negative pressure control is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenegative pressure controlVSAvoidventilation system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ventilation valve is integrated into the housing structure as a built-in component, eliminating the need for separate ventilation systems. The valve is molded into the housing or mounted as an integrated assembly, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining pressure control functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design achieves significant sound damping with a compact and easy-to-manufacture pump unit, ensuring that the sound emitted is effectively reduced without the need for additional sound damping components, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

the sound damping chamber is tightly connected to and encloses the further opening... effectively dampens noise by ensuring sound enters the chamber directly

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSound damping: Acoustic Absorption

Data Source

PatentEP4003446B1Motor-driven medical suction pump
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 MEDELA HLDG AG
  • EP4003446B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP4003446B1 patent drawingFigure 4
  • EP4003446B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present invention relates to a motor-driven medical suction pump with a pump unit (2) for generating a negative pressure with a housing (40, 42, 44) which accommodates the pump unit (2) therein, wherein the pump unit (2) comprises a vacuum opening (8) for the negative pressure to be generated by the pump unit (2) and at least one further opening (10) communicating with the vacuum opening (8) through the pump unit (2). The present invention indicates a suction pump of the type mentioned above which is easy to produce, compact in design and provided with good sound damping properties and which for this purpose comprises a sound damping chamber (14) which is tightly connected to and encloses the further opening.