Syringe Assembly Pressure Sensing for Clog and Leak Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical systems for delivering fluid during procedures like vapor ablation lack effective mechanisms to measure pressure and prevent damage from clogs or leaks, which can affect the safety and efficacy of the treatment.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a sensor within the medical assembly to measure force or pressure coaxial with the rod's movement, allowing for real-time monitoring and control of fluid delivery, with a controller to adjust or halt the process based on threshold comparisons to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sensor is added to measure pressure/force during fluid delivery, then reliability and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor is introduced as an intermediary component between the rod and plunger assembly to measure force/pressure. The sensor acts as a mediator that provides monitoring capability without directly interfering with the primary fluid delivery function, thereby improving safety while adding controlled complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor provides real-time feedback on force or pressure conditions during fluid delivery. This feedback mechanism enables the system to detect clogs, leaks, or abnormal conditions and alert the operator, improving reliability through continuous monitoring while accepting the necessary increase in device complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If real-time pressure monitoring is implemented, then harmful factors (clogs, leaks) are detected earlier, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is positioned along the central longitudinal axis of the rod, ensuring that the measurement line is coaxial with the force application path. This alignment ensures that the sensor measures force accurately regardless of minor variations in manufacturing tolerances, reducing the stringency of precision requirements while maintaining effective detection of harmful conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor is designed to measure both force and pressure, providing multi-functional monitoring capability. This universal measurement approach allows the same sensor to detect various types of abnormalities (clogs, leaks, excessive pressure) without requiring multiple specialized sensors, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the added monitoring capability.
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 system effectively prevents damage by detecting clogs or leaks, ensuring safe and controlled fluid delivery during procedures, enhancing the reliability and safety of medical treatments.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor may be configured to measure at least one of a force or a pressure. A least one of the force or the pressure measured by the sensor may be coaxial with or parallel to a force exerted by the rod on the plunger
Implementation Method 2
The sensor may be configured to measure at least one of a force or a pressure... the controller configured to compare a value measured by the sensor to a threshold
Data Source
AI summary
A medical assembly may include a syringe assembly, a rod, and a sensor. The syringe assembly may be removably positionable within a cavity of the medical assembly. The syringe assembly may include a barrel and a plunger. The plunger may be movably disposed within the barrel. The rod may have a first end and a second end. The second end of the rod may be configured to contact the plunger in some configurations of the medical assembly and separated from the plunger in other configurations of the medical assembly. A central longitudinal axis of the rod may extend through the sensor and the plunger in configurations in which the syringe is positioned in the cavity of the medical assembly.