Syringe Pump Gripping Member with Inclined Guide for Plunger Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Syringe pumps face issues with syringe removal, where the plunger flange can impose an unexpected overload on the gripping members, leading to breakage and requiring disassembly for repair, which disrupts the normal operation of the pump.
Innovation Solution
The syringe pump incorporates a guide portion on the gripping members, specifically an inclined portion on the outer edge opposite to the syringe plunger side, to smoothly guide the plunger flange out, reducing the risk of overload and breakage, and allows for easy replacement of broken parts without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the gripping members directly hold the plunger flange during syringe removal, then the removal operation is simple, but the plunger flange imposes unexpected overload on the gripping members causing breakage
Solution Approach 1:
An inclined guide portion is introduced as an intermediary structure between the gripping members and the plunger flange. This guide portion gradually guides the plunger flange outward during removal, preventing sudden overload on the gripping members while maintaining simple operation. The inclined surface acts as a mediator that distributes the removal force over a longer distance and time period.
2Reliability
If the gripping members are made stronger to prevent breakage, then the reliability improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping member is segmented into distinct functional portions: a gripping portion that holds the plunger flange and an inclined guide portion that facilitates controlled removal. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function - the gripping portion for secure holding and the guide portion for controlled release - without requiring the entire structure to be overly robust.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the gripping members stronger to prevent breakage during removal, the solution inverts the approach by designing the guide portion with an inclined surface that prevents overload from occurring in the first place. This reverses the conventional thinking of strengthening components to handle extreme loads.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gripping members are designed to accommodate various syringe sizes, then the adaptability improves, but the risk of overload during removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined guide portion serves multiple functions: it guides plunger flanges of various sizes during removal, distributes removal forces regardless of syringe type, and maintains consistent protection against overload across different syringe capacities. This universal design approach allows the same gripping member structure to safely handle diverse syringe sizes.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(B)
AI summary
A syringe pump includes a mounting portion configured to mount a syringe body of a syringe thereon, and a grip mechanism unit configured to grip a syringe plunger of the syringe mounted on the mounting portion. The grip mechanism unit has at least one gripping member disposed between a plunger flange provided at the syringe plunger and the syringe body, and the gripping member has an inclined portion as a guide portion configured to guide the plunger flange to be removed from the gripping member, upon removing the syringe body from the mounting portion.