Tailless Needleless Valve Design to Reduce Force and Fluid Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Needleless valve systems with a tail require additional force to compress and additional fluid to prime and flush, leading to increased material and manufacturing costs, as well as inefficiencies in fluid management.
Innovation Solution
A tail-less valve design with a retaining flange and an asymmetrical compression feature that controls fluid flow, eliminating the need for a tail and reducing the material and force required for compression, while ensuring effective sealing and fluid management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a conventional valve with a tail is used, then the valve can be compressed and controlled, but additional force is required to compress the tail and additional fluid is required to prime and flush the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the tail component from the valve design. By removing the tail that protrudes from the valve body, the patent eliminates the need for additional housing to encompass the tail, thereby reducing the housing volume that requires priming and flushing fluid. This directly addresses the contradiction by removing the source of both additional compression force requirements and additional fluid volume requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having a tail protrude outward from the valve body (conventional design), the invention inverts the approach by integrating the compression control features directly into the valve body itself. The compression feature is built into the body structure, allowing compression to occur without requiring a separate tail component, thus eliminating the associated fluid priming and flushing requirements.
2Reliability
If a housing that encompasses the tail is used, then the valve can be contained and controlled, but manufacturing costs and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the tail component and its encompassing housing requirements from the system. By eliminating the tail, the patent reduces the housing size needed to contain the valve assembly, thereby reducing material usage and manufacturing costs while maintaining the essential valve control functionality through integrated compression features.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the compression control functionality that was previously separated in the tail component directly into the valve body. This integration eliminates the need for additional housing to encompass the tail, reducing overall material usage and simplifying manufacturing while preserving reliable valve control.
3Ease of operation
If a tail is included in the valve design, then compression control is achieved, but the housing volume increases requiring more priming and flushing fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the tail component from the valve design. By eliminating the tail, the patent reduces the housing volume required to encompass the valve assembly, thereby reducing the amount of priming and flushing fluid needed while maintaining compression control through integrated features in the valve body.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a protruding tail to achieve compression control (which increases housing volume), the invention inverts the approach by integrating compression control features directly into the valve body structure. This reduces the housing volume required while maintaining ease of operation for compression control.
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
Reduces manufacturing costs, minimizes fluid requirements for priming and flushing, and enhances fluid flow control with a simpler, more efficient valve assembly.
Implementation Method 1
a compression feature configured to control how said body is compressed to allow fluid flow through said needleless valve system
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
A valve for a needleless valve system. The valve includes a body configured to be disposed in the needleless valve system and controlling fluid flow through the needleless valve system and wherein the body is tail-less. The body includes a continuous lop surface, and a compression feature configured to control how the body is compressed to allow fluid flow through the needleless valve system.