Coordinated Valve Shaft Pump for Accurate Wearable Fluid Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insulin pumps are cumbersome, prone to mechanical failure, have inaccurate dose delivery due to large working volumes and system volumes exposed to high back pressure, and require complex mechanisms that increase the risk of leakage and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
A pump sub-system with a coordinated pumping and valving mechanism using a housing, a variable volume fluid chamber, and a valve assembly with interlock mechanisms to control fluid intake and discharge, minimizing direct fluid paths and reducing system volume exposed to high back pressure, thereby enhancing accuracy and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional lead screw and piston type pump sub-systems are used, then pumping function is achieved, but the device becomes cumbersome with large height and large footprint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the pump chamber and valve assembly into a single integrated unit. The valve assembly is positioned within the pump chamber housing, eliminating the need for separate external valve components. This integration reduces the overall footprint and height of the pump sub-system, making it suitable for wearable applications while maintaining the pumping function.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve assembly is nested within the pump chamber housing structure. The valve body is positioned inside the pump chamber, with valves strategically placed to control fluid flow without requiring additional external space. This nesting arrangement minimizes the device footprint while preserving all necessary pumping and valving functions.
2Reliability
If conventional pump sub-systems with multiple components and moving parts are used, then pumping function is achieved, but the risk of mechanical failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the valve assembly with the pump chamber housing into a single integrated unit, the patent reduces the total number of discrete components and moving parts. This integration eliminates potential failure points at component interfaces and reduces mechanical complexity, thereby improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate components from conventional pump designs. By directly integrating the valve assembly into the pump chamber housing, it removes redundant parts and simplifies the mechanical structure, reducing the risk of mechanical failure.
3Reliability
If conventional valves are used in pump sub-systems, then fluid control is achieved, but leaking occurs at elevated system back pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by strategically positioning valves at specific locations within the pump chamber where they can effectively control fluid flow under elevated back pressure. The valve assembly is designed with localized valve structures that provide superior sealing performance at high pressure points, preventing leakage while maintaining fluid control.
4Measurement precision
If conventional pump sub-systems with large working volumes are used, then fluid delivery is achieved, but dose accuracy is reduced due to large system volumes exposed to high back pressure
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the valve assembly into the pump chamber housing, the patent minimizes the overall system volume exposed to high back pressure. This integration reduces the tolerance loop and eliminates unnecessary fluid pathways, thereby improving dose accuracy while maintaining effective fluid delivery.
5Measurement precision
If conventional pump sub-systems with long tolerance loops are used, then fluid delivery is achieved, but dose accuracy is reduced due to dependence on too many factors
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the valve assembly with the pump chamber housing shortens the tolerance loop by eliminating intermediate fluid pathways and reducing the number of components involved in the fluid delivery process. This reduces dependence on multiple factors and improves dose accuracy.
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 solution provides a compact, reliable, and accurate insulin delivery system with reduced mechanical complexity, minimizing leakage risks and improving dose accuracy by coordinating pumping and valving motions, suitable for wearable insulin patches.
Implementation Method 1
The housing and the pump have a first interlock mechanism that employs cam action to translate the first end of the pump relative to the second end when rotated by a drive mechanism, and the valve assembly has a second interlock mechanism that employs cam action to translate the valve assembly with respect to rotation of the drive mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
Pump subsystem for fluid delivery (e.g., in a wearable patch pump) comprises a fluid chamber with pumping motion and a valve shaft assembly with valving motion, both being driven by the same drive mechanism. Fluid chamber has variable volume chamber provided by a piston driven by the drive mechanism and translated relative to a plug in the pump housing. Piston extends the fluid chamber during an intake stroke and retracts the fluid chamber during a discharge stroke. Valve assembly has at least one valve shaft controllably translated by the drive mechanism to selectively align a first throughway with an opening in the pump chamber and a fluid intake port for an intake stroke to draw fluid into the fluid chamber, and align a second throughway with the opening in the pump chamber and a fluid discharge port for an discharge stroke to discharge fluid from the fluid chamber.