Wearable Infusion Device Bubble Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional intravenous infusion devices restrict patient mobility due to their fixed positioning, which is inconvenient and detrimental to health, and pose challenges in preventing air/gas bubbles during movement and shocks.
Innovation Solution
A wearable infusion device with a reservoir, dual pumps, controllable valves, and an orientation detector, controlled by a controller that adjusts pump operations to prevent air bubbles during tilts and shocks, ensuring continuous and bubble-free infusion therapy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the reservoir is suspended from a fixed pole, then the infusion therapy is stable and reliable, but the patient's freedom of movement is severely restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical suspension system (reservoir on pole) with a wearable device that uses a pump mechanism and orientation detector. The pump actively controls liquid flow while the orientation detector monitors device position, substituting passive gravitational flow with an active controlled system that can adapt to movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the infusion system by introducing a pump that can adjust flow rate and a valve that can control fluid passage. These parameter changes allow the system to maintain reliable infusion therapy while adapting to the dynamic conditions of patient movement, resolving the contradiction between stability and mobility.
2Ease of operation
If the wearable infusion device is worn on an actively moving patient, then the patient's mobility is improved, but air/gas bubbles may enter the patient's system during heavy movements and shocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an orientation detector that provides feedback about the device's position and movement. The controller uses this feedback to monitor for heavy movements and shocks, and automatically responds by adjusting the pump and valve to prevent air bubbles from entering the patient's system, thus maintaining reliable bubble-free infusion during patient mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the orientation detector to detect potential problematic movements (heavy shocks, upside-down positioning) before air bubbles can enter the patient's system. The controller takes preliminary action by adjusting the pump and valve settings in advance, preventing the harmful effect of bubble entry while maintaining patient mobility.
3Productivity
If the pump operates continuously to maintain infusion flow, then the therapy is uninterrupted, but air bubbles may be pumped into the patient during heavy movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic action by having the pump operate in cycles rather than continuously. The controller monitors orientation feedback and periodically adjusts or pauses pump operation during detected heavy movements to prevent bubble entry, then resumes operation to maintain therapy continuity. This periodic control resolves the contradiction between uninterrupted infusion and bubble prevention.
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 device automatically responds to movements and shocks, preventing air bubbles from entering the patient's system while maintaining uninterrupted infusion therapy, thus enhancing patient mobility and therapy efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
an orientation detector for detecting an orientation of the wearable infusion device relative to the earth's horizontal
Data Source
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AI summary
A wearable infusion device, which is wearable on the body of a patient, comprises at least one reservoir for holding an infusion liquid, a first pump (11), a second pump (12), a first valve (51), a second valve (52), an orientation detector and a controller. The controller is configured for controlling of driving a first plunger (31) of the first pump and a second plunger (32) of the second pump, and for controlling of switching valve positions of the first valve and the second valve. The controller is further configured for determining a tilt angle alert condition in which a tilt angle detected by the orientation detector exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The wearable infusion device is able to automatically respond to relatively heavy movements and shocks in manners to the benefit of the infusion therapy that the patient is undergoing.