Spring-Loaded Wedge Mechanism for Fluid Reservoir Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid infusion devices face challenges in securely retaining removable fluid reservoirs, which is crucial for ensuring proper insulin delivery and preventing occlusions that can lead to pressure buildup and detection issues.
Innovation Solution
The fluid infusion device incorporates a housing with engagement systems, including a wedge mechanism that biases the fluid reservoir in a direction opposite to the fluid flow, ensuring secure retention and facilitating occlusion detection by building pressure within the reservoir upon occlusion occurrence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a removable fluid reservoir is used in a fluid infusion device, then ease of operation and maintenance are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential improper retention and occlusion issues
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement system employs a spring-loaded wedge mechanism that dynamically adjusts to accommodate manufacturing tolerances and wear. The spring allows the wedge to move between engaged and disengaged states, providing both secure retention during operation and easy release when needed, thus maintaining reliability while enabling ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a detectable state indicating whether the reservoir is properly engaged or disengaged. This feedback mechanism allows the device to monitor retention status and alert users or automatically respond to improper engagement, ensuring reliability is maintained while preserving the ease of reservoir replacement.
2Reliability
If the fluid reservoir is tightly retained to prevent occlusions, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in removal and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded wedge provides dynamic retention force that maintains reliable sealing during operation but can be easily overcome by deliberate user action for removal. The spring constant is selected to provide sufficient retention force for occlusion prevention while allowing easy release when intentionally activated.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement system is designed with a preliminary disengagement state that can be activated by a simple user action (such as pressing a release mechanism). This preliminary action initiates the release sequence, making reservoir removal easy while maintaining tight retention during normal operation.
3Reliability
If an engagement system is added to secure the reservoir, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex retention logic is extracted from the main pump mechanism and isolated into a dedicated engagement system with its own spring-loaded wedge and detection mechanism. This modular extraction allows the retention function to be optimized independently while maintaining simplicity in the overall device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded wedge mechanism is self-actuating and automatically engages or disengages based on reservoir insertion or removal. The system serves itself by using spring force and geometric constraints to maintain proper retention without requiring complex control systems or additional actuators, thus improving reliability while minimizing added complexity.
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
This solution effectively retains the fluid reservoir, preventing occlusions and allowing for reliable insulin delivery while enabling detection of pressure buildup, thus ensuring consistent and safe operation of the infusion device.
Implementation Method 1
The first engagement system can include a wedge that biases the fluid reservoir relative to the housing in a direction substantially opposite a direction of fluid flow out of the fluid reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid infusion device is provided. The fluid infusion device can include a fluid reservoir having a barrel portion and a housing defining a receiving portion for removably receiving the fluid reservoir within the housing. The housing can have a first side including a first engagement system that cooperates with the barrel portion to bias the fluid reservoir relative to the housing in a direction substantially opposite a direction of fluid flow out of the fluid reservoir.