Acupuncture Needle Dispensing Device with Thrust Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Acupuncture practitioners face inefficiencies and risks when handling and inserting bulk-packaged needles, as they require manual loading and re-loading into guide tubes, which is cumbersome and time-consuming, and can lead to contamination and self-pricking.
Innovation Solution
A device that allows acupuncture needles to be loaded and dispensed without direct contact with the needle shaft, using a housing with a thrust mechanism and coupling system that enables needle insertion into the dermis without direct handling, minimizing contamination and increasing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If bulk packaged needles are used, then packaging cost and environmental impact are improved, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the needle handling process into distinct functional zones: a storage cavity for bulk needles, a loading mechanism with thrust and coupling components, and a dispensing pathway. This segmentation allows bulk packaging to be maintained while automating the loading process, resolving the contradiction between reduced packaging waste and maintained productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables self-service needle loading through the thrust mechanism that automatically advances needles from the storage cavity into the guide tube without requiring manual manipulation. The coupling mechanism self-secures the needle in place, transforming the previously manual, time-consuming loading process into an automated self-service operation that maintains high productivity while using bulk packaging.
2Device complexity
If manual needle loading is performed, then device complexity is reduced, but contamination risk and self-pricking increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device introduces an intermediary coupling mechanism that acts as a mediator between the operator and the needle. Instead of direct manual handling, the operator interacts with the thrust mechanism and coupling components, which then safely manipulate the needle. This intermediary system reduces device complexity while significantly improving reliability by eliminating direct contact between the operator's hands and the needle shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the manual mechanical handling system with an automated thrust-driven mechanism. The thrust component, coupled with the coupling mechanism, substitutes for manual finger manipulation, providing a controlled, repeatable loading process that reduces contamination risk and self-pricking while maintaining acceptable device complexity through straightforward mechanical design.
3Productivity
If needles are pre-loaded into guide tubes, then insertion speed is improved, but handling complexity and self-pricking risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by automatically loading needles into the guide tube storage position before insertion is needed. The thrust mechanism pre-positions multiple needles in sequence, and the coupling mechanism prepares them for rapid dispensing. This preliminary loading action maintains high insertion speed while eliminating the need for the operator to manually handle and load needles at the moment of insertion, thereby improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device creates a simplified copy of the manual loading process through automated mechanisms. Instead of replicating the complex manual actions of catching, retracting, positioning, and tapping the needle, the invention uses a thrust-driven coupling system that reproduces the essential function of needle loading in a single automated motion. This copying approach maintains insertion speed while dramatically simplifying operator interaction.
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
Enables rapid and safe dispensing of acupuncture needles, reducing the risk of contamination and improving practice efficiency by allowing needle insertion without direct contact, and facilitating easy sterilization of disposable components.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing mechanism disposed within the first cavity portion of the housing and between the second end of the first cavity portion and a surface of the thrust, the biasing mechanism adapted to bias the thrust towards an initial position
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes an device for dispensing an acupuncture needle. The device comprises a thrust, a coupling mechanism coupled to the thrust, a biasing mechanism adapted to bias the thrust towards an initial position, a housing, and a conduit. The housing comprises a first cavity portion adapted to receive the thrust, the coupling mechanism and the biasing mechanism, and a second cavity portion in fluid communication with the first cavity portion. The second cavity portion has a smaller cross-sectional area than the first cavity portion, and the thrust is received in the first cavity portion. The conduit is adapted to guide an acupuncture needle toward the coupling mechanism disposed within the housing. This disclosure further describes a method of using said device for inserting an acupuncture needle into the dermis of a subject.