Adaptive Dwell Timer Feedback for Personalized Injections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional injection devices provide generic dwell times that do not account for individual user factors, leading to potential medicament reflux and non-compliance with recommended dwell times due to user-specific needs and preferences.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic dwell timer in injection devices that determines dwell time based on injection speed, dosage amount, user weight, body fat percentage, and needle aversion, using sensors and processors to provide personalized feedback and alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a generic dwell time is provided for all users, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but medicament reflux increases and treatment reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dwell timer transitions from a static fixed-time mechanism to a dynamic adaptive system that automatically adjusts dwell time based on real-time detection of injection parameters (injection speed, dosage amount, user characteristics). The processor continuously monitors injection conditions and dynamically calculates optimal dwell time, allowing the system to adapt to varying user needs and injection scenarios without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where sensors detect injection parameters (speed, dosage, user response) and feed this information back to the processor. The processor then adjusts the dwell time recommendation based on this feedback, creating a closed-loop control system that continuously optimizes the dwell time to prevent medicament reflux while accounting for individual user factors.
2Reliability
If a fixed dwell time is used for all injections, then ease of operation is maintained, but user compliance deteriorates due to non-personalized treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The dwell timer enables self-service operation where the system automatically determines and communicates the appropriate dwell time to the user without requiring manual input or complex user calculations. The sensors, processor, and display work together autonomously to personalize the dwell time based on detected injection parameters, making the complex personalization process transparent and simple for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the dwell time parameter dynamically based on detected injection parameters and user characteristics. Rather than using a single fixed value, the dwell time is adjusted as a variable parameter that responds to changes in injection speed, dosage amount, and user-specific factors, thereby improving compliance through personalization while maintaining ease of use.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sensors and processors are added to determine personalized dwell time, then medicament reflux is reduced, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system and processor are designed with multi-functionality to justify the added complexity. The same sensors that detect injection speed and dosage also detect user characteristics and injection conditions, while the processor performs multiple calculations including dwell time determination, alert generation, and communication with external devices. This universal design maximizes the utility of added components and distributes their cost across multiple functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical or manual methods of determining dwell time (such as fixed mechanical timers or user-based estimation) with electronic sensing and computational systems. This substitution enables more precise control and personalization of dwell time, effectively reducing medicament reflux through data-driven decisions rather than mechanical or empirical approaches.
4Measurement precision
If real-time injection monitoring is implemented, then injection speed control is improved, but loss of time during injection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing and monitoring operations are performed continuously during the injection process without interrupting the flow of medicament delivery. The sensors operate in real-time alongside the injection mechanism, and the processor calculates dwell time recommendations during or immediately after the injection based on continuous data streams, ensuring that measurement and control actions do not create interruptions or delays in the therapeutic process.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Electronics assemblies for an injection device. At least one of the electronics assemblies include: one or more sensors configured to capture injection information of the injection device; one or more processors configured to be communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors; and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations include: receiving the injection information from the one or more sensors; determining, based on the injection information, a dwell time for a user of the injection device; and causing one or more display devices to provide feedback information to the user, the feedback information indicating the determined dwell time.