Audible Indicator Spring Mechanism for Autoinjectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drug delivery devices, particularly autoinjectors, lack an effective audible indicator to ensure the full dose is administered, posing challenges for users with dexterity issues or requiring alignment and stability during injection.
Innovation Solution
An audible indicator featuring a spring element that transitions from a biased to a relaxed state, rotating a rotatable element to generate a clear audible signal when the full dose is delivered, providing tactile feedback and ensuring complete medicament delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional audible indicator is used in a drug delivery device, then it may provide noise feedback, but it is either too quiet to be reliable or too bulky to fit in compact autoinjectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spring element that releases stored energy to create a rapid rotational movement of a rotatable element, causing it to impact a surface and generate an audible signal. This mechanical vibration approach produces a loud, reliable click sound without requiring electronic components or large volumes, directly resolving the contradiction between signal reliability and device compactness.
2Ease of operation
If manual injection devices are used, then they allow dose control, but they require continuous button pressing which may be too forceful for elderly or arthritic patients
Solution Approach 1:
The autoinjector device automatically administers the injection without requiring continuous manual pressure from the user. The spring element provides the driving force, and the audible indicator automatically signals dose completion, making the device self-servicing and eliminating the need for users to exert excessive force during injection.
Solution Approach 2:
The audible indicator provides immediate acoustic feedback to the user when the full dose is delivered. This feedback mechanism allows patients with dexterity issues to clearly understand when the injection is complete without needing to maintain continuous pressure or monitor the device closely, improving ease of operation for elderly or arthritic patients.
3Reliability
If the audible indicator uses a complex mechanism, then it may generate a clear signal, but it increases device complexity and manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of generating an audible signal from complex electronic or mechanical assemblies and reduces it to a simple spring element and rotatable element system. By taking out only the necessary components (spring element, rotatable element, pivot, and surface), the design achieves clear signal generation while minimizing device complexity and manufacturing difficulty.
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 ensures reliable indication of the end of medicament delivery, enhancing user confidence and ensuring full dose effectiveness, particularly beneficial for elderly or arthritic patients.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element configured to reside in one of a relaxed state and a biased state, wherein the audible indicator further includes a rotatable element coupled to the spring element and rotatable about a pivot, wherein the spring element releases stored energy to rotate the rotatable element
Implementation Method 2
the rotatable element impacts a surface to generate an audible signal
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an audible indicator for use with a drug delivery device, the audible indicator including a spring element configured to reside in one of a relaxed state and a biased state, wherein the audible indicator includes a rotatable element coupled to the spring element, and wherein the spring element releases stored energy to rotate the rotatable element such that the rotatable element impacts a surface to generate an audible signal when the spring element changes from the biased state into the relaxed state.