Auto-injector with retractable needle and asymmetric housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing auto-injectors for medicament delivery are bulky, inconvenient to carry, pose a sharps hazard after use, and can be confusing to operate, especially for untrained users in emergency situations, with inadequate instructions and complex electronic systems that are costly and difficult to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A compact, user-friendly auto-injector design with a retractable needle and simplified operation, featuring a housing with a distal end actuation mechanism, tactile cues for correct orientation, and an electronic circuit system for clear instructions, along with a mechanism for separate medicament storage and automatic mixing before injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spring loaded needle mechanism is used for automatic injection, then the injection function is achieved, but the device becomes bulky and inconvenient to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is extracted from the housing after use through a retraction mechanism, separating the sharp hazardous part from the carryable housing. This allows the main body to be compact while the needle can be stored safely inside during transport
Solution Approach 2:
The needle is nested within the housing structure during non-use conditions. The housing contains the needle in a retracted position, making the overall device compact and safe to carry. After injection, the needle retracts back into the housing for safe storage
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a locking cap and needle cover configuration is used, then protection is provided, but user confusion about orientation occurs leading to improper actuation
Solution Approach 1:
The housing features asymmetric design elements including a protrusion on one end and a recess on the other end. This creates tactile and visual cues that clearly indicate the correct orientation, eliminating confusion about which end should be actuated. The asymmetric features make it physically impossible to hold the device in the wrong orientation
Solution Approach 2:
Different ends of the housing have different local qualities - one end has a protrusion for actuation while the other has a recess. This local differentiation provides clear directional guidance to the user about proper orientation and actuation location
3Reliability
If multiple operation steps are required for actuation, then safety is improved, but the complexity increases making proper use difficult for untrained users
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple safety functions are merged into a single integrated actuation mechanism. The actuator simultaneously performs needle deployment, cap removal, and injection initiation in one motion, reducing the number of separate steps while maintaining safety through the unified design
Solution Approach 2:
Safety features are pre-configured in the device structure before use. The locking mechanism and actuator are pre-positioned to automatically engage safety protocols when the single actuation step is performed, eliminating the need for users to remember multiple sequential safety steps
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 provides a convenient, safe, and easy-to-use medicament delivery system that minimizes user error, eliminates sharps hazards, and ensures proper medicament mixing and injection, suitable for untrained users in emergency situations, while being cost-effective and easy to manufacture.
Implementation Method 1
The energy storage member has a first position and a second position. When in the first position, the energy storage member has a first potential energy. When in the second position the energy storage member has a second potential energy less than the first potential energy. The energy storage member is configured to convert a portion of the first potential energy into kinetic energy when it moves from its first position to its second position to move the medicament container within the housing.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (1000) includes a housing (1100), a medicament container (9000) and an actuator (4000). The apparatus includes a label configured to be coupled to a medicament delivery device The label includes a first surface and a second surface. The first surfac configured to be coupled to an outer surface of the medicament delivery device. The second surface includes a textual indicia (1400). The label further includes an electronic circuit system configured to output an electronic signal.