Blister Piercing Element With Segmented Cutting Teeth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blister piercing elements for dry powder inhalation devices often result in inconsistent piercing of blister lids, leading to trapped powder and hindered airflow due to multiple foil flaps, which is exacerbated by the cohesive nature of some powders and the orientation of the device during piercing.
Innovation Solution
A blister piercing element with a pair of spaced cutting teeth that form a single slit in the blister lid, reducing the likelihood of powder trapping by creating a single flap that is folded into the blister, thereby ensuring smooth airflow and consistent piercing regardless of device orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single piercing element is used to puncture the blister lid, then the device structure is simple, but the piercing is inconsistent and multiple foil flaps are formed causing powder trapping
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing element is divided into two separate cutting teeth (first and second cutting teeth) spaced apart from each other. Each cutting tooth independently punctures the blister lid to create a slit, ensuring consistent piercing performance and preventing powder trapping by forming controlled openings rather than relying on a single complex piercing point
2Productivity
If the cutting teeth are positioned close together, then the slit formation is efficient, but the fo el flaps are large and trap powder
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting teeth are positioned at specific locations on the piercing element body with optimized spacing and orientation. The first and second cutting teeth are arranged to create slits that form flaps directed away from the blister cavity, ensuring that the local geometry of the piercing action prevents powder trapping while maintaining efficient slit formation
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forming flaps that fold into the blister cavity (which traps powder), the cutting teeth are positioned and oriented to form flaps that fold outward away from the cavity. This inverted flap direction prevents powder trapping while maintaining efficient piercing action
3Force
If the piercing element applies high force to penetrate the lid, then the piercing is effective, but the foil flaps are pushed into the blister trapping powder
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing force is distributed across two separate cutting teeth rather than concentrated at a single point. This segmentation allows effective penetration of the blister lid while reducing the force applied to any single location, preventing excessive flap formation that would trap powder in the blister cavity
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 enhances airflow and reduces powder trapping, providing a more consistent and efficient delivery of medicament by minimizing the formation of multiple foil flaps and ensuring a single, effective opening in the blister lid.
Implementation Method 1
the distal cutting edge of each tooth being configured to initiate a slit in a blister lid when pressure is applied to a blister lid by the teeth
Implementation Method 2
the teeth being spaced from each other so that separate slits cut by the distal cutting edge of each tooth propagate in a direction toward each other between the teeth
Data Source
AI summary
A blister piercing element for puncturing the lid of a blister containing a dose of medicament for inhalation by a user is disclosed. It comprises a body having a surface and an opening in the surface for the passage of air, or for the passage of medicament entrained in air, through the body. The body includes a pair of spaced cutting teeth upstanding from the surface in spaced side-by-side relation, each cutting tooth projecting in cantilevered form over said opening and each having a distal cutting edge at a free end remote from said surface. The distal cutting edge of each tooth is configured to initiate a slit in a blister lid when pressure is applied to a blister lid by the teeth and the teeth are spaced from each other so that separate slits cut by the distal cutting edge of each tooth propagate in a direction toward each other between the teeth as the teeth continue to penetrate a blister lid. The pair of spaced cutting teeth form a single slit in a blister lid that defines a single flap which is folded into the blister by the teeth.