Swallowable Capsule Pressure Equalization Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Swallowable medication capsules often inadvertently dispense fluid medication due to peristaltic movements of the gastrointestinal tract, particularly when they lack valves and have flexible closure members.
Innovation Solution
A swallowable medication capsule with an elongate shape featuring a medication compartment and an actuator compartment, where a displaceable surface forms a fluid-tight connection to separate the compartments, and vent and exit holes are located close to each other to minimize pressure differences, ensuring that both compartments experience the same environmental pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the capsule uses a flexible closure member without valves to contain medication, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to unintended medication dispensing from pressure differences caused by peristaltic movements
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is divided into two separate compartments: a medication compartment containing the fluid medication and an actuator compartment containing the displacement actuator. These compartments are separated by a displaceable surface that forms a fluid-tight barrier, preventing direct interaction between the medication and actuator while allowing controlled volume displacement. This segmentation maintains simplicity while improving reliability by isolating the medication from direct pressure fluctuations.
Solution Approach 2:
A displaceable surface (flexible membrane) acts as an intermediary between the actuator compartment and the medication compartment. The actuator displaces this surface to change the volume of the medication compartment, thereby controlling medication dispensing indirectly. This intermediary mechanism allows reliable volume control without requiring complex valves while maintaining the simplicity of a flexible capsule structure.
2Reliability
If the vent hole and exit hole are positioned far apart on the capsule exterior, then the risk of simultaneous blockage by gastrointestinal wall is reduced, but the pressure difference between compartments increases causing unintended medication expulsion
Solution Approach 1:
The vent hole and exit hole are positioned in close proximity to each other on the exterior surface of the capsule, with the separation distance being less than the length of the medication compartment. This merging of hole positions ensures that both holes experience the same environmental pressure conditions, preventing pressure differences that could cause unintended medication expulsion, while the close spacing makes simultaneous complete blockage by the gastrointestinal wall highly unlikely.
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
This design minimizes the risk of unintended medication dispensing by maintaining equal pressure in the actuator and medication compartments, preventing unwanted expulsion of medication during gastrointestinal contractions.
Implementation Method 1
a displaceable surface comprising a displaceable element that forms a fluid tight circumferential connection with an interior surface of the wall to form a fluid tight separation between the medication compartment and the actuator compartment
Implementation Method 2
a vent channel providing a passageway between an entrance hole disposed on a second side of the displaceable surface, in the actuator compartment and, a vent hole formed at the exterior surface
Implementation Method 3
a dispense channel providing a passageway between an entrance hole disposed on a first side of the displaceable surface, in the medication compartment and an exit hole formed at the exterior surface for dispensing the fluid medication to the surroundings
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a swallowable medication capsule capable 200 of dispensing fluid medicine stored in a medication compartment 211 through a valveless exit hole 207. A vent hole 206 enables ventilation of an actuator cavity 212 which houses an actuator used for displacing a surface 205 which separates the medication cavity 211 and the actuator cavity 212. By locating the vent and exit holes close to each other so that contact with contracting parts of the gastrointestinal tract and the exterior surface 221 is not able to prohibit a pressure passageway between the vent and exit holes, creation of a pressure difference of pressures in the medication and actuator cavity is prohibited.