Medicine Delivery Device With Detachable Pressure Sensing Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medicament infusion devices are costly, require replacement of entire units upon component failure, and become dirty with repeated use, leading to potential failure.
Innovation Solution
A medicament delivery device with a patient attachment unit and a separate indicator unit, where the indicator unit senses flexure and pressure changes using sensors and gel or fluid to monitor pressure within the fluid channel, allowing for notifications of occlusions or low reservoir levels without replacing the entire device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire device is replaced upon component failure, then reliability is maintained, but cost increases and waste is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a reusable indicator unit and a disposable patient attachment unit. The indicator unit contains the expensive electronics, battery, and pressure sensors, while the patient attachment unit contains the reservoir and delivery components. This segmentation allows the expensive indicator unit to be reused while only the cheaper patient attachment unit is replaced, resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability and reducing cost/waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a system where the disposable patient attachment unit is discarded after use while the reusable indicator unit is recovered and reused. This is enabled by the detachable coupling mechanism and the ability of the indicator unit to interface with multiple patient attachment units, thereby reducing overall device cost and waste while maintaining reliability through component reuse.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the device is cleaned repeatedly, then it can be reused, but dirt buildup causes failure over time
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into reusable and disposable components, the patent eliminates the reliability degradation issue associated with repeated cleaning. The disposable patient attachment unit is never cleaned or reused, preventing dirt buildup and failure, while the reusable indicator unit is protected from contamination through the modular design.
3Measurement precision
If pressure sensing is integrated into the disposable unit, then monitoring is improved, but cost increases when the entire unit must be replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure sensing functionality is placed in the reusable indicator unit rather than the disposable patient attachment unit. This allows high-precision pressure monitoring to be maintained while the expensive sensor components are reused across multiple patient attachment units, thereby improving measurement precision without increasing overall device cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible membrane as an intermediary that transmits pressure information from the patient attachment unit to the pressure sensor in the indicator unit. This allows the sensor to be located in the reusable portion while still monitoring conditions in the disposable portion, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and cost.
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 reduces costs by allowing replacement of only the disposable components, extends device lifespan by preventing premature failure due to dirt buildup, and provides real-time monitoring of pressure changes for effective medicament delivery.
Implementation Method 1
a first sensing element for contacting the flexible member when the indicator unit is coupled to the housing, such that the first sensing element senses a flexure of the flexible member
Implementation Method 2
a second sensing element for sensing a pressure external to the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid medicament delivery device includes a patient attachment unit and a separate indicator unit. The patient attachment unit includes a housing and a fluid channel located therein, wherein at least a portion of the fluid channel includes a flexible member substantially coterminous with the housing. The separate indicator unit is adapted to be detachably coupled to the housing of the patient attachment unit and includes a first sensing element for contacting the flexible member when the indicator unit is coupled to the housing to sense a flexure of the flexible member.