Dose-Dial Drug Injection Control with Anchored Torsion Spring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drug injectors require specialized skills for use and lack user-friendly features for dose setting and delivery confirmation, with a need for improved ease of use, reduced manufacturing costs, and minimized environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A drug injection control device with a torsion spring mechanism that maintains twist through a dose dial, using an anchor coupled to a rotatable tube, allowing for easy dose setting and delivery confirmation, and incorporating a ratchet tube and scale drum for precise dose indication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional syringe design is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring specialized skills for use
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct functional modules: a dose setting module with a rotatable dose dial for selecting injection volume, a cartridge holder for the syringe, and an actuation mechanism. This segmentation allows each module to perform its specific function independently, making the device easier to operate while maintaining manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A push button is introduced as an intermediary element between the user and the injection mechanism. The push button actuates the plunger rod to deliver the drug, shielding the needle and simplifying the user interaction to a simple push motion, thereby improving ease of operation without significantly increasing overall device complexity
2Ease of operation
If dose indication features are added to notify users of delivery completion, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scale drum incorporates color-coded dose indicators that change or become visible during the injection process. This allows users to visually confirm dose delivery without complex electronic or mechanical indicators, improving ease of operation while minimizing additional device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The scale drum is designed to automatically indicate dose delivery status through its own rotation and positioning during the injection process. The mechanism self-indicates completion without requiring separate indicator systems, thereby providing dose confirmation while avoiding excessive complexity
3Ease of operation
If a rotatable dose dial with torsion spring is used for dose setting, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to the anchor and tube mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor is integrated with the ratchet tube, combining the functions of maintaining torsion spring twist and enabling unidirectional rotation into a single component. This merging reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall mechanism, allowing easy dose setting without proportionally increasing device complexity
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
Enables user-friendly drug injection with clear dose setting and delivery confirmation, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs while maintaining environmental minimization.
Implementation Method 1
a torsion spring 140 having two ends coupled to the housing 10 and the ratchet tube 120
Data Source
AI summary
A drug injection control device includes a housing, a dose dial, a cartridge holder fixedly coupled to an opposite side of the housing, an injection button positioned in the dose dial, an injection amount setting module, and a drug delivery module, wherein the injection amount setting module includes a reset tube switchably coupled to the dose dial by the operation of the injection button, a ratchet tube coupled to an outer side of the reset tube to rotate at the same time, a scale drum which slidably rotates along an axial direction on an outer surface of the ratchet tube, a torsion spring having two ends coupled to the housing and the ratchet tube, and an anchor rotatably coupled to the ratchet tube and slidably coupled to an inside of the housing.