Drug Delivery Adaptor Collar With Torque-Triggered Rotation Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drug delivery devices with glass components are prone to breaking during handling and use, leading to safety risks and potential contamination due to uncontrolled connection forces on the collar, which can cause the collar to crack or break, especially when high torque is applied during connector attachment.
Innovation Solution
An adaptor with a collar that engages with the end-piece of a drug delivery device, featuring securing and anti-rotation means to limit movement and rotation, and deactivating means that allow rotation when a predetermined torque is reached, preventing collar damage and ensuring secure connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the collar is made rigid to ensure secure connection, then connection strength is improved, but the collar becomes prone to breaking under high torque
Solution Approach 1:
The collar transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system with controlled movement. The collar is designed to rotate relative to the end-piece when a predetermined torque is reached, allowing the system to adapt to varying connection forces while maintaining security and preventing breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar's mechanical state changes based on applied torque. Below the predetermined torque, the collar maintains a fixed position for secure connection. When the torque exceeds the threshold, the collar rotates to a new position, changing its mechanical parameter from static to dynamic while preventing structural failure.
2Manufacturing precision
If anti-rotation means are used to prevent collar rotation during connection, then connection precision is improved, but the collar may break under excessive torque
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-rotation mechanism is designed to be dynamic rather than permanent. It maintains the collar in a fixed position during normal connection operations to ensure precision, but automatically deactivates when excessive torque is detected, allowing the collar to rotate and preventing structural damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The deactivating means are pre-configured to counteract the harmful effect of excessive torque before it can cause damage. When the predetermined torque is reached, the deactivating mechanism engages to release the anti-rotation constraint, preventing the collar from breaking under further torque application.
3Reliability
If the collar allows rotation to absorb excessive force, then collar reliability is improved, but connection precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collar's rotational capability is dynamically controlled based on the applied torque. During normal connection operations, the collar remains fixed to ensure precision. Only when the predetermined torque threshold is exceeded does the collar begin to rotate, allowing force absorption while maintaining precision under normal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a feedback mechanism through the deactivating means that monitor the applied torque. When the torque reaches the predetermined level, the feedback triggers the collar to rotate, providing a self-regulating system that maintains precision under normal conditions while protecting against excessive force.
Data Source
AI summary
An adapter for use with a drug delivery device having a reservoir for containing a product, the reservoir having a distally projecting end-piece defining a passageway for the transfer of the product from the reservoir, includes a collar engageable with the end-piece, an adaptor securing member limiting translational movement of the collar with respect to the end-piece once the collar is engaged with the end-piece, at least one adaptor anti-rotation member limiting the rotation of the collar with respect to the end-piece once the collar is engaged with the end-piece, at least one deactivating member neutralizing the adaptor anti-rotation member in response to a turning torque equal or greater than a predetermined value applied to the collar when the collar is engaged with the end-piece, thereby allowing the rotation of the collar with respect to the end-piece.