Electronic Hub for Single-Use Pen Needles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medication pens face inefficiencies and inconveniences due to needle reuse, which can lead to patient discomfort, health risks, and sanitary concerns, as patients may reuse needles due to financial concerns or lack of access to supplies.
Innovation Solution
An electronic exchange system is attached to medication pens, featuring a hub with a spike to pierce the reservoir septum, a flow sensor to measure medicament flow, and a circuit board to process and transmit data, ensuring each needle is used only once and providing multiple needles for convenience and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single-use needle system is implemented, then patient safety and sterility are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate components: a reusable medication pen and disposable needle assemblies. Each needle assembly is pre-attached to a cartridge and can be independently discarded after use, simplifying the overall system while ensuring safety through single-use disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
Disposable needle assemblies are used instead of reusable needles. Each needle assembly is designed for single use only and then discarded, eliminating the need for complex sterilization mechanisms and ensuring patient safety without requiring sophisticated device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If multiple needles are provided in a magazine, then needle availability and convenience are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The medication pen is designed with a universal magazine mechanism that can hold multiple needle assemblies. The same pen body can accommodate different needle types and configurations, providing multi-functionality while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple needle assemblies are stored nested within the magazine of the pen. The needles are arranged in a compact configuration where they fit within each other or in a stacked arrangement, maximizing space utilization while keeping the device compact and manageable.
3Measurement precision
If electronic flow sensors are integrated, then medicament flow monitoring is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic components including the flow sensor, circuit board, and battery are integrated into a single electronic assembly that is pre-mounted on the needle hub. This merging of components simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing the electronic subsystem to be produced as a modular unit and then attached to the mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit board acts as an intermediary between the flow sensor and the microprocessor. It conditions and processes the raw sensor signals before transmitting them to the control unit, simplifying the overall electronic architecture and making the system more manufacturable by separating signal conditioning from complex processing.
4Reliability
If electrical components are sealed from medicament flow, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical components are extracted from the medicament flow path and placed in a separate sealed compartment on the hub. The flow sensor measures medicament flow through a dedicated fluid channel that does not contact other electronic components, isolating the sensitive electronics from potential contamination while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
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 system prevents needle reuse by routing medicament flow around electrical components, ensuring each needle is used only once, reducing patient risk and improving operational efficiency while maintaining sterility and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a flow sensor that is in fluid communication with the hub to measure flow data of the medicament
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic system (200) connectable to a medication delivery pen (4) and a needle assembly (2, 102), the electronic system (200) exchanging data regarding a medicament traveling from the medication delivery pen (4) to the needle assembly (2, 102), the electronic system (200) comprising a hub (202) having a spike (204) that is configured to engage the medication delivery pen (4) and pierce a reservoir septum of the medication delivery pen (4), a flow sensor (220) that is in fluid communication with the hub (202) to measure flow data of the medicament, a circuit board (250) electrically contacting the flow sensor (220) to process and transmit the flow data, the circuit board (250) including a fluid path hole (254) to route a flow of medicament, and a septum body (270, 284) that is configured to provide fluid communication between the flow sensor (220) and one of a plurality of needles (40, 124) of the needle assembly (2, 102) to administer the medicament to a patient.