Evacuated Driver Pump for Controlled Large-Volume Auto-Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IV therapies are expensive, difficult to access, time-consuming, and uncomfortable, especially for the elderly or those with mobility issues, and current wearable drug delivery systems pose challenges for self-administration of large volume drug delivery.
Innovation Solution
A wearable pump with a container, outlet, and substance driver that utilizes stored potential energy to discharge medication through a hollow needle, featuring a spring device with a pressure differential to control the release and a needle driver for needle protrusion, allowing for self-administered, convenient, and private medication delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a wearable pump with evacuated driver is used for auto-injection, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring device is pre-loaded and stored in the evacuated driver before use, with the evacuation creating a vacuum that maintains the spring in a compressed state. This preliminary preparation allows the device to be ready for immediate self-administration without requiring complex real-time control mechanisms, thereby improving ease of operation while managing complexity through advance preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The evacuated driver acts as an intermediary mechanism between the simple external activation and the complex internal drug delivery system. The vacuum-evacuated casing isolates and protects the spring mechanism, allowing it to function as a reliable energy storage device without requiring the user to understand or control the internal complexity, thus improving ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a spring device with pressure differential is used to control substance discharge, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses pneumatic principles by evacuating the driver casing to create a vacuum environment. This pressure differential (vacuum inside, atmospheric outside) reliably controls the spring's compression state and, consequently, the substance discharge timing. The pneumatic mechanism provides reliable control without requiring complex electronic or mechanical actuation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the pressure parameter by evacuating the driver casing to create a vacuum. This parameter change (from atmospheric pressure to vacuum) fundamentally alters the spring's behavior, allowing it to be stored in a compressed state and reliably release at the appropriate moment. This single parameter change provides reliable control while avoiding complex multi-parameter control systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If large volume drug delivery is enabled for home use, then accessibility is improved, but safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed for self-service administration, allowing patients to safely administer large volume drugs at home without requiring clinical personnel. The evacuated driver mechanism provides automatic, controlled drug delivery that reduces the risk of user error, while the wearable design ensures proper positioning and control throughout the administration process, thereby enabling home use while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The evacuated driver mechanism provides a controlled, predictable drug delivery system that cushions against potential safety risks. The pre-loaded spring and vacuum-sealed environment ensure that the drug is delivered at the correct rate and pressure, preventing complications such as over-infusion or improper administration that could arise from manual or less controlled systems.
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 convenient, private, and controlled self-administration of large volume drug delivery, reducing discomfort and accessibility issues by allowing patients to manage their treatment at convenient times and locations.
Implementation Method 1
The substance driver has a stored potential energy that is releasable as kinetic energy and, upon release, the substance driver expands against the substance in the interior container volume
Implementation Method 2
The casing is evacuated to define a pressure differential that stresses the spring device to provide the stored potential energy
Implementation Method 3
a pressure equalization port that is operable to release the pressure differential and, upon release, the spring device expands to increase the volume of the casing and thereby generate a vacuum in the casing
Data Source
AI summary
A pump includes a container that has an interior container volume for holding a substance. There is an outlet associated with the interior container volume for discharging the substance. A hollow needle is connected with the outlet. There is a substance driver disposed in the interior container volume. The substance driver has a stored potential energy that is releasable as kinetic energy and, upon release, the substance driver expands against the substance in the interior container volume and thereby discharges the substance through the outlet to the hollow needle.