Flat Syringe Barrel Geometry for Low-Angle Precision Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional syringes are bulky and interfere with injection sites when attempting to achieve precise angles, posing challenges for medical professionals administering injections that require different depths and angles.
Innovation Solution
A flat syringe design with a substantially flat barrel and plunger assembly, featuring a width greater than the thickness, allowing for extreme angles and minimal interference during injections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional syringes are used, then the syringe structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the syringe is too bulky to achieve precise injection angles and interferes with the injection site
Solution Approach 1:
The syringe barrel is transformed from a conventional cylindrical shape to a flat planar structure. This dimensional change allows the syringe to achieve extreme injection angles (as low as 2.5 degrees) by reducing the profile thickness, enabling the needle to approach parallel to the skin surface without the bulky cylindrical body interfering with the injection site.
2Ease of operation
If traditional cylindrical syringes are used, then the manufacturing process is straightforward, but the syringe cannot achieve extreme angles without contacting or interfering with the injection site
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel geometry is changed from cylindrical to flat planar, creating a thin-profile structure that enables extreme angle injections. The flat configuration reduces the distance from the needle axis to the barrel body, allowing the needle to be positioned nearly parallel to the skin surface without the barrel contacting the injection site.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat barrel introduces asymmetry in the syringe profile, with a thin dimension perpendicular to the needle axis and an extended dimension parallel to it. This asymmetric geometry optimizes the syringe for shallow angle injections while maintaining structural integrity and fluid containment.
3Ease of operation
If the syringe barrel is made flat with width greater than thickness, then extreme injection angles are achieved, but the barrel and plunger assembly require more complex sealing mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger seal is designed with localized sealing surfaces that conform to the flat internal geometry of the barrel. The seal structure is optimized for the specific flat configuration, with sealing elements positioned to maintain fluid integrity along the planar walls rather than cylindrical surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism is adapted to the flat barrel geometry by changing the contact surface parameters from curved to planar. The plunger seal uses flat mating surfaces and appropriate sealing materials to maintain fluid containment reliability in the non-cylindrical configuration.
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 precise injections at angles as low as 2.5 degrees, facilitating minimally invasive procedures and reducing interference with the injection site.
Implementation Method 1
a plunger assembly having a plunger seal that slidably engages the fluid chamber to form a fluid tight seal between the plunger assembly and the barrel
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed that include providing a flat syringe having a substantially flat barrel having a main body portion with substantially flat upper and lower surfaces. The main body portion defines a fluid chamber through the barrel and includes a plunger assembly having a plunger seal that slidably engages the fluid chamber to form a fluid tight seal between the plunger assembly and the barrel. The barrel comprises a width (WB) that is greater than the thickness (TB) of the barrel to define the flat profile of the barrel and the syringe. Each of the barrel and the fluid chamber have substantially rounded or beveled rectangular cross-sectional shapes that further define the flat profile of the barrel and the syringe.