Fluid Dispenser Lateral Actuation Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid dispenser devices face issues with priming requirements, contamination risks, and inefficiencies in metering accuracy and axial size, particularly when used with valuable or sensitive pharmaceutical products like anti-migraine treatments, leading to waste and potential dosage errors.
Innovation Solution
A fluid dispenser device with a reservoir and piston system, featuring a lateral actuation mechanism with cams and lugs that moves the reservoir and piston to dispense doses without opening the system, ensuring sealed closure after each use, reducing axial size and requiring minimal user effort, and incorporating a dose indicator for precise dosing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a metering pump is used to deliver doses, then a full dose can be delivered with each actuation, but priming is required which dispenses partial doses and wastes expensive active ingredient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-filling a chamber with the exact dose volume before the user actuation. The reservoir is filled to a marked level that corresponds to the precise dose volume, so when the chamber is activated, the pre-measured volume is delivered without requiring priming strokes. This eliminates the waste of expensive active ingredient while maintaining dosing accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If the reservoir is opened during first actuation to allow piston movement, then the piston can dispense fluid doses, but the fluid product becomes susceptible to contamination during storage between actuations
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the fluid storage into two separate chambers: a sealed reservoir that remains closed during storage to prevent contamination, and a dispensing chamber that is opened only during actuation for piston operation. The reservoir contains the bulk fluid supply with its opening closed by a membrane, while the dispensing chamber receives fluid through a drilled orifice. This segmentation allows the piston to operate in the dispensing chamber without exposing the main reservoir contents to contamination risk.
3Length of moving object
If a lateral actuation system with cams is used, then the axial footprint is reduced and operation is simplified, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple functions into the lateral actuation mechanism: the cams simultaneously control both the drilling element penetration depth and the piston movement, while also managing the membrane opening/closing sequence. The single lateral actuating member integrates these control functions that would otherwise require separate mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity despite the sophisticated cam profiles required.
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 device ensures reliable, accurate, and safe dispensing of fluid products with reduced waste and contamination risks, improved metering precision, and simplified operation, while maintaining product integrity between actuations and minimizing axial size.
Implementation Method 1
said membrane being adapted to close hermetically after each actuation, when said drilling element exits said reservoir
Implementation Method 2
said actuating member being elastically forced towards its rest position
Data Source
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AI summary
Device for dispensing a fluid product comprising a body (1) having a dispensing opening (2) and a piercing element (4), said body (1) containing a reservoir (10) containing at least two doses of fluid product, said reservoir (10) having a proximal axial opening closed by a membrane (30) and a distal axial opening closed by a piston (20), mounted in a sliding manner in said reservoir (10) in order to dispense a dose of fluid product on each actuation, said reservoir (10) being axially movable with respect to said body (1) between a rest position, in which said piercing element (4) does not pass through said membrane (30), and a dispensing position, in which said piercing element (4) passes through said membrane (30), said membrane (30) being capable of reclosing in a sealed manner after each actuation, when said piercing element (4) comes back out from said reservoir (10), said device comprising a lateral actuation system having an actuating member (50), laterally movable with respect to said body (1) between a rest position and an actuating position, said actuating member (50) being resiliently biased towards the rest position thereof, said actuating member (50) comprising a first cam (51) cooperating with said reservoir (10) and a second cam (52) cooperating with said piston (20), such that the movement of said actuating member (50) to the actuating position thereof first moves said reservoir (10) to the dispensing position thereof then causes said piston (20) to slide in said reservoir (10), to dispense a dose of fluid product.