Foldable Needle Assembly with Automatic Safety Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing injection devices are bulky, especially when prefilled, making them inefficient in storage and transportation, and they lack a compact safety system to prevent accidental needlestick injuries before and after use without requiring additional user operations.
Innovation Solution
A compact needle assembly with a foldable design and an automatic safety system that includes a mobile ring and helical spring mechanism, which triggers automatically after use, preventing re-folding and ensuring the needle is securely locked in an unfolded configuration, thus preventing accidental reuse or exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety system is added to protect the needle before and after use, then user safety is improved, but the volume and overall length of the injection device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve is designed to be mobile and changeable between extended and retracted positions. In the retracted position, the sleeve provides needle protection for safety. In the extended position, the sleeve covers the needle completely for compact storage. This dynamic configuration allows the safety system to adapt its volume based on operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sleeve is configured to extend radially outward from the needle hub rather than increasing the longitudinal length of the device. This radial extension allows the safety system to provide protection while maintaining a compact overall length, effectively utilizing a different spatial dimension.
2Volume of moving object
If the injection device is designed to be compact for storage, then storage space efficiency is improved, but the device may lack adequate safety protection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve is nested around the needle assembly, with the sleeve containing the needle when not in use. This nested configuration allows the safety system to be integrated within the overall device structure without adding significant external volume, achieving compact storage while maintaining protection capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile protective sleeve can dynamically transition between a compact retracted state for storage and an extended protective state for safety. This dynamic capability allows the device to optimize its volume for storage while providing adequate safety protection when needed.
3Ease of operation
If an automatic safety trigger is implemented, then user convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety system is designed to trigger automatically through a self-service mechanism. When the plunger rod is pushed beyond the dead center position, the cam mechanism automatically causes the protective sleeve to extend and lock into place, covering the needle without requiring any additional user action. This eliminates the need for manual safety activation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
A cam mechanism serves as an intermediary between the plunger rod movement and the protective sleeve activation. The cam translates the linear motion of the plunger rod into the rotational or linear motion needed to extend and lock the protective sleeve, providing an automatic trigger mechanism that connects existing device components.
4Ease of operation
If the protective sleeve is made mobile to allow needle access, then ease of use is improved, but the risk of accidental needlestick injuries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve is pre-configured to automatically extend and lock into place before the needle can be accidentally exposed. The locking mechanism engages in advance, preventing any backward movement that would expose the needle, thereby eliminating accidental needlestick risks while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed as a single-use disposable unit. After the injection is completed and the protective sleeve automatically extends and locks, the entire device including the needle and protective sleeve is discarded. This eliminates the risk of accidental needlestick injuries from reused needles while maintaining ease of operation during the single use.
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 solution allows for a compact, safe, and efficient storage of prefilled injection devices, automatically triggering the safety mechanism at the end of use, reducing storage space requirements and minimizing the risk of needlestick injuries without additional user steps.
Implementation Method 1
biasing means capable of expanding from a compressed state to urge the foldable means from their folded configuration to their unfolded configuration
Implementation Method 2
biasing means capable of expanding from a compressed state to urge the foldable means from their folded configuration to their unfolded configuration
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a needle assembly (1) comprising: a needle hub (4) having a needle (5) with a distal tip (6), a ring (42) for protecting the needle in one of a storage condition or end-of-use condition of the needle assembly, - foldable means (40) for moving the protective ring, - biasing means (30) for urging the foldable means from their folded configuration to their unfolded configuration, - retaining means for maintaining the biasing means in an intermediate stressed state at least in the storage condition of the needle assembly, - deactivating means (47a) for releasing said retaining means at least at the end of the injection step. The invention also relates to an injection device (3) comprising such a needle assembly and a container (2).