Folding Panel Needle Guard Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional passive anti-needle stick safety devices for prefilled syringes often rely on syringe geometry, which can obscure the contents and interfere with handling and inspection processes, and do not trigger independently of syringe geometry.
Innovation Solution
A folding panel needle guard with front and rear panels coupled by hinges, a collar, a guard base, a hub, and a spring that unfolds and locks into a co-linear configuration upon needle withdrawal, allowing independent triggering and assembly without affecting syringe handling or inspection processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional passive anti-needle stick safety devices are mounted to the syringe barrel, then needle protection function is provided, but the safety device obscures the syringe contents and interferes with handling and inspection processes
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is divided into separate functional components: a collar that attaches to the needle hub, front and rear panels that form the protective shield, and a triggering mechanism. This segmentation allows the guard to be mounted on the needle assembly rather than the syringe barrel, preventing interference with syringe handling and inspection while maintaining protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle guard acts as an intermediary component between the needle and the user/environment. By positioning the guard on the needle hub rather than the syringe barrel, it provides needle protection without becoming part of the syringe handling interface, thus avoiding obstruction of inspection systems and handling equipment.
2Reliability
If conventional safety devices are triggered near the end of plunger rod travel, then needle protection is activated, but the triggering mechanism depends on syringe geometry tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The triggering mechanism is extracted from dependency on syringe geometry (plunger rod travel) and reconnected to needle movement. The trigger is positioned to respond to needle insertion depth or withdrawal motion, separating the safety triggering function from syringe-specific geometric tolerances and making it universally applicable regardless of syringe manufacturing variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle guard triggers automatically through the needle's own movement during insertion or withdrawal. The mechanical trigger is designed to be actuated by the needle itself reaching a specific position or being pulled back, eliminating the need for external syringe geometry-dependent triggering mechanisms and enabling self-activation based on needle position.
3Reliability
If safety devices are applied post-filling of the syringe, then needle protection is provided, but the syringe contents are obscured during handling
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is segmented into a collar attachment mechanism and a foldable panel structure. This allows the guard to be mounted on the needle hub before or during filling without covering the syringe barrel or contents. The modular design enables positioning the protective function at the needle level while keeping the syringe body and its contents fully visible and accessible for inspection.
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 provides a needle guard that triggers independently of syringe geometry, ensuring safe needle protection without obstructing syringe handling or inspection, and maintains operational efficiency during injection and withdrawal.
Implementation Method 1
a hub and a spring to unfold and lock the front and rear panels in a co-linear needle shielded configuration
Data Source
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AI summary
A folding panel needle guard comprises front and rear panels coupled together at hinges, a collar attached to the front panels at hinges, a guard base element coupled to the rear panels at hinges, a hub and a spring to unfold and lock the front and rear panels in a co-linear needle shielded configuration. The folding panel needle guard is mountable to a needle or syringe assembly.