Grip-Actuated Injection Device for High-Viscosity Drug Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-viscosity pharmaceuticals are difficult to inject due to increased viscosity, leading to incomplete dose delivery and patient discomfort, especially in self-administration, and existing motor-driven syringes are costly and not reusable.
Innovation Solution
A hypodermic injection device that utilizes a gripping and squeezing motion to amplify force, transferring it through a mechanism to pressurize medication, allowing for efficient discharge of high-viscosity medications without the need for expensive motorized components, and is designed for single-use to prevent reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If motor-driven syringes are used to inject high-viscosity medications, then complete dose delivery is ensured, but device cost increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable single-use injection device that eliminates the need for expensive motor-driven reusable syringes. The device is designed to be used once and then discarded, removing the need for batteries, motors, and complex electronics while ensuring complete dose delivery through a mechanically-actuated plunger system.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection device is designed for self-administration by patients without requiring complex electronic controls or power sources. The patient simply activates the device by pressing it against the skin, and the spring-loaded mechanism automatically delivers the complete dose of high-viscosity medication without requiring the patient to manually push a plunger.
2Device complexity
If conventional syringes are used for self-administration, then device cost is low, but patient comfort deteriorates beyond ten seconds
Solution Approach 1:
The device pre-loads a spring mechanism during manufacturing that stores the force required to inject high-viscosity medication. When the patient activates the device by pressing it against their skin, the pre-stored spring force automatically drives the plunger to deliver the complete dose within seconds, eliminating the need for the patient to manually push for an extended period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual thumb-pushing mechanism of conventional syringes with an automated spring-loaded mechanical system. This substitution provides the sustained high force needed to inject viscous medications without requiring the patient to maintain manual pressure, thereby maintaining comfort while ensuring complete dose delivery.
3Ease of operation
If thumb pressure is used to depress the plunger, then device operation is simple, but force generation is insufficient for high-viscosity drugs
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is pre-compressed during device assembly, storing the mechanical energy required to generate high plunger depression force. When activated, this pre-stored energy is released to automatically drive the plunger through the high-viscosity medication, eliminating the need for the patient to generate sufficient manual thumb pressure while maintaining simple activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the patient's manual thumb-pushing action with an automated spring-loaded plunger mechanism. This mechanical substitution provides the sustained high force required to overcome high medication viscosity while requiring only a simple pressing motion from the patient to initiate the injection process.
4Reliability
If injection time is extended beyond ten seconds, then complete dose delivery is achieved, but patient discomfort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is pre-loaded with sufficient energy during manufacturing to deliver the complete medication dose in a single rapid action. When the patient activates the device, the spring force is released to push the plunger through the entire medication volume within seconds, ensuring complete dose delivery without extending the injection beyond the patient's comfort window.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated spring-driven plunger mechanism replaces manual pushing, providing sustained high force that rapidly propels the complete dose through high-viscosity medication in under ten seconds. This mechanical system ensures complete dose delivery speed that aligns with patient comfort limitations.
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 rapid, patient-friendly injection of high-viscosity medications within a comfort window, ensuring full dose delivery while reducing costs and preventing device reuse.
Implementation Method 1
a force-transfer mechanism operatively coupling the grip member and the push member
Data Source
AI summary
A manually actuated drug-injecting device is configured such that the grip strength of the entire hand (i.e., majority of fingers closing toward the palm or heel of the hand) is employed to discharge medication through a hypodermic needle and into a patient's body. The device is well suited for delivering medications with high viscosity and/or by patients (e.g., elderly patients) with reduced finger strength and dexterity. The device includes a grip member, a push member (which causes the medication to be injected), and a force-transfer mechanism that couples the grip member to the push member. Suitably, the device is configured to be held transverse to the palm of the medication-administering hand, with a discharge port located by the outer, blade edge of the administering hand, when the device is being gripped to administer medication.