Implant Applicator Initial-Position Locking Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing implant application apparatuses lack sufficient functional safety and are not easily mass-producible while maintaining a simple design.
Innovation Solution
An application apparatus comprising a cannula, an applicator housing body with a depot volume, and a plunger device with an initial-position locking device, which ensures the plunger is securely locked in the initial position to prevent unsolicited displacement, featuring a detent mechanism for intuitive operation and tamper-proofing, and a needle guard body for user protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an initial-position locking device is added to prevent unsolicited plunger displacement, then functional safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A detent element acts as an intermediary component between the plunger device and applicator housing body to provide locking functionality. The detent element engages with a detent recess to prevent unsolicited plunger displacement, while its simple geometric design minimizes added complexity compared to more complex locking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking functionality is extracted as a separate, independent detent element rather than being integrated into the main plunger or housing structure. This modular approach allows the locking feature to be added without redesigning the entire device, thus improving functional safety while limiting complexity increase.
2Ease of manufacture
If the plunger device is made detachable for easy assembly, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability of connection is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger device is segmented into detachable components (plunger rod, plunger button, and actuator) that can be assembled and disassembled independently. This segmentation enables easier manufacturing and quality control while maintaining connection reliability through the detent-based locking mechanism that secures components together during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The plunger components are nested within each other (plunger rod inside plunger button, actuator inside plunger device), allowing compact storage and easy assembly. The nested structure combined with detent locking ensures reliable connection while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
An application apparatus (1) for at least one implant comprises a cannula (3) via which the implant is supplied to a target implantation location. An applicator housing body (32) comprises a depot volume for storing the implant. A plunger (11) of a plunger device (10) can be displaced between an initial position and an implantation position. The plunger device (10) comprises a plunger actuation body (12) to which the plunger (11) is rigidly connected. The applicator housing body (32) is intended here for guiding a displacement movement of the plunger device (10). An initial-position locking device is intended to releasably lock the applicator housing body (32) with the plunger device (10) in the initial position thereof. The initial-position locking device can be switched between a locking position and a functional position in which the plunger device (10) can be displaced in order to displace the plunger (11) relative to the applicator housing body (32). This results in an application apparatus (1), the functional safety of which is improved while having a design which is simultaneously simple and mass-producible.