Inductive Drug Delivery Heating for Cold Medicament Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Many medicaments require refrigeration during storage and cause discomfort during injection when administered at a temperature different from ambient or body temperature, and existing drug delivery devices lack efficient methods to heat medicaments to a suitable temperature for patient comfort.

Innovation Solution

A drug delivery device equipped with a receiver coil that receives energy via electromagnetic induction to charge an energy storage unit, which converts some energy into heat to warm the medicament, and a charging device with a transmitter coil to induce heating using resonant inductive coupling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If medicament is stored in refrigeration to maintain stability, then storage reliability is improved, but patient comfort during injection deteriorates due to low temperature

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage stabilityVSAvoidpatient discomfort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The heating element is activated before injection to pre-warm the medicament to ambient or body temperature, eliminating patient discomfort while maintaining storage stability until use

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a heating element is added to warm the medicament, then patient comfort is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepatient comfortVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The heating element is integrated into the existing drug delivery device structure, combining the warming function with the injection mechanism to avoid adding separate complex subsystems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Electrical or electromagnetic heating is used instead of mechanical heating methods, providing a more compact and controllable solution within the device

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If energy is used to heat the medicament, then patient comfort is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepatient comfortVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Only the specific portion of the medicament that will be injected is heated to the required temperature, rather than heating the entire supply, thereby minimizing energy consumption while achieving the comfort benefit

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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 system effectively heats medicaments to ambient or body temperature, reducing patient discomfort during injection by using electromagnetic induction for efficient energy transfer and heat generation.

Implementation Method 1

the receiver coil is arranged to receive energy from a transmitter coil by electromagnetic induction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 2

at least a portion of the energy received by the receiver coil is converted to heat energy, and wherein the receiver coil is arranged in the drug delivery device to transfer the heat energy to the container to heat medicament contained in the container

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction heating: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 3

the receiver coil and resonant circuit are arranged to receive the energy from the transmitter coil by resonant inductive coupling

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectResonant inductive coupling: Resonance

Data Source

PatentEP3727529B1Drug delivery device and charging device
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 SANOFI SA(FR)
  • EP3727529B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3727529B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3727529B1 patent drawingFigure 4A~4C

AI summary

A drug delivery device for delivering a medicament is disclosed, the drug delivery device comprising a housing arranged to contain a container, a receiver coil, and an energy storage unit, wherein the receiver coil is arranged to receive energy from a transmitter coil by electromagnetic induction, wherein the energy storage unit is arranged to be charged by at least a portion of the energy received by the receiver coil, wherein at least a portion of the energy received by the receiver coil is converted to heat energy, and wherein the receiver coil is arranged in the drug delivery device to transfer the heat energy to the container to heat medicament contained in the container. A system comprising the drug delivery device is also disclosed.