Reusable Injection Cassette for Automatic Medicament Reconstitution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medicament delivery devices for reconstitutable medicaments require multiple user operations for mixing and delivery, increasing complexity and risk of incorrect operation, and lack reusable components, making them inconvenient for self-administration and environmentally unfriendly.
Innovation Solution
A medicament delivery device system with a reusable firing unit and disposable cassettes, where the cassette includes a mixing element driven by a mixing spring to automatically mix substances and a trigger mechanism to initiate the mixing stroke, followed by a reusable firing unit for delivery, minimizing user interaction and ensuring correct operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If a conventional arrangement with separate vial and syringe is used, then the medicament can be stored in lyophilised form with extended shelf life, but the number of steps and complexity of operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the vial and syringe into a single integrated pre-filled syringe device. The lyophilised medicament is placed in the barrel, the diluent is placed in the hub, and the needle is pre-attached. This merging eliminates the need for separate vial and syringe components, reducing the number of steps while maintaining extended shelf life through lyophilisation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is prepared in advance with the lyophilised medicament in the barrel and diluent in the hub before use. The needle is pre-attached and the device is pre-assembled, so that when the user activates the device, mixing and injection occur automatically without requiring the user to perform multiple manual steps.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional arrangement with separate vial and syringe is used, then the medicament can be reconstituted, but the convenience for self-administration decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs the mixing operation automatically when activated by the user. The user simply needs to activate the injection mechanism, and the device itself carries out the mixing of the lyophilised medicament with the diluent and subsequently administers the injection, eliminating the need for the user to manually perform complex mixing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
By integrating the vial, syringe, needle, and mixing mechanism into a single pre-filled device, the patent makes the reconstitutable medicament capability as convenient as using a simple pre-filled syringe, enabling easy self-administration.
3Ease of manufacture
If auto-injector devices for non-reconstitutable medicaments are used, then the device can be simple and low-cost for single use, but reusability is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the device into two segments: a reusable hub assembly containing the complex mixing mechanism and a disposable pre-filled syringe containing the lyophilised medicament and diluent. The hub can be manufactured once and reused multiple times, while the disposable syringes are simple and low-cost for single use, combining the benefits of both approaches.
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 simplifies the mixing and delivery process, reduces the risk of incorrect operation, and allows for cost-effective and environmentally friendly use by reusing the firing unit with new cassettes, making it suitable for self-administration.
Implementation Method 1
a mixing spring for biasing the mixing element for movement with respect to the cassette body
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A medicament delivery device system for delivery of a medicament from a cartridge (10). The system comprises a first container (11) for storage of a first substance, a second container (12) received in the first container (11) for storage of a second substance, and valve means (68) for closing a distal end of the second container (12). The system further comprises a disposable cassette (102) and a reusable firing unit (200). The cassette (102) has a body (104) for receiving the cartridge (10), and a mixing element (148) for displacing the second substance into the first chamber (16) in a mixing stroke, to mix with the first substance to form the medicament. The firing unit (200) comprises a drive element (208) for expelling the medicament from the first chamber (16) in a delivery stroke and a trigger arrangement (240) for initiating the delivery stroke.