Ergonomic Button Arrangement for Hand-Held Injection Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hand-held injection devices for diabetes patients face ergonomic issues with the arrangement of dosage buttons, requiring significant thumb movement and effort, and may lead to accidental operation due to inadequate design, particularly for users with limited dexterity or without a second hand for support.
Innovation Solution
A hand-held injection device with a housing designed for one-handed use, featuring a dial dose mechanism with two dose dialing buttons arranged on one side, an electronic control unit, and a display panel, where the buttons are positioned to facilitate easy thumb movement and include a recessed discrete button for configuration access, preventing accidental pressing and enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If dose buttons are arranged on opposite sides of the housing, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to requiring two-handed operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges both dose adjustment buttons into a single button assembly located on one side of the housing. This single assembly contains multiple functional elements (dose increment, dose decrement, and confirmation buttons) that work together as an integrated unit, allowing all dose adjustment operations to be performed with one hand while reducing the overall structural complexity compared to distributing buttons across opposite sides.
Solution Approach 2:
The single button assembly is segmented into multiple functional zones and buttons within it. The assembly includes a first dose button for incrementing, a second dose button for decrementing, and a confirmation button, all arranged in a compact configuration on one side of the housing. This internal segmentation allows complex functionality to be achieved within a simplified external structure.
2Ease of operation
If buttons are arranged for easy thumb access, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability decreases due to accidental pressing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a recessed configuration button as an intermediary element between the dose buttons and the housing surface. This recessed button serves as a mediator that requires deliberate pressing action to access configuration modes, preventing accidental activation while maintaining ease of operation for intended use. The recessed design creates a physical distinction that reduces the likelihood of unintended pressing.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration button is given a different local quality through its recessed positioning compared to the dose buttons. This local differentiation in button placement (recessed vs. flush with housing surface) creates distinct tactile feedback and visual cues, allowing users to easily distinguish between the configuration button and dose buttons while preventing accidental activation of the configuration mode during normal dose adjustment operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If discrete configuration button is added, then adaptability is improved, but ease of operation worsens due to additional buttons
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration button is merged with the existing button assembly structure rather than being added as a separate, standalone button. By integrating the recessed configuration button into the same housing region and operational context as the dose buttons, the patent minimizes the increase in operational complexity while providing the additional adaptability for configuration mode access.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed configuration button is designed with a partial pressing action requirement - it needs to be pressed deliberately to the correct depth to activate configuration mode, but this same pressing motion naturally distinguishes it from the dose buttons. The excessive pressing depth required for the recessed button compared to surface-level dose buttons creates an intuitive operational distinction that reduces the impact of having an additional button.
Data Source
AI summary
A hand-held injection device (2) for injection of a medicament from a first medicament cartridge (40), injection device comprising:a housing (4) being designed to be held in one hand of a user, the longitudinal direction of the housing (4) running between the thumb and the other fingers of the hand of the user,a drive mechanism (42) for selectively dispensing the medicament from the first medicament cartridge (40),a dial dose mechanism (12, 14),a control panel region (8) with at least two operation buttons (12, 14, 16) disposed therein for activating operation functions of the injection device (2),an electronic control unit for controlling the operation of the drive mechanism 42 in response to the dial dose mechanism (12,14) anda display panel (10), in which the required dosage to be dispensed is presented to the user on the display panel (10),wherein between two of the operation buttons (12, 14, 16) a recess is provided in the control panel region (8) and in that in the recess (R) a discrete button (D) for accessing configuration menus of the injection device is discretely located, wherein the recess and the disposition of the two of the operation buttons (12, 14, 16) are designed such that the location of the discrete button in the recess hinders pressing of the discrete button by a finger.