Injection Needle Adjustment Unit for Skin Layer Positioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing injection devices face challenges in reliably positioning the needle tip in the skin's upper layer for effective vaccine administration, as the skin's thickness varies, leading to potential drug leakage and subcutaneous tissue penetration, and existing adjustment devices can cause drug leakage due to inappropriate contact areas.

Innovation Solution

The proposed injection needle and device feature a 26-33 G needle tube with a hub and an adjustment unit having a needle-protruding surface with a distance range of 0.3-1.4 mm from the circumferential edge to the needle tube, ensuring the needle tip is securely positioned in the skin's upper layer and preventing drug leakage by maintaining a flat skin contact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a limiter is pressed against skin to regulate needle protruding length, then the needle depth can be controlled, but the skin bulges in the space between the limiter and the needle tube causing the needle tip to reach subcutaneous tissue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneedle depth controlVSAvoidneedle tip positioning accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the space between the limiter and needle tube by making them closely contact, eliminating the cause of skin bulging that leads to inaccurate needle positioning

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The adjustment device is designed to prevent skin bulging before injection by ensuring close contact between the limiter and needle tube, thereby preventing the needle from reaching subcutaneous tissue

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Stability of the object's composition

If the adjustment device contacts the skin over a large area, then the skin is stabilized, but the injected drug leaks to the outside of the body

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveskin stabilityVSAvoiddrug leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different contact characteristics to different parts: the limiter contacts the skin to stabilize it, while the adjustment device contacts only the circumference of the needle tube, not the skin directly, preventing drug leakage while maintaining skin stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The adjustment device is segmented into a skin-contacting portion (limiter) and a needle tube-contacting portion, allowing independent optimization of each function without interfering with the other

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Length of moving object

If the needle protruding length is increased to reach deeper skin layers, then the drug can be administered to the target layer, but the needle may penetrate into subcutaneous tissue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneedle protruding lengthVSAvoidtissue layer accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual depth estimation with a mechanical limiting system where the adjustment device physically prevents the needle from exceeding the safe protruding length, ensuring accurate depth control without operator skill dependency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS8663163B2Injection needle and drug injection device

Publication Date: 2014.03.04 TERUMO KK

AI summary

A needle tip of a needle tube stuck in the skin is caused to be reliably positioned in the skin upper layer part and the injected drug is caused not to leak to the outside of the body. An injection needle is provided with a needle tube having a needle tip, a hub that holds the needle tube and an adjustment unit provided around the needle tube and having a needle-protruding surface through which the needle tip of the needle tube protrudes. The needle-protruding surface of the adjustment unit is formed such that the distance S from the circumferential edge to the circumferential surface of the needle tube is in the range of 0.3-1.4 mm.