Connected Injection Status Sensing for Skin Contact and Dose Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medication delivery devices lack comprehensive status sensing systems to ensure proper operation, orientation, skin contact detection, and temperature management, leading to potential misuse or ineffective drug delivery.
Innovation Solution
Integrate sensing systems within medication delivery devices to monitor device components' location and movement, orientation, skin contact, and temperature, using sensors like accelerometers, skin contact sensors, and temperature sensors, with processing circuits to generate user indications for proper device operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the injection device stores multiple doses of medication, then the quantity of substance delivered is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional status sensing components
Solution Approach 1:
The injection device automatically tracks dose administration status through sensors that detect plunger position and movement, eliminating the need for manual user tracking. The system self-monitors whether doses have been administered, stored, or are pending, and communicates this status automatically to the user via display or wireless communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking mechanisms with electronic sensors and digital status indicators. Instead of relying on physical counters or manual logging, the system uses sensors to detect plunger position and electronically track dose status, reducing mechanical complexity while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If the injection device includes status sensing systems to track dose administration, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The status sensing system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks dose administration status, monitors plunger position, detects whether the device is ready for injection, and provides feedback to the user. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each monitoring task, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors status parameters and provides real-time feedback to the user through display indicators or wireless communication. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable dose tracking by immediately informing users of the current status (e.g., dose administered, dose pending, device ready), improving reliability without requiring complex manual verification procedures.
3Loss of information
If the injection device provides real-time status information to the user, then the loss of information is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensing and communication components
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates digital copies of the dose administration status data and transmits them wirelessly to a remote device or smartphone application. This allows users to access dose information on multiple devices without requiring complex real-time display systems in the injection device itself, reducing the communication complexity burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a wireless communication module as an intermediary between the injection device and the user's smartphone or remote device. This intermediary handles the complex communication protocols and data transmission, keeping the injection device itself relatively simple while still providing comprehensive status information through the connected device.
Data Source
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AI summary
Drug-delivery systems configured to generate indications regarding a user's level of skill, familiarity, or experience with operating such systems are described. The systems may comprise a syringe assembly, one or more skin contact sensors, and one or more syringe assembly sensors configured to detect initiation and/or completion of a dispensing event. The system may further comprise one or more processing circuits configured to measure a time duration between when the skin contact sensor(s) detect contact with skin tissue and when the syringe assembly initiates a dispensing event, compare the measured duration against a threshold time duration, and generate a user indication signal if the measured duration exceeds the threshold time duration.