Injector Keyway Safety Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing injection devices lack sufficient safety features to prevent accidental needle sticks, wrongful use, and cross-contamination, posing risks of disease transmission such as hepatitis or HIV.
Innovation Solution
The injection device incorporates multiple safety features, including a keyway mechanism with a guide member and spring to prevent accidental needle exposure, an opaque finger rest member to prevent tampering, and a design that prevents detachment of the piston rod, providing a visible signal of non-use or tampering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the keyway mechanism with guide member and spring is used to prevent accidental needle exposure, then safety against accidental needle sticks is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member is pre-loaded in a compressed state within the keyway, and the guide member is positioned in advance to engage with the keyway. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the plunger is pushed, the spring automatically drives the guide member to engage the keyway and retract the needle, preventing accidental exposure without requiring complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member serves itself by automatically converting its stored elastic potential energy into kinetic energy to drive the guide member and retract the needle when triggered. The system uses its own internal energy storage (compressed spring) to perform the safety function, eliminating the need for external power sources or complex control mechanisms.
2Reliability
If the opaque finger rest member is used to prevent tampering, then safety against wrongful use is improved, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The finger rest member is made opaque specifically at the portion that covers the keyway and guide member, while other parts of the device remain transparent or translucent. This localized opacity provides just enough visual obstruction to prevent tampering with the safety mechanism while allowing users to see and operate other functional parts of the injector.
Solution Approach 2:
The finger rest member is designed as a separate component that can be removed or positioned independently. This segmentation allows the opaque cover to be detached when proper use is intended, providing visual access to the keyway for authorized operation, while remaining in place during transport and storage to prevent tampering.
3Reliability
If the design prevents detachment of the piston rod, then safety against cross-contamination is improved, but ease of repair decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The piston rod is permanently integrated with the plunger assembly through a unified design where the rod cannot be detached. This merging of components ensures that the injection system remains sealed and prevents cross-contamination between different injection cycles, while the entire assembly can still be replaced as a single unit for maintenance purposes.
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 device effectively prevents accidental needle sticks, wrongful use, and cross-contamination, ensuring user safety and preventing disease transmission, while allowing for secure and reliable administration of injections.
Implementation Method 1
a spring member, said spring member having a first end abutting said outer housing, a second end of said spring member abutting said guide member
Data Source
AI summary
An injector comprising an outer housing, a generally longitudinally extending keyway formed in the outer housing, an inner housing located interiorly of the outer housing, a guide member mounted at one end of the inner housing, the guide member having at least one protrusion adapted to engage the keyway, a spring member, the spring member having a first end abutting the outer housing, a second end of the spring member abutting the guide member, a syringe mounted interiorly of the inner housing, a needle mounted on one end of the syringe, the syringe having a plunger and a plunger rod, a finger rest member mounted over the outer housing, the finger rest member being opaque to thereby prevent visual access to the keyway.