Medicament Injector with Segmented Needle and Cartridge Activation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medicament injector devices often fail to maintain the cartridge sealed until use, leading to potential contamination and inconsistent medicament delivery, and lack automated mechanisms for safe and reliable operation.
Innovation Solution
The injector device features a housing with a needle unit and a button that moves the cartridge onto the needle upon pressing, a plunger mechanism with a biasing member and collar for automatic medicament delivery, and a locking mechanism to prevent accidental needle exposure, ensuring the cartridge remains sealed until activation and providing consistent injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cartridge is initially connected to the needle, then the device is ready for immediate use, but the cartridge cannot remain sealed until use leading to potential contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: the needle unit is initially separated from the cartridge, which remains sealed. Upon activation, these segments are brought together through the button mechanism that pierces the cartridge seal and connects the needle to the medicament reservoir, thus maintaining sealing until use while enabling immediate operation after activation
Solution Approach 2:
The needle is pre-positioned and ready in the needle unit, and the cartridge is pre-filled and sealed. The button mechanism is pre-configured to perform the piercing and connection actions simultaneously upon activation, so that all preparatory steps are completed in advance except for the final connection act
2Device complexity
If manual plunger operation is used, then the device structure is simpler, but medicament delivery consistency is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger mechanism is designed to be automatically triggered by the button activation. When the button is pressed, it simultaneously connects the needle to the cartridge and activates the plunger to move forward, delivering the medicament automatically without requiring manual manipulation of the plunger by the user
Solution Approach 2:
The activation function (button press) is merged with the plunger activation function. A single button action simultaneously performs both the needle-to-cartridge connection and the plunger displacement, ensuring consistent medicament delivery while simplifying user operation to a single action
3Ease of operation
If the needle is exposed before use, then the device is ready for immediate injection, but accidental needle exposure and contamination risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is contained within a separate needle unit that is initially isolated from the cartridge and external environment. The needle remains covered and protected within its unit until the moment of activation, when the needle unit is brought into connection with the cartridge through the button mechanism, thus maintaining protection while enabling immediate injection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The button mechanism serves as an intermediary that mediates between the user's activation action and the needle exposure. The needle is only exposed when the button is pressed, which simultaneously connects the needle unit to the cartridge and triggers plunger activation, thus preventing accidental exposure while ensuring injection readiness
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate actions are required for activation, then each step can be controlled independently, but the operation becomes more complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into a single button activation: needle-to-cartridge connection, plunger activation, and medicament delivery are all triggered simultaneously by one button press. This eliminates the need for multiple separate manual steps while ensuring proper sequencing through the integrated mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The button serves multiple functions: it acts as the activation trigger, the connection mechanism for joining needle and cartridge, and the plunger activator. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate controls into a single universal activation element
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 ensures the cartridge remains sealed until use, allowing for consistent and safe medicament delivery through automated mechanisms, preventing accidental needle exposure and ensuring reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
The plunger mechanism may comprise a biasing member and a collar
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an injector device comprising: a housing having a distal end and a proximal end; a medicament cartridge disposed within the housing; a needle unit comprising a needle, the needle unit being disposed in the distal end of the housing; and a button disposed in the proximal end of the housing, the button being configured to move the cartridge onto the needle unit to fluidly connect the needle with the cartridge when, in use, the button is pressed from an initial position into a depressed position.