Kinetic Impact Indicator for Autoinjectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autoinjector devices often fail to provide comprehensive and energy-efficient visual, audible, and tactile indications of injection completion, which can be crucial for user confirmation, especially in hard-to-see injection sites, and lack automatic reset mechanisms for each injection cycle.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a kinetic impact indicator element that moves between extended and retracted positions, driven by its own bias and a motion transfer arrangement, allowing for automatic reset after each use, ensuring energy efficiency and comprehensive feedback without diverting significant power from the main drive source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an audible and tactile indication system is added to provide comprehensive injection completion feedback, then user confirmation is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator element utilizes its own bias (spring force) to generate the kinetic impact and provide the audible/tactile indication, rather than requiring energy from the main drive source. The system serves itself by using the stored mechanical energy in the biased indicator element to create the completion signal.
Solution Approach 2:
The indication function is extracted from the main drive system and implemented as a separate, independent mechanism. The indicator element operates independently with its own bias, separating the indication function from the energy-consuming drive mechanism.
2Reliability
If a kinetic impact indicator is implemented to provide audible and tactile feedback, then user confirmation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator element combines multiple functions into a single component: it provides visual indication through its movement, audible indication through kinetic impact with the stop surface, and tactile feedback through the same impact mechanism. This merging reduces the need for separate indicators for each sense.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicator element serves multiple purposes: it indicates injection completion, provides visual feedback, generates audible signal, and creates tactile sensation. Additionally, its movement mechanism serves both as an indicator and as a reset mechanism for the next injection cycle.
3Ease of operation
If the indicator element is reset automatically for each injection cycle, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reset function is merged with the indicator element's movement mechanism. The same motion transfer arrangement that moves the indicator element to provide indication also automatically resets it for the next cycle, eliminating the need for a separate reset mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicator element is pre-biased to the extended position before each injection cycle. The bias is stored in advance, and upon completion of the injection, the pre-stored energy automatically propels the indicator to the retracted position and back, preparing it for the next use without manual intervention.
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
This solution provides reliable audible, visual, and tactile indications of injection completion without impairing the main drive mechanism's efficiency, ensuring user confirmation and automatic reset for each injection cycle, enhancing user experience and device reliability.
Implementation Method 1
the indicator element (20) is movable between an extended position and a retracted position and being biased towards said extended position by an indicator bias
Implementation Method 2
it enables release of the indicator latch arrangement to cause the indicator element to move to its extended position under the influence of said bias to impact a stop surface to create said kinetic impact
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(e)
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An injection device includes an injection complete indicator (20) which includes its own bias (54) and which is latched into a retracted position as the injection device is cocked. Upon firing the injection device, the injection complete indicator is kept in its retracted position until towards the end of the forward stroke of the drive mechanism, whereupon the injection complete indicator is unlatched and shoots forwardly under the influence of the bias to impact an abutment to generate an audible/tactile indication along with a visual indication.