Lancing Aid Automatic Triggering Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blood lancet devices for diabetes management and other medical applications face challenges in providing simple, safe, and pain-free puncture mechanisms, especially for frequent use by diabetics, with concerns about lancet reuse and disposal safety.
Innovation Solution
A blood withdrawal system featuring a lancing aid with a combined tensioning and triggering mechanism, including a lancet drive with an elastic element, a lancet guide, and a sterile protection mechanism, allowing for easy lancet replacement and safe disposal, while minimizing user effort and pain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a manual triggering mechanism is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to multiple steps required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the tensioning function and triggering function into a single integrated mechanism. When the user actuates the trigger, it automatically tensions the elastic drive element and then releases it to fire the lancet, eliminating the need for separate manual tensioning and triggering steps. This merging of functions directly improves ease of operation while accepting increased device complexity through the integrated mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic triggering mechanism performs the tensioning and release actions automatically once the user initiates the sequence. The system serves itself by using the user's single actuation to both tension the spring and trigger the lancet firing, reducing the burden on the user to perform multiple manual operations.
2Productivity
If frequent punctures are performed, then the productivity is improved, but the object-generated harmful factors worsen due to increased pain and tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action through the elastic drive element that is tensioned and released in controlled cycles. The spring-loaded mechanism allows for rapid, repetitive punctures with consistent force and duration, enabling frequent blood sampling while maintaining uniform tissue interaction. This periodic mechanism ensures that each puncture is brief and controlled, reducing cumulative tissue damage compared to manual methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The lancet is propelled through the tissue rapidly in a single swift motion, minimizing the duration of tissue disruption. The elastic drive element accelerates the lancet to high speed, allowing the puncture to occur so quickly that pain receptors have minimal time to respond, thereby reducing perceived pain despite frequent usage.
3Reliability
If lancets are made replaceable, then the reliability is improved by preventing reuse, but the device complexity worsens due to additional handling steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements disposable lancets that are discarded after a single use, eliminating the risk of reuse and ensuring sterility. Each lancet is designed as a low-cost, single-use component that is replaced from a magazine or holder, guaranteeing that no lancet is accidentally reused while keeping the overall system simple through standardized replacement procedures.
4Reliability
If a sterile protection is added, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity worsens due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile protection (capsule or sheath) is pre-applied to the lancet before use, ensuring sterility is established in advance. This preliminary protective action eliminates the need for complex sterilization procedures during use and allows the sterile barrier to be simply removed or pierced at the moment of puncture, integrating seamlessly into the firing mechanism without adding significant complexity.
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 system enables simple, intuitive, and low-pain blood withdrawal with minimal user effort, ensuring sterility and safety by preventing accidental lancet reuse and protecting others from used lancets during disposal.
Implementation Method 1
a lancet drive with an elastic drive element which can be converted by tensioning from an untensioned into a tensioned state and by means of which after the triggering, the relaxing movement of the tensioned elastic drive element is converted into a lancing movement
Data Source
AI summary
The present application concerns a system for the withdrawal of body fluids comprising a coupled tensioning and triggering mechanism, wherein the triggering mechanism is mechanically coupled to the tensioning mechanism in such a manner that the puncturing process is automatically triggered by successive continuation of the tensioning movement when the tensioning mechanism is actuated and wherein the lancing process triggered in this manner is carried out by a lancet.