Light Concentrator Window for Insulin Type Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Patients with diabetes face challenges in accurately recording and identifying the type of insulin used, leading to potential misuse of incorrect insulin types when using insulin injection devices.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a sensor, illumination source, and light concentrator is integrated into an insulin injection device to analyze the reflection characteristics of the device's surface, enabling the determination of the insulin type through optical character recognition and color detection, thereby ensuring accurate logging and preventing misuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a light concentrator is added to increase light intensity for surface analysis, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light concentrator is integrated with the window to form a single component, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the light concentration function necessary for accurate surface analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The window serves dual functions: as a protective transparent barrier and as a light concentrator through its integrated prismatic structure, thereby performing multiple functions with a single component to avoid increasing device complexity
2Ease of manufacture
If the light concentrator is made integral with the window, then manufacturing ease improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light concentrator and window are formed as a single integral component, eliminating the need for separate assembly and reducing potential alignment errors, thereby improving manufacturing ease while the single-step formation process actually reduces the precision requirements compared to assembling separate parts
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 apparatus enhances the reliability of insulin type identification, improves patient compliance by ensuring correct insulin use, and simplifies manufacturing through a compact optical arrangement.
Implementation Method 1
The light concentrator may be configured such that in use at least some light from the illumination source is reflected or refracted by the light concentrator towards the external surface.
Implementation Method 2
The light concentrator may be configured such that in use at least some light from the illumination source is reflected or refracted by the light concentrator towards the external surface.
Implementation Method 3
The light concentrator may be a light guide configured such that in use at least some light from the illumination source is internally reflected within the light guide towards the external surface. Utilising the principle of total internal reflection may reduce the amount of light absorbed by the light concentrator.
Implementation Method 4
a sensor configured to generate sensor output dependent on an intensity of light incident on the sensor
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
Apparatus for determining information associated with reflection characteristics of a surface comprising a sensor (60) configured to generate sensor output dependent on an intensity of light incident on the sensor and having a field of view directed at an external surface (57) in use; an illumination source (58) configured to emit light onto the external surface in use; an optically transparent window (61) located such as to allow light to pass from the illumination source to the external surface and to allow light to pass to the sensor from the external surface in use; a light concentrator (66) fixed to or integral with the window, the light concentrator being configured to concentrate at least some light from the illumination source onto the external surface in use such that the concentrated light may be reflected from the external surface onto the sensor via the window; and a processor (40) configured to use the sensor output to determine information associated with reflection characteristics of the external surface.