Mating Mechanism for Medical Fluid Injection Device Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical fluid injection devices face challenges in ensuring proper alignment and secure insertion of pressurizing units, such as syringes, within the device, particularly in dual-syringe systems where different types of fluids are used, leading to potential errors in fluid type selection and handling.
Innovation Solution
A mating mechanism is introduced using a tab on the pressurizing unit and a corresponding notch on the sleeve, ensuring proper alignment and preventing incorrect fluid type insertion, along with rotatable and removable connectors for easy loading and unloading of syringes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a mating mechanism with tab and notch is implemented, then alignment precision and insertion security are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing the tab with a specific shape (featuring a first end, second end, and curved surface) that corresponds to a matching asymmetric notch in the sleeve. This asymmetric geometry ensures that the pressurizing unit can only be inserted in the correct orientation, achieving precise alignment while preventing misalignment errors. The curved surface of the tab engages with the curved surface of the notch to guide proper positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab and notch act as intermediary mating members that mediate between the pressurizing unit and the sleeve. These intermediate features facilitate the connection by providing a dedicated alignment interface, reducing the complexity of the overall insertion mechanism while ensuring precise positioning through their complementary geometries.
2Ease of operation
If rotatable and removable connectors are used, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability may worsen due to potential detachment issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by designing the connector as both rotatable and removable. The connector can rotate between different positions (including a first position and a second position that is rotated 180 degrees from the first position) and can be completely detached from the rod. This dynamic design allows the operator to easily load and unload sleeves by rotating the connector to an accessible position, while the secure engagement features maintain reliability during operation.
3Ease of repair
If the sleeve can be completely removed from the device, then ease of maintenance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the syringe loading system into separable components: the sleeve, the connector, and the rod. The connector serves as an intermediate component that can be detached from the rod, allowing the sleeve to be completely removed from the device. This segmented design enables easy maintenance and replacement of the sleeve without affecting other components, while the modular nature of the segmentation keeps the overall system manageable despite the increased number of parts.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, this disclosure relates to techniques for providing a mating mechanism between at least one pressurizing unit and at least one corresponding sleeve in a powered medical fluid injection device. An example powered medical fluid injection device includes a sleeve and an injector head coupled to the sleeve. The sleeve has a notch with a predefined shape and size. The sleeve is configured to receive a pressurizing unit (such as a syringe) having an external tab with a predefined shape and size that are substantially identical to the predefined shape and size of the notch in the sleeve, such that the tab mates with the notch when the sleeve receives the pressurizing unit. The injector head is configured to inject a quantity of a medical fluid from the pressurizing unit during operation.