Mechanical Medication Patch Wedge Pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable drug delivery devices are often expensive, complex, and unreliable due to their electronic components, and lack flexibility in providing both short-term bolus delivery and extended infusion options, with a need for mechanically driven devices that can be factory-filled or filled at the point of distribution.
Innovation Solution
A mechanically driven medication delivery patch that uses stored mechanical energy to extend a needle into the skin and deliver medication, featuring a wedge mechanism that applies pressure to a fluid pouch, with no electronic components, allowing for adjustable delivery rates and durations without the need for electrical power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If electronic controls and motorized pumps are used in wearable drug delivery devices, then delivery precision and control capability are improved, but device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electronic controls and motorized pumps with a purely mechanical delivery system. A spring-loaded pump mechanism driven by manual activation delivers medication through a needle, eliminating electronics while maintaining functional capability. This resolves the contradiction by substituting the mechanical system for the electronic one, reducing complexity and cost while preserving delivery function.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables self-administration through manual activation by the user. The mechanical pump is activated by user action, and the device includes features for self-filling from a syringe. This eliminates the need for complex electronic controls and external power sources, resolving the contradiction between precision delivery and device simplicity.
2Extent of automation
If electronic components are used in wearable drug delivery devices, then delivery control capability is improved, but device reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates electronic components entirely, replacing them with a mechanical pump system activated by user action. This mechanical system has no batteries, motors, or circuits that could fail, thereby improving reliability while maintaining delivery control capability through purely mechanical means.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed as a single-use disposable unit with integrated mechanical components. The entire device including the mechanical pump, needle, and medication reservoir is discarded after one use, eliminating reliability concerns associated with electronics while ensuring consistent performance throughout the device's operational life.
3Ease of operation
If pre-filled cartridges are used in wearable drug delivery devices, then delivery readiness is improved, but device versatility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates a fill port that allows the medication reservoir to be filled either at the factory or at the point of distribution. This dynamic flexibility enables the same device platform to accommodate different filling scenarios and medication types, resolving the contradiction between delivery readiness and versatility by allowing adaptation to different needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical pump system and needle assembly are designed to work with various medication types and delivery scenarios. The device can be factory-filled or filled at distribution, and the mechanical components are universal enough to handle different viscosities and delivery requirements, providing multi-functionality that resolves the contradiction between readiness and versatility.
4Device complexity
If manual actuation is used in wearable drug delivery devices, then device simplicity is improved, but user burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed for self-administration with manual activation that the user performs themselves. The activation mechanism is simple and requires minimal effort, and the device includes self-filling capability from a syringe. This self-service design resolves the contradiction by making the manual operation simple and intuitive, reducing user burden while maintaining device simplicity.
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 patch provides a reliable, cost-effective, and flexible means of medication delivery, offering options for both short-term bolus and extended infusion, with adjustable delivery rates and durations, enhancing user convenience and device longevity.
Implementation Method 1
The wedge applies pressure to the fluid in the pouch as it moves between the initial position and the end-of-delivery position
Implementation Method 2
A force element may apply force to the wedge to cause it to move
Implementation Method 3
fluid to flow from the pouch through the pouch needle, through the fluid channel, and through the skin needle into the user
Data Source
AI summary
A medication delivery patch that is applied to the skin and activated to deliver a medication or other fluid into or through the skin. The patch may be completely mechanically driven, with no electronic components, for low cost, safety, and reliability. Pressing an activation button may set in motion a sequence of mechanical events that result in a needle exiting the patch into the skin of the user, and flow of fluid from an internal pouch in the patch into the user. When delivery is complete, another sequence of mechanical events may occur to retract the needle from the skin and stop the flow of fluid, and to show a visible indicator that delivery is complete. The patch may contain a fluid channel, such as a microfluidic channel, that controls the rate and time of delivery; this channel can be configured or selected for different medications or use cases.