Single-Handed Medical Insertion Head With Automatic Needle Retraction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing insertion heads for medical or pharmaceutical use are cumbersome and require two hands to maneuver, posing a risk of accidental needle sticks and contamination during handling and storage due to the need for separate needle guards and complex deployment mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A single-handed insertion head design featuring a housing with two movable parts that deploy the puncture needle and cannula from a protected position, allowing for automatic retraction and safe storage of the needle after use, utilizing a mechanical coupling and spring mechanism for easy and safe operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a needle guard is added to protect against stick injuries, then safety is improved, but the volume of the insertion head and packaging increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against stick injuriesVSAvoidvolume of insertion head

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The puncture needle is nested within the cannula, and both are received within the housing. The needle can be inserted through the cannula in a compact configuration, eliminating the need for external needle guards while maintaining protection during storage and transport.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing parts are designed to be movable relative to each other, allowing the needle and cannula to be deployed from a protected position to an insertion position. This dynamic mechanism provides protection when needed while maintaining a compact form factor.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If a needle guard is added for protection, then safety is improved, but the removal of the needle guard becomes awkward and risky

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against stick injuriesVSAvoidease of needle guard removal

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The protective function is extracted from a separate needle guard component and integrated into the housing structure itself. The housing parts provide protection during storage and can be moved to deploy the needle, eliminating the need for separate guard removal steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing mechanism automatically provides protection and deployment functionality. The movable housing parts self-manage the protection state without requiring separate user actions to attach or remove guards.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Volume of stationary object

If the insertion device is made compact for space-saving, then packaging volume is reduced, but it requires two hands to maneuver increasing risk of accidental sticks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevolume of insertion headVSAvoidease of maneuvering

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The housing parts are designed to be movable relative to each other, allowing compact storage configuration and easy deployment. The dynamic mechanism enables one-handed operation by allowing the user to simply move the housing parts to deploy the needle and cannula.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The needle and cannula are nested within the housing in a compact configuration. This nesting allows the device to maintain a small volume while still providing easy access to the insertion components through simple housing movement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

4Reliability

If separate needle guards are used for protection, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against stick injuriesVSAvoidcomplexity of deployment mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protective function and the housing structure are merged into a single integrated system. The housing parts serve both as the container for the needle and cannula and as the protective mechanism, eliminating the need for separate guard components and reducing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

Enables safe, efficient, and single-handed operation of the insertion head, reducing the risk of needle sticks and contamination by automatically retracting the needle into a protected position, enhancing user safety and ease of use.

Implementation Method 1

the puncture needle being automatically pivoted into a protected position in the housing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSpring force: Spring

Data Source

PatentUS7850652B2Insertion head for medical or pharmaceutical applications

Publication Date: 2010.12.14 ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS INTERNATIONAL AG

AI summary

An insertion head for medical use, including a housing formed by two housing parts, a puncture needle and a flexible cannula supported by the puncture needle, wherein before use the puncture needle and cannula are arranged in a protected position inside the housing and can be deployed by gripping the housing parts and moving at least one of the parts relative to the other, wherein upon deployment the puncture needle and cannula can be inserted into the body of a patient, and wherein after insertion the puncture needle can be removed from the cannula by moving the housing and puncture needle away from the body counter to the direction of insertion, the puncture needle being automatically pivoted into a protected position in the housing.