Medicament Delivery Device Guard Locking Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medicament delivery devices are complex and require multiple components for functions like needle shielding, making them difficult to use intuitively and increasing the risk of accidental needle exposure.
Innovation Solution
A medicament delivery device with a simplified design featuring a rotator locking member and resilient force member that allows the guard member to be easily activated, ensuring the medicament delivery member is covered before and after use, preventing accidental exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple components (covers, caps, shields, guards, spring members, locking members) are used for needle protection, then safety against accidental needle exposure is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the guard member and locking member into a single integrated component. The guard member serves dual functions: protecting the needle during storage/transport and locking the actuator member to prevent premature dosing. This merging eliminates the need for separate spring members and multiple locking mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining safety and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The guard member is designed as a multi-functional component that provides needle protection, user guidance (through visual indication of ready-to-use state), and actuator locking. By making the guard member universal and multi-functional, the device achieves high reliability without adding complexity from multiple specialized components.
2Reliability
If multiple components (covers, caps, shields, guards, spring members, locking members) are used for needle protection, then safety against accidental needle exposure is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of guard member and locking member into one component simplifies the user interaction to a single intuitive action: pushing the device against the skin automatically both exposes the needle (by moving the guard) and activates the dosing mechanism (by releasing the actuator lock). This eliminates the need for users to manually manipulate multiple separate components, significantly improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed so that the act of pressing against the skin automatically performs multiple functions: the guard member moves to expose the needle, the locking member releases to enable actuation, and the resilient force member drives the dosing mechanism. This self-service design eliminates the need for separate manual operations, making the device extremely easy to use while maintaining safety.
3Device complexity
If a simplified design with fewer components is used, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the ability to ensure needle coverage before and after use may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures needle coverage assurance through the integrated guard member that physically surrounds and protects the needle during storage and transport. The same guard member, when moved during use, provides visual indication of the ready-to-use state and automatically locks the actuator member to prevent premature dosing, thereby maintaining high reliability with a simplified design.
Solution Approach 2:
The guard member incorporates visual indication features (such as color changes or visible positional indicators) that clearly show when the device is ready for use and when the needle is protected. This visual feedback mechanism ensures users can easily verify needle coverage status without complex components, maintaining reliability through intuitive design.
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 solution provides a user-friendly, intuitive device with fewer components that ensures the medicament delivery member is protected from sight and accidental exposure, enhancing safety and usability.
Implementation Method 1
a first resilient force member arranged between the rotator member and the guard member for urging said guard member towards the proximal end
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a medicament delivery device comprising a generally elongated housing (10; 100, 102), a drive assembly disposed in said hosing and an actuation assembly operably connected to said drive assembly, wherein said drive assembly comprises a guard member (12; 104) and an actuator member (44; 180), characterised in that the actuation assembly further comprises a locking member (28; 32) disposed between the guard member and the actuator member, wherein said locking member is configured to be moved by the guard member when the guard member is pressed against a delivery site between a first locking position in which the locking member is blocking the actuator member and a released position in which the locking member allows the actuator member to be operated.