Medicament Rotator Track Segmentation for Accidental Activation Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medicament delivery devices, such as those described in WO 2011/123024, lack effective mechanisms to prevent accidental activation and ensure precise control over the medicament delivery member guard's movement, particularly in preventing it from moving in the distal direction before device activation.
Innovation Solution
A rotator with a tubular body and ridges forming a track that includes multiple pathways to guide and restrict the movement of the medicament delivery member guard, ensuring it remains in the correct position until activation, featuring a first pathway, a second pathway, and optionally a third pathway, with ridges delimiting sections to prevent distal movement and guide the guard during activation and delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the medicament delivery member guard is allowed to move freely in the distal direction, then the device structure is simpler, but accidental activation cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The track is segmented into multiple pathways (first pathway with two sections, second pathway, and optionally third pathway) separated by ridges. These segments guide the protrusion through specific sequences, preventing direct distal movement and ensuring controlled activation only through the intended proximal-to-distal sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The ridges act as intermediary elements between the protrusion and the distal direction. They delimit sections and force the protrusion to follow the defined pathways, serving as a mechanical mediator that prevents unauthorized distal movement while allowing controlled movement through the track.
2Ease of operation
If the medicament delivery member guard is constrained to specific pathways, then activation control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The track design allows dynamic movement of the protrusion through different pathways based on the activation state. Before activation, the protrusion is constrained to the first pathway section; upon activation, it can progress through the first pathway to the second pathway, providing dynamic control over the guard's movement stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The track system adds a circumferential dimension to the linear distal-proximal movement. The first pathway includes two sections adjacent in the circumferential direction, creating a two-dimensional movement pattern that guides the protrusion through a specific sequence, enhancing control without requiring additional linear components.
3Manufacturing precision
If ridges are added to delimit pathway sections, then movement control is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the single rotator component: the tubular body provides structural support, the ridges create pathway delimiters, and the integrated track system guides the protrusion. This consolidation reduces the number of separate parts while achieving precise positioning control.
Solution Approach 2:
The ridges serve multiple functions simultaneously: they delimit pathway sections, guide the protrusion movement, prevent distal direction movement, and provide structural definition for the track. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a rotator for a medicament delivery device. The rotator includes a tubular body extending from a proximal end to a distal end in an axial direction relative to an axis and in a circumferential direction relative to the axis and one or more ridges extending from a surface of the tubular body. The one or more ridges define a track on the surface of the tubular body, the track extending in the axial direction from a distal end of the track to a proximal end of the track. The track comprises a first pathway and a second pathway connected to the first pathway. The first pathway is at the proximal end of the track and the second pathway is at the distal end of the track. The first pathway comprises two sections adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction. The first section is delimited in the distal direction by a portion of the one or more ridges, and the second section is connected to the second pathway at a distal end of the second section.