Microneedle Applicator Lock Mechanism for Consistent Insertion Depth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microneedle applicators require manual operation to compress a spring, leading to inconsistent force application, which can result in insufficient insertion of microneedles into the dermis, making stable medicine administration challenging.
Innovation Solution
An impacting type applicator with a lock mechanism and releasing member that allows for consistent biasing force application, enabling reliable insertion of microneedles into the skin with improved reproducibility and ease of use, featuring a presser part for parallel alignment and a biasing force imparting mechanism to maintain microneedle depth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation is used to compress the spring, then the device can be operated, but the force application becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses a self-contained spring mechanism that automatically provides the biasing force without requiring manual compression during each operation. The spring is pre-loaded and maintained in a compressed state through the lock mechanism, enabling the device to serve itself by consistently delivering the required force without human intervention variability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-compressed and the biasing force is prepared in advance before actual use. The lock mechanism maintains this pre-loaded state, ensuring that when the microneedle patch is applied, the full biasing force is immediately available without requiring manual compression at the moment of application, thereby ensuring consistent force delivery.
2Ease of operation
If the spring compression amount varies, then the operation is simple, but the microneedle insertion depth becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle patch is designed as a disposable component that is pre-loaded onto the applicator. This ensures that each patch is used only once with a guaranteed minimum insertion depth, eliminating the need for repeated use and ensuring consistent performance for each application while keeping the overall system simple to operate.
Solution Approach 2:
The microneedle patch is pre-loaded onto the applicator in advance, ensuring proper positioning and alignment before application. This preliminary preparation guarantees that when the applicator is used, the microneedles are already positioned to achieve the required insertion depth without requiring complex adjustment during operation.
3Device complexity
If the biasing force is not consistent, then the device structure remains simple, but the medicine administration becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is designed to provide a cushioning biasing force that compensates for variations in application pressure and angle. This pre-loaded spring acts as a buffer that ensures consistent force delivery to the microneedle patch regardless of minor operational variations, thereby stabilizing medicine administration without requiring complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded mechanism automatically self-regulates the biasing force applied to the microneedle patch. The mechanical design ensures that the spring maintains optimal compression within a specific range, providing consistent force without requiring external control or complex regulation mechanisms, thus achieving reliable medicine administration through self-service.
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 enhances the workability of the device, achieving stable and efficient medicine administration with a higher percentage of microneedles inserted into the dermis, improving the reliability and uniformity of medicine delivery.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient body 9 is a member that imparts a biasing force to the spring expanding/compressing lever 7
Data Source
AI summary
To achieve stable administration of a medicine into a dermis by improving the operability of a device that inserts a microneedle into a skin. An impacting type applicator (1) for a microneedle patch is an applicator that applies a microneedle patch (3) to a skin includes a main body (5), a spring expanding/compressing lever (7), a resilient body (9), a lock mechanism (11), and a piercing switch (13). The spring expanding/compressing lever (7) is movably attached to the main body (5), and the microneedle patch (3) can be attached to a leading end of the spring expanding/compressing lever (7). The resilient body (9) is a member that imparts a biasing force to the spring expanding/compressing lever (7). The lock mechanism (11) is a mechanism that locks the spring expanding/compressing lever (7) in a state where the resilient body (9) exerts the biasing force on the main body (5). The piercing switch (13) is a member that releases the engagement between the lock mechanism (11) and the spring expanding/compressing lever (7). In addition, a biasing force imparting mechanism (121) further imparts a biasing force to the spring expanding/compressing lever (7) in a state where the spring expanding/compressing lever (7) is moved toward the leading end of the main body (5) and thereby presses the microneedle patch (3) against the skin.