Modular Autoinjector Design for Variable Fill Volumes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The design and manufacturing of autoinjectors for varying medication dose volumes require significant redesign, leading to increased costs and complexity, as existing solutions often necessitate changes in multiple components to accommodate different dosage volumes.
Innovation Solution
An autoinjector design where only two components, the rear body assembly and the plunger, vary in length to accommodate different fill volumes, while the front body assembly and other components remain common, allowing for the assembly of autoinjectors with different fill volumes using the same machinery and minimizing redesign efforts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the autoinjector is designed to accommodate different dose volumes, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to significant redesign requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The autoinjector is divided into modular components (front body assembly, rear body assembly, drive mechanism) that can be independently configured. The rear body assembly and plunger are segmented to vary in length according to fill volume, while the front body assembly remains common across different dose volumes, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The front body assembly is designed as a universal component that can accommodate multiple fill volumes through the modular rear body assembly and plunger configurations. This multi-functional design allows a single front body assembly to serve multiple dose volume requirements, reducing the need for complete redesigns.
2Adaptability or versatility
If significant redesign is performed to accommodate different dosage volumes, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the autoinjector into modular assemblies, the manufacturing process becomes more efficient. The front body assembly can be manufactured once and reused, while only the rear body assembly and plunger need to be varied for different dose volumes, significantly reducing manufacturing costs compared to complete redesigns.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of redesigning the entire device, the invention changes specific parameters (length of rear body assembly and plunger) to accommodate different fill volumes. This parameter-based adaptation allows the same manufacturing infrastructure to produce different dose volume configurations without significant cost increases.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple components are redesigned for different fill volumes, then the adaptability is improved, but the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The modular segmented design allows for rapid assembly by pre-configuring the rear body assembly and plunger as complete units. This segmentation reduces the number of individual components that need to be assembled, thereby reducing assembly time while maintaining adaptability to different fill volumes.
Solution Approach 2:
The rear body assembly and plunger are pre-configured and pre-assembled as complete units before integration with the front body assembly. This preliminary action reduces the complexity of the final assembly process, allowing for faster production and reducing the time lost during assembly operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An autoinjector includes a rear body assembly (10) connected to a front body assembly, wherein the rear body assembly (10) contains a drive mechanism (60 . . . ) and the front body assembly contains a syringe (13) or cartridge with a needle at its forward end, the front body assembly including a viewing window (22) through which at least part of the contents of the syringe (13) or cartridge are visible, a removable cap (14) fitted to the forward end of the front body assembly the rear body assembly and the removable cap having respective aligned cut-away regions together defining a frame for the viewing window. Also disclosed is a modular scheme which uses a common platform for the provision of a range of autoinjectors of different fill volumes, with only the length of the plunger (60), and the axial extent of the cut out varying between different versions.