Injection Needle Assembly for Sterile Transfer and Safe Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medicament delivery devices face challenges in maintaining the sterility of injection needles, particularly when pre-attached, and require complex mechanisms that are not suitable for multi-dose injectors or intuitive handling.
Innovation Solution
An injection needle assembly with a three-component design comprising a needle holder, cap, and needle cover, utilizing bayonet fittings or threads for secure, sterile transfer from a protected state to an injection-ready position, ensuring the needle remains sterile until use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the injection needle is pre-attached to the injector for simple handling, then ease of operation is improved, but maintaining sterility becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The needle assembly is divided into separate components: a needle holder, a cap, and a needle cover. These segments can be assembled and disassembled, allowing the needle to be protected during storage and then deployed when needed, thus maintaining sterility while enabling simple handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap and needle cover act as intermediary protective elements between the needle and the external environment. These intermediaries maintain the sterile barrier while allowing the needle to be easily attached and detached from the injector.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the rear end of the needle protrudes into the container interior, then secure positioning is improved, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is extracted from the container interior and positioned externally, with only the distal tip penetrating the membrane. The needle holder and cap structure allows the needle to be secured without placing its rear end inside the container, thus eliminating contamination risk while maintaining positioning stability.
3Reliability
If a sealed compartment with membrane penetration is used, then sterility is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle holder, cap, and needle cover are merged into a single integrated assembly that performs multiple functions: protecting the needle, maintaining sterility, and enabling easy attachment/detachment. This merging reduces overall device complexity compared to separate sealed compartment systems.
4Ease of operation
If the needle holder is distally displaced by gripping the needle sheath, then needle positioning is improved, but risk of accidental needle sticks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cap serves as an intermediary element between the user's fingers and the needle. The cap can be gripped and rotated to advance the needle holder, but the needle itself remains protected by the cap and needle cover, eliminating the risk of accidental needle sticks during positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
An injection needle assembly is presented having an injection needle; a tubular needle holder having distal engagement means and proximal engagement means; a tubular cap having proximal outer engagement means and proximal inner engagement means; a tubular needle cover having first engagement means arranged to cooperate with the proximal engagement means, and second engagement means arranged to cooperate with the proximal outer engagement means of the cap. A needle cover is arranged to be displaced from a first position wherein the second engagement means and the proximal outer engagement means prevents the needle cover and the needle holder to be axially displaced by a linear displacement, to a second position wherein the needle cover and the needle holder are distally displaced where the needle holder can be displaced distally, but not proximally.