Needle Cover Buckling Mechanism for Lower-Force Drug Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medicament delivery devices require users to hold them in a holding position during injection, which can cause discomfort, pain, wet injection sites, early device removal, and partial medicament delivery, especially for users with limited strength.
Innovation Solution
A medicament delivery device with a needle cover that has a biasing member that transitions from a non-buckled to a buckled state during movement, reducing the holding force required, and allows for a restoring force to return the needle cover to the extended position after use, preventing accidental needle contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the needle cover biasing member is designed to provide strong biasing force to ensure complete medicament delivery, then the reliability of medicament delivery is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the force required to hold the device during injection
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member transitions from a non-buckled state during insertion to a buckled state during injection, dynamically changing its stiffness. In the non-buckled state, it provides strong biasing force for reliable medicament delivery. In the buckled state, it reduces the holding force required during injection, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the biasing member changes from non-buckled to buckled based on the operational phase. This parameter change allows the device to provide high biasing force when needed for reliability and low holding force when needed for comfort, effectively resolving the technical contradiction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the needle cover is kept extended to prevent accidental needle contact, then the safety is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the force required to hold the device in that position
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member dynamically changes its state based on the needle cover position. When the needle cover is extended, the biasing member is in the non-buckled state providing strong force to maintain safety. When the needle cover is retracted during injection, the biasing member buckles to reduce holding force, allowing the needle to be exposed without compromising safety during the injection phase.
3Manufacturing precision
If the device is held firmly to ensure accurate injection, then the precision of injection is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates causing pain and discomfort at the injection site
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member provides strong force during insertion to ensure accurate injection positioning. Once the needle is inserted and the biasing member buckles, the holding force is reduced, allowing the device to be held firmly enough for accurate injection while minimizing pain and discomfort during the actual injection process.
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 device reduces the force needed to hold the device during injection, making it more comfortable for users with limited strength and ensuring complete medicament delivery and safe needle retraction.
Implementation Method 1
the needle cover biasing member is configured to transition from a non-buckled state to a buckled state during proximal movement of the needle cover from the extended position to the retracted position
Implementation Method 2
the needle cover biasing member in the buckled state may be configured to provide a restoring force to move the needle cover to the extended state once a compressive force on the needle cover is removed
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a medicament delivery device. The medicament delivery device comprises a housing, a needle, and a needle cover. The needle cover is axially movable between an extended position and a retracted position. The medicament delivery device comprises a needle cover biasing member configured to bias the needle cover axially in the distal direction towards the extended position. The needle cover biasing member is configured to transition from a non-buckled state to a buckled state during proximal movement of the needle cover from the extended position to the retracted position. The present disclosure also relates to a method of preparing a medicament delivery device, and a method of locking a medicament delivery device.