Needle Cover Assembly With Telescopic Shield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle safety devices for medicament delivery devices require multiple components and external sterile packaging, leading to increased waste, manufacturing costs, and user complexity.
Innovation Solution
A needle cover assembly with a detachable shield that functions as both a protective cap and a needle safety guard, featuring a telescopically movable design with a resilient element and guiding system, allowing for a single component to perform dual functions and eliminate the need for external packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple components and external sterile packaging are used for needle safety devices, then needle protection and sterility are ensured, but device complexity, waste, and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shield integrates multiple functions into a single component: it serves as both the protective cap during storage and the safety guard during injection. The shield is telescopically movable relative to the hub, allowing it to cover the needle in neutral state and retract to expose the needle during injection, eliminating the need for separate protective caps and safety guards
Solution Approach 2:
The shield performs multiple functions throughout the device lifecycle: (1) protective cap function when covering the hub and needle in stored state, (2) safety guard function when telescopically movable to cover/expose needle during injection, and (3) sterile barrier function through the integrated protective film. This multi-functionality reduces the overall component count while maintaining reliability
2Reliability
If multiple components and external sterile packaging are used for needle safety devices, then needle protection and sterility are ensured, but manufacturing costs and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective film is integrated directly onto the shield, creating a single-piece sterile barrier system. This eliminates separate external sterile packaging and reduces material waste while maintaining sterility assurance through the combined shield-film structure
Solution Approach 2:
The entire needle cover assembly (shield, hub, needle, and integrated protective film) is designed as a single disposable unit that is discarded after one use. This integrated design ensures that all components are replaced together, maintaining sterility without requiring separate packaging waste
3Reliability
If multiple components and external sterile packaging are used for needle safety devices, then needle protection and sterility are ensured, but user handling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shield's telescopic movement mechanism integrates the protective cap removal and safety guard activation into a single user action. When the user pushes the shield distally, it automatically retracts to expose the needle, eliminating the need for separate steps to remove packaging and activate safety features
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
This solution reduces component count, waste, and manufacturing costs while improving user experience by simplifying handling and ensuring safe needle exposure and retraction during injection.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient element and a guiding system, allowing for a single component to perform dual functions
Data Source
AI summary
A needle cover assembly can be used with a medicament delivery device, wherein said needle cover assembly is disposable and comprises a retainer element connectable to a medicament container holder; a hub having a longitudinal axis and comprising a double pointed injection needle with a proximal needle end and a distal needle end, wherein the proximal needle end projects a distance from the hub along the longitudinal axis, and a shield covering at least the proximal needle end and a portion of the hub. Said shield comprises a detachable element, that the shield is attached to the hub when said detachable element is attached to the shield, corresponding to an untampered state, and that the shield is released and is telescopically movable in relation to the hub along the longitudinal axis when said detachable element is detached from the shield corresponding to an activated state.