Needle-free Injection Guide for Subcutaneous Depth Control

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing needle-free injection technologies face challenges in ensuring consistent delivery of injectates into the subcutaneous layer without penetrating deeper tissues, leading to reduced treatment efficacy and patient discomfort.

Innovation Solution

An injection guide that globally aligns the needle-free injector at an acute angle and locally orients the skin normal to the injection path, using a surface positioner with a first section for gripping and a second section for deforming the skin to maintain the injectate within the subcutaneous layer, thereby preventing misdelivery into adjacent tissues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a needle-free injector is used to deliver injectate into the subcutaneous layer, then patient comfort is improved and needle-related risks are eliminated, but control over injection depth and precision in preventing over-penetration into deeper tissues is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneedle-related risks and patient discomfortVSAvoidinjection depth control and precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an injection guide as an intermediary component between the needle-free injector and the patient's skin. This guide includes a surface positioner with gripping sections that contact the skin and a passageway that directs the injectate stream. The guide mediates the interaction by providing mechanical guidance and depth control, ensuring the injectate is delivered precisely into the subcutaneous layer without penetrating deeper tissues, thus maintaining precision while using needle-free technology.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The injection guide changes the geometric parameters of the injection system by introducing specific angles and orientations. The surface positioner is configured at specific angles relative to the injector axis, and the passageway is oriented at controlled angles to direct the injectate stream. These parameter changes enable precise control over injection depth and trajectory, ensuring accurate delivery into the subcutaneous layer while preventing over-penetration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If the injector is positioned at an acute angle to the skin surface, then delivery into the subcutaneous layer is improved, but global alignment and stability of the injector during injection are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery into subcutaneous layerVSAvoidinjector alignment and stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The injection guide is segmented into distinct functional sections: a surface positioner with multiple gripping sections that contact the skin surface, and a passageway section that directs the injectate. The surface positioner is further divided into first and second gripping sections disposed at different angles. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function - the gripping sections provide stability and alignment, while the passageway ensures precise angled delivery into the subcutaneous layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different sections of the injection guide have different geometric properties and orientations tailored to their specific functions. The surface positioner has gripping sections at specific angles for stable skin contact, while the passageway is oriented at a controlled acute angle for precise subcutaneous delivery. This local differentiation of qualities enables the system to simultaneously achieve stability through proper alignment and precise angled delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Manufacturing precision

If the injection guide uses multiple gripping sections at different angles, then control over injection angle and depth is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinjection angle and depth controlVSAvoidinjection guide structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The injection guide merges multiple functions into a single integrated component. The surface positioner with its gripping sections and the passageway are combined into one piece that simultaneously provides skin contact, alignment, and injectate direction. This merging reduces the need for multiple separate components and simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining precise control over injection angle and depth through the integrated geometric design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11344677B2Needle-free injection guide

Publication Date: 2022.05.31 PORTAL INSTRUMENTS INC

AI summary

An injection guide globally aligns an injector to an angle selected for consistent subcutaneous delivery of an injectate, while locally aligning a patient's skin normal to the injection path at the location where the injection pierces the skin. This arrangement advantageously maintains controlled contact between an injector and a subject's skin in order to deliver the full, intended volume of injectate into the patient's subcutaneous layer while avoiding misdelivery into adjacent layers such as the patient's dermis or muscle.