Needle-Free Injection Apparatus Pressure Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing injection apparatuses, including needle-free injectors, often cause excessive load and damage to tissues and cells due to high impact during the injection process, leading to invasiveness issues when delivering drug solutions to living organisms.

Innovation Solution

An injection apparatus that imparts high-speed energy to the injection liquid through controlled pressure transitions, using combustion energy or gas generating agents to minimize invasiveness by creating a converged pressure state with specific vibration characteristics, allowing the liquid to penetrate with reduced damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If high pressure is applied to the injection liquid to enable penetration into the object region, then injection depth is improved, but invasiveness to the object region increases and tissue damage occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinjection depthVSAvoidinvasiveness and tissue damage
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies periodic pressurization with multiple peaks instead of continuous high pressure. The pressure transitions through multiple stages (first peak pressure, stand-by pressure, second peak pressure) creating a periodic action that enables deep penetration while allowing pressure recovery periods that reduce continuous invasiveness to tissues

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a stand-by pressure phase between the first and second peak pressure phases. This intermediate low-pressure period acts as a cushioning phase that allows tissues to recover from the initial pressure impact before the second pressurization wave, thereby reducing cumulative invasiveness while maintaining injection depth capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Ease of operation

If needle-free injection is used to avoid mechanical contact with the object region, then hygiene and handleability are improved, but precise delivery to the desired site becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehygiene and handleabilityVSAvoidprecision of delivery to desired site
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes dynamic pressure parameter changes (transitioning between stand-by pressure, first peak pressure, and second peak pressure) to control the injection process. By precisely controlling pressure magnitude and timing, the system achieves both the hygiene benefits of needle-free injection and improved precision in delivering the injection liquid to the desired site through pressure-driven directional control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 apparatus effectively reduces invasiveness and enhances the delivery of substances by achieving a reliable and efficient injection with minimal tissue damage, as demonstrated by controlled pressure transitions and vibration characteristics.

Implementation Method 1

the use of powder combustion is being studied as an alternative driving source

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Implementation Method 2

In a pressure transition of the injection liquid at the injection port, a vibration in the pressure transition reaches a converged state within a prescribed period of time from a rising time of pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure transition with vibration: Vibration

Data Source

PatentEP3398635B1Injection apparatus
Publication Date: 2021.12.08 DAICEL CORP
  • EP3398635B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3398635B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3398635B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Provided is an injection apparatus which injects a dosing liquid containing a prescribed substance to an object region, the injection apparatus including: a storage unit which stores the injection liquid; a drive unit which imparts injection energy; a pressurization unit which pressurizes the injection liquid stored in the storage unit with the injection energy in the drive unit; and an injection unit which injects the injection liquid having been pressurized by the pressurization unit to the object region through an injection port. And, in a pressure transition of the injection liquid at the injection port, a vibration in the pressure transition reaches a converged state within a prescribed period of time from a rising time of pressure, and pressure reaches a peak value thereof at a prescribed rate of increase in an initial first vibration element in the vibration within the prescribed period of time, or the vibration in the prescribed period of time is a vibration at a frequency belonging to a prescribed frequency range. As a result, invasiveness to the object region during injection is reduced.