Needle-Assisted Jet Injector With Cap-Activated Safety Guard
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing injectors face issues with accidental firing due to mishandling, constrained design, and friction between components, which can lead to unsafe medicament expulsion and needle penetration, particularly in needle-assisted jet injectors.
Innovation Solution
A needle-assisted jet injector with a cap that detachably couples to the housing, featuring a ram assembly with a trigger engagement member and a needle guard that moves from a storage to a pre-injection position upon cap detachment, ensuring safe and controlled medicament expulsion, and includes a locking mechanism to prevent reuse after firing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a needle-assisted jet injector uses high pressure to expel medicament through the skin, then injection speed and penetration depth are improved, but the risk of accidental firing and harmful effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is pre-positioned and pre-loaded in the injector before use, with the medicament already loaded in the cartridge. The device is prepared in advance with all components in place, reducing the time from injection initiation to completion and minimizing the window for accidental firing during the injection process.
Solution Approach 2:
A safety mechanism acts as an intermediary between the high-pressure expel mechanism and the needle/cartridge assembly. This safety feature includes a shield or guard that physically blocks the needle and controls the release of medicament, preventing accidental firing while allowing controlled high-pressure injection when intended.
2Volume of moving object
If the injector design is constrained to fit within compact dimensions, then portability and ease of use are improved, but friction between internal components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The injector is divided into separate modular segments including a removable cartridge containing the needle and medicament, a separate expel mechanism, and an independent safety shield. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for minimal friction while maintaining compact overall dimensions, and enables easy replacement of worn components.
Solution Approach 2:
The injector employs dynamic elements such as spring-loaded mechanisms and movable shields that reduce friction through controlled motion. The spring mechanism provides smooth, gradual expel force rather than abrupt high friction engagement, and the movable safety shield dynamically adjusts to block or allow needle movement as needed.
3Ease of operation
If the trigger mechanism is easily accessible for quick activation, then ease of operation is improved, but the likelihood of accidental actuation increases
Solution Approach 1:
A safety shield or guard acts as an intermediary between the user's finger and the trigger mechanism. The shield must be deliberately moved or pressed to a specific position to allow trigger activation, providing a secondary confirmation step that prevents accidental firing while maintaining quick access when intentionally activated.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety mechanism requires a preliminary action (such as pressing a safety button or moving a shield to an 'armed' position) before the trigger becomes active. This preliminary step ensures intentional use while allowing rapid subsequent activation once the safety is engaged, balancing accessibility with accident prevention.
4Speed
If the needle remains exposed for quick injection access, then injection speed is improved, but needle exposure and accidental penetration risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is housed in a dynamic shield or guard that can rapidly move between retracted and exposed positions. The shield remains in place during storage and transport to protect the needle, then quickly retracts upon activation to allow immediate injection, and automatically returns to protect the needle after use. This dynamic positioning balances protection with rapid accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle shield is pre-positioned to cover the needle during storage and transport. Upon activation, the shield is quickly moved to expose the needle for injection, and then automatically or manually returned to cover the needle after injection completion. This preliminary protective positioning reduces accidental exposure while maintaining injection readiness.
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 injector provides safe and controlled medicament delivery with reduced risk of accidental firing and needle exposure, ensuring user safety and preventing reuse, while allowing self-administration of medications like naloxone hydrochloride.
Implementation Method 1
a compression spring configured to engage the ram and move the ram from a storage position to an injection position
Implementation Method 2
a biasing element configured to move the needle guard from the storage position to the pre-injection position in response to the cap being detached from the housing
Data Source
AI summary
An injector including: a housing, a cap detachably coupled to the housing, a ram assembly having a ram configured to pressurize a medicament container for expelling a medicament therefrom, the ram assembly including a trigger engagement member, an energy source associated with the ram for powering the ram to expel medicament from the medicament container, a trigger member disposed about an axis, the trigger member moveable between a pre-firing configuration and a firing configuration, wherein medicament is expelled from the medicament container when the trigger member is in the firing configuration, a needle guard moveably coupled to the housing, the needle guard movable between a storage position and a pre-injection position, wherein the needle guard moves from the storage position to the pre-injection position as the cap is detached from the housing.