Medical Needle Protector with Inclined Surface for One-Handed Detachment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing medical needle assemblies require re-gripping to detach the protector, which hinders immediate puncture readiness, especially when the protector is detached by placing the thumb on the side surface, necessitating a change in holding position.
Innovation Solution
A protector design with an inclined surface at its proximal end, allowing one-handed detachment by pressing it radially towards the center, converting the pressing force into a forward motion to release the fitted state, enabling the protector to be detached without re-gripping the medical needle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protector is engaged with the medical needle using a conventional structure, then the protector is securely held during transport, but it requires two hands to detach the protector for puncture
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement structure transitions from a static locked state during transport to a dynamic release state during use. The inclined surface allows the protector to move from an engaged position to a detached position through rotational motion, enabling easy one-handed operation while maintaining secure engagement during transport.
2Ease of operation
If the thumb is placed on the side surface of the needle cap for detachment, then the protector can be removed, but re-gripping is required to perform puncture
Solution Approach 1:
The detachment motion and the puncture-ready gripping position are merged into a continuous action. The rotational motion that detaches the protector simultaneously positions the thumb in the optimal gripping location for immediate puncture, eliminating the need for re-gripping and reducing time loss.
3Ease of operation
If the inclined surface converts rotational force to axial force, then the protector moves forward to release engagement, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement structure is segmented into distinct functional elements: the inclined surface for force conversion, the engagement protrusion for locking, and the rotational interface for operation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
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 design enhances operability by allowing immediate puncture readiness without re-gripping the medical needle, improving efficiency and precision by maintaining the holding position during the transition from protector detachment to puncture.
Implementation Method 1
an inclined surface provided at a proximal end portion of the protector so as to be externally exposed in a state in which the protector is attached to the medical needle, the inclined surface lowering in a direction opposite to a direction from the proximal end portion toward a distal end portion of the protector, in which when the inclined surface of the protector is pressed toward a center of the protector in a radial direction, the protector is moved forward
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a protector that is detachable with one hand and that eliminates the need of re-gripping a medical needle to perform puncture; and a medical needle assembly constituted by a combination of the protector and a medical needle.A protector 1 is a protector that is detachably fitted and attached to a medical needle 2. When a proximal end portion of the protector 1 is pressed in a state in which the protector 1 is attached to the medical needle 2, the fitted state thereof is thereby released, and the protector 1 is detached from the medical needle 2.