Needle Safety Shield Locking for Unintended Opening Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for medical needles are prone to unintentional opening or disassembly, compromising sterility and safety during transportation and use, and are not conveniently mountable on medical devices.
Innovation Solution
A safety device with a translation locking unit and a rotation locking unit that requires a predetermined force to deactivate, ensuring the shield remains closed until intended use, featuring a ring, shield, and protective cap with specific protrusions and projections for secure engagement and disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple friction-based protective cap is used, then the device is easy to manufacture and operate, but the reliability is poor due to risk of unexpected opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the protective cap from a static friction-based retention system to a dynamic locking system where the retention parameter changes from passive friction to active mechanical interlocking. The cap includes protrusions that engage with corresponding features on the shield, creating a locked state that prevents unintended opening while maintaining ease of operation through deliberate user action.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety device is pre-assembled in a locked configuration before use, with the protective cap already engaged to the shield through the locking mechanism. This preliminary assembly ensures that the device is ready for immediate use with guaranteed protection, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and ensuring consistent locking engagement from the start.
2Ease of operation
If the safety device is assembled before mounting on medical device, then the transportation and handling are convenient, but the risk of disassembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device is designed to be pre-assembled in a locked configuration before mounting on the medical device. The protective cap is already engaged to the shield through the locking mechanism, creating a stable, transport-ready unit. The locking mechanism maintains this pre-assembled state during transportation, preventing accidental disassembly while allowing convenient handling as a complete unit.
3Reliability
If a robust locking mechanism is implemented, then the reliability improves, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to complex activation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the locking function from the opening action. The locking mechanism remains engaged during normal handling and transportation, but the user can easily activate the opening sequence by pulling the protective cap, which extracts or disengages the locking elements. This allows the locking mechanism to provide robust security while maintaining simple operation through a single pulling motion that simultaneously activates both the unlocking and opening actions.
Data Source
AI summary
A standalone safety device for a needle of a medical device A safety device for a needle of a medical device, the safety device including: a ring fixed with regard to the needle, a shield mounted on the ring by a pivot link, a protective cap covering at least partially the needle in an initial configuration, a translation locking unit adapted to prevent a translation movement of the protective cap, and a rotation locking unit adapted to prevent a rotation movement of the shield with regard to the ring. The translation locking unit is configured to be disengaged by the application of a predetermined translation force on the protective cap. The rotation locking unit is configured to be disengaged during a portion of the translation movement of the protective cap with regard to the shield.