Needleless Injection Membrane with Segmented Particle Openers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle-free injection devices struggle to effectively penetrate the skin with smaller particles at high impact speeds without causing pain, as they rely solely on smaller particles that cannot penetrate deeply enough.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a membrane with a particle application that includes larger particles, which act as openers to create capillary-like openings in the skin, allowing smaller particles to penetrate deeply and facilitating pain-free injection by using a pyrotechnic drive to accelerate particles up to 650 m/s, with the larger particles being at least 2-20 times larger than the smaller ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If smaller particles are used for needle-free injection, then pain is minimized, but penetration depth is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The particle population is segmented into two distinct size classes: larger particles (10-100 μm) that act as penetration openers and smaller particles (<10 μm) that provide pain-free delivery. This segmentation allows each particle type to fulfill its specific function - the larger particles create pathways while the smaller particles deliver the active ingredient without stimulating pain receptors.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the particle population are assigned different functions based on their size. The larger particles are specifically designed for penetration and opening functions, while the smaller particles are optimized for pain-free delivery. This local differentiation of particle properties enables simultaneous achievement of deep penetration and pain minimization.
2Length of moving object
If higher impact velocity is used to increase penetration, then penetration depth improves, but pain increases
Solution Approach 1:
The particle population is segmented by size, with larger particles bearing the brunt of the high-impact velocity for penetration, while smaller particles follow at lower effective velocity. This segmentation allows high impact velocity to achieve deep penetration through the larger particles without the smaller particles causing pain.
Solution Approach 2:
The larger particles serve as intermediary elements that facilitate the penetration process. They create capillary-like openings and channels through the skin barrier, enabling the smaller particles to follow through with minimal resistance and without stimulating pain receptors.
3Manufacturing precision
If smaller particles are used for injection, then delivery precision is improved, but penetration capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The particle system is segmented into functional classes: larger particles (10-100 μm) provide penetration capability by creating openings in the skin barrier, while smaller particles (<10 μm) ensure precise delivery of the active ingredient. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning different functional roles to different particle sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The larger particles perform preliminary action by creating penetration pathways and capillary-like openings in the skin before the smaller particles arrive. This preliminary opening action enables the smaller particles to penetrate deeply with high delivery precision without encountering resistance that would cause pain.
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 approach enables deep penetration of smaller particles into the skin, creating a large surface area and utilizing capillary forces for effective delivery, while minimizing pain by using larger particles that decompose after penetration, achieving efficient delivery of substances with a flight distance of at least 5 mm.
Implementation Method 1
a pyrotechnic drive, which is used, for example, to actuate a piston and thus creates the expulsion of an active ingredient from a cannula
Implementation Method 2
the released energy is used to transfer momentum to a membrane, thereby accelerating a membrane-bound adsorbed substance sufficiently high in the direction of the tissue
Implementation Method 3
the function of one or more larger particles being to penetrate the skin or body through an opening, to penetrate as deeply as desired
Implementation Method 4
creating a correspondingly deep effective surface for the subsequent smaller particles to act on for dusting, thus advantageously facilitating the penetration and infiltration of the smaller particles
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a needle-free injection device comprising at least one membrane, or to a corresponding device for injecting a substance without using a needle, said device comprising at least one membrane and allowing a powered, gel-type or liquid substance, in particular an active substance, to be injected into a tissue or body at a high impact speed without using a needle. The invention further relates to a method associated with a needle-free injection device of said type comprising a membrane as well as to the use of said method.