Needleless Injection Device Angular Stopper Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needleless injection devices suffer from misalignment issues between the stopper and cover, leading to visual defects and limited usability due to the notched ring design that restricts the cap's opening direction, making them less adaptable for various users.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a radially interposed blocking element, such as an elastically-deformable elastomer ring, between the cap and stopper to block pivotal movement by friction, allowing for accurate angular positioning and alignment, enabling the cap to be mounted at infinite angular positions and ensuring the stopper is aligned with the cover in its closed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a notched ring design is used to limit the number of angular positions between the stopper and cap, then the cap can be securely locked in specific positions, but the stopper and cover become misaligned creating visual defects and limiting usability
Solution Approach 1:
A blocking element is introduced as an intermediary component between the cap and stopper. This blocking element prevents the cap from rotating relative to the stopper, thereby maintaining alignment between the stopper and cover while still allowing the stopper to be locked in its closed position. The blocking element acts as a mediator that resolves the conflict between locking reliability and alignment precision.
2Device complexity
If a notched ring design is used to enable only one direction of opening for the stopper, then the locking mechanism is simplified, but the injection device becomes poorly adapted to various users
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking element is designed to allow dynamic rotation of the cap relative to the stopper during the opening operation, while maintaining a fixed relationship between the stopper and cover. This enables the stopper to be opened in either direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) depending on user preference, thereby increasing user adaptability while keeping the locking mechanism relatively simple.
3Ease of operation
If the stopper is pivotally mounted between closed and open positions, then the device operates smoothly, but misalignment between stopper and cover occurs creating visual defects
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking element serves as a mediator that maintains accurate angular positioning between the cap and stopper during pivotal movement. It ensures that when the stopper is in its closed position, it remains precisely aligned with the cover, eliminating visual defects while allowing smooth pivotal operation between closed and open positions.
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 solution provides a secure and user-friendly mechanism that allows the cap and stopper to be accurately positioned, preventing misalignment and enabling bidirectional pivotal movement, thus enhancing the device's usability and alignment with the cover.
Implementation Method 1
The blocking element is designed to block, by friction, the relative pivoting of the cap and of the stopper, about the injection axis, during the pivotal driving of the stopper
Implementation Method 2
In another form, the blocking element is made of an elastically-deformable material
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed towards a needleless injection device that includes a body, a gas generator, an injection system that extends axially along an injection axis and includes at least one plunger, an active ingredient reservoir, an injection nozzle that delimits at least one injection channel, a cover that houses the body of the device, a removable cap that protects a lower downstream end of the injection nozzle, a stopper that houses the cap, and a blocking element. The stopper is pivotally mounted about the injection axis between a closed position in which the stopper is locked on the injection device and an open position in which the stopper is unlocked from the injection device. The blocking element is radially interposed between the cap and the stopper, and is configured to block, by friction, the relative pivoting of the cap and of the stopper, about the injection axis.