Passive Needle Shield Preventing Bending via Hinged Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small gauge needles used for medical purposes are prone to bending and kinking due to non-coaxial insertion forces, and existing safety devices require active user activation, which can be inconvenient and increase discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A passive needle shield with a retraction mechanism and enclosure that guides the needle during insertion, auto-retracts to prevent bending, and locks to prevent reuse, while hiding the needle from view during penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a small gauge needle is used for small dose deliveries, then patient discomfort is minimized, but the needle becomes more prone to bending and kinking during use
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the needle and the injection device. This guide member provides structural support to the small gauge needle during insertion, preventing bending and kinking while allowing the needle to perform its function of minimizing patient discomfort. The guide member acts as a mediator that transfers and stabilizes the insertion force.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection system is divided into separate functional components: the needle, the guide member, and the housing. The guide member is a distinct segment that can be attached to or integrated with the needle, providing support without requiring the needle itself to be thicker or more rigid. This segmentation allows the needle to remain thin for patient comfort while the separate guide member handles the structural support function.
2Reliability
If an active safety mechanism is used, then needle safety can be ensured, but user convenience is reduced due to required manual activation
Solution Approach 1:
The safety mechanism is designed to activate automatically through the natural insertion motion of the needle. As the needle is pushed into the skin, the guide member moves relative to the housing, which automatically triggers the safety lock or shield mechanism. This eliminates the need for the user to manually activate safety features, making the system both safe and convenient.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety mechanism is pre-configured in a ready state before use. The guide member and housing are arranged so that the mere act of inserting the needle automatically engages the safety feature. This preliminary arrangement ensures that safety is activated as a natural consequence of the injection process, without requiring additional user actions.
3Loss of information
If the needle is exposed during insertion, then the injection process is transparent, but patient anxiety increases due to visibility of needle penetration
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible shield or cover made of thin material is used to enclose the needle during insertion. This shield can be transparent or translucent, allowing some visual information to pass through while still blocking the direct view of the needle penetrating the skin. The flexible material conforms to the needle and moves with it, maintaining coverage throughout the insertion process while reducing patient anxiety.
Data Source
AI summary
A passive safety needle shield is provided. The needle shield comprises a base fixed to a proximal end of a needle, and an enclosure housing initially disposed at a distal end of the needle and enclosing the end of the needle. A hinged arm connects the base and the enclosure housing. The enclosure housing is slidable along the needle length, and the hinged arm flexes to permit the enclosure housing to move along the needle as the needle is inserted into a user, thereby hiding the needle end, and providing support to the needle to avoid bends or buckles in the needle. The hinged arm is biases in the initial position so that the enclosure housing returns to the end of the needle as the needle is withdrawn.