Pivotable Hood Needle Cover with Automatic Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective covers for disposable injection needles are prone to causing puncture wounds due to their narrow design and do not effectively prevent re-use, which can lead to infections and tissue damage as users often miss the needle tip and reuse used needles.
Innovation Solution
A protective needle cover with a pivotably connected hood that automatically locks in a raised position, deforming the needle to prevent re-use, manufactured in one piece with a plastic base and hinges, allowing safe handling without exposing the hand to the needle tip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a narrow protective sleeve is used to cover the needle, then the device complexity is reduced, but the risk of puncture wounds increases because users easily miss the needle tip
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into two functional parts: a hood that covers the needle tip and a base that attaches to the syringe. This segmentation allows the hood to be positioned optimally for protection while maintaining simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover transitions from a static sleeve to a dynamic structure that can pivot between covered and exposed positions. This adds a rotational dimension to the protective mechanism, allowing users to safely expose the needle for injection while maintaining protection during handling.
2Ease of operation
If a protective cover is designed to be easily removable, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ability to prevent needle re-use is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hood includes an integrated needle deformant that automatically deforms the needle when the hood is raised. This preliminary action occurs at the moment of first use, preventing any possibility of re-use while requiring minimal effort from the user to activate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs the needle deformation automatically through the mechanical action of raising the hood. The deformant element self-activates when the hood pivots into the raised position, eliminating the need for separate user actions to disable the needle.
3Reliability
If the protective hood is made to automatically lock in raised position, then the reliability of preventing re-use is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A simple hinge connection serves as the intermediary mechanism between the hood and base. This hinge provides both the pivoting motion for hood activation and the automatic locking function through its mechanical design, avoiding complex locking systems while ensuring reliable one-time use.
4Ease of operation
If the hood is designed to be raised with one hand, then the ease of operation is improved, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The hood is designed with a curved, ergonomic shape that naturally guides the user's finger or thumb for easy grasping and raising. This curvature provides mechanical leverage while maintaining structural integrity, allowing single-hand operation without compromising stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A protective cover (4) to be used with disposable injection needles (1), such as those used for injection of insulin, which injection needles comprise a base (3) and a needle (2) fastened in the base, said protective cover comprising a hood (9) pivotably fastened on the base, said hood (9) being arranged to be pivotable, with the one and the same hand that holds a syringe on which the injection needle is arranged, between an inactive position at the side of the needle (2) of the injection needle and an active position in front of the needle (2) seen in the longitudinal direction of the needle.