Portable Drug Mixing Device with Telescoping Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional auto-injectors face challenges in size, making them cumbersome to carry, and have limited shelf-life due to storage in a mixed state, leading to potential ineffectiveness in emergencies.
Innovation Solution
A compact medication mixing and delivery device with a housing containing selectively changeable volume chambers, a mixing actuation mechanism, and a delivery assembly, allowing for separate storage of dry and wet components to mix just before use, enhancing shelf-life and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the device stores medication in a mixed liquid state, then the device is ready for immediate injection, but the shelf-life is reduced and temperature susceptibility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the medication storage into separate compartments: a first chamber for liquid component and a second chamber for dry component. This segmentation allows each component to be stored in its most stable state independently, extending shelf-life while maintaining readiness for immediate mixing and injection when needed.
2Reliability
If the device is made larger to accommodate mixing mechanisms, then the mixing can be more thorough, but the portability and ease of carrying is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a nested structure where the movable body with fluidic channels is positioned within the housing containing both chambers. The mixing mechanism utilizes the existing chamber volumes and movable body structure, nesting functions within compact spatial arrangements to achieve thorough mixing without increasing overall device weight.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the device stores medication in a dry state, then the shelf-life is increased and temperature susceptibility is decreased, but the device requires a mixing mechanism to prepare for injection
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary separation of medication components during manufacturing and storage. The dry component is pre-loaded in the second chamber and the liquid component in the first chamber, with fluidic channels pre-configured. When needed, simply actuating the movable body initiates automatic mixing and preparation for injection, maintaining ease of operation while enabling extended shelf-life storage.
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 device ensures the medication remains effective for longer by storing it in a dry state, reducing temperature susceptibility and increasing the shelf-life, while its compact size makes it easier to carry and use when needed.
Implementation Method 1
The compression chamber can contain a gas and the chamber is configured to vent the gas upon activating the mixing actuation device, wherein the volume of gas contained therein is displaced in part by the dynamic seal
Implementation Method 2
the seal can be provided as a dynamic seal which is configured to flex or translate axially
Implementation Method 3
two independent and directionally opposing springs, wherein one spring is a mixing spring that is coupled to the mixing actuation device and upon triggering the mixing actuation device releases energy from the mixing spring that directs the movable body in a first direction
Implementation Method 4
the other spring is a delivery spring that is coupled to a delivery actuation device and upon triggering the delivery actuation device releases energy that directs the movable body in a second direction
Implementation Method 5
the needle shield assembly having a needle shield and a needle shield spring, the needle shield spring biasing the needle shield in an extended position
Implementation Method 6
displacement of a liquid stored in the first chamber from the first chamber into the second chamber via the fluidic channel
Data Source
AI summary
A telescoping portable drug mixing and delivery device configured to store a dry medication separately from a liquid component, wherein a tensile force applied between the housing and a cap opens a valve and causes displacement of a fluid from a first chamber to a second chamber while simultaneously mixing the fluid with a dry medicament prior to injection. An extendable needle guard is provided over the delivery assembly which prevents premature injection as well as inadvertent sticks or other cross contamination of a needle. The needle guard can also form part of a secondary trigger mechanism which injects the reconstituted drug after the mixing stage is complete.