Ram-Driven Micro Needle Capsule for Transdermal Fluid Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current micro needle array devices for transporting fluids across or into biological barriers, such as human skin, face challenges in reliably penetrating the stratum corneum layer and efficiently delivering fluids due to the skin's elasticity and molecular size limitations, leading to ineffective drug administration.
Innovation Solution
A system with a ram-based displacement mechanism that moves the micro needle substrate and fluid reservoir in a direction perpendicular to the skin surface, allowing the micro needles to penetrate the skin and then raises pressure within the reservoir to force fluid through the needles in a single operation, enhancing penetration and fluid delivery efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual depression of a hand-operated cover is used to apply force to a piston for fluid transport, then fluid can be forced through micro needles, but the system requires multiple manual operations and complex multi-stage user interaction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the penetration function and fluid transport function into a single integrated ram mechanism. The ram performs both actions sequentially in one user operation: first pushing the micro needle substrate through the skin, then compressing the reservoir to force fluid through the needles. This eliminates the need for separate manual operations required in prior art systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-positions the micro needle substrate and fluid reservoir within the housing before user activation. The ram is pre-loaded and ready to perform both penetration and fluid transport functions immediately upon user operation, eliminating the need for preliminary manual setup or multi-stage user interactions required in conventional systems.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If micro needles are used to penetrate biological barriers, then pain is reduced and self-administration is enabled, but reliable penetration of the stratum corneum layer is not achieved due to skin elasticity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive elastic micro needle approach with an active mechanical ram-driven system. Instead of relying on the micro needles' own mechanical properties to penetrate elastic skin, the system uses a forced mechanical propulsion system that actively drives the needles through the stratum corneum, ensuring reliable penetration while maintaining the pain-free, self-administerable benefits of micro needle technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary positioning and alignment of the micro needle substrate before penetration. The ram mechanism ensures proper orientation and applies concentrated force to achieve reliable penetration of the elastic stratum corneum layer, overcoming the limitation of passive micro needle approaches that cannot reliably penetrate elastic skin surfaces.
3Adaptability or versatility
If hollow micro needles are used for fluid transport, then molecular size limitations of transdermal patches are overcome, but fluid delivery efficiency is reduced without sufficient pressure application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive fluid delivery mechanisms with an active mechanical compression system. The ram directly compresses the reservoir, generating sufficient pressure to force fluid through the hollow micro needles at high efficiency. This mechanical substitution ensures both the molecular size advantages of hollow needles are utilized and adequate pressure is applied for efficient fluid delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic pressure generated by mechanical compression of the fluid reservoir. The ram compresses the reservoir to create high pressure that forces fluid through the hollow micro needles, achieving efficient fluid delivery while maintaining the molecular size transport capabilities that hollow needles provide, overcoming the pressure insufficiency of passive delivery systems.
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 solution enables reliable penetration of the stratum corneum and efficient fluid delivery across or into the biological barrier with a compact, user-friendly design suitable for self-administration and large-scale use, including vaccination and emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
the ram subsequently proceeds to a third ram position thereby deforming the reservoir for raising the pressure inside the reservoir such that the fluid will be transported through the hollow micro needles into the biological barrier substantially all at a time
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system (1) for transporting fluid across or into a biological barrier, the system comprises a device (10) having a housing with at least one abutment surface for abutting the biological barrier. A capsule is to be received in the housing comprising a substrate (21) from which a plurality of hollow micro needles (22) project and a fluid reservoir (26) which can be brought into fluid communication with the micro needles. According to the invention the capsule comprises a fluid dose and the device comprises a ram (12) arranged movably in the housing for pushing the capsule from a first position to a second position. The ram subsequently proceeds to a third ram position thereby deforming the reservoir for raising the pressure inside the reservoir such that the fluid dose will be transported through the hollow micro needles across or into the biological barrier.