Retractable Needle Assembly for Sterile Multi-Cartridge Drug Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional injection devices face challenges in maintaining needle sterility, ensuring safe and efficient drug administration without a medical professional, and addressing patient discomfort with needle visibility or handling.
Innovation Solution
A needle assembly with extendable and retractable needles that fluidly couple when extended and decouple when retracted, allowing for safe drug delivery with a mechanism that includes a housing, first and second needles, and fluid couplers to facilitate medication transfer through a patient's skin and a drug cartridge septum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a traditional injection system with separate needle and cartridge is used, then the system is flexible for different administrations, but the alignment between needle and cartridge is imprecise leading to leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the needle and cartridge into a single integrated injection system where the needle is pre-aligned with the cartridge at fixed spacing. This merging eliminates the alignment issues between separate components while maintaining the functional benefits of both needle and cartridge structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated needle assembly is designed to work with multiple cartridge types (insulin cartridges, glucagon cartridges,笔式注射器 cartridges) while maintaining precise alignment. The universal design allows the same needle assembly to accommodate different cartridge configurations without compromising alignment precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed needle assembly is used, then the alignment is precise, but the system cannot accommodate different cartridge configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The needle assembly incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the needle position to be adjusted relative to the cartridge while maintaining precise alignment during injection. The system can adapt to different cartridge configurations through controlled movement or adjustment of the needle assembly position.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual alignment is used during assembly, then the system remains simple, but the alignment precision is insufficient leading to leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The needle and cartridge are pre-aligned during the manufacturing process with precise spacing and orientation established before final assembly. This preliminary alignment action ensures that when the components are assembled, they are already in the correct positional relationship, eliminating the need for complex manual alignment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces alignment features such as guide rails, positioning pins, or keyed interfaces that act as intermediaries to automatically establish the correct alignment between needle and cartridge during assembly. These intermediary elements ensure precise alignment without requiring complex manual adjustment procedures.
Data Source
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AI summary
A needle assembly configured to be part of a drug delivery device comprises a plurality of extendable and retractable needles. The needles are fluidly coupled when extended, and fluidly decoupled when retracted. When the needles are extended, a first needle pierces a patient's skin, and a second needle pierces a septum of a drug cartridge to deliver a medication. Once the medication has been delivered, the needles may then retract within a needle assembly housing. The needle assembly may also be part of a partially disposable drug delivery device and may be used with multiple different drug cartridges. Multiple embodiments of the needle assembly are disclosed.