Safety Needle With Locking Cap Prevents Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safety needles fail to completely prevent needle exposure during transport and use, and it is difficult to determine if a needle has been used, leading to potential reuse.
Innovation Solution
A safety needle design featuring a needle base with a needle connection segment, a barrel connection segment, and a housing, along with a safety cap that includes a resilient member and guiding blocks, allowing the needle to be enclosed and preventing reuse by locking the needle cap after use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an outer cap is mounted around the puncture needle to provide protection, then the needle is protected during transport, but the needle cannot be completely prevented from being exposed during use and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The needle cap is designed to be movable along the puncture needle, transitioning from a retracted state during injection to an extended state that covers the needle after use. This dynamic structure allows the cap to automatically provide protection at the appropriate time without interfering with the injection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient member is pre-loaded in a compressed state between the needle cap and the needle base, storing elastic potential energy. When the needle cap is pushed forward after injection, the resilient member automatically propels the cap to cover the needle, eliminating the need for manual operation and ensuring reliable protection.
2Device complexity
If a conventional safety needle design is used, then the structure is simple, but it is difficult to recognize whether the needle has been used
Solution Approach 1:
The needle cap incorporates a visible indicator that changes position or appearance based on the usage state. When the cap is pushed forward to cover the needle after use, the indicator provides a clear visual signal that the needle has been used, preventing accidental reuse without requiring complex electronic or mechanical indicators.
3Ease of operation
If the needle cap can be freely moved during injection, then the injection process is smooth, but the needle cannot be prevented from being reused after use
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning structure provides different constraints at different stages: during injection, the needle cap is free to move along the needle for smooth operation; after injection, when the cap is pushed forward, the positioning structure engages to lock the cap in place, preventing any further movement and thus preventing reuse.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning structure is designed to automatically engage and lock the needle cap in the post-injection state, creating a mechanical barrier that prevents the cap from being moved back to expose the needle. This preliminary locking action ensures that even if someone attempts to reuse the needle, the structure physically prevents it.
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 design ensures the needle remains enclosed during transport and use, allowing easy identification of used needles by locking the needle cap, preventing accidental reuse and enhancing safety.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member... having a rear end connected with the abutting segment of the housing... The resilient member is compressed during injection and then pushes the needle cap forward to enclose the puncture needle after use
Data Source
AI summary
A safety needle has a needle base, a puncture needle, and a safety cap. The puncture needle is inserted into a front end of a needle connection segment of the needle base. The safety cap is combined with a front end of the needle base. The safety cap has a needle cap and a resilient member mounted in the needle base. The needle cap is mounted around the puncture needle. Guiding blocks formed on the rear end of the needle cap are mounted respectively in positioning recesses in a housing of the needle base. The needle cap and an outer cap are mounted around the puncture needle, and the puncture needle can be kept from exposure. The needle cap can be locked with the positioning recesses, and the safety needle cannot be reused and can be distinguished as a used needle.