Safety Needle Protective Pack Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passive safety needles often activate their safety mechanisms when used to fill syringes, rendering them unusable for patient injections, leading to the need for frequent needle replacements, which is costly and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A safety needle accessory with a protective pack that temporarily blocks the initial movement of the sliding sleeve, allowing the needle tip to be exposed for syringe filling while preventing accidental activation, and features a removable cap to expose the needle tip without activating the safety mechanism, utilizing an elastically deformable member to ensure safe retraction after use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a passive safety needle is used to fill a syringe from a vial, then the safety mechanism activates and covers the needle tip, but the needle becomes unusable for patient injection requiring replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The protective pack is divided into two parts: a removable cap that can be taken off to expose the needle tip for filling operations, and a remaining protective portion that stays on during injection to prevent safety mechanism activation. This segmentation allows the needle to serve dual purposes without triggering the safety mechanism inappropriately.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable cap is designed to be removed before the filling operation, preliminarily exposing the needle tip only when needed. This preliminary action prevents the sleeve from contacting the vial seal during filling, avoiding premature safety mechanism activation while maintaining protection during storage and transport.
2Ease of operation
If the needle tip is exposed for syringe filling, then filling operation can be performed, but the needle tip is vulnerable to contamination or injury
Solution Approach 1:
The removable cap is preliminarily in place to protect the needle tip during storage and handling. It is removed only when filling is required, providing protection before the harmful action (exposure to contamination) occurs. After filling, the cap can be replaced to restore protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable cap acts as an intermediary protective element between the needle tip and the external environment during filling operations. It allows controlled exposure when needed while maintaining barrier protection during non-use, mediating between the need for accessibility and the need for protection.
3Reliability
If the protective pack completely covers the needle, then the needle is fully protected, but the needle tip cannot be exposed for injection
Solution Approach 1:
The protective pack is segmented into a removable cap portion and a fixed protective portion. The removable cap can be taken off to expose the needle tip for injection, while the fixed portion remains to provide continued protection during the injection process and prevent safety mechanism activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective pack transitions from a static completely-covered state to a dynamic state where the cap can be removed and reattached. This dynamic design allows the system to switch between fully protected mode and exposed mode as needed, providing both protection and accessibility at different times in the operational sequence.
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
Enables safe and cost-effective use of passive safety needles for both syringe filling and patient injections by preventing premature activation of the safety mechanism, reducing needle wastage and maintaining user safety.
Implementation Method 1
the deformable member is deformed by the sleeve sliding from the first to the second position and the force for sliding from the second to the third position is provided by the stored elastic energy in the deformable member
Data Source
Figure 1~1c
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention provides a safety needle accessory comprising a hollow needle (5) , a hub (2) surrounding the base, end of the needle (7) , a sleeve (3) surrounding the hub and slidable relative to the hub in an axial direction, an elastically deformable member (20), and a pack (6) having a closed end covering the sharp end of the needle and an open end exposing the connector of the hub and which is releasably mounted over the needle, hub and sleeve. The sleeve is slidable in a first axial direction from a first position in which the needle is fully or partially covered by the sleeve to a second position in which the needle is exposed. The deformable member is deformed by the sleeve sliding from the first to the second position and the force for sliding from the second to the third position is provided by the stored elastic energy in the deformable member.