Servo-Controlled Needle-Free Injector Pressure Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current needle-free transdermal drug delivery technologies lack control over pressure exerted during injection, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistencies in delivering pharmaceuticals through the skin, particularly due to the dense stratum corneum layer, and face issues like local skin damage and compliance with needle-based methods.
Innovation Solution
A servo-controlled needle-free injector utilizing an electromagnetic actuator with a servo-controller to generate variable pressure profiles, allowing real-time adjustment based on sensed physical properties, enabling precise and repeatable delivery of pharmaceuticals to specific depths in tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If needle-free transdermal transport devices use actuators such as springs or compressed gases, then the device structure is simple, but the pressure exerted on the drug during delivery cannot be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical actuators (springs, compressed gases) with an electromagnetic actuator that uses magnetic fields to generate force. This substitution enables precise electronic control of pressure during injection while maintaining a relatively simple device structure. The electromagnetic actuator allows real-time adjustment of pressure profiles through current input modulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a servo-controller that dynamically adjusts the current input to the electromagnetic actuator based on feedback from sensors. This parameter control mechanism enables the system to vary pressure, flow rate, and injection speed in real-time, providing precise control over the injection process while maintaining device simplicity.
2Reliability
If needle-based injection methods are used, then the delivery effectiveness is high, but local skin damage and risk of infection occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical needle piercing mechanism with an electromagnetic jet injection system. The electromagnetic actuator generates a focused jet of drug solution that penetrates the skin without mechanical contact, eliminating needle-related skin damage, bleeding, and infection risks while maintaining effective drug delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an electromagnetic field as an intermediary between the drug solution and the skin. This intermediary enables non-contact penetration of the stratum corneum barrier through controlled electromagnetic force, avoiding direct mechanical trauma to the skin tissue while achieving effective drug delivery.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If needle-free injection technologies are used, then skin damage is avoided, but the pressure profile during injection cannot be tailored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a closed-loop feedback control system where sensors monitor injection parameters (pressure, flow rate, position) and feed this information to the servo-controller. The servo-controller continuously adjusts the electromagnetic actuator current based on this feedback, enabling real-time tailoring of the pressure profile to achieve optimal injection characteristics while avoiding skin damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic control of the electromagnetic actuator through time-varying current input. The servo-controller can modify the actuator's force output in real-time during injection, enabling dynamic adjustment of pressure profiles to match tissue requirements and optimize drug delivery while minimizing skin trauma.
4Reliability
If high pressure is applied during injection to penetrate stratum corneum, then drug delivery effectiveness is improved, but tissue damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pulsed electromagnetic actuation where the actuator is activated in controlled pulses rather than continuous high pressure. This periodic action allows the skin to recover between pulses while maintaining sufficient pressure during each pulse to penetrate the stratum corneum and deliver drug effectively, reducing cumulative tissue damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic pressure modulation where the electromagnetic actuator adjusts pressure in real-time based on injection phase and tissue response. The servo-controller increases pressure during penetration phases and reduces pressure during delivery phases, optimizing drug delivery effectiveness while minimizing tissue damage through adaptive pressure control.
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 solution provides a high-speed, predictable, and controllable injection process, reducing shear and allowing sufficient time for tissue absorption, while minimizing skin damage and improving compliance by offering precise control over injection pressure and volume.
Implementation Method 1
a needle-free injector including an electromagnetic actuator is capable of generating variable pressure profiles
Implementation Method 2
the current input determining the force and corresponding pressure generated at any given time
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A method for injecting a substance through a biological body surface includes providing a needle-free transdermal transport device configured to inject the substance through the surface. The substance is injected into the biological body with the transport device while a parameter of the injection is sensed and a servo-controller is used to dynamically adjust at least one injection characteristic based on the sensed parameter. The substance is injected for (i) a first time period during which a first portion of a volume of the substance is injected at a first injection pressure, and (ii) a second time period during which a remainder of the volume of the substance is injected at a second injection pressure. A viscosity of the substance may be determined, and a pressure calculated for injecting the substance based on the viscosity. The substance may be injected with the transport device by using the calculated pressure.