Spring-Actuated Lancet Device for Safe Blood Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a medical puncturing device that is easy to use, ensures sterility before use, and provides safe and secure disposal after use, while being simple, inexpensive, and disposable for collecting blood samples.
Innovation Solution
A lancet device with a housing, a shield, and a puncturing element that uses a drive spring for axial movement between initial and puncturing positions, featuring an actuator that releases the spring for automatic puncture activation, ensuring safe and single-use functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a manual needle or blade is used for puncture, then the device is simple and inexpensive, but it is difficult for users to manipulate and may cause psychological distress
Solution Approach 1:
The lancet device is designed to be self-actuating through a spring mechanism that automatically deploys the lancet when the device is activated. The user simply presses a button or releases a latch, and the spring automatically propels the lancet through the skin, eliminating the need for manual stabbing motion and reducing user effort and psychological distress.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-compressed during device assembly or prior to use, storing potential energy ready for activation. This preliminary action allows the device to deliver a rapid, forceful puncture motion without requiring the user to manually apply force during the actual puncture moment.
2Reliability
If the lancet device is designed for reuse, then it reduces cost, but it increases the risk of disease transmission and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The lancet device is designed as a single-use, disposable unit. The entire device or at least the lancet component is discarded after one use, eliminating any risk of cross-contamination or disease transmission between patients. This is achieved by making the device inexpensive enough to justify single-use disposal while ensuring sterility through packaging and design.
Solution Approach 2:
The device can be segmented into reusable and disposable components. The housing or mechanism may be reusable while the lancet itself is disposable, or the entire assembly is designed as a single disposable unit. This segmentation allows flexibility in balancing cost, sterility, and environmental considerations.
3Ease of operation
If the lancet is kept exposed for easy access, then the device is easy to use, but the lancet may contaminate the surrounding environment before use
Solution Approach 1:
The lancet is nested within a protective housing or sheath that shields it from environmental contamination before use. The lancet is stored in a sterile state inside the device body, and only deploys outward when the device is activated. This nested configuration maintains sterility while keeping the lancet ready for immediate use upon activation.
Solution Approach 2:
A protective sheath or housing acts as an intermediary barrier between the lancet and the external environment. This intermediary structure maintains the lancet in a sterile state during storage and transport, and only allows the lancet to contact the patient's skin when deliberately activated, preventing premature contamination.
4Ease of operation
If a spring mechanism is added for automatic puncture, then the ease of operation improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex spring mechanism and lancet deployment system can be extracted as a separate, pre-assembled module that is simply inserted into the housing. This modular extraction reduces the complexity of the overall assembly process and allows the spring mechanism to be manufactured and tested independently before final integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism, lancet, and housing are combined into an integrated, single-unit device that is manufactured as one piece or pre-assembled together. This merging eliminates the need for multiple separate components and assembly steps, reducing overall device complexity despite the added functionality of automatic activation.
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 device facilitates easy and sterile blood sampling with automatic puncture activation, ensuring safety and secure disposal, addressing the challenges of user manipulation, sterility, and cost-effectiveness in medical settings.
Implementation Method 1
A drive spring is disposed between a rearward end of the housing and the lancet for biasing the lancet to the puncturing position
Data Source
AI summary
The lancet device includes a housing and a lancet having a puncturing element. The lancet is disposed within the housing and is adapted for axial movement between an initial or pre-actuated position wherein the puncturing element is retained within the housing, and a puncturing position wherein the puncturing element extends through a forward opening in the housing. The lancet device includes a drive spring disposed within the housing for biasing the lancet toward the puncturing position, and a retraction or return spring for returning the lancet to a position within the housing where the puncturing element is disposed within the housing. The retraction spring thereafter maintains engagement with the lancet to assist in preventing the puncturing element from again projecting outward from the forward opening in the housing.