Spring-Assisted Needle Cap for Medicament Injection Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medicament injection devices, particularly those using cartridges, pose challenges for patients with limited dexterity or coordination due to the additional step required for needle attachment, which can compromise sterility and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A medicament injection device featuring a main body with a medicament cartridge holder and a needle holder that is axially movable, activated by a rotatable cap with pre-stressed springs, allowing automatic needle insertion into the cartridge upon cap rotation, eliminating the need for direct needle handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a cartridge is used instead of a syringe, then handling and storage advantages are provided, but an additional needle attachment step is required that complicates operation for patients with limited dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the needle holder and cartridge holder into a single integrated assembly where the needle is pre-mounted on the cartridge. This merging eliminates the separate needle attachment step while maintaining the cartridge's handling and storage advantages, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If the needle is kept separate from the medicament until injection, then sterility is maintained, but an additional attachment step is required that reduces ease of use
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is pre-attached to the cartridge in a sterile manner during manufacturing, and the entire assembly is then sterilized together. This preliminary action maintains sterility while eliminating the need for a separate attachment step at the point of use, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a double-ended needle is used with a cartridge, then injection is enabled, but patients with poor coordination or lost sensation find the attachment step problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed so that the needle is already attached to the cartridge, making the device self-sufficient and eliminating the need for the patient to perform the attachment step. This self-service design maintains injection capability while removing the operation step that is problematic for patients with limited dexterity or coordination.
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 ensures the needle remains separate from the medicament until injection, simplifying the process for users and maintaining sterility, thereby improving usability and safety for patients with dexterity issues.
Implementation Method 1
the cap comprises a first pre-stressed spring coupled to the needle holder, and at least one activation element and wherein the first pre-stressed spring is attached at a proximal end thereof to a plate, and wherein rotation of the cap from a first position in which the activation element is in blocking engagement with the plate to a second position in which the activation element is out of blocking engagement with the plate causes the plate and the first pre-stressed spring to be released, thereby causing the plate to push the needle holder towards a proximal end of the device
Implementation Method 2
The device further comprises a second pre-stressed spring arranged to be released in response to rotation of the cap subsequent to release of the first pre-stressed spring, thereby causing the cap to move axially away from the main body in a distal direction.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~3B
Figure 4A~5B
AI summary
A medicament injection device comprising: a main body; a medicament cartridge holder fixed with respect to the main body, wherein themedicament cartridge holder is configured to hold a medicament cartridge; a needle carrier carrying a needle, wherein the needle carrier is axially movable with respect to the main body; and a rotatable cap at a distal end of the device, wherein the cap comprises a first pre-stressed spring coupled to the needle carrier, wherein the cap is arranged so that rotational movement thereof causes release of the first pre-stressed spring thereby causing the needle carrier to move axially towards a proximal end of the device.