Syringe Needle Shield With Deformable Tab and Stop Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective devices for syringe needle tubes face challenges in ensuring secure containment after use, particularly during automated assembly, and are prone to unintentional or deliberate misuse leading to needle exposure risks.
Innovation Solution
A protective device with a deformable tab and a stop mechanism, combined with guide elements, ensures the needle tube is securely locked within the cover after use by allowing it to deform and engage behind the tab, preventing escape through the interaction of the tab and stop, and guided by elements to prevent movement below the stop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tab is used to retain the needle tube in the cover, then the needle tube can be securely held after injection, but the tab may collide with the needle tube during automated assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The tab is pre-configured with a specific geometric shape (angled relative to the pivot plane) that enables it to deform elastically during assembly and then lock the needle tube in place. This preliminary configuration allows the tab to perform both the assembly function (deforming to allow insertion) and the retention function (locking after insertion) without requiring separate operations
Solution Approach 2:
The tab's physical state changes from a deformed state during assembly to a locked state after retention. The elastic deformation allows the tab to move out of the needle tube's path during assembly, then return to its original position to secure the needle tube, thus resolving the contradiction between allowing assembly and preventing accidental release
2Ease of operation
If the cover is made open on one side to allow needle tube entry and exit, then the needle tube can be released for injection and re-entered for protection, but the needle tube may unintentionally protrude from the cover
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining device (tab and stop combination) is designed to preemptively counteract any force that might cause the needle tube to protrude from the cover. The tab engages behind the needle tube while the stop prevents the tab from deforming in the wrong direction, creating a preliminary barrier against accidental exposure before it can occur
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed to be pivotable relative to the base, allowing dynamic movement between protective and working positions. The retaining device works in conjunction with this dynamic movement, enabling controlled entry and exit of the needle tube while preventing unintended protrusion during any position in the pivot range
3Reliability
If a stop is added to prevent tab deformation in the wrong direction, then the needle tube cannot exit the safety area, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stop is integrated directly into the cover wall structure rather than being a separate component. This merging of the stop function into the existing cover geometry adds the necessary constraint against wrong-direction tab deformation without significantly increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The tab is designed as a flexible elastic element that can deform during assembly and operation. This flexibility allows the tab to adapt to the needle tube during insertion while the stop provides the necessary rigid constraint to prevent erroneous deformation, combining flexible and rigid elements efficiently
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 provides high security against unintentional or deliberate needle tube release, facilitates easy assembly without collisions, and accommodates various needle diameters, including thin ones, ensuring reliable containment and user safety.
Implementation Method 1
The tab is elastic enough that the needle tube can deform the tabs, thereby displacing them and thus engaging behind them
Implementation Method 2
The stop is located opposite the tab on the inner surface of the cover. Its wall is designed and configured so that, in the event of deformation by the needle tube, the tab strikes a lower stop surface of the stop in a second direction opposite to the first, thereby preventing further deformation of the tab
Implementation Method 3
The at least one guide element is associated with the stop and is designed to guide the needle tube located within the safety zone in such a way that, after entering the safety zone, the needle tube is prevented from remaining below the stop's contact surface
Implementation Method 4
The base and cover typically connected by a foil hinge. The cover is pivotable relative to the base, with the base and cover typically connected by a foil hinge
Implementation Method 5
The needle tube is typically bonded centrally into a recess in the needle carrier, forming a force-transmitting connection between the needle tube and the needle carrier
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a protective device (1) for a needle tube (2) of a syringe, comprising a base (3) and a cover (4) connected to the base (3), wherein the cover (4) is pivotably mounted on the base (3) such that the cover (4) can be moved within a pivot plane (8) from a starting position relative to the base (3) in a first pivoting direction into a usage position and then in a second pivoting direction opposite the first pivoting direction into a protective position, wherein the cover (4) has, in the interior (6), a holding apparatus (9) by means of which the needle tube (2) can be interlockingly latched when the cover (4) is moved into the protective position. In order to provide a protective device which can be particularly easily placed on a needle carrier in an automated manner and at the same time offers a high degree of safety, preventing the needle tube from accidentally exiting the cover after the needle tube has been used for injection, according to the invention the holding apparatus (9) has a deformable tab (10), a stop (11) allocated to the tab (10) and at least one guide element (12, 13), wherein the stop (11) is designed such that the tab (10) can strike a stop surface (34) of the stop (11), wherein the guide element (12, 13) is allocated to the stop (11) and is designed to guide the needle tube (2).