Syringe-Vial Coupler With Cap Release for Secure Drug Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies have not adequately addressed the complexity in manufacturing and usability in couplers for connecting a vial and a syringe, leading to complications in design, material selection, and operation difficulty.
Innovation Solution
A coupler with a syringe attachment part, vial attachment part, and a double-ended needle, featuring a cap holder with a holding mechanism and release mechanism, allowing for simple engagement and disengagement without complex thread structures, and a cap retaining mechanism to prevent accidental contact with the drug.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If male and female threads are used to connect syringe and coupler, then the syringe can be securely connected, but the shape and material selection become limited and manufacturing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is divided into separate components: a male thread on the syringe, a female thread on the coupler, and a double-ended needle as an independent element. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately with optimized shapes and materials, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining secure connection through thread engagement.
2Reliability
If grooves and detachment prevention means are added to prevent inadvertent detachment, then the connection becomes more secure, but the shape becomes complicated and manufacturing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The detachment prevention function is extracted from the main body of the syringe and coupler and implemented through the engagement between the male and female threads themselves. The threaded connection inherently provides mechanical interlocking that prevents inadvertent detachment, eliminating the need for additional grooves or protrusion structures and simplifying the overall design.
3Reliability
If rotation operation is required to detach syringe, then secure connection is achieved, but the operation becomes difficult to perform quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system transitions from a static threaded connection to a dynamic engagement mechanism. The double-ended needle with its specific geometry engages with the threaded connection and allows for quick release through a simple pulling motion, converting the detachment operation from requiring rotation to requiring only linear movement, thus improving operation speed while maintaining connection security during use.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A coupler 10 comprises: a syringe attachment part 18 to which a syringe 12 including a nozzle part 86 having a lock collar 94 is detachably attached; a vial attachment part 20 to which a vial 14 is attached; and a double-ended needle 22 for placing the syringe 12 and the vial 14 in communication. In the coupler: a cap 102 which covers the nozzle part 86 of the syringe 12 is attached to a cap holder 104 having an engaging part 126 for engagement with the lock collar 94; a holding mechanism 143 is provided which holds an engaged state of the engaging part 126 with the lock collar 94; and a release mechanism 152 is provided which releases holding of the engaged state of the engaging part 126 with the lock collar 94 in the holding mechanism 143 due to the syringe 12 and the vial 14 being moved relatively closer to each other to be placed in communication by the double-ended needle 22.