Toric Lens Protection Window for Insulin Pen Dosage Reading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing injection devices lack an efficient and cost-effective method to accurately read and record insulin doses and types, leading to potential errors in self-administration by patients, particularly in monitoring and tracking insulin usage.
Innovation Solution
A supplemental device is designed to attach to injection devices, featuring a toric or cylindrical lens protection window for correcting pin cushion distortion, combined with an optical sensor and illumination system, allowing for reliable optical character recognition of dosage window information, and an anti-reflective coating for improved imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a standard flat protection window is used with the sensor arrangement, then the device structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but pin cushion distortion occurs in the captured images due to the curved sleeve and distance from the dosage window
Solution Approach 1:
The protection window is designed with a curved surface (spherical or aspherical curvature) instead of a flat surface. This curvature compensates for the pin cushion distortion caused by the curved sleeve and the distance between the sensor and dosage window, thereby improving image quality without adding complex optical elements
Solution Approach 2:
The optical parameters of the protection window are optimized by varying its curvature radius and thickness distribution. This allows the protection window to function both as a protective cover and as an optical element that corrects distortion, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and high image quality
2Manufacturing precision
If the protection window is made completely optically active to correct distortion, then image quality improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protection window is designed with different optical properties in different regions. The central region has optimized curvature for distortion correction, while peripheral regions may have different curvature or thickness. This localized optimization achieves good image quality while simplifying manufacturing compared to a completely complex optical element
Solution Approach 2:
The protection window serves multiple functions simultaneously: it protects the sensor arrangement, provides a sealed enclosure, and corrects optical distortion. By integrating these functions into a single component rather than adding separate elements, manufacturing complexity is reduced while maintaining image quality
3Manufacturing precision
If the sensor arrangement is positioned closer to the dosage window to reduce distortion, then image quality improves, but the device becomes more complex and harder to align
Solution Approach 1:
The curved protection window acts as an intermediary optical element between the sensor and the dosage window. It corrects the distortion caused by the geometric arrangement, allowing the sensor to be positioned at a practical distance from the dosage window while still achieving high image quality, thereby avoiding complex alignment requirements
4Reliability
If no illumination arrangement is provided, then the device structure remains simple, but the optical sensor cannot reliably capture images of the dosage window under various lighting conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination arrangement provides preliminary lighting of the dosage window area before the sensor captures the image. This ensures that sufficient light is available regardless of external lighting conditions, improving the reliability of dose reading while adding minimal structural complexity
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 enables accurate and reliable reading of insulin doses and types, reducing errors in self-administration and enhancing user monitoring capabilities, while maintaining a compact and cost-effective design.
Implementation Method 1
The protection window is configured as a toric lens with an optical power
Implementation Method 2
The protection window may be provided with an anti-reflective coating on at least one surface thereof
Implementation Method 3
The supplemental device may comprise an illumination arrangement comprising one or more sources of light, each of the one or more sources of light being directed at the protection window
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~2a
Figure 2b~2c
AI summary
A supplemental device for attachment to an injection device including a dosage window covering a sleeve on which dose values are marked is provided. The supplemental device comprises: a main body; an arrangement for supporting the main body of the supplemental device in a predetermined positional relationship with the injection device; a transparent protection window located at a surface of the main body that is aligned with the dosage window of the injection pen when in use; and a sensor arrangement supported in the main body and having a sensor directed at the protection window. The protection window has an optical power. The protection window may be a toric lens.