Wearable Autoinjector Layout for Compact Reliable Drug Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autoinjectors are cumbersome and not easily accessible, leading to non-compliance and potential adverse outcomes in emergency situations, such as anaphylaxis, due to their bulkiness and lack of ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A miniaturized wearable medication administration device with a compact design, integrated quick release mechanism, and rapid injection mechanism, allowing for self-administration of therapeutic agents like epinephrine, with deployment and retraction of the needle occurring within seconds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current autoinjectors are designed with sufficient medication capacity and reliable injection mechanism, then medication administration reliability is improved, but device size and weight increase making them cumbersome and difficult to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the cartridge containing the therapeutic agent inside the needle hub assembly. The cartridge is received within the hollow needle hub, allowing the medication reservoir to be compactly integrated into the injection mechanism rather than requiring a separate bulky container. This nested configuration significantly reduces the overall device volume and weight while maintaining both medication capacity and injection reliability.
2Reliability
If current autoinjectors are designed with sufficient medication capacity and reliable injection mechanism, then medication administration reliability is improved, but device bulkiness increases reducing accessibility and ease of carrying
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is received within the hollow needle hub, creating a nested configuration where the medication reservoir is integrated into the injection mechanism. This eliminates the need for separate bulky components and reduces overall device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functions into integrated components. The needle hub serves both as the injection needle housing and as the receptacle for the cartridge. The piston rod directly connects to the cartridge plunger, combining the actuation mechanism with the medication delivery system. This functional integration reduces device bulkiness while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of operation
If autoinjector design is simplified for ease of use and portability, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity may increase to achieve rapid deployment and retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The retraction spring is pre-loaded in the compressed state during device assembly, storing elastic potential energy ready for rapid needle retraction. The safety tab is pre-positioned to engage with the trigger mechanism, preventing accidental activation while enabling quick intentional deployment. These preliminary preparations allow the device to transition from a simple compact form to an active injection state rapidly, balancing ease of use with the complexity needed for rapid deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is pre-configured with the cartridge loaded into the needle hub and the retraction spring compressed and ready. The safety tab is pre-positioned to control the trigger mechanism. When the user activates the device by removing the safety tab and pressing the trigger, the pre-stored energy and pre-positioned components enable rapid needle deployment and subsequent automatic retraction without requiring complex real-time control during the injection process.
4Speed
If needle deployment and retraction occur rapidly for emergency treatment, then treatment speed is improved, but control over the injection process becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The safety tab is designed to prevent accidental activation by blocking the trigger mechanism. Once removed, it allows rapid deployment through the pre-loaded retraction spring. The trigger mechanism maintains control during activation, and the automatic retraction provides predictable post-injection behavior. This preliminary safety design enables rapid treatment while maintaining user control through the simple safety tab removal and trigger press sequence.
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
Enables easy carrying and immediate self-administration of medications, reducing the risk of non-compliance and ensuring rapid treatment in emergencies by providing a compact, user-friendly autoinjector.
Implementation Method 1
a spring configured to force the piston toward the second end of the housing
Implementation Method 2
when the piston travels along the first cylinder toward the second end of the housing, the piston drives some of the fluid through the channel into the second cylinder, thereby driving the cartridge sealing ring, the cylinder, the needle hub, and the needle toward the first end of the housing
Implementation Method 3
a retraction spring positioned within the second cylinder and configured to force the needle hub toward the second end of the cylinder, thereby causing corresponding motion of the needle toward the second end of the housing and retracting the needle so as to be positioned entirely within the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a housing having a first end, a second end, a first cylinder, a second cylinder parallel to the first cylinder, and a channel connecting the first and second cylinders near the second end. A piston is positioned within the first cylinder. A cartridge containing a therapeutic agent is positioned within the second cylinder. A needle hub containing a needle is positioned within the second cylinder between the cartridge and the first end. A septum is positioned at the first end. A fluid is positioned within the first cylinder. When the device is activated, the piston travels toward the second end, forcing some of the fluid to travel from the first cylinder into the second cylinder, forcing the cartridge toward the first end, causing the needle to penetrate the cartridge and the septum, and causing at least some of the therapeutic agent to extrude through the needle.