Winged Needle Assembly With Frangible Cap And Anti-Rotation Wings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical needle assemblies lack effective mechanisms for ensuring proper orientation and secure attachment of the needle during phlebotomy, which can lead to inefficiencies and user discomfort, while also requiring improved designs for compatibility with both manual and automated blood collection systems.
Innovation Solution
The medical needle assembly incorporates a hub portion with a raised orientation member and foldable wings, along with a frangible cap portion that allows easy exposure of the beveled tip, ensuring proper alignment and secure handling, and features like anti-rotation mechanisms for the winged attachment piece to prevent unwanted rotation during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a needle cover is designed with a hub portion and wings for secure attachment, then the reliability of needle attachment is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional structural components
Solution Approach 1:
The needle cover is segmented into distinct functional components: a hub portion for attachment to the needle assembly and wings for securing the needle. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub portion serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the needle attachment, serves as an attachment point for the wings, and maintains the structural integrity of the entire needle cover assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
2Manufacturing precision
If a raised orientation member is added to ensure proper needle alignment, then the manufacturing precision of needle insertion is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The raised orientation member is a localized feature on the hub portion that provides precise orientation guidance only where needed for needle insertion. This localized approach ensures manufacturing precision without requiring complex orientation mechanisms throughout the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The raised orientation member is pre-formed as an integral part of the hub portion during manufacturing, establishing the correct needle orientation in advance before use. This preliminary action ensures precise alignment is built into the structure itself, eliminating the need for complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If foldable wings are designed to overlay the orientation member, then the ease of operation during phlebotomy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wings are designed to be foldable rather than fixed, allowing them to move from a flat configuration during assembly to an overlaying configuration during use. This dynamic design improves ease of operation by allowing the wings to adapt to different operational states without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The wings are constructed as thin, flexible structures that can easily fold and overlay the orientation member. This use of flexible thin structures provides the necessary movement and adaptability for ease of operation while maintaining structural integrity, avoiding the need for complex hinges or joints.
4Ease of operation
If the needle cover is made with a frangible cap portion for easy tip exposure, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible cap portion is pre-formed with a controlled break point during manufacturing, establishing the exact location where the cap will separate to expose the needle tip. This preliminary action ensures that the breakage occurs at the precise intended location, meeting manufacturing precision requirements while providing easy tip exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible cap is designed with a predetermined weak point that will break under controlled conditions, cushioning the transition from sealed to exposed state. This pre-planned breakage point ensures clean, precise separation without requiring complex breaking mechanisms or excessive force.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B~2C
AI summary
Medical needle assemblies (76) incorporating a needle cover (80,80a) are provided. According to one aspect, a medical needle assembly includes a hub portion (84,84a) and a pair of outwardly extending wings (106). The hub portion may have a raised orientation member, with the wings being foldable to overlay the raised orientation member and contact the raised orientation member and each other. Alternatively, the hub portion may have an anti-rotation member (206) adapted to cooperate with the wings to limit rotation of the wings with respect to the hub portion.