Worm-Driven Syringe Dosing for Precise BPH Injection Volumes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for enlarged prostate (BPH) face challenges in delivering small doses of viscous compositions with high accuracy and precision, as conventional needle-syringes lack precise volumetric control and are prone to backpressure, leading to inaccurate dosing.
Innovation Solution
A dose delivery device with a housing, actuation member, worm gear, and pinion gear system that allows for precise dispensing of unit volumes with a one-way transmission, ensuring accurate and resistant delivery of small volumes without backpressure interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional needle-syringes are used to deliver small unit volumes, then the device complexity is low, but the volumetric accuracy and precision deteriorate due to backpressure and lack of control
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the syringe into two separate portions: a barrel portion held in the holder and a plunger portion engaged by the arm. This segmentation allows independent control of the plunger movement through the gear system, enabling precise volumetric delivery without the complexity of a fully integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
A gear system acts as an intermediary between the user's manual input and the plunger movement. The gear train (including worm gear and pinion gear) translates rotational motion into precise linear displacement of the plunger, achieving high volumetric accuracy while maintaining simple manual operation.
2Force
If the syringe plunger stroke is increased to overcome backpressure, then the fluid pressure resistance is overcome, but the dosing accuracy deteriorates because the plunger reverses and exceeds the labeled volume
Solution Approach 1:
The gear system provides mechanical feedback that prevents plunger reversal. The worm gear's self-locking特性 ensures that once the plunger is pushed, it cannot reverse due to backpressure, maintaining dosing accuracy while still providing sufficient force to overcome fluid resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The direct manual pushing mechanism is replaced with a gear-based mechanical system. This substitution transforms the force application method, allowing controlled force delivery through gear engagement rather than direct manual pressure, thereby preventing plunger reversal and improving dosing accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If the user must visually monitor the syringe graduations to dispense unit volumes, then the dosing precision can be maintained, but the ease of operation deteriorates and the user cannot focus on needle placement
Solution Approach 1:
The device makes the dosing process self-regulating through the gear system. Each complete rotation of the handwheel advances the plunger by a predetermined distance corresponding to exactly one unit volume, eliminating the need for visual monitoring of graduations while maintaining precise dosing.
Solution Approach 2:
The dosing mechanism uses periodic rotational action of the handwheel to deliver unit volumes. Each full rotation corresponds to a fixed volumetric increment, providing intuitive, repeatable dosing without requiring visual feedback from syringe graduations, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining precision.
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 accurate and precise delivery of small unit volumes with at least 90% volumetric accuracy, reducing the risk of incorrect dosing and allowing minimally invasive treatment of BPH with minimal side effects.
Implementation Method 1
a worm coupled to the actuation member; a worm gear engaged with the worm
Implementation Method 2
a pinion gear fixed to the worm gear and engaged with a gear rack the arm
Data Source
AI summary
A method for treating a prostate comprising the steps of using a needle-syringe coupled to a dose delivery device. The dose delivery device comprises a housing, a holder configured to receive a first portion of the needle-syringe, and an arm at least partially extending from the housing. The arm includes a surface configured to engage a second portion of the needle-syringe. The dose delivery device further includes an actuation member movable with respect to the housing, a worm coupled to the actuation member, a worm gear engaged with the worm, and a pinion gear fixed to the worm gear and engaged with the arm. The arm moves along a translation axis in response to user actuation of the actuation member about a rotational axis.