This is a National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. § 365 of International Application PCT/JP2014/081638, with an international filing date of Nov. 28, 2014, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-273243 filed on Dec. 27, 2013 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-006466 filed on Jan. 17, 2014. The entire disclosures of International Application PCT/JP2014/081638, Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-273243 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-006466 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Certain implementations relate to a pharmaceutical injection device for injecting a pharmaceutical into a human body, etc.
A conventional pharmaceutical injection device of this type was configured to comprise a main body case having a pharmaceutical syringe attachment component on its distal end side, a distal end cap removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case, a first driver that moves a pharmaceutical syringe unit attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component to the distal end side or the rear side within the distal end cap, a second driver that moves a gasket of a pharmaceutical syringe constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit to the distal end side, and a controller that is connected to the first and second drivers.
Another conventional pharmaceutical injection device of this type was configured to comprise a main body case having a pharmaceutical syringe attachment component on its distal end side, a distal end cap removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case, a first driver that moves a pharmaceutical syringe unit attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component to the distal end side or the rear side, a second driver that moves a gasket of a pharmaceutical syringe constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit to the distal end side, and a controller that is connected to the first and second drivers.
In the prior art, before the pharmaceutical is injected, first the distal end cap is removed from the main body case, and then the pharmaceutical syringe unit is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component, after which the needle unit is attached to this pharmaceutical syringe unit. In this state the distal end cap is attached, and then the needle case and needle cap constituting the needle unit are pulled out through the distal end opening of the distal end cap.
In this state the distal end cap is pressed against the skin, the first driver then causes the needle to pierce the skin, the pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical syringe is injected into the body by the second driver, and after this the needle is pulled out by the first driver.
After the pharmaceutical injection, first the needle case is attached to the needle from the distal end opening in the distal end cap, and then the distal end cap is removed from the main body case, after which the needle unit to which the needle cap is not attached is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit.
When needs to be improved here is convenience of use.
Specifically, depending on the type of pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical syringe constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit, if the pharmaceutical syringe is attached all at once to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component, it remains attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component until the pharmaceutical is used up.
That is, depending on the type of pharmaceutical, the distal end cap should be removed from the main body case only when the pharmaceutical syringe unit is being attached to or removed from the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component. Conventionally, however, the distal end cap was removed from the main body case even during the attachment of the needle unit to the pharmaceutical syringe unit, during removal of the needle unit from the pharmaceutical syringe unit, etc., and this distal end cap had to be replaced, which means that convenience was not as good as it could be.
In view of this, it is an object of certain implementations to reduce removal of the distal end cap to make the device more convenient to use.
Also, in the prior art, the distal end cap is attached to the main body case, and in this state the distal end cap is pressed against the skin, and then the pharmaceutical syringe unit is moved to the distal end side by the first driver, which pierces the skin with the pharmaceutical injection needle attached to the distal end of the pharmaceutical syringe unit.
After this, the second driver moves the gasket of the pharmaceutical syringe to the distal end side, and the pharmaceutical inside the pharmaceutical syringe is injected through the injection needle and into the body.
That is, the distal end cap also functions as a skin pad, before injection, and the injection needle is covered with this distal end cap, which prevents accidents from being caused by the injection needle. The distal end cap is therefore an extremely useful part.
Nevertheless, if the distal end cap should be lost, the detector will detect that it is not attached to the main body case, and as a result the operation of actuating the first and second drivers and injecting the pharmaceutical cannot be executed.
Also, when the distal end cap is attached, if the first driver should malfunction, the injection needle cannot be pushed out to the distal end side of the distal end cap, and here again the pharmaceutical injection operation cannot be executed.
In view of this, it is an object of certain implementations to provide a pharmaceutical injection device with which pharmaceutical injection will be possible even if some sort of trouble should occur in the components that assist in pharmaceutical injection, such as when the distal end cap is lost, or when the first driver malfunctions.
To achieve the stated object, the pharmaceutical injection device of the first implementation may comprise a main body case having a pharmaceutical syringe attachment component on its distal end side, a distal end cap removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case, a first driver that moves a pharmaceutical syringe unit attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component to the distal end side or the rear side, a second driver that moves a gasket of a pharmaceutical syringe constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit to the distal end side, and a controller that is connected to the first driver and the second driver, wherein the controller is configured so that the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component is moved to a needle operation position that is closer to the distal end side than the needle removal position when an injection needle is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit, or when the injection needle is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit.
Specifically, the controller may be configured to use the first driver to move the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component to a needle operation position that is closer to the distal end side than the needle removal position when the injection needle is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit or when the injection needle is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit, so even if the distal end cap is removed from the main body case during attachment of the injection needle to the pharmaceutical syringe unit or during removal of the injection needle from the pharmaceutical syringe unit, these operations can still be executed, making the device extremely easy to use.
The pharmaceutical injection device of the second implementation may comprise a main body case having a pharmaceutical syringe attachment component on its distal end side, a distal end cap that can be removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case, a first driver that moves a pharmaceutical syringe unit attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component to the distal end side or the rear side within the distal end cap, a second driver that moves a gasket of a pharmaceutical syringe constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit to the distal end side, an attached state detector that detects the attached state of the distal end cap to the main body case, and a controller that, during pharmaceutical injection, can execute a normal pharmaceutical injection mode in which the first and second drivers are actuated when the attached state detector has detected a state in which the distal end cap has been attached to the main body case, and can execute a simple pharmaceutical injection mode in which only the second driver is actuated when the attached state detector has detected a state in which the distal end cap has not been attached to the main body case.
Specifically, the controller may be configured to be able to execute a normal pharmaceutical injection mode in which the first and second drivers are actuated after the attached state detector has detected the mounting of the distal end cap to the main body case, and a simple pharmaceutical injection mode in which only the second driver is actuated after the attached state detector has detected the non-attachment of the distal end cap to the main body case.
Therefore, even if the distal end cap should be lost, pharmaceutical injection can still be carried out by executing the simple pharmaceutical injection mode, in which only the second driver is actuated, after the attached state detector has detected the non-attachment of the distal end cap to the main body case. This makes the device extremely convenient to use.
The pharmaceutical injection device of the third implementation may comprise a main body case having a pharmaceutical syringe attachment component on its distal end side, a distal end cap that can be removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case, a first driver that moves a pharmaceutical syringe unit attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component to the distal end side or the rear side, a second driver that moves a gasket of a pharmaceutical syringe constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit to the distal end side, an operating state detector that detects the operating state of the first driver, and a controller that, during pharmaceutical injection, can execute a simple pharmaceutical injection mode in which only the second driver is actuated when the operating state detector has detected that the first driver is not operating properly.
Consequently, even if the first driver should malfunction, pharmaceutical injection can be carried out by executing the simple pharmaceutical injection mode in which only the second driver is actuated, and this makes the device extremely convenient to use.
As discussed above, pharmaceutical injection can be carried out even when some sort of trouble should occur in the components that assist in pharmaceutical injection, such as the first driver or the distal end cap.
Certain implementations may provide a pharmaceutical injection device with which attachment or removal of the distal end cap is reduced to make the device more convenient to use.
Certain implementations may provide a pharmaceutical injection device with which pharmaceutical injection can be carried out even if some sort of trouble should occur in the components that assist in pharmaceutical injection.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to the appended drawings.
In
The front of this main body case 1 is provided with a display component 3, an inject button 4, a Yes button 5 to select “Yes” to a question, and a No button 6 to select “No” to a question.
Also, a pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7, a first driver 8 that moves this pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 to the distal end side or rearward from this distal end side, and a second driver 9 that moves a piston 11 (see
The term “distal end side” or “front side” here is the distal end cap 2 side (the side on which the injection needle is attached), and “rear end” or “rear side” is the side on which a power button 23 is provided.
A pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 is removably attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7.
These components will be described briefly through reference to
Also, as shown in
This state, that is, a state in which the needle unit 13 moves to the distal end side, is a needle insertion state. Conversely, a state in which the needle unit 13 moves to the rear side is a needle removal state.
The pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 will now be described through reference to
The pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 comprises a syringe cover 14, a pharmaceutical syringe 15 attached in the interior thereof, a first detection member 16 that detects when an injection needle 20 (more precisely, a needle base 19 to which the injection needle 20 is provided; see
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Also, protrusions 16d are provided to the rear of the protrusions 16c. These protrusions 16d jut into openings 14b of the syringe cover 14.
That is, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 is configured such that these protrusions 16d prevent the first detection member 16 from moving to the distal end side.
As shown in
As shown in
Also, protrusions 18c are provided to the detector levers 18a on the distal end side of the annular part 18b, and these protrusions 18c jut into openings 14d in the syringe cover 14.
That is, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 is configured such that these protrusions 18c prevent the second detection member 18 from moving to the distal end side.
The first detection member 16 and the second detection member 18 are biased to the distal end side by a biasing member (not shown) in a state in which the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 has been attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7.
Threads 14e are provided around the outer periphery of the distal end of the syringe cover 14 shown in
As shown in
Bumps 19a that extend rearward from the distal end are provided around the outside of the needle base 19, and threads 19b that mesh with the threads 14e of the syringe cover 14 are provided around the inside of the needle base 19.
Protrusions 17a that engage with the convex parts of the bumps 19a of the needle base 19 are provided around the inside on the rear side of the needle case 17. More specifically, these protrusions 17a extend from the distal end side toward the rear side, and can be smoothly fitted into the concave parts of the bumps 19a of the needle base 19.
In a state in which the protrusions 17a have been fitted into the concave parts of the bumps 19a, since the protrusions 17a of the needle case 17 engage with the bumps 19a of the needle base 19, when the needle case 17 is turned, the needle base 19 also turns. This allows the needle unit 13 to be removed from and attached to the syringe cover 14.
When the needle base 19 provided to the injection needle 20 is threaded into the threads 14e (see
Also, when the needle case 17 is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 via the needle base 19, the second detection member 18 is pushed to the rear by the rear edge of the needle case 17. When the rearward movement of the second detection member 18 is detected by a second detector switch 41 (see
The electrical connections will now be described through reference to
The display component 3, the inject button 4, the Yes button 5, the No button 6, the first driver 8, and the second driver 9 are connected to a controller 22 as shown in
This controller 22 is also connected to the power button 23, sensors 24, 25, 26, and 27, a sounder 28, a memory 29, a vibrator 30, a motor drive circuit 31, an over-current detection circuit 32, a rechargeable battery 33, the first detector switch 40, and the second detector switch 41.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
These sensors 24, 25, and 26 can be photosensors or the like, and they detect the position where light is blocked by the a protrusion 100 (see
Since the sensors 24, 25, and 26 are disposed in that order from the distal end side toward the rear side, the needle replacement position, the needle insertion position, and the needle removal position are provided in the order from the distal end side toward the rear side.
The “needle insertion position” here is the position where the pharmaceutical is injected into a human body (an example of a subject). More specifically, as shown in
The “needle removal position” is the position at which the needle case 17 and the needle cap 21 are removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 to expose the injection needle 20, and is the position for covering the needle case 17 to the injection needle 20 after the injection of the pharmaceutical. More specifically, as shown in
The “needle replacement position” (an example of a needle operation position) is the position at which the attachment and removal of the needle unit 13 are performed, and is a position closer to the distal end side than the needle removal position. More specifically, as shown in
The sensor 27 (see
As shown in
Meanwhile, when the injection needle 20 is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 in a state in which the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 has been attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7, the first detection member 16 is moved to the distal end side by a biasing member (not shown). Therefore, the first detector switch 40 is switched off, and the controller 22 can conclude that the injection needle 20 has been removed.
If the needle case 17 is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 in a state in which the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 has been attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7, the second detection member 18 moves rearward, and the second detector switch 41 is switched on, so the controller 22 can conclude that the needle case 17 has been attached.
On the other hand, if the needle case 17 is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 in a state in which the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 has been attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7, the second detection member 18 is moved to the distal end side by a biasing member (not shown). Therefore, the second detector switch 41 is switched off, and the controller 22 can conclude that the needle case 17 has been removed.
The first driver 8 and the second driver 9 are driven by the motor drive circuit 31, and any over-current during this drive is detected by the over-current detection circuit 32.
The sounder 28 emits sound, such as a warning, while the vibrator 30 emits warnings and so forth with vibration.
The memory 29 holds programs for controlling the injection operation shown in
With the above configuration, the pharmaceutical injection device in this embodiment is as shown in
That is, in the initial state, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 has been attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7, at which point the threads 14e at the distal end of the syringe cover 14 are still inside the distal end cap 2 (see
Next, to perform injection, the power button 23 is turned on (S1 in
If the Yes button 5 is pressed in this state, the first detection member 16 and the first detector switch 40 shown in
If the injection needle 20 has not been attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10, the first driver 8 moves the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 (including the inner case 12) to the needle replacement position (S6 in
At this point, the sensor 24 detects that the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 (including the inner case 12) have been moved by the first driver 8 and reached the needle replacement position shown in
When this happens, the controller 22 causes the display component 3 to give a display prompting the attachment of the injection needle 20 (S7 in
Upon seeing this display, the user grasps the needle case 17 of the needle unit 13 (integrated), and meshes the threads 19b provided around the inside of the needle base 19 (located inside) with the threads 14e at the distal end part of the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
When the needle unit 13 is thus attached to the distal end of the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10, the first detection member 16 and the first detector switch 40 detect the attachment of the injection needle 20 (S8 in
As shown in
The user then presses the Yes button 5, and as a result, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Because the protrusions 17a of the needle case 17 and the concave parts of the bumps 19a provided to the needle base 19 are both formed extending from the distal end side to the rear side, the needle case 17 can be easily pulled out of the needle base 19.
Also, since the needle cap 21 only covers the injection needle 20 with a light engagement, it too can be easily pulled off.
As shown in
The controller 22 then causes the display component 3 to display telling the user to press the inject button as shown in
When the user places the distal end cap 2 against the injection position on the skin, and presses the inject button 4 in this state (S32 in
Then, the controller 22 uses the second driver 9 to move the piston 11 to the distal end side, which results in a specific amount of the pharmaceutical inside the pharmaceutical syringe 15 being injected through the injection needle 20 into the body (S35 in
Once the preset specific amount has been injected as above, the piston 11 usually stops at that position. The next injection will then start from that position, but if all of the pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical syringe 15 has been used up, for example, the piston 11 is moved rearward to its initial position (the home position of the piston 11) by the second driver 9 in order to replace the pharmaceutical syringe 15.
However, the movement to the initial position (the home position of the piston 11) is performed after movement to the needle home position.
After the injection operation is finished, the controller 22 uses the first driver 8 to move the injection needle 20 (along with the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7) rearward to the needle removal position (S36 in
After this, as shown in
In view of this, as shown in
When this is done, the second detection member 18 and the second detector switch 41 detect the attachment of the needle case 17 (S42 in
In view of this, the user grasps the knurled part 17c (provided for anti-slip to the needle case 17) and turns the needle case 17 as in
In other words, when the injection needle 20 is removed, the knurled part 17c of the needle case 17 is exposed to the outside beyond the distal end opening 2a in the distal end cap 2 in a state in which the injection needle 20 is covered by the needle case 17, so removal of the injection needle 20 can be performed simply and safely.
When this is done, the first detection member 16 and the first detector switch 40 detect that the needle unit 13 (not including the needle cap 21 here) has been removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 (S45 in
In this state, the controller 22 causes the display component 3 to display a message prompting the user to turn off the power as shown in
The above description is of a series of normal operations, but other operations shown in
First, we will describe S10 in
Next, we will describe S11 in
When the No button 6 is pressed (S12 in
Going back to
When the presence or absence of the needle case 17 is detected and the needle case 17 has been attached, control moves to S25 in
Returning to
The pharmaceutical injection device in this embodiment comprises the main body case 1, the distal end cap 2, the first driver 8, the second driver 9, and the controller 22. The main body case 1 has the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 on its distal end side. The distal end cap 2 is removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case 1. The first driver 8 moves the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 to the distal end side or the rear side. The second driver 9 moves the gasket 34 of the pharmaceutical syringe 15 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10 to the distal end side. The controller 22 is connected to the first driver 8 and the second driver 9, and uses the first driver 8 to move the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 to the needle replacement position (an example of a needle operation position) that is closer to the distal end side than the needle removal position, when the injection needle 20 is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10, or when the injection needle 20 is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10.
As discussed above, in this embodiment, the controller 22 uses the first driver 8 to move the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 7 closer to the distal end side than the needle removal position, when the injection needle 20 is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10, or when the injection needle 20 is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10. Therefore, when the injection needle 20 is attached to the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10, or when the injection needle 20 is removed from the pharmaceutical syringe unit 10, even if the distal end cap 2 is not removed from the main body case 1, the attachment or removal of the injection needle 20 can still be executed, making the device extremely convenient to use.
In the above embodiment, the replacement of the injection needle 20 is performed at the needle replacement position, but instead of providing a needle replacement position, needle replacement may be performed at the needle insertion position. Furthermore, this is not limited to the needle insertion position, and needle replacement may be performed in between the needle removal position and the needle insertion position. In other words, the replacement of the needle unit 13 should be carried out at a position that is closer to the distal end side than the needle removal position, but it is preferable for at least part of the knurled part 17c to stick outside from the distal end opening 2a in the distal end cap 2, because this will make it easier to replace the needle unit 13.
In the above embodiment, the needle cap 21 is provided to the needle unit 13, but instead of providing the needle cap 21, the configuration may be such that the needle case 17 covers the injection needle 20 directly.
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will now be described through reference to the appended drawings.
In
A display component 1003, an inject button 1004, a Yes button 1005 for selecting “Yes” to a question, and a No button 1006 for selecting “No” to a question are provided on the front of this main body case 1001.
Also, as shown in
The term “distal end side” or “front side” here refers to the distal end cap 1002 side (the side on which the injection needle is attached), and can also be called the insertion direction side of a piston 1015 into a pharmaceutical syringe 1040. Also, “rear end” or “rear side” refers to the side on which the second driver 1009 and a power button 1017 are provided, and can also be called the direction side of pulling the piston 1015 out of the pharmaceutical syringe 1040.
A pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 is removably attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007.
These components will be described briefly through reference to
The pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 has an inner case 1012, and the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 is attached inside the inner case 1012. The piston unit 1011, which is driven by the second driver 1009, is disposed inside the inner case 1012 and on the rear side of the attached pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010. This piston unit 1011 has the piston 1015 that is inserted into the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010. Also, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 has a syringe case 1042 and the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 that is housed in the syringe case 1042. A gasket 1041 is provided inside this pharmaceutical syringe 1040.
The above-mentioned first driver 1008 moves the inner case 1012 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 to the distal end side or the rear side, and as a result the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 attached inside the inner case 1012 also moves to the distal end side or the rear side.
As shown in
This state, that is, a state in which the needle unit 1013 moves to the distal end side, is a needle insertion state. Conversely, a state in which the needle unit 1013 moves to the rear side is the needle home (needle removal) state.
The needle unit 1013 has an injection needle 1014, and during needle insertion, the injection needle 1014 protrudes to the distal end side through an opening 1002s at the distal end of the distal end cap 1002, and pierces the skin.
Also, during needle insertion, the skin is pressed against the distal end side of the distal end cap 1002, and in this state the first driver 1008 moves the injection needle 1014 to the distal end cap 1002 side along with the inner case 1012. Consequently, the injection needle 1014 pierces the skin.
After this needle insertion, the second driver 1009 drives the piston unit 1011, and the piston 1015 constituting the piston unit 1011 moves into the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010. Consequently, the gasket 1041 of the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 moves to the distal end side, so the pharmaceutical inside the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 is injected through the injection needle 1014 into the body.
The electrical connections will now be described through reference to
The display component 1003, the inject button 1004, the Yes button 1005, the No button 1006, the first driver 1008, and the second driver 1009 are connected to a controller 1016 as shown in
This controller 1016 is also connected to the power button 1017, sensors 1018, 1019, 1020, and 1021, a sounder 1022, a memory 1023, a vibrator 1024, a motor drive circuit 1025, a rechargeable battery 1026, and a timer 1027.
As shown in
As shown in
These sensors 1018 and 1019 can be photosensors or the like, and each have a light projector and a light receiver. A position is sensed when light is blocked by a protrusion 1100 provided to the housing in which the second driver 1009 is disposed.
The sensor 1020 detects whether or not the distal end cap 1002 has been attached to the main body case 1001. This sensor 1020 can detect both a state in which the distal end cap 1002 has been removed from the main body case 1001 as shown in
The sensor 1021 senses the amount of drive of the second driver 1009. More specifically, the sensor 1021 is an encoder that senses the rotational speed of a motor constituting the second driver 1009, and is able to sense how much the piston 1015 has been pushed into the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010.
The attached state detector 1030 will now be described, which uses the above-mentioned sensor 1020 to detect the attached state of the distal end cap 1002 to the main body case 1001.
The attached state detector 1030 has a detection lever 1031, the above-mentioned sensor 1020, and a biasing member (not shown). The detection lever 1031 is supported by the main body case 1001 so as to be able to move parallel to the movement direction of the inner case 1012, and is aligned with the inner case 1012. The detection lever 1031 is biased toward the distal end side (to the left in
When the distal end cap 1002 is attached to the main body case 1001, the rear end 1002a of the distal end cap 1002 pushes the detection lever 1031 back against the biasing force (that is, in the opposite direction from the distal end side; to the right in
That is, the output of the photosensor changes when the rear end 1031a of the detection lever 1031 goes between the above-mentioned light projector and light receiver of the sensor 1020. When the controller 1016 detects this change in the output of the photosensor, it knows that the distal end cap 1002 has been attached.
On the other hand, when the distal end cap 1002 is removed from the main body case 1001, the biasing member (not shown) moves the detection lever 1031 to the distal end side (to the left in
The operation of the pharmaceutical injection device in this embodiment will now be described.
First, we will describe the normal pharmaceutical injection mode, in which pharmaceutical injection is executed in the normal way.
When pharmaceutical injection is performed from the state shown in
The controller 1016 then uses the sensor 1018 to detect whether or not the injection needle 1014, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010, and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 (including the inner case 1012) have returned to their home positions. If these are disposed at their home positions, the display component 1003 then displays a message of “Inject?” as shown in
The user checks this display, and then operates the Yes button 1005 (S104 in
The controller 1016 then uses the sensor 1020 to detect whether or not the distal end cap 1002 has been attached to the main body case 1001 as shown in
In the state in
The user sees this display and operates the inject button 1004 (S203 in
The first driver 1008 then moves the injection needle 1014 and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 (including the inner case 1012) to the distal end side as shown in
This state is detected by the sensor 1019 (S302 in
In this state, the second driver 1009 moves the piston 1015 through the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 to the distal end side. Consequently, the pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 is injected through the injection needle 1014 into the body (S304 in
After this, the controller 1016 reverses the drive of the first driver 1008. Consequently, the injection needle 1014, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010, and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 (including the inner case 1012) are returned to the state in
As shown in
The above is the normal pharmaceutical injection operation, but various states will be described below.
Next, the operation in the transition of the control flow to simple pharmaceutical injection mode when a malfunction of the first driver 1008 has been detected will be described.
First, in S102 in
When the sensor 1018 confirms that they have reached their home positions, the control moves on to S103 in
On the other hand, if a return to the home positions cannot be detected in S106, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Inject in simple pharmaceutical injection mode?” as shown in
In this state, it is conceivable that, since the first driver 1008 is malfunctioning, for example, the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 (including the inner case 1012) and the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 and injection needle 1014 attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 cannot be pushed forward. That is, if a return to the home position cannot be detected, it is conceivable that the injection needle 1014 will not be able to stick out to the distal end side from the distal end cap 1002 (see
If the user wants to perform pharmaceutical injection after checking the display in S107 in
Here, if the Yes button 1005 is operated, the flow moves to S401 in
If the user operates the No button 1006, the power to the pharmaceutical injection device is switched off and the operation ends (S110 in
The operation in simple pharmaceutical injection mode will now be described through reference to
In this case, first the sensor 1020 detects whether or not the distal end cap 1002 has been removed from the main body case 1001 as in
At this point, if the sensor 1020 has detected that the distal end cap 1002 is still attached, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Remove distal end cap” as shown in
When the sensor 1020 detects that the distal end cap 1002 has been removed from the main body case 1001 as in
That is, an air bleed operation is executed to confirm whether or not the second driver 1009 is in a state that allows safe operation, in a state in which the first driver 1008 is malfunctioning.
Therefore, the user operates the Yes button 1005, which executes an air bleed operation (S404 and S405 in
In this air bleed operation, the second driver 1009 pushes the piston 1015 slightly to the distal end side, and this causes the pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical syringe to squirt out from the injection needle 1014. The user confirms this squirting of the pharmaceutical to confirm that the air bleed operation has been performed.
Then, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Was air properly bled off?” as shown in
Since the user has already confirmed that the pharmaceutical squirted out of the injection needle 1014, he operates the Yes button 1005 (S407 in
If it cannot be confirmed that the pharmaceutical has squirted out of the injection needle 1014, the No button 1006 is operated, and the control at this point returns to S403 in
In S406 in
Upon seeing this display, the user pierces his skin with the injection needle 1014 in a state in which the injection needle 1014 is exposed as in
The controller 1016 then causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Injection in progress” as shown in
The pharmaceutical injection operation is an operation in which the second driver 1009 causes the piston 1015 to move to the distal end side through the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010, and this causes the pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 to be injected through the injection needle 1014 into the body.
When this injection operation is finished, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Injection finished” as shown in
We will now described the transition of the control flow to simple pharmaceutical injection mode in a state in which the injection needle 1014, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010, and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 (including the inner case 1012) have returned to their home positions, but the user has already recognized trouble in the pharmaceutical injection assistance components (malfunction of the first driver 1008, or loss or breakage of the distal end cap 1002).
What happens when the No button 1006 is operated in the state of S103 in
First, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Finish?” as shown in
The user checks this display, operates the Yes button 1005 to stop the pharmaceutical injection, and operates the No button 1006 to execute the simple pharmaceutical injection mode (S502 and S503 in
Here, if the Yes button 1005 is operated, the controller 1016 switches off the power and ends control (S504 in
If the No button 1006 is operated here, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Inject in simple injection mode?” as shown in
In contrast, the user operates the No button 1006 if a simple injection operation is not to be performed. As a result of this operation, the controller 1016 switches off the power and ends control (S506 and S507 in
At this point, the Yes button 1005 is operated to perform a simple injection operation, and the flow moves to S401 in
This simple injection operation in which only the second driver 1009 is driven is also performed when the first driver 1008 malfunctions and the needle has returned to its home position, but the injection needle 1014, the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010, and the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 (including the inner case 1012) cannot be moved to the distal end side. This simple injection operation in which only the second driver 1009 is driven is also performed when it is confirmed ahead of time that the distal end cap 1002 has been lost or damaged.
Next, we will describe the transition to control of the simple pharmaceutical injection mode in a state in which the normal pharmaceutical injection mode cannot be executed because the distal end cap 1002 has been lost, the distal end cap 1002 has been damaged, etc.
In S201 in
The controller 1016 uses the timer 1027 to monitor the attachment of the distal end cap 1002 for a specific length of time (S205 in
That is, S201, S204, and S205 in
If the distal end cap 1002 was attached to the main body case 1001 during this time, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Press inject button” as shown in
On the other hand, if the attachment of the distal end cap 1002 to the main body case 1001 was not detected within the above-mentioned length of time, the controller 1016 causes the display component 1003 to display a message of “Inject in simple injection mode?” as shown in
After checking this display, if user does not want to perform the simple injection operation, the user operates the No button 1006, and the flow moves on to checking the attachment of the distal end cap 1002 (S207 in
If the user want to perform the simple injection operation, the user operates the Yes button 1005, the flow moves to S401 in
This simple pharmaceutical injection mode is executed when the distal end cap 1002 is broken, or if the distal end cap 1002 has been lost.
In the normal injection mode, the attachment of the distal end cap 1002 to the main body case 1001 is a condition for driving the first driver 1008. Accordingly, if the distal end cap 1002 should be broken or lost, the distal end cap 1002 cannot be attached to the main body case 1001, so it will be impossible for the sensor 1020 to detect the attachment of the distal end cap 1002 to the main body case 1001, and the first driver 1008 cannot be actuated.
Thus, the attachment of the distal end cap 1002 is a condition of the actuation of the first driver 1008 in a normal injection operation. This is because in a normal injection operation, the first driver 1008 attempts to move the inner case 1012 and the injection needle 1014 to the distal end side so that the needle pierces the skin, but if there is no distal end cap 1002, the distal end of the pharmaceutical injection device cannot properly come into contact with the skin, so proper piercing is impossible.
Thus, in a normal injection operation, the pharmaceutical cannot be injected if the distal end cap 1002 has not been mounted, but in a simple pharmaceutical injection mode (2-3), as discussed above, the pharmaceutical can be injected without operating the first driver 1008.
Specifically, since the needle insertion operation is not performed by the pharmaceutical injection device in the simple pharmaceutical injection mode, the injection of the pharmaceutical is performed by the pharmaceutical injection device after the user has inserted the needle.
Next, we will describe the transition of the control flow to the simple pharmaceutical injection mode when a malfunction of the first driver 1008 has been detected. In section 2-2, trouble with the first driver 1008 is detected from the fact that the injection needle 1014, etc., is not disposed at its home position, but in this section 2-6, trouble with the first driver 1008 is detected from the fact that movement from the home position to the needle insertion position is impossible.
In S301 in
This indicates whether malfunction of the first driver 1008 has occurred during a normal pharmaceutical injection operation, or that the needle insertion operation failed for some other reason.
After the display in
If, in response to this display, the user does not want to perform a needle insertion operation, he operates the No button 1006, and as a result the controller 1016 switches off the power and ends control (S310 and 5311 in
On the other hand, if the user wants to perform a simple injection operation is to be performed, the user operates the Yes button 1005 (S312 in
The pharmaceutical injection device in the above embodiment comprises the main body case 1001, the distal end cap 1002, the first driver 1008, the second driver 1009, the attached state detector 1030, and the controller 1016. The main body case 1001 has the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 on the distal end side. The distal end cap 1002 can be removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case 1001. The first driver 1008 moves the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 to the distal end side or the rear side. The second driver 1009 moves the gasket 1041 of the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 to the distal end side. The attached state detector 1030 detects the attached state of the distal end cap 1002 to the main body case 1001. In pharmaceutical injection, the controller 1016 is able to execute the normal pharmaceutical injection mode, in which the first driver 1008 and the second driver 1009 are actuated, when the attached state detector 1030 has detected that the distal end cap 1002 has been attached to the main body case 1001, and to execute the simple pharmaceutical injection mode, in which only the second driver 1009 is actuated, when the attached state detector 1030 has detected a state in which the distal end cap 1002 has not been attached to the main body case 1001.
Thus, a feature of the pharmaceutical injection device in this embodiment is that it has a simple injection operation mode in which only the second driver 1009 is actuated and only the pharmaceutical injection operation is performed in the event that a normal needle insertion operation, injection operation, or needle removal operation cannot be performed due to loss of or damage to the distal end cap 1002, etc.
Accordingly, even if the distal end cap 1002 is lost, pharmaceutical injection can still be carried out by executing the simple pharmaceutical injection mode in which only the second driver 1009 is actuated, after the attached state detector 1030 has detected a state in which the distal end cap 1002 is not attached to the main body case 1001. This minimizes the effect caused by problems such as a lost cap, and makes the device extremely convenient to use.
Also, the pharmaceutical injection device in the above embodiment comprises the main body case 1001, the distal end cap 1002, the first driver 1008, the second driver 1009, the sensor 1018 or the sensor 1019 (an example of an operating state detector), and the controller 1016. The main body case 1001 has the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 on the distal end side. The distal end cap 1002 can be removably attached to the distal end side of the main body case 1001. The first driver 1008 moves the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 attached to the pharmaceutical syringe attachment component 1007 to the distal end side or the rear side. The second driver 1009 moves the gasket 1041 of the pharmaceutical syringe 1040 constituting the pharmaceutical syringe unit 1010 to the distal end side. The sensor 1018 or the sensor 1019 detects the operating state of the first driver 1008. In pharmaceutical injection, the controller 1016 is able to execute the simple pharmaceutical injection mode, in which only the second driver 1009 is actuated, when the sensor 1018 or the sensor 1019 has detected that the first driver 1008 is not operating properly.
Thus, a feature of the pharmaceutical injection device in this embodiment is that it has a simple injection operation mode, in which just the second driver 1009 may be driven and just the pharmaceutical injection operation may be performed even if malfunction or the like of the first driver 1008 should preclude the normal needle insertion operation, injection operation, or needle removal operation.
Accordingly, even if some trouble occurs in the first driver 1008, pharmaceutical injection can still be carried out by executing a simple pharmaceutical injection mode, in which only the second driver 1009 is actuated, after the attached state detector 1030 has detected that the distal end cap 1002 has not been attached to the main body case 1001. This minimizes the effect caused by problems such as a malfunction, and makes the device extremely convenient to use.
In the above embodiment, even if it is detected in S201 that the distal end cap 1002 has not been attached, whether or not the distal end cap 1002 has been attached is determined again in S401 in the execution of the simple pharmaceutical injection mode, but this determination does not have to be done again if it was determined in S201 that the distal end cap 1002 was not attached.
In the above embodiment, the system waits for 10 minutes in S205, but if it has already been recognized that the distal end cap 1002 has been lost, the user may select to skip this 10-minute wait.
In the above embodiment, in executing the simple pharmaceutical injection mode, an air bleed operation is performed, but it should go without saying that the air bleed operation may be performed in the execution of the normal pharmaceutical injection mode as well.
The pharmaceutical injection device may be extremely convenient to use because the attachment of the injection needle to the pharmaceutical syringe unit, or the removal of the injection needle from the pharmaceutical syringe unit, can be executed even though the distal end cap has not been removed from the main body case.
Therefore, this device is expected to find wide application in the field of various kinds of pharmaceutical injection device, etc.
Also, with the pharmaceutical injection device, pharmaceutical injection may be be carried out even if some kind of trouble should occur in the components that assist pharmaceutical injection, so this device is expected to find wide application in the field of insulin, growth hormone, and various other such pharmaceutical injection devices, etc.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2013-273243 | Dec 2013 | JP | national |
2014-006466 | Jan 2014 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2014/081638 | 11/28/2014 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2015/098430 | 7/2/2015 | WO | A |
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