• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A medication delivery device (1) comprises an outer housing (20). A front end (22) of a piston rod (10) is arranged in mechanical contact with a stopper (16) of a medication cartridge (10). The outer housing has housing helical structures (24) and a dose drum (60) has dose drum helical structures (62), both spiraling around the axial direction and protruding radially inwards. The piston rod has surface geometrical structures (43), arranged for mechanically interact with the helical structures. These mechanical interactions allow an extraction relative spiral movement between the piston rod and the outer housing and a dosing relative spiral movement between the piston rod and the dose drum. The dosing relative spiral movement has an opposite spiral direction and a steeper inclination compared to the extraction relative spiral movement. The outer housing has axial parallel grooves (25). A locking mechanism (80) is arranged for locking a portion of the dose drum into one of the parallel grooves.
    公开号:SE1151146A1
    申请号:SE1151146
    申请日:2011-12-02
    公开日:2013-06-03
    发明作者:Billy Nilson
    申请人:Pendose Ab；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    In addition, the medication device must be easy to dispose of in an environmentally friendly manner.
    In the published international patent application WO 2009/132781 A1, a medication device is disclosed. The medication device is of the pen type and is based on the movement of a piston rod in a housing. Outer threads on the piston rod, with one thread at its front end and another thread at its rear end, cooperate with internal curve structures of other parts to control the relative movements. A drug dose is set by rotating a dosing mechanism in a spiral path. Extraction of the medicine is caused by pressing on the rear end of the medication device.
    In the published international patent application WO 2010/1 12409 A1, another pen-type medication device is disclosed. A piston rod with a front thread and guide posts at a rear section is used to transmit axial and rotational forces from a drive mechanism. According to what is reproduced, such an arrangement shall entail less risk of getting stuck.
    Despite significant advances in technology, there are still features that are not yet optimized, especially with respect to user-friendliness and / or manufacturing costs.
    SUMMARY A general object of the present invention is to improve the ease of use of pen-type injectors. A further object of the present invention is to remove or at least reduce the risk of accidental blocking by the user himself during the injection phase. The above objects are achieved by the arrangements and methods according to the appended independent claims. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. In general terms, according to a first aspect, a medication device includes an outer housing, a medication cartridge, a plunger rod, a mouthpiece, and a locking mechanism. The outer housing has a generally elongated shape. The medicine cartridge is attached to a leading edge of the outer housing.
    The medicine cartridge has a cartridge holder, a cartridge container and a stopper.
    The stop is arranged to be able to fl be moved in an axial direction inside the cartridge container in order to be able to extract medicine from the medicine cartridge container. The piston rod is arranged along the axial direction within the outer housing. A front end of the piston rod is arranged in mechanical contact with the stop to enable a transmission of a pressing force from the piston rod at the stop. The outer house has spiral-shaped house structures. These helical housing structures run in a spiral around the axial direction and protrude radially inwards. The piston rod has surface geometric structures which are arranged to mechanically co-operate with the helical housing structures. The mechanical interaction between the surface geometric structures and the helical housing structures enables a relative extraction spiral movement between the piston rod and the outer housing.
    The dust drum is arranged at least partially inside the outer housing and at least partially surrounding the piston rod. The dust drum has helical dust drum structures. These helical dostrum structures run in a spiral around the axial direction and protrude radially inwards. The helical dosing drum structures are configured to mechanically interact with the surface geometric structures of the piston rod to enable relative dosing spiral movement between the piston rod and the dosing drum. The relative dosing spiral movement has an opposite spiral direction compared to the relative extraction spiral movement. The relative dosing spiral movement has a steeper axial inclination than the relative extraction spiral movement. The outer housing further has parallel grooves, directed axially in an inner surface of the outer housing. The locking mechanism is arranged to lock at least a part of the dust drum in one of the parallel grooves in the outer housing.
    According to a second aspect, a method of using a medication device involves rotating a dose drum in a relative dosing coil motion relative to a plunger rod and an outer housing. The dust drum is locked from rotation relative to the outer housing. All parts of the dosing drum are pressed in a linear direction along an axial direction of the medication device. The piston rod fl is moved in a relative extraction spiral movement relative to the outer housing. The displacement of the piston rod is effected by means of a mechanical interaction between the piston rod and the outer housing and the dowel drum, respectively.
    The displacement of the piston rod is thus achieved by pressing the dust drum. The relative dosing spiral movement has an opposite spiral direction compared to the relative extraction spiral movement. The relative dosing spiral movement has a steeper axial inclination than the relative extraction spiral movement. A stopper on a medicine cartridge is moved in an axial direction inside a cartridge container on the medicine cartridge to extract medicine from the medicine cartridge. The stop is arranged in mechanical contact with a front end of the piston rod to enable a transmission of a pressing force from the piston rod of the stop. The displacement of the stop is thus caused by the movement of the piston rod.
    An advantage of the present invention is that all the parts that can be exposed to the user's hand are moved in a pure translational movement relative to each other, which reduces the risk of the extraction being inadvertently blocked. This is further provided simultaneously with an exchanged extraction movement. Additional benefits are further discussed in the following detailed description.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention together with further objects and advantages can best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional drawing of an embodiment of a medication device; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the medication device of Fig. 1 when the dosage is set; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the medication device of Fig. 1, in a position ready to deliver a dose; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the medication device given in Fig. 1 when the dose is delivered; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the medication device of Fig. 1 in position ready to deliver an additional dose; Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the parts of the embodiment of the medication device according to Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a side view of the embodiment of the medication device of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a fate diagram of an embodiment of a method of using a medication device; Figures 9A-D are sketches of embodiments of spiral structures that can be used with an outer housing and a dosing drum, respectively; Figures 10A-C are sketches of embodiments of piston rods; and Figures 11A-B are sketches of an embodiment of a locking mechanism between a dosing drum and an outer housing.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION All drawings use the same reference numerals for similar or similar elements.
    When using a pen injector, the typical use steps are as follows.
    First, a dose should be set. This is typically done by turning a rear end of the injector relative to the main housing. The rotation typically results in the rear end moving in a helical path. The movement of the rear end corresponds to the set dose. When the drug dose is administered, this is typically accomplished by the user pushing back the rear end of the housing again. This is typically expected to be performed by e.g. the user's thumb while the rest of the user's hand is used to hold the main housing.
    A frequently required feature of a pen-type injector is that the drug extraction should be geared. By this is meant that the speed at which the user presses into the rear of the injector is shifted down to a lower speed at which the actual extraction takes place. This entails, among other things, an increase in the available force on the extraction mechanism.
    In most prior art pen-type injectors, the extraction of medicine is performed by pressing the rear end linearly into the outer housing.
    For this purpose, the injector is held in one hand and the user typically presses the rear end with his thumb. In most known prior art solutions, only the outermost parts of the injector are strictly linear. However, other parts of the dose setting arrangement typically perform various forms of spiral movements. When these movements are performed within the user's palm, it is easy for the user to unintentionally touch the spiral element of the arrangement and thus inadvertently counteract the extraction effect. It would therefore be an advantage if all the parts that could come into contact with the user's hand move linearly into the main part of the injector during the extraction phase. According to the present invention, this is obtained by providing a number of parts which are allowed to move relative to each other in different ways but which are prevented from other relative movements. These relationships will be further explained by the exemplary embodiments presented below.
    Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a medication device 1. The medication device 1 is shown in Fig. 1 in a start position before any medication has been administered. The medication device 1 comprises an outer housing 20 with a generally elongate shape. This type of medication device is often referred to as a pen-type injector because of its shape.
    A medicine cartridge 10 is attached with a rear end 17 to a front end 22 of the outer housing. This bracket can be of different types, permanent or replaceable.
    If the medication device 1 is of a disposable type, the attachment can be provided by a press fit, an adhesive joint or a permanent attachment in some other way. If the medication device 1 is of a reusable type, the attachment must be of a removable type, e.g. 10 15 20 25 30 7 by providing curve structures. The medicine cartridge in this embodiment includes a cartridge holder 12, where a cartridge container 14 is housed.
    An internal volume 18 of the cartridge container 14 includes the drug to be administered. A stop 16 is provided inside the cartridge container 14 which provides a closure with the inner surface of the cartridge container 14. The stopper 16 is arranged movably in an axial direction A in the cartridge container 14. In the initial position the stop 16 is located at the rear end 17 of the cartridge holder 12. During the medicine administration 16 through the cartridge container 14 and pushes the medicine in front of it. The medicine extracted by such a movement leaves the cartridge container 14 through a narrow hole at a front end 11. The front end of the cartridge holder 12 is provided with outer curve structures to enable a needle through which the medicine is administered to be attached. When the medication device 1 is not used, the medication cartridge 10 can be closed by attaching a lid to the front of the cartridge holder 12.
    The medication device 1 further comprises a piston rod 40. The piston rod 40 is arranged along the axial direction A inside the outer housing 20.
    A front end 41 of the piston rod 40 is arranged in mechanical contact with the stop 16. In the present embodiment the front end 41 has a pin which is rotatably arranged in a hole in a disc 42. The disc 42 rests against the outside of the stop 16. In this way the piston rod can be easily rotated without affecting the stop 16. However, if the piston rod 40 is moved axially towards the front end, it will transmit a pushing force on the stop 16.
    The piston rod 40 is provided with surface geometric structures 43. Various sub-embodiments of such surface geometric structures 43 will be discussed in greater detail later. The outer housing 20 has helical housing structures 24. The helical housing structures 24 run in a spiral around the axial direction A and project radially inwards. In the present embodiment, the helical housing structures 24 are curved cams projecting inwardly from an inner surface of a hole in a disc-shaped section 23 of the outer housing 20. The hole is large enough to allow the piston rod 40 to be inserted therethrough. . However, the surface geometric structures 43 and the helical housing structures 24 are arranged to mechanically cooperate with each other. In the present embodiment, the curved cams on the outer housing 20 will fit into the space between the surface geometric structures 43 on the piston rod 40. This mechanical interaction between the surface geometric structures 43 and the helical housing structures 24 thus enables a movement, referred to herein as a relative extraction coil movement, between the piston rod 40 and the outer housing 20.
    At the same time, the surface geometric structures 43 and the helical housing structures 24 prevent other types of relative movements between the piston rod 40 and the outer housing 20. A limitation of the relative movements is provided in this way. This means that, if there is to be any relative movement between these two parts, this movement must be a relative extraction spiral movement.
    The medication device 1 also includes a dosing drum 60.
    The dust drum 60 is arranged at least partially inside the outer housing 20 and at least partially surrounding the piston rod 40. In other words, the dust drum 60 is arranged in a space, in a radial direction, between the outer housing 20 and the piston rod 40. The dust drum 60 in the present embodiment is prevented by the disc-shaped section 23 of the outer housing 20 from reaching the medicine cartridge 10 and thus the piston rod 40 protrudes from the dosing drum 60 in the forward direction. However, in the present embodiment, at least in the radial direction, a rear end 48 of the piston rod 40 of the die drum 60 is surrounded. When the nozzle drum 60 and the piston rod 40 are movable relative to each other, the extent to which the piston rod 40 is surrounded by the nozzle drum 60 will vary. In this embodiment, the rear end 71 of the dust drum 60 projects from the outer housing 20 while the front end 73 of the dust drum is retained between the outer housing 20 and the piston rod 40.
    In use, the dust drum 60 and the outer housing 20 are movable relative to each other and also in this context the extent to which the dust drum 60 is surrounded by the outer housing 20 will vary. The dose drum 60 includes at its rear end 71 a dose button 70. As will be further described below, the dose button 70 is the main means used in setting a medicine dose.
    The dust drum 60 has helical dust drum structures 62. In the present embodiment, these helical dust drum structures 62 are provided as curved ridges and resemble the helical housing structures 24. The helical dust drum structures 62 run in a spiral around the axial direction A and project radially inwardly. As in the case of the helical housing structures 24, the helical die drum structures 62 are configured to mechanically cooperate with the surface geometric structures 43 on the piston rod 40. This mechanical interaction allows a relative movement between the mandrel drum 60 and the piston rod. This movement is referred to in the present invention as a relative dosing spiral movement between the piston rod 40 and the nozzle drum 60. In the present embodiment, the curved cams on the nozzle drum 60 will fit into the space between the surface geometric structures 43 on the piston rod 40. Also in this case the surfaces 43 prevent the geometric and the helical dosing drum structures 62 some other type of relative movements between the piston rod 40 and the dosing drum 60. This means that, if there is to be any relative movement between these two parts, this movement must be a relative dosing spiral movement. However, it is important to realize that the relative dosing spiral movement has an opposite spiral direction compared to the relative extraction spiral movement. In other words, they run in a spiral in opposite directions. If the relative dosing spiral movement is counterclockwise, seen from the rear when the piston rod moves backwards, the relative extraction spiral movement will instead be clockwise when seen from behind when the piston rod moves backwards, or vice versa. The relative dosing spiral movement also has a steeper axial inclination than the relative extraction spiral movement. In other words, if the piston rod 40 is rotated one full turn relative to the outer housing 20, this will result in a relative axial movement which is less than a relative axial movement obtained when the piston rod 40 is rotated one full revolution (in the opposite direction) relative to the nozzle drum 60. As will be discussed below, this steeper axial inclination leads to a geared function in drug extraction.
    In the present embodiment, the control drum 60 includes at least one controllable rotary lock 66. In the present embodiment, the controllable rotation lock 66 is an elastic member 65 with a protruding fl ik 67 projecting from the control drum 60 in the radial direction. When the protruding member 67 is arranged at an elastic part 65, the protruding member 67 can easily be bent inwards radially if there is a free space inside the protruding tab 67. The outer housing 20 is provided with parallel grooves 25 which are directed axially in an inside of the outer housing 20. In other words, the parallel grooves 25 face the dowel drum 60. The steerable rotary lock 66 is adapted so that the protruding fl of the steerable rotary lock 66 fits into one of the parallel grooves 25. A relatively linear movement along the axial direction A between the dust drum 60 and the outer housing 20 thus always becomes possible when the protruding 67 shaft 67 slides in one of the parallel grooves 25. If a rotational force is applied between the dust drum 60 and the outer housing 20, the protruding fl shaft 67 will is pushed back due to the elastic part 65 by cooperating with the grooves between the parallel grooves 25 if there is an available space behind it out protruding fl iken 67. When the protruding fl iken 67 enters the next furrow, the protruding fl iken 67 will fi spring back into the furrow. This function will also lead to an audible and perceptible indication of a rotation associated with a dose setting. This will be discussed further below. However, if the space behind the protruding icon 67 is occupied, the protruding icon 67 cannot be elastically removed from the groove 25, and the mechanical interaction between the protruding icon 67 and the grooves 25 thus prevents any relative rotations. In other words, the housing drum 60 and the outer housing 20 are rotationally locked.
    As will be seen below, a rotational locking between the dosing drum 60 and the outer housing 20 is in demand during the extraction phase.
    Therefore, the medication device 1 is equipped with a locking mechanism 80. The locking mechanism 80 is arranged to lock at least a part of the dosing drum 60 in one of said parallel grooves 25 on the outer housing 20. In the present embodiment the locking mechanism 80 comprises a sliding sleeve 81.
    The sliding sleeve 81 is arranged between the piston rod 40 and the dosing drum 60. A rear end 82 of the sliding sleeve 81 protrudes through a hole 74 in the dosing button 70.
    The sliding sleeve 81 is prevented from falling out of the dose button 70 by projections 86 on the sliding sleeve 81, which projections are radially wider than the smallest size of the hole 74, which in the present embodiment is the size of an inner end 76 in the hole. The projections 86 are thus stopped by the inner end 76. When no external force is applied to the rear end 82 of the sliding sleeve 81, the sliding sleeve 81 is pressed against the inner end 76 by means of a spring 72 arranged in the dose knob 71.
    In a relaxed state, a front end 84 of the slide sleeve 81 is located just behind the protruding fl edge 67, in an axial direction. In such a condition, the sliding sleeve 81 does not prevent any resilient action from the protruding 6 notch 67. If the sliding sleeve 81 is pushed in the axial direction, for example by pushing the rear end 82 into the dose knob 70 against the action of the spring 72, the front end 84 is pressed on the sliding sleeve 81 into the space between the protruding fl ik 67 of the dostrum 60 and the piston rod 40. The protruding fl ik 67 is now locked for movement radially inwards. The sliding sleeve 81 is thus arranged to prevent a resilient action from the elastic section 65 when the sliding sleeve 81 is pressed in the axial direction.
    In the present embodiment, the medication device 1 is further provided with a window drum 90. The window drum 90 is provided inside a transparent cover part 21 on said outer housing 20 and around the dosing drum 60.
    The window drum 90 is configured relative to the outer housing 20 to prevent the window drum 90 from making larger axial displacements relative to the outer housing 20. In the present embodiment this is achieved by arranging the window drum 90 between a rear end på of the outer housing 20 and an end cap 95 for the parallel the grooves 25. The window drum 90 has interaction sections 96 which are arranged to provide a mechanical interaction with a interaction section 68 on an outer surface of the dosing drum 60.
    In the present embodiment, the cooperating section 68 is implemented on an outer surface of the dosing drum 60 as an outer spiral groove, and the cooperating section 96 on the window drum is implemented as spiral cams projecting radially inwardly. This mechanical interaction enables a third relative spiral movement between the window drum 90 and the dust drum 60, but prevents other relative movements. A slope and spiral direction for this third relative spiral motion is the same as for the previously discussed relative dosing spiral motion. This means that when the dust drum 60 is rotated relative to both the piston rod 40 and the window drum 90, the piston rod 40 and the window drum 90 have the same relative axial movement relative to the dust drum 60. This in turn means that the distance between the window drum 90 and the piston rod 40 is unchanged during such movement. The dosing drum 60 has dose markings provided on the outer surface of the dosing drum 60. Such markings may in various embodiments be numbers, letters, scale markings, color markings or any other type of visible markings. The window drum 90 has a through opening 92 through which some of these dose markings can be seen. The visible markings depend on the relative position between the window drum and the dose drum 60 and are intended to give a user an indication of the size of the set dose.
    In summary, for the permissible relative motions, the piston rod 40 is allowed to perform a relative extraction coil motion relative to the outer housing 20 and a relative dosing coil motion relative to the dose drum 60. The relative dosing coil motion has a greater axial inclination than in the relative extraction coil coil direction. Furthermore, the dosing drum 60 is allowed to perform an axial movement relative to the outer housing 20, but is prevented from rotational movements relative to the outer housing 20 if the locking mechanism 80 is activated. These features make it possible to provide an extraction function that uses only linear motions for the parts that can be exposed to a user's hands. In the following, the function of the medication device will be described in connection with Figures 1-5. As mentioned earlier, Fig. 1 illustrates the medication device 1 in a state before any medication has been administered. The stop 60 is in the original position and the nozzle drum 60 is depressed to its innermost position in the outer housing 20.
    Fig. 2 illustrates medication device 1 in a position where an intended dose is set. Dose knob 70 is rotated, that is, rotated about the axial direction A. Due to the limitations of the relative movement between the piston rod 40 and the dosing drum, the dosing drum 60 moves out in the rearward direction according to the relative dosing spiral movement. The locking mechanism 80 follows the dust drum 60. In the present embodiment, with elastic sections 65, the rotation of the dust drum with respect to the outer housing will give rise to audible and tactile indications of the rotation as the resilient section moves between the various parallel grooves. Such rotation indications will typically make it easier for the user to set the appropriate dose. The dust drum 60 is thus moved a distance D relative to the piston rod 40. The window drum 90 is held in place in the outer housing 20 and the distance D relative to the dust drum 60 is also displaced.
    A dose mark corresponding to the set dose can now be seen through the window drum 90.
    The window drum 90 is prevented from any significant axial displacement relative to the outer housing 20 and the window drum 90 will, due to the mechanical interaction with the dosing drum, ideally be kept non-rotated relative to the outer housing 20 during rotation of the dose knob 70.
    In a preferred embodiment, the window drum 90 will be arranged in a locking cooperation with the outer housing 20 during the spiral movement of the dust drum 60. The locking engagement is configured to counteract a relative rotation between the window drum 90 and the outer housing 20. In the present embodiment, this locking engagement is provided by a locking mechanism including teeth 97 at the rear end of the window drum 90. The teeth are directed in a rearward-facing axial direction. In an alternative embodiment, the locking mechanism may instead be provided in a radial direction. The teeth 97 co-operate with visible tongues 98 provided on the inside of the rear end flange 26. When a minor force, for example mediated by co-operation with the dosing drum 60, pushes the window drum towards the rear end 26 shaft 26, the locking mechanism prevents any rotation between the window drum 90 and the outer housing 20. force instead pushes the window drum away from the rear end 26 allowing a relative rotation between the outer housing and the window drum. This locking mechanism has the advantage that the risk of the window drum 90 getting stuck between the dosing drum 60 and the outer housing 20 is considerably reduced.
    In Fig. 3, the extraction phase has begun. The locking mechanism 80 is activated.
    The sliding sleeve 81 is pressed into the dose knob 70. The front end 84 of the sliding sleeve 81 is placed inside the protruding tabs 67 of the dosing drum 60 and thus prevents the protruding tabs 67 from bending out from the parallel groove 25 in which they are located. This limits the nozzle drum 60 and the outer housing 20 to perform axial movements only relative to each other.
    A relative movement of the dust drum 60 and the outer housing 20 results in a rotation of the window drum 90 relative to the outer housing 20.
    In Figure 4, the extraction has been performed. The user has pushed the dose knob 70 and the locking mechanism 80 linearly into the outer housing 20. Due to the activated locking mechanism 80, all the parts that can potentially come into contact with the user's hand move in a linear fashion. Therefore, the dust drum 60 is axially moved into the outer housing, guided by the protruding 67 edge 67 which cooperates with the parallel grooves 25. This mechanical interaction is maintained due to the position of the front end 84 of the sliding sleeve 84 on the sliding drum 81 which supports the protruding 6 ike 67. Then The dust drum 60 for being flattened linearly causes the mechanical interaction with the piston rod 40, which is caused by the spiral structures 62 of the dust drum and the surface geometric structures 43 of the piston rod 40, to cause the piston rod 40 to rotate. This rotation of the piston rod 40 takes place according to the relative dosing spiral movement. A rotation of the piston rod 40 in turn leads to an axial movement of the piston rod 40 due to the mechanical interaction with the outer housing 20, which is kept non-rotated relative to the nozzle drum. The axial movement of the piston rod 40 is caused by the mechanical interaction between the surface geometric structures 43 of the piston rod 40 and the helical housing structures 24 of the outer housing 20. The amount of axial displacement is determined by the allowable relative extraction coil movement. Since the relative dosing spiral movement has a greater inclination than the relative extraction spiral movement, the axial displacement fl of the front end 41 of the piston rod 40 becomes smaller than the distance D (in Fig. 2) by which the dose drum is displaced. Thus a gear function is obtained.
    The front end 41 of the piston rod 40 transmits a compressive force on the stop 16, which in turn is pressed into the cartridge container 14 and through its front end extracts a medicine dose.
    In Fig. 5, the locking mechanism 80 has been allowed to return to its original inactive position, leaving a free space inside the protruding 67 icon 67.
    The medication device 1 is now ready to administer another dose of medication. The only differences compared to Fig. 1 are that the stop 16 is located further into the cartridge container 14, that the cartridge container 14 contains slightly less medicine and that the piston rod 40 is slightly offset in the forward direction.
    Some advantages of the present invention are apparent from the above description. All parts that can come into contact with a user's hand have a purely linear movement during the extraction phase. At the same time, the pressure of the rear end of the medication device is switched down to a smaller extraction movement, which leads to a higher extraction force in comparison with a certain given user compressive force. In the specific embodiment discussed above, the configuration of the window drum 90 provides a user-friendly indication of the selected dose. Since the window drum 90 does not rotate during the dose setting, the opening 92 can always be facing the user, see Fig. 2. The exact dose markings can therefore be easily checked by the user to obtain a quick and safe setting of the dose to be extracted.
    Fig. 6 illustrates an exploded view of the various parts in the embodiment of a medication device according to Figs. 1-5.
    In the embodiment of a medication device given in Figures 1-6, there are details that provide additional benefits to the user. In many prior art medication devices, the remaining volume of medicine in the cartridge container is typically assessed by an ocular inspection of the cartridge container through a transparent portion of the cartridge holder.
    However, even if markings have been provided on the cartridge container, it is often difficult for a user to know how to read the positions of the stop for such markings. To solve such problems, the present embodiment of a medication device 1 includes a residual dose indicator arrangement. Referring to, for example, Fig. 1, a dose indicator 30 is axially movable and tangentially immobile in an indicator groove in the outer housing 20. The indicator 30 is visible through a window 29 in the outer housing 20. The dose indicator 30 is arranged to cooperate with outer curve structures. 64 on the dosing drum 60. When the intended dose is set, by rotating the dosing drum 60, the dosing drum 60 is also rotated relative to the indicator 30 which is then translated axially with respect to the dosing drum according to the outer curve structures 64. When the dosing drum 60 is pushed back into the outer housing 20, when extracting medicine, the indicator 30 is moved axially together with the dose drum 60. When the dose has been extracted, the indicator 30 is again visible in the window 29, now slightly above the level in the axial direction compared to the original position, see Fig. 4 or 5. Markings for remaining contents can easily adapted to correspond to the remaining medicine content in the cartridge container, this when the displacement is proportional to f the firing of the stop 16.
    Fig. 7 illustrates a side view of the medication device 1 in Fig. 1 after a number of medicine extractions have been performed. The indicator 30 is seen through the window 29 and the position can be easily read relative to a scale marking arranged on the outside of the outer housing 20.
    Fig. 8 shows a fate diagram of the steps in an embodiment of a method of using a medication device. The method is started in step 200. In step 210, a dosing drum is rotated in a relative dosing spiral movement relative to a piston rod and an outer housing. The dosing drum is locked against rotation relative to the outer housing in step 212. In step 214, all parts of the dosing drum are pressed in a linear translation along a direction axial of the medication device.
    The piston rod is moved in step 216 in a relative extraction coil motion relative to the outer housing. This displacement of the piston rod is performed by means of a mechanical interaction between the piston rod and the outer housing and the dowel drum, respectively. The movement is thus caused indirectly by the pressure on the drum. The relative dosing spiral movement has an opposite spiral direction compared to the relative extraction spiral movement. The relative dosing spiral movement further has a steeper slope than said relative extraction spiral movement. In step 218, a stop in a medicine cartridge is translated in an axial direction inside a cartridge container in the medicine cartridge to extract medicine from the medicine cartridge. The stop is arranged in mechanical contact with a front end of the piston rod to enable a transfer of a pressing force from the piston rod to the stop. The translation is thus indirectly caused by a displacement of the piston rod.
    The above-mentioned embodiment of a medication device has a number of advantages for a user of the medication device. However, the embodiment illustrated above is also designed to enable cost-effective manufacturing. The most cost-effective manufacture of the various parts of a medication device is typically by injection molding. A mold is injected with the final product material in liquid form. The mold is removed after the material has solidified. In the simplest case, two mold halves can be used which are separated from each other and the end product in opposite directions. When producing more complex structures, it may be necessary to use more than two molded parts. For each additional mold part, the task of precision assembly becomes more complicated and also the disassembly of the mold parts becomes more complicated and time consuming.
    Especially when internal structures are created, the mold solutions are typically based on either collapsible units or mold cores which, for example, need to be unscrewed from the final product. Such procedures are complex and costly. The design of the end product is therefore extremely important when discussing manufacturing costs.
    The mechanical interaction between the piston rod and the dust drum and the outer housing, respectively, can be provided in different ways. The most obvious way is to provide mutually intervening curve structures. In such a case, the piston rod must be provided with two outer curve structures which have different directions and different axial inclination. Furthermore, both the dust drum and the outer housing must be provided with internal curve structures. Such a solution provides the user with the advantages described above. With the above manufacturing method in mind, however, it will be appreciated that both a double outer basket structure and inner basket structures are difficult to achieve by injection molding without using complex arrangements and procedures or additional machining steps. A complicated arrangement or complicated injection molding procedures lead to higher manufacturing costs or an additional machining step.
    In a preferred embodiment, the details of the mechanical interaction with the piston rod are designed in such a way that it is sufficient to use only injection molding, without any further manufacturing step being necessary.
    First, the helical housing structures 24 on the outer housing 20 can be designed to cover at most a full turn. Another way of expressing this is that the helical housing structures 24 do not overlap when viewed in the axial direction. If this is the case, a mold can be opened up at the helical housing structures in two opposite directions. This can be realized, for example, with a single curve structure which at most runs a full revolution around the inner surface. This is schematically illustrated in Fig. 9A. An alternative approach is to provide two parallel curve structures, each of which runs at most half a turn. This is schematically illustrated in Fig. 9B. Such structures can be manufactured by injection molding with molded parts which can be separated from each other in a purely axial direction.
    Second, the helical dose drum structures 62 can be designed in a similar manner so that they cover at most one full turn. Another way of expressing this is that the helical dose drum structures 62 do not overlap when viewed in the axial direction. This can, analogously to the previous description, be realized, for example, by a single curve structure which at most runs a full revolution around the inner surface. This is schematically illustrated in Fig. 9C. An alternative approach is to provide two parallel curve structures, each of which covers at most half a turn. This is schematically illustrated in Fig. 9D. The piston rod can also be designed to facilitate injection molding. The surface geometric structures 43 on piston rod 40 can be provided as protruding hubs 44, as illustrated in Fig. 10A. By providing such hubs, for example, in rows along the axial direction, with suitable axial distances between the hubs, the same type of mechanical interaction between piston rod and nozzle drum and outer housing, respectively, can be obtained as when using ordinary curve structures. In various embodiments of a piston rod, each individual protruding hub 44 projects in either a first direction 100, perpendicular to the axial direction A, or a second direction 101, opposite the first direction 100. In the illustrated embodiment in Fig. 10A, half of the the protruding hubs 44 protrude in the first direction 100 and the remaining half of the protruding hubs 44 protrude in the second direction. An injection mold can thus be formed in two halves with a connecting line at the center of the piston rod 40 as indicated by the dashed line 102. The mold can thus be opened and the two mold halves can be removed from the piston rod in opposite directions. In the embodiment of Fig. 10A, the protruding hubs 44 are provided in four rows along the axial direction A with the same hub pitch pitch P between each row. However, the deployment pattern for the protruding hubs can be shaped in many different ways. As long as the protruding hubs 44 leave a first helical path in one direction and a second helical path in the second direction open (preferably with different slopes) and the distance between such open paths and a nearest protruding hub 44 is small compared to the slope, a mechanical collaboration with a curve structure-like counterparty is established.
    In alternative embodiments, the protruding hubs 44 are provided in only one direction, that is, either in the first direction 100 or in the second direction 101, as illustrated in Fig. 10B.
    An example of an embodiment of a piston rod with an alternative pattern on the protruding hubs 44 is illustrated. Here, two rows of hubs are provided on one side, while the opposite side has one row. The two rows on the first page also have different row divisions. In further alternative embodiments, the protruding hubs 44 may also be provided in irregular patterns, both in axial and radial directions.
    The details of the various parts in embodiments of a medication device according to the present may also vary within the level of what one skilled in the art is aware of. As long as the interaction between the different parts leads to the required movement patterns, the exact design is generally not so important, except in cases where the design leads to simplified manufacturing principles as discussed above.
    The technical effects that pertain to benefits for the user are typically obtained as long as the principles of the relative movements are achieved. In preferred embodiments, viewed in an axial direction, an area of portions of the surface geometric structures that cause the relative dosing spiral movement overlaps another area of portions of the surface geometric structures that cause the relative extraction coil movement. In other words, the surface geometric structures provide a double threading mechanism in conjunction with the helical structures. This double thread preferably runs over a large part of the area with the surface geometric structures, and typically over the entire area with the surface geometric structures. This can also be expressed as the active lengths of the structures that cause the two different movements to a large extent overlapping. The range of the surface geometric structures preferably also extends over most of the length of the piston rod. The piston rod can thus be used to cause relative movements by means of long strokes, even for parts with a limited extent in the axial direction, for example the helical structures.
    An example of a detail that can be designed in many different ways is the locking mechanism and the parts that provide the controllable locking between the dosing drum and the outer housing. Figures 11A-B schematically illustrate another solution. In this embodiment, at the dosing drum 60, a pivotable element 77 is provided which is pivotable about an axis 75.
    The front end 84 of the sliding sleeve 81 of the locking mechanism 80 in this embodiment reaches a position inside the shaft 75 in the inactivated state, as illustrated in Fig. 11A. When the locking mechanism 80 is activated, the sliding sleeve is pushed in the axial direction. The front end 84 of the sliding sleeve presses against a protruding part 79 of the pivotable element 77, which causes the pivotable element 77 to pivot about axis 75. An outer edge 78 of the pivotable element 77 is then brought into one of the parallel grooves 25 on the outer the housing 20, leading to a lock against relative rotations. This is only an example of possible alternative embodiments of partial solutions that lead to the same technical effect as described above. For example, the locking mechanism does not necessarily include a sliding sleeve. Other types of parts that can be positioned by means of a movement in the axial direction can also be used to control the rotational locking between the dosing drum and the outer housing, such as for instance different types of rods.
    The embodiments described above are to be understood as a few illustrative examples of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations and changes may be made in the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, different detail solutions can be combined in different configurations in the different embodiments, as this is technically possible.
    However, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. 10 15 20 25 30 23 Figure references 1 medication device 10 medicine cartridge 11 front end of cartridge holder 12 cartridge holder 14 cartridge container 16 stop 17 rear end of cartridge holder 18 inner volume of medicine container 20 outer housing 21 transparent cover part 22 front of outer housing 23 disc-shaped section of outer housing 24 spiral 25 parallel grooves in outer housing 26 rear end fl than on outer housing 29 window in outer housing 30 indicator 40 piston rod 41 front end of piston rod 42 disc 43 surface geometric structures 44 protruding hubs 60 dorsal drum 62 helical dosing drum structures 64 outer curve structures on dosing drum rotating drum 65 elastic part 67 protruding fl ik 68 cooperating section on outside of dosing drum '70 dosing button 71 rear end of dosing drum 72 spring 10 15 20 25 24 78 front end of dosing drum 74 holes in dosing button 75 pivot shaft 76 inner in end of dosing button 77 pivotable element 78 outer edge 79 protruding part 80 locking mechanism 81 sliding sleeve 82 rear end on sliding sleeve 84 front end on sliding sleeve 86 projection on sliding sleeve 90 window drum 92 passage in window drum 95 end cap for parallel grooves 96 cooperating part on window drum 97 teeth 98 fl visible tongues A axial direction D dose setting distance P hub pitch division 100 first direction 101 second direction 102 separation line 210 Method steps
    权利要求:
    Claims (10)
    [1]
    Medication device (1), comprising: - an outer housing (20) having a generally elongate shape; a medicine cartridge (10) attached to a front end (22) of said outer housing (20); said medicine cartridge (10) has a cartridge holder (12), a cartridge container (14) and a stop (16), said stop (16) being arranged movably in an axial direction (A) inside said cartridge container (14) for extracting medicine from said cartridge container (14) for medicine; - a piston rod (40) arranged along said axial direction (A) inside said outer housing (20); a front end (41) of said piston rod (40) is arranged in mechanical contact with said stop (16) to enable transmission of a compressive force from said piston rod (40) to said stop (16); said outer housing (20) has helical housing structures (24), said helical housing structures (24) spiral around said axial direction (A) and project radially inwards; said piston rod (40) has surface geometric structures (43) arranged to mechanically cooperate with said helical housing structures (24), said mechanical interaction between said surface geometric structures (43) and said helical housing structures (24) enables a relative extraction spiral movement (said piston rod) ) and said outer housing (20); - a dust drum (60) arranged at least partially inside said outer housing (20) and at least partially surrounding said piston rod (40); said mandrel drum (60) has helical mandrel drum structures (62), said helical mandrel drum structures (62) spiral around said axial direction (A) and project radially inwardly, said helical mandrel drum structures (62) are configured to mechanically cooperate with said surface geometry. structures (43) on said piston rod (40), which enable a relative dosing spiral movement between said piston rod (40) and said dosing drum (60); said relative dosing spiral movement has opposite spiral direction compared to said relative extraction spiral movement, said relative dosing spiral movement has a steeper axial inclination than said relative extraction spiral movement; said outer housing (20) has parallel spheres (25) directed axially in an inner surface of said outer housing (20); and - a reading mechanism (80) arranged to read at least a part of said dust drum (60) in one of said spheres (25) in said outer housing (20).
    [2]
    Medication device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: - a window drum (90) provided inside a transparent cover part (21) on said outer housing (20); said window drum (90) is configured relative to said outer housing (20) to prevent said window drum (90) from performing substantial axial movements relative to said outer housing (20), said window drum (90) having cooperating sections (96) arranged to provide a mechanical interaction with cooperating sections (68) on an outer surface of said dosing drum (60), said mechanical interaction enabling a third relative spiral movement between said window drum (90) and said dosing drum (60); an inclination and spiral direction of said third relative spiral motion is the same as said relative dosing spiral motion; said window drum (90) is arranged to be in a locking engagement with said outer housing (20) during the spiral movement of said dowel drum (60), said locking cooperation is configured to counteract a relative rotation between said window drum (90) and said outer housing (20); said dosing drum (60) has dose markings provided on said outer surface of said dosing drum (60); said window drum (90) has a through opening (92) through which a part of said dose markings can be viewed. 10 15 20 25 30 27
    [3]
    Medicament device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said dosing drum (60) comprises an elastic part (65) provided in said parallel grooves (25) in said outer housing (20) and in that said locking mechanism (80) comprises a sliding sleeve (80). 81) provided between said piston rod (40) and said nozzle drum (60), said sliding sleeve (81) is arranged to prevent a resilient action from said elastic part (65) when they are pushed forward in said axial direction (A).
    [4]
    Medication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said helical housing structures (24) do not overlap when viewed in said axial direction (A).
    [5]
    Medication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said helical dose drum structures (62) do not overlap when viewed in said axial direction (A).
    [6]
    Medication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an area with parts of said surface geometric structures (43) which cause said relative dosing spiral movement, largely overlaps, in an axial direction, with an area with parts of said surface geometric structures (43) which cause said relative extraction spiral motion.
    [7]
    Medication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said surface geometric structures (43) are protruding hubs (44).
    [8]
    Medication device according to claim 7, characterized in that each of said protruding hubs (44) protrudes either in a first direction (100), perpendicular to said axial direction (A) or in a second direction (101) opposite said first direction (100). 10 28
    [9]
    Medication device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that said protruding hubs (44) are provided in four rows along said axial direction (A) with the same hub pitch pitch (P) within each row.
    [10]
    Medication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it further comprises: - a dose indicator (30) arranged to be axially movable and tangentially immobile in an indicator groove in said outer housing (20); said dose indicator (30) is arranged to cooperate with outer curve structures (64) on said dose drum (60).
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    SE536276C2|2013-07-30|
    WO2013081539A1|2013-06-06|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    EP1923084A1|2006-11-17|2008-05-21|Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH|Dosing and drive mechanism for drug delivery device|
    WO2009150028A1|2008-05-26|2009-12-17|Novo Nordisk A/S|Improved injection device|
    RU2545417C2|2009-03-30|2015-03-27|Санофи-Авентис Дойчланд Гмбх|Drug delivery device with advanced piston rod|EP3045193A1|2015-01-19|2016-07-20|Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH|Assembly for a drug delivery device|
    CN110849673A|2019-12-23|2020-02-28|陈黎黎|Quantitative sampling device for medical examination|
    法律状态:
    2015-08-04| NUG| Patent has lapsed|
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    SE1151146A|SE536276C2|2011-12-02|2011-12-02|Medication device such as a pen-type injector|SE1151146A| SE536276C2|2011-12-02|2011-12-02|Medication device such as a pen-type injector|
    PCT/SE2012/051315| WO2013081539A1|2011-12-02|2012-11-28|Medication delivery device|
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