Shielded needle unit with rotating needle

Abstract

The drug delivery assembly comprises a drug-filled cartridge, an operable drug discharge mechanism, a needle hub having a needle protruding from a needle hub, and a shield on which the needle hub is fully or partially disposed, wherein the shield is axially movable relative to the needle hub between an extended position in which the needle axially covers the needle and a retracted position in which the needle protrudes from the shield corresponding to the needle-free length. The shield is non-rotatably mounted to the housing, and the needle hub is rotatable relative to the shield and, consequently, to the housing. The needle hub rotates relative to the shield as the shield moves from its retracted position to its extended position, and the rotational movement of the needle hub occurs after at least half of the needle-free length is covered by the shield.

Claims

1. Needle unit (1), - Needle hub (100), - A hollow needle (101) mounted within the needle hub and having a pointed distal end protruding from the needle hub, wherein the hollow needle defines a reference axis, - A shield (200) on which the needle hub is fully or partially disposed, wherein the shield is axially movable relative to the needle hub between an extended position in which the distal end of the needle is axially covered and a retracted position in which the distal end of the needle protrudes from the shield corresponding to the length without the needle, - A coupling (126) that enables the needle unit to be used in combination with a drug delivery device, - A linear motion conversion mechanism (132, 232) rotates the needle hub (100) relative to the shield when the shield (200) is moved from its retracted position to its extended position, - The linear motion conversion mechanism has an initial axial slack, - The needle unit (1) wherein the rotational movement of the needle hub relative to the shield occurs after at least 25% of the needle-free length (104) is covered by the shield.

2. The needle unit according to the claim, wherein the linear motion conversion mechanism includes an inclined surface (132) and provides that the axial movement of the shield (200) relative to the needle hub (100) is converted into rotation of the needle hub relative to the shield.

3. The needle unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotational movement of the needle hub is performed after the needle-free length (104) is covered by 50%, 75%, or 100% of the shield.

4. A needle unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, - A needle unit in which, when the shield (200) is moved from a retracted position to an extended position, the needle hub (100) rotates relative to the shield to a rotational locking position that prevents the shield from being retracted.

5. A needle unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, - A needle unit in which the coupling is a mounting coupling (126) that enables the needle unit to be attached to a drug delivery device.

6. The needle unit according to claim 5, wherein the mounting coupling is - A flexible gripping finger (126) that forms part of the needle hub (100) and is adapted to grip the corresponding coupling structure (310) on the drug delivery device, A needle unit comprising: a blocking means (213) that forms part of a shield and is adapted to block the radial movement of the gripping finger, and which resonates with the locked state.

7. A needle unit according to claim 6, combined with a drug delivery device (3), wherein the combination forms a drug delivery assembly, and the drug delivery device is - A housing (402) containing or adapted to include a drug-filled cartridge (390), - An operable discharge mechanism for discharging a preset or user-defined amount of drug from the cartridge, - A needle unit comprising coupling means (310) that enables the needle unit to be mounted on the drug delivery device, wherein the shield is mounted so as not to rotate with respect to the drug delivery device.

8. A drug delivery assembly according to claim 7, wherein the mounting coupling (126) is - A locking state in which the attached needle unit cannot be removed from the drug delivery device, - The needle unit can be detached from the drug delivery device, and it is operable between an operational release state and a state where it is released from operation. A drug delivery assembly in which the mounting coupling is activated from the locked state to the released state by the rotational movement of the needle hub (100) relative to the shield (200).

9. A drug delivery assembly according to claim 8, wherein the mounting coupling is - A flexible gripping finger (126) that forms part of the needle hub (100) and is adapted to grip the corresponding coupling structure (310) on the drug delivery device, - A blocking means (213) that forms part of the shield and is adapted to block the radial movement of the gripping finger, comprising a blocking means that resonates with the locked state, A drug delivery assembly in which a flexible gripping finger rotates from a locked position to a released position that allows radial movement of the gripping finger, thereby enabling the needle unit to be removed from the drug delivery device.

10. A drug delivery assembly comprising a needle unit (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drug delivery assembly is - A housing (402) containing or adapted to include a drug-filled cartridge (390), - An operable discharge mechanism for discharging a preset or user-defined amount of drug from the cartridge, - The drug delivery assembly comprising coupling means (310) that enable the needle hub to rotate relative to the housing and the shield to move axially and immobilely relative to the housing.

11. The drug delivery assembly according to claim 10, wherein the needle unit cannot be removed from the housing.

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