Improved portable single-substance injection device

Description

Technical field

[0001] The field of the present invention is that of devices for administering substances to one or more animals, such as dosing guns.

[0002] It relates more particularly to a portable injection device in which the system for moving its retractable needle and the system for discharging a dose of substance through this needle are separate, the injection device also being more compact and lighter.

[0003] It also relates to a method for managing such an injection device making it possible to treat an entire group of animals more quickly by reducing the downtime required to reset this injection device between two successive injections. Prior art

[0004] It is known in the field of animal production to administer substances such as drugs or vaccines to groups of animals to keep them healthy.

[0005] Treating or vaccinating animals such as cattle against various diseases not only improves the health of these animals and increases the profitability of an animal herd but is also an essential factor in the production of food of animal origin.

[0006] It is known to administer such a substance by means of an injection gun in order to facilitate the treatment or vaccination of an entire group of animals.

[0007] Various injection guns thus exist in the state of the art.

[0008] Patent application WO2016 / 108187 A1 in the name of the present applicant, proposes a portable injection device comprising a housing with a handle and a retractable needle housed in the housing.

[0009] This handheld injection device provides enhanced operator safety by including a first sensor for detecting a user's gripping of the device handle and a second sensor for detecting the presence of an animal.

[0010] This injection device further comprises a processing circuit configured to receive a first signal from the first sensor indicating that the user is holding the handle and receive a second signal from the second sensor indicating that an animal is detected. The injection device deploys the needle from the housing into the animal only when these two signals are received and delivers a dose of medicament into the animal once the needle is fully deployed into the animal.

[0011] Although giving good results, this injection device can still be improved.

[0012] In fact, the movement of the needle out of and into the shell of the injection device on the one hand and the discharge of a dose of substance to be administered through this needle on the other hand are ensured by a single kinematic line comprising a single electric motor.

[0013] Additional mechanical parts such as spring pushers are then necessary to differentiate two movements, each of these movements being linked to a distinct function: the movement of the needle and the movement of the piston to discharge the contents of the chamber.

[0014] However, after each administration of a substance, it is necessary for the motor to complete a full stroke to the rear of the syringe to properly re-prime the spring pushers required for the needle to exit.

[0015] Furthermore, the reloading of the injection device with a new dose of substance is carried out only after re-priming the pushers and stopping the engine.

[0016] This results in a relatively long reset time for the injection device after administration of a substance to an animal, which causes a significant slowdown in the treatment operations of an entire group of animals.

[0017] Furthermore, it is known that state-of-the-art injection devices are heavy and are therefore likely to cause increased operator fatigue when treating a large number of animals, particularly because such an injection device must be operated with one hand.

[0018] Injection devices are also known from documents US2016 / 271326 A1, WO2016 / 181091 A1 and KR102037471 B1.

[0019] There is therefore a pressing need for a device for administering a veterinary product to an animal such as a piglet, the original design of which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art set out above. Subject of the invention

[0020] The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a portable device for injecting a substance, simple in its design and in its operating mode, whose re-arming time, or unavailability, after administration of a substance to an animal is significantly reduced, consequently allowing faster treatment of an entire group of animals.

[0021] Another object of the present invention is such a device for injecting a substance having a significantly reduced weight.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is such a less bulky substance injection device, with a well-positioned center of gravity to give the user the impression of easy handling.

[0023] The present invention also relates to a method for managing such an injection device making it possible to reduce the resetting time, or unavailability, of this injection device between two successive administrations of a substance. Statement of the invention

[0024] To this end, the invention relates to a portable device for injecting a substance as defined in claim 1 and a method for managing a device for injecting a substance as defined in claim 13. Embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. The portable device for injecting a substance comprises a supply circuit comprising a chamber comprising a first end with an outlet orifice and a second open end, a piston extending towards the interior of said chamber from this second end, said chamber having a variable volume by displacement of the piston, a first electric motor for ensuring the displacement of said piston, said outlet orifice of said chamber being connected to a retractable injection needle for supplying this needle with the contents of said chamber. According to the invention, said injection device comprising an injection device body, said power supply circuit is placed in said portable injection device body, and the injection device body comprises a system for driving said needle between a first position, in which the needle is housed inside the injection device body, and a second position, in which the needle protrudes from the injection device body, said system for driving said needle comprising a second motor separate from said first electric motor so that the functions of entry / exit of the needle on the one hand and of re-priming / delivery, or recharging / discharging, of a dose of substance, on the other hand, are dissociated.

[0025] Such an injection device advantageously makes it possible to dissociate the drive system of the retractable needle and the mechanical system allowing a dose of substance to be discharged through this needle.

[0026] This portable injection device can be used to administer a substance to livestock, including pigs, sheep, calves, cattle, goats, etc., but also dogs and cats.

[0027] According to the invention as claimed, the portable device for injecting a substance comprises means for synchronizing the first and second electric motors so that the retraction of the needle after injection of said substance and the re-priming of the chamber are carried out simultaneously, or in parallel. For example, said portable device may comprise an electronic control unit capable of controlling each of the first and second motors, said electronic control unit being configured to synchronize the first and second electric motors. This results in a significant time saving in the treatment of live animals. Tests have, for example, shown, for a dose of substance of 2 ml, a time saving of 490 ms over the complete cycle.

[0028] According to another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, the first electric motor is a stepper motor. In order to drive said piston in a translational movement inside the chamber, this stepper motor drives in rotation a rotation / translational movement transformation system. This rotation / translational movement transformation system is preferably a screw / ball nut system. Alternatively, it could still be a system comprising pinions and a belt or a pinion / rack system. The screw / ball nut system is preferred due to its lower weight, which can represent a reduction of up to forty percent (40%), and preferably thirty-four percent (34%) compared to the weight of other known drive systems.

[0029] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, said system for driving said needle comprises a drive member moved by a servomotor. The use of a servomotor advantageously makes it possible not to weigh down the injection device, the weight of this servomotor being, purely for illustrative purposes, of the order of only several tens of grams. Advantageously, this drive member is a connecting rod / crank system. Alternatively, it could still be a pivot connection. The servomotor makes it possible to move the connecting rod in rotation, the latter then moving the injection needle in translation. This configuration advantageously makes it possible to limit the size of the injection needle drive system.

[0030] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, this injection needle being carried by said supply circuit, said drive member is connected to said supply circuit so that, when said drive member is moved by said servomotor, said supply circuit is moved in the injection device body to drive said needle in movement between its first and second positions. Thus, the movement of the needle between its first position and its second position is ensured by the movement of the entire supply circuit. Preferably, the drive member is integral with the first motor to drive the latter in movement. Advantageously, this drive member and this servomotor are placed under this supply circuit in the injection device body.

[0031] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, and as an alternative to the previous embodiment, said needle being carried by a needle support separate from said supply circuit, said drive member is connected to said needle support to move said needle between its first and second positions. The supply circuit and the assembly comprising said needle and its own drive system are then separate by being spaced from each other in the body of the injection device. Only the retractable injection needle is connected to the outlet orifice of the chamber by a flexible connection such as a tube, to receive the contents of this chamber when it is discharged.

[0032] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, it comprises a gripping handle. This gripping handle is optionally inclined, or forms an angle greater than or equal to 90°, relative to the longitudinal axis of the main body part of the injection device in which the needle is housed and along which this needle moves.

[0033] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, this injection device comprising a gripping handle, the supply circuit is housed at least partly in this gripping handle. More generally, at least a portion of the supply circuit, and in particular its chamber, is arranged in the portable device for injecting a substance in a non-horizontal manner when the main body part is held parallel to the surface of the ground. Advantageously, such a configuration facilitates the evacuation of any air bubble sucked into the supply circuit. In addition, the center of gravity of the portable injection device is positioned just above the operator's wrist, giving the latter the impression that the injection device is easy to hold.

[0034] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, it comprises an electronic module configured to adjust the power supply signal of the coil of the first motor according to the resistive torque applied to the rotor of this first electric motor. The adjustment of the power supply signal, of a given frequency and a given waveform, of the coil of the first electric motor to move the piston in the chamber in order to discharge the latter, is therefore automatic as soon as a new substance to be administered is introduced into the chamber. For example, this power supply signal is a sinusoidal wave.

[0035] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, said chamber is sized to determine an injection dose to be administered to an animal. For purely illustrative purposes, this chamber is a hollow cylindrical body. Preferably, the volume of said chamber is between zero (0) and ten (10) ml, preferably between zero (0) and five (5) ml. For example, the volume of this chamber is three (3) ml.

[0036] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, it comprises one or more elements chosen from: a motion sensor such as an accelerometer, an inclinometer, a gyrometer, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a time sensor such as a clock, a calendar, ..., a position sensor such as a GPS / GALILEO device, a geolocation device, beacon, ... a contactless communication device, and / or a wireless communication module for communicating with a network. Preferably, this portable device is equipment connected to a network for transmitting and / or receiving data. Communications can be carried out using a local network such as Wifi, Lifi, Ethernet, ... or a cellular access network, which can be of several types (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G), each type of network being accessible using several cellular access technologies (2G: EDGE, GPRS, 3G: UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, 4G: LTE, 5G). Alternatively, it may still be a low-power wireless communication module, such as a module configured to communicate according to one of the following protocols: Bluetooth, Sigfox, LoRa, THREAD, Wifi Halow, or ZigBee. The accelerometer can be used to measure the angle of inclination of the portable device when injecting said substance into the animal. The temperature sensor can be used to measure the temperature of this substance during its injection. The contactless communication device can be an RFID (radio frequency) reader or an NFC (Near Field Communication) reader, used in particular to identify the animal carrying an individual identification tag or label. All of this information collected from different sources can help monitor and rate the quality of each injection performed. This information can still be used to determine the number of injections made with a reservoir such as a bottle feeding the chamber with said substance. When a predetermined threshold value is reached, an alarm signal can be sent to the operator to warn of the required change of the reservoir.

[0037] This portable device for injecting a substance may also include one or more pressure sensors to determine, for example, contact with the animal in order to trigger the exit of the needle and the injection.

[0038] This portable device for injecting a substance may still include a probe to measure the level and use of its battery.

[0039] According to yet another embodiment of this portable device for injecting a substance, it comprises a main unit capable of controlling said first and second motors, said main unit comprising a processor and a set of software instructions which, when executed by said processor, make it possible to implement a method for managing a device for injecting a substance, in which said needle being in its second position and the contents of said chamber having been discharged, said chamber is filled with said substance during the movement of said needle from its second position to its first position.

[0040] Of course, the term "processor" refers to any programmable device.

[0041] The present invention also relates to a method for managing a device for injecting a substance comprising a supply circuit comprising a chamber comprising a first end with an outlet orifice and a second open end, a piston extending towards the interior of said chamber from this second end, said chamber having a variable volume by displacement of the piston, a first electric motor for ensuring the displacement of said piston, said outlet orifice of said chamber being connected to a retractable injection needle for supplying this needle with the contents of said chamber. According to the invention, the injection device body comprising a system for driving said needle between a first position, in which the needle is housed inside the body of the injection device, and a second position, in which the needle protrudes from the body of the injection device, said system for driving said needle comprising a second motor separate from said first electric motor so that the functions of entry / exit of the needle and re-priming / delivery, or recharging / discharging, of a dose of substance are dissociated, said chamber is filled with said substance during the movement of said needle from its second position to its first position.

[0042] Preferably, said chamber is completely filled with said substance to determine a new dose to be injected at the latest when said needle reaches its first position.

[0043] The present disclosure also relates to a computer program comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of each of the steps of the method for managing a device for injecting a substance, as described previously, when said program is executed on a computer.

[0044] Such a computer program is downloadable from a communications network and / or recorded on a computer-readable medium and / or is executable by a processor.

[0045] The present disclosure also relates to the use of a device for injecting a substance as described above for administering to animals active substances such as veterinary products, non-therapeutic preparations, vitamins, vaccines, etc. Brief description of the drawings

[0046] Other advantages, aims and particular characteristics of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows, given, for explanatory and in no way limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Fig. 1 [ Fig. 1 ] is a perspective view of a device for injecting a substance according to a first particular embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 [ Fig. 2 ] is a sectional view of the injection device of the Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of the injection needle drive system and that of the supply circuit of said needle in the injection device body; Fig. 3 [ Fig. 3 ] is a perspective view of the injection needle drive system of the injection device of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 [ Fig. 4] is a sectional view of an injection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement of the injection needle drive system and the arrangement of the supply circuit of said needle in the injection device body being visible; Fig. 5 [ Fig. 5 ] is a sectional view of an injection device according to a third embodiment of the present invention; Description of the embodiments

[0047] The drawings and the description below contain, for the most part, elements of a certain character. They may therefore not only serve to better understand the present invention, but also contribute to its definition, if necessary.

[0048] First of all, note that the figures are not to scale.

[0049] THE Figures 1 to 3schematically illustrate a portable device for injecting a substance according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] This injection device 10 comprises a retractable needle 11 for injecting a substance into an animal, here a piglet. In a known manner, this injection needle 11 is a hypodermic needle made of stainless steel.

[0051] This injection device 10 comprises a fluid supply circuit for discharging through this injection needle 11 a dose of a substance to be administered.

[0052] This supply circuit (partially shown) comprises a chamber which here has a hollow cylindrical body, which comprises a first end with an outlet orifice opening onto a tube in fluid communication with the internal channel of the injection needle 11 and a second open end, a piston extending towards the interior of this chamber from this second end.

[0053] The circumference of the piston head, which is also cylindrical, ensures, with the inner wall of the chamber, a seal against the fluid. This chamber thus has a variable volume due to the movement of the piston in it.

[0054] The maximum volume of this chamber defines a dose of substance to be administered to the piglet, such as a dose of 3 ml.

[0055] To ensure the movement of this piston, inside the chamber, the injection device includes a stepper motor 12. This stepper motor 12 drives in rotation a rotation / translation movement transformation system which is here a screw / ball nut system.

[0056] Thus this motor unit comprising the stepper motor 12 and the screw / ball nut system makes it possible to move the piston in translation inside the chamber to vary its volume and discharge its contents through the injection needle 11.

[0057] The injection needle drive system 11 comprises a servomotor 13, the latter developing enough torque to insert the needle 11 into the piglet's spine.

[0058] The system for driving the injection needle 11 and the system for discharging a dose of substance through this injection needle 11 therefore each comprise its own motor.

[0059] To move the injection needle 11 between its first position and its second position, the servomotor 13 rotates a drive member which is here a connecting rod / crank system 14. A bearing 15 makes it possible to guarantee the linear movement of the injection needle 11 between its two extreme positions.

[0060] The supply circuit comprising the first electric motor 12, the screw / nut system, the piston and the chamber, is here advantageously housed in the gripping handle 16 of the injection device 10.

[0061] An immediate advantage of this arrangement is that since the feed circuit is arranged in the shell of the injection device 10 in a non-horizontal manner but with its chamber facing upwards, it is easier to expel any air bubbles that may have been sucked into the feed circuit.

[0062] In addition, such a configuration allows greater compactness of the injection device 10 while ensuring better handling for the user, the center of gravity of the system being better positioned.

[0063] Thus, it is observed that the original design of the injection device illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 , ensures greater compactness and reduced weight to the latter, which results in less fatigue for the operator when carrying out his operations.

[0064] There figure 4 is a sectional view of a portable device for injecting a substance according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Items bearing the same references as those shown on the figures 1 to 3 represent the same objects, which will not be described again below.

[0066] The portable injection device 20 of the figure 4 differs from that represented in figures 1 to 3in that the servomotor 13 and the connecting rod / crank assembly 14 are arranged in the main body of this portable device under the supply circuit. The connecting rod / crank assembly 14 thus connects the servomotor 13 to the first electric motor 12 so that the rotational movement of the connecting rod by the servomotor 13 causes a translational movement of the first electric motor 12 inside the space delimited by the shell of the injection device 20.

[0067] The translational movement of the first electric motor 12 to which the rest of the injection needle supply circuit is connected, this circuit also carrying the injection needle 11, makes it possible to carry out the exit and entry of this injection needle out of and into the shell of the portable injection device 20.

[0068] There Figure 5 is a sectional view of a portable injection device 30 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] Items bearing the same references as those shown on the figures 1 to 3 represent the same objects, which will not be described again below.

[0070] This injection device 30 comprises a fluid supply circuit for discharging a substance to be injected through its injection needle 11.

[0071] This supply circuit (partially shown) comprises a chamber 31 which here has a hollow cylindrical body, which comprises a first end with an outlet orifice 32 opening onto a tube (not shown) in fluid communication with the internal channel of the injection needle 11 and a second open end, a piston 33 extending towards the interior of this chamber 31 from this second end.

[0072] This portable injection device 30 also includes a display screen 34 allowing the operator to select functions from a menu. An electronic module 35 provided with a processor makes it possible to manage the display and the software making it possible to operate the injection device 30.

Claims

1. Portable device for injecting a substance, the device comprising a supply circuit which includes a chamber comprising a first end with an outlet and a second open end, a piston extending into said chamber from this second end, said chamber having a volume that can be varied by the movement of the piston, a first electric motor (12) for moving said piston, said outlet of said chamber being connected to a retractable injection needle (11) in order to supply said needle with the contents of said chamber, said injection device including an injection device body, said supply circuit is located in said portable injection device body, the injection device body comprising a system for driving said needle (11) between a first position, in which the needle is housed inside the injection device body, and a second position, in which the needle (11) protrudes from the injection device body, said system for driving said injection needle (11) comprising a second motor (13) that is separate from said first electric motor (12) so that the functions of retracting / deploying the injection needle (11) and replenishing / delivering, or refilling / discharging, a dose of substance are dissociated, and characterized in that said injection device includes means for synchronizing the first electric motor and the second electric motor so that the retraction of the needle after injection of said substance and the replenishing of the chamber are performed simultaneously.

2. Portable substance-injection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first electric motor (12) is a stepper motor.

3. Portable substance-injection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said drive system of said injection needle (11) comprises a drive member moved by a servomotor (13).

4. Portable substance-injection device according to claim 3, characterized in that said drive member is a connecting rod / crank system (14).

5. Portable substance-injection device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said injection needle (11) being supported by said supply circuit, said drive member is connected to said supply circuit so that, when said drive member is moved by said servomotor (13), said supply circuit is moved in the injection device body in order to move said needle between its first position and its second position.

6. Portable substance-injection device according to claim 5, characterized in that said drive member is rigidly connected to said first motor (12).

7. Portable substance-injection device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said injection needle (11) being supported by a needle support which is separate from said supply circuit, said drive member is connected to said needle support in order to move said needle between its first position and its second position.

8. Portable substance-injection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a gripping handle (16).

9. Portable substance-injection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least a portion of the supply circuit, and in particular its chamber, is arranged non-horizontally in the portable injection device when the main body part is held parallel to the floor surface.

10. Portable substance-injection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an electronic module configured to adjust the supply signal of the coil of the first motor based on the resisting torque that is being applied to the rotor of this first electric motor (12).

11. Portable substance-injection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said chamber is sized to determine an injection dose.

12. Portable substance-injection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises one or more elements selected from among a motion sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a time sensor, a position sensor, a contactless communication device and / or a wireless communication module for communicating with a network.

13. Method for managing a substance-injection device comprising a supply circuit including a chamber comprising a first end with an outlet and a second open end, a piston extending into said chamber from said second end, said chamber having a volume that can be varied by the movement of the piston, a first electric motor (12) for moving said piston, said outlet of said chamber being connected to a retractable injection needle (11) in order to supply said needle with the contents of said chamber, the injection device body comprising a system for driving said needle (11) between a first position, in which the needle is housed inside the body of the injection device, and a second position, in which the needle (11) projects from the body of the injection device, said drive system for said injection needle (11) comprising a second motor (13) that is separate from said first electric motor (12) so that the functions of retracting / deploying the injection needle (11) and replenishing / delivering, or refilling / discharging, a dose of substance are dissociated, characterized in that said chamber is filled with said substance during the movement of said injection needle (11) from its second position to its first position.

14. Method for managing a substance-injection device according to claim 13, characterized in that said chamber is completely filled with said substance in order to determine a dose to be injected no later than when said injection needle (11) arrives in its first position.