Piercing instruments

Abstract

To provide a puncture instrument which has an operation mechanism using an engagement ring, and in which a puncture fluctuation hardly occurs.SOLUTION: A puncture instrument comprises: a lancet 101 having a lancet hub 111; a housing 102; an energizing member 103 for energizing the lancet hub 111; and an engagement part 172 having on a center part, an open hole into which the lancet hub 111 is inserted, and holding the lancet hub 111 in a puncture preparation state. The lancet hub 111 comprises: a contact protrusion part which contacts the engagement part 171 so as to be released freely, in the puncture preparation state, and passes through the engagement part 171 by release of contact to the engagement part 171; and a depth determination protrusion part 154 which collides with a puncture depth setting part 163 after the contact protrusion part passes through the engagement part, and regulates a movement of the lancet hub 111 to the tip end side by the energizing member 103 so as to determine a puncture depth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a puncture device, and more particularly to a disposable puncture device for blood collection. [Background technology]

[0002] In some cases, blood is collected by puncturing the surface of the skin and causing a small amount of blood to seep out. A disposable puncturing device may be used for such blood collection. In a disposable puncturing device, a lancet having a puncture needle at its tip is biased by a spring and contained in a housing. When the biasing force is released, the tip of the lancet protrudes from the housing and punctures the surface of the skin, causing blood to seep out from the skin.

[0003] Various mechanisms for holding a lancet so that the biasing force can be released when in use have been considered. For example, there is a mechanism in which a movable part such as an arm is provided on the lancet, and the movable part is releasably locked to a part of the housing (see, for example, Cited Document 1). However, in the case of such a mechanism, a lateral force is applied to the lancet when the movable part is released, and the axis of the lancet may shift from the axial direction or become deformed when released, causing the needle to move in an unintended trajectory and wobble when puncturing.

[0004] As a configuration that does not require the application of a lateral external force to the lancet, a rotatable locking ring is provided inside the housing. In this case, the locking ring receives the lancet in a biased state, and by rotating the locking ring, the engagement between the lancet and the locking ring is released, and the lancet passes through the locking ring and moves toward the tip side (see, for example, Patent Document 2). With this type of mechanism, no lateral force is applied to the lancet when the biasing force is released, making it difficult for the needle to wobble during puncture. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-56076 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-5518 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, it has been newly confirmed that puncture deviation can still occur in a mechanism having a locking ring. That is, in disposable puncture devices, miniaturization is required, but if the locking ring is made smaller, the axis of the lancet hub that passes through the locking ring must be made thinner. On the other hand, disposable puncture devices are manufactured with a spring biasing force applied to the lancet so that they can be used immediately, and it has been confirmed that the axis of the lancet hub is deformed and bent by the biasing force before use. If the axis of the lancet hub is bent, the puncture needle will swing during puncture, making it easy for puncture deviation to occur.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to realize a puncture device that is less likely to cause puncture deviation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the puncture device disclosed herein comprises a lancet having a puncture needle and a lancet hub that holds the puncture needle so that it protrudes from its tip, a housing that contains the lancet, and a biasing member that biases the lancet in the direction in which the puncture needle protrudes from the housing, the housing having a locking ring through which the lancet hub is inserted and a puncture depth setting portion provided further towards the tip than the locking ring, and the lancet hub has a depth determining protrusion on the tip side that collides with the puncture depth setting portion to determine the puncture depth.

[0009] According to one aspect of the puncture device, a depth-determining protrusion provided on the tip side of the lancet hub collides with a puncture depth setting portion to determine the puncture depth. When the axis of the lancet hub is deformed by bending, the puncture needle swings during puncture due to the relative position between the part that collides with the puncture depth setting portion and the puncture needle, and the farther the depth-determining protrusion is from the puncture needle, the greater the range of swing of the puncture needle becomes, and the greater the shaking of the puncture needle becomes. Therefore, by providing a depth-determining protrusion on the tip side of the lancet hub, the occurrence of shaking of the puncture needle can be reduced compared to when the depth-determining protrusion is provided on the base end side.

[0010] In one aspect of the puncture device, the depth-determining protrusion can be provided at a position that allows it to pass through the locking ring during the puncture operation. This makes it easier for the user to press the puncture button while keeping the area to be punctured and the button in view. It also reduces the situation in which the depth-determining protrusion impairs the visibility of the puncture area after puncture.

[0011] In one aspect of the puncture device, the housing includes a skin-contacting tube portion that is disposed closer to the tip than the puncture depth setting portion and has transparency that allows the interior to be visually observed, and the skin-contacting tube portion can be made thinner than the portion where the puncture depth setting portion is disposed. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the puncture depth setting portion from impeding visibility when visually checking for blood seepage.

[0012] In one aspect of the puncture device, the length from the tip of the skin contact tube part to the puncture depth setting part can be made larger than the diameter of the tip of the skin contact tube part. By adopting such a configuration, the seepage of blood due to the puncture can be more reliably visually observed.

[0013] One aspect of the puncture device may further include a puncture button that performs a puncture operation when pressed, and the protruding direction of the puncture depth setting unit may be parallel to the pressing direction of the button. Because users tend to press the button with their thumb, the puncture area after puncture is rarely checked from a viewpoint parallel to the pressing direction of the button. This makes it possible to reduce the situation in which the puncture depth setting unit impairs visibility. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the puncture device of the present disclosure, puncture misalignment can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing the lancing device of the present embodiment in an unused state. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the lancing device of the present embodiment in an unused state. [Diagram 3] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the lancing device of the present embodiment in an unused state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cap body as viewed from the base end side. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the cap body in a cutaway state. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line IV-IV in FIG. 1 in a state ready for puncturing. [Figure 12] 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line VV in FIG. 2 in a state ready for puncturing. [Figure 13] 13 is a plan view of the locking ring as viewed from the base end side in the puncture preparation state. FIG. [Figure 14] 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line IV-IV in FIG. 1 in a puncture state. [Figure 15] 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line VV in FIG. 2 in a puncture state. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a plan view of the locking ring as viewed from the base end side in the puncture state. [Figure 17]4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line IV-IV in FIG. 1 after puncture. [Figure 18] 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line VV in FIG. 2 after puncture. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the tip portion of the present embodiment in a puncture state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] 1 to 5, the puncture device of this embodiment includes a lancet 101, a housing 102 that contains the lancet 101, and a compression coil spring 103 that is a biasing member that biases the lancet 101. In the following description, the side that comes into contact with the skin is referred to as the tip side, and the opposite side is referred to as the base side.

[0017] The lancet 101 has a lancet hub 111 and a puncture needle 112 attached to the lancet hub 111 so that a sharp tip protrudes. In the unused state shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the tip of the puncture needle 112 is covered by a needle cover 113.

[0018] The lancet hub 111 is rod-shaped, and a spring seat 151 for fixing the compression coil spring 103 is formed at the base end of the lancet hub 111. A pair of base end side projections 152 projecting on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the lancet hub 111 are integrally formed on the outer circumferential surface of the base end of the lancet hub 111. A pair of tip side projections 153 projecting on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the lancet hub 111 are integrally formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tip end of the lancet hub 111. In addition, a pair of depth determining projections 154 projecting on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the lancet hub 111 are integrally formed at a predetermined distance from the tip side projections 153 on the base end side. The depth determining projections 154 are provided on the tip side relative to the axial center of the lancet hub 111. Furthermore, the pricking needle 112 extends toward the base end side beyond the portion where the depth-determining protrusion 154 is located within the lancet hub, thereby improving the strength of the lancet hub.

[0019] The protruding direction of the tip side protrusion 153 and the protruding direction of the depth determining protrusion 154 are different from each other. In this embodiment, the protruding direction of the tip side protrusion 153 and the protruding direction of the depth determining protrusion 154 are shifted from each other by 90° around the central axis. Note that in this embodiment, the protruding direction of the tip side protrusion 153 and the protruding direction of the base end side protrusion 152 coincide with each other around the central axis, but the protruding direction of the tip side protrusion 153 and the protruding direction of the base end side protrusion 152 do not have to coincide with each other.

[0020] Needle cover 113 is rod-shaped with the same central axis as lancet hub 111, and is formed integrally at the tip of lancet hub 111. The boundary between lancet hub 111 and needle cover 113 is a constricted threaded portion 155 with a reduced outer diameter, and by twisting needle cover 113 around its central axis relative to lancet hub 111, threaded portion 155 can be screwed off, allowing needle cover 113 to be manually removed from lancet hub 111. By removing needle cover 113 from lancet hub 111, the tip of puncture needle 112 that was covered by needle cover 113 can be exposed.

[0021] The tip portion of needle cover 113 is a flat grip portion 156, and at the base end portion of grip portion 156, a projection 157 and a tongue-shaped elastic claw 158 are formed to protrude from both sides in the width direction.

[0022] Lancet 101 is housed in housing 102 with its central axis coinciding with the central axis of housing 102. Housing 102 has a housing body 121 and a cap body 122 attached to the tip side of housing body 121.

[0023] The housing body 121 is generally cylindrical with its base end closed by a top plate and its tip open, with the tip having a slightly larger diameter than the base end. The top plate of the housing body 121 is provided with a spring seat 126 protruding from the center of the inner surface toward the tip side. The inner wall of the housing body 121 is provided with a pair of body-side guide grooves 130 extending in the axial direction. The body-side guide grooves 130 have a circumferential width and a radial depth set so that the base-end protrusion 152 provided on the lancet hub 111 can be guided in the axial direction. The base-end protrusion 152 is fitted into the body-side guide groove 130 and slides, thereby smoothing the axial movement of the lancet hub 111 and preventing the lancet hub 111 from rotating around its axis.

[0024] Operation piece 124, which is a puncture button, is formed near the tip of housing body 121. Operation piece 124 is disposed in through window 134 formed in the peripheral wall of housing body 121, and is partially connected to the peripheral wall of housing body 121. When operation piece 124 is pressed with a finger, the connecting portion elastically deforms, and operation piece 124 is displaced toward the inside of housing body 121.

[0025] A connecting rib 136 for connecting the cap body 122 is formed integrally at the tip of the housing body 121. As shown in Figs. 6 to 9, a connecting ring 138 for receiving the connecting rib 136 is formed integrally at the base end of the cap body 122. The connecting ring 138 is connected and supported to the cap body 122 by connecting parts 141 protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the cap body 122. In this embodiment, four connecting ribs 136 and four connecting parts 141 are provided, and the connecting ribs 136 are engaged with the connecting ring 138 by aligning the connecting parts 141 at positions between the connecting ribs 136. As a result, the housing body 121 and the cap body 122 are positioned and fixed in the axial direction, and the cap body 122 is positioned and fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the housing body 121.

[0026] The cap body 122 has a support tube portion 142 that protrudes further toward the base end than the connecting ring 138. The support tube portion 142 is provided with a notched groove 144 that receives a pair of tip side projections 153 provided on the lancet hub 111. A cap side guide groove 146 that receives a pair of depth determining projections 154 provided on the lancet hub 111 is provided at a position offset from the notched groove 144 in the support tube portion 142. The cap side guide groove 146 extends from the tip of the cap body 122 to a position a predetermined length away from the base end.

[0027] The positional relationship between the notched groove 144 and the cap side guide groove 146 coincides with the positional relationship between the tip side protrusion 153 and the depth determining protrusion 154 provided on the lancet hub 111. The circumferential width dimension and radial depth dimension of the notched groove 144 are defined so as to receive the protrusion 157 provided on the needle cover 113 and the tip side protrusion 153 provided on the lancet hub 111. The circumferential width dimension and radial depth dimension of the cap side guide groove 146 are defined so as to receive the depth determining protrusion 154 provided on the lancet hub 111.

[0028] At the position where the notch groove 144 at the tip of the cap body 122 is extended, a cover locking projection 147 is provided to engage with a projection 157 and an elastic claw 158 provided on the needle cover 113. At the tip of the cap side guide groove 146, a puncture depth setting portion 163 with which the depth determining projection 154 collides is provided. The puncture depth setting portion 163 is a projection that protrudes perpendicularly to the central axis of the housing 102, and the tip surface of the depth determining projection 154 collides with the base end surface. In this embodiment, a guide wall is provided around the puncture depth setting portion 163 to guide the depth determining projection 154 so that the depth determining projection 154 collides with the puncture depth setting portion 163 reliably. By providing the puncture depth setting portion 163 at the tip of the cap side guide groove 146 that guides the depth determining projection 154, the depth determining projection 154 can be guided to collide reliably with the puncture depth setting portion 163. On the other hand, the base end of cap side guide groove 146 is formed with a large width in a tapered shape, making it easier for depth determining protrusion 154 to be introduced into cap side guide groove 146. Puncture depth setting portion 163 protrudes inwardly more than the cover locking protrusion so that depth determining protrusion 154 does not pass through in the event of a collision. However, cap side guide groove 146 may be provided only as needed, and does not have to be provided. Also, puncture depth setting portion 163 does not have to protrude inwardly more than the cover locking protrusion.

[0029] A compression coil spring 103 and a locking ring 172, which are biasing members, are contained within the housing 102. The compression coil spring 103 is fitted and fixed between a spring seat 126 provided on the top plate portion of the housing body 121 and a spring seat 151 of the lancet hub 111. When the lancet hub 111 is displaced toward the base end, the compression coil spring 103 is compressed and deformed, and a biasing force associated with the compression deformation is applied in a direction pushing the lancet hub 111 from the housing 102 toward the tip end.

[0030] 10, the locking ring 172 has a substantially circular ring shape having a through hole in the center through which the lancet hub 111 is inserted, and is rotatably attached to the support tube portion 142 of the cap body 122. The locking ring 172 has a thick inner flange-shaped engagement portion 175 provided on the base end side, and a pair of abutment legs 174 protruding from the tip end side. In this embodiment, the abutment legs 174 are inserted between the four connecting portions 141 provided around the support tube portion 142. When the locking ring 172 is rotated, the abutment legs 174 abut against the connecting portions 141 in the circumferential direction, so that the allowable range of rotation of the locking ring 172 on the support tube portion 142 in the circumferential direction is smaller than 45°.

[0031] A pair of first passing grooves 176 and a pair of second passing grooves 178 are formed radially opposite each other on the inner peripheral surface of the inner flange-shaped engaging portion 175. The first passing groove 176 and the second passing groove 178 each extend linearly over the entire axial length of the engaging portion 175.

[0032] The inner diameter of the engagement portion 175 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the lancet hub 111 and the needle cover 113, and a locking ring 172 is fitted onto the lancet hub 111 and the needle cover 113. The first passing groove 176 of the engagement portion 175 has a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the tip side protrusion 153 of the lancet hub 111, and the tip side protrusion 153 is capable of moving in the axial direction within the first passing groove 176. On the other hand, the second passing groove 178 of the engagement portion 175 has a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the depth-determining protrusion 154 of the lancet hub 111, and the depth-determining protrusion 154 is capable of moving in the axial direction within the second passing groove 178.

[0033] In the locking ring 172, the angle (intersection angle) between the line connecting the pair of first passing grooves 176 and the line connecting the pair of second passing grooves 178 is different from the angle (intersection angle) between the protruding direction of the pair of tip side projections 153 and the protruding direction of the pair of depth determining projections 154 in the lancet hub 111. Specifically, the angle between the line connecting the pair of first passing grooves 176 and the line connecting the pair of second passing grooves 178 is about 60°, and the angle between the protruding direction of the tip side projections 153 and the protruding direction of the pair of depth determining projections 154 is 90°. Therefore, in the lancet hub 111 inserted in the locking ring 172, when the tip side projections 153 and the first passing groove 176 are aligned, the depth determining projections 154 cannot pass through the second passing groove 178. On the other hand, when the depth determining projection 154 and the second passing groove 178 are aligned, the tip side projection 153 cannot pass through the first passing groove 176 .

[0034] The distance between the base end surface of tip side projection 153 in lancet hub 111 and the tip surface of depth determining projection 154 is slightly larger than the thickness of engagement portion 175. Therefore, tip side projection 153 passes through first passing groove 176 and is positioned on the tip side of engagement portion 175, and depth determining projection 154 is positioned on the base side of engagement portion 175. In this state, locking ring 172 fitted onto lancet hub 111 can be rotated relative to lancet hub 111.

[0035] A pair of pressing pieces 180 are integrally formed on the outer circumferential surface of the locking ring 172, protruding on both radial sides. When the locking ring 172 is viewed in the axial direction, the pressing pieces 180 are in the shape of a scalene right-angled triangle, and the surface corresponding to the hypotenuse is a pressing inclined surface 182 inclined around the central axis of the locking ring 172. The pair of pressing pieces 180 are aligned so as to be located inside the operation piece 124 of the housing main body 121 when the locking ring 172 is attached to the support tube part 142. By pushing the operation piece 124 into the housing 102 with a finger, one end of the operation piece 124 in the circumferential direction is pressed against the pressing inclined surface 182 and presses it. Based on the component force action exerted according to the inclination angle of the pressing inclined surface 182, the pressing force of the operation piece 124 rotates the locking ring 172.

[0036] 4 and 5, in the unused state with the needle cover 113 attached, the cover locking projection 147 of the cap body 122 is sandwiched and locked between the projection 157 and the elastic claw 158 formed on the needle cover 113. In this state, the lancet 101 compresses and deforms the compression coil spring 103, which is the urging member, and is pushed to the base end side of the housing main body 121 where the depth determining protrusion 154 of the lancet hub 111 does not abut against the locking ring 172. Therefore, the urging force of the compression coil spring 103 is received by the engagement between the projection 157 and the elastic claw 158 of the needle cover 113 and the cover locking projection 147 of the cap body 122.

[0037] When not in use, the first passing groove 176 of the locking ring 172 is aligned with the notched groove 144 of the support tube portion 142, and the tip side projection 153 of the lancet hub 111 is positioned straddling between the first passing groove 176 of the locking ring 172 and the notched groove 144 of the support tube portion 142. Therefore, even if the operating piece 124 is operated, the locking ring 172 does not rotate relative to the lancet hub 111.

[0038] When using an unused puncture device 100 with needle cover 113 attached, first grasp housing 102 with one hand, pinch needle cover 113 with the other hand, and rotate needle cover 113. This causes projection 157 and elastic claw 158 of needle cover 113 to detach from cover locking projection 147 of cap body 122. Furthermore, needle cover 113 is threaded off at thread cutting portion 155 to separate it from lancet hub 111, and needle cover 113 is removed from cap body 122.

[0039] When the needle cover 113 is removed, the lancet hub 111 moves to the tip side by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 103. This causes the depth determining protrusion 154 of the lancet hub 111 to abut against the base end surface of the engagement portion 175 of the locking ring 172, as shown in Figs. 11 to 13, resulting in a puncture preparation state. In this embodiment, in the puncture preparation state, the biasing force of the compression coil spring 103 is received by the abutment between the depth determining protrusion 154 and the engagement portion 175 of the locking ring 172. In the puncture preparation state, the tip side protrusion 153 passes through the first passing groove 176 and is positioned on the tip side, and the locking ring 172 is in a rotatable state.

[0040] When the locking ring 172 is rotated by pushing the operating piece 124 of the puncture device 100 in the puncture preparation state with a finger, the position of the second passing groove 178 of the locking ring 172 coincides with the position of the depth determining protrusion 154 of the lancet hub 111 that was in contact with the base end surface of the locking ring 172, as shown in Figs. 14 to 16. The urging force of the compression coil spring 103 causes the depth determining protrusion 154 to pass through the second passing groove 178 and move toward the tip side until it hits the puncture depth setting portion 163. This causes the tip of the puncture needle 112 to protrude a predetermined length from the tip opening of the cap body 122, and puncture is performed. The cover locking projection 147 provided on the tip side of the puncture depth setting portion 163 of the cap body 122 is designed to be large enough not to prevent the tip side protrusion 153 of the lancet hub 111 from passing through. In addition, the base end protrusion 152 of the lancet hub 111 is designed so as not to abut against the base end of the locking ring 172 even at the puncture position, and the main body guide groove 130 does not have any protrusions or the like that the base end protrusion 152 may collide with.

[0041] After the urging force is released, the compression coil spring 103 stretches beyond its free length and then returns to its free length. Since both axial ends of the compression coil spring 103 are fixed to the spring seat 126 of the housing body 121 and the spring seat 151 of the lancet hub 111, respectively, the lancet 101 after pricking is pulled back toward the base end by the restoring force of the compression coil spring 16, and reaches the used state shown in Figures 17 and 18. In the used state, the lancet 101 is held in a position determined by the free length of the compression coil spring 103.

[0042] A puncture device is required to achieve a predetermined puncture depth while minimizing damage to the skin during puncture. When the puncture needle is inserted perpendicularly into the skin and removed perpendicularly, the damage to the skin can be minimized. However, because the needle shakes during puncture, the angle of the needle changes when it enters the skin and when it is removed, resulting in a larger wound and greater pain due to the puncture. In order to minimize shake during puncture, it is possible to minimize the clearance of each part, but considering that the lancet hub bends and deforms over time, a certain amount of clearance is required.

[0043] If a puncture depth setting protrusion is provided on the base end side of the lancet hub, there is no need to consider interference with the locking ring. However, if the axis of the lancet hub is bent, the swing angle when the puncture depth setting protrusion collides with the puncture depth setting section will become larger, resulting in shaking during puncture and increased pain.

[0044] The pricking device of this embodiment causes depth-determining protrusion 154, which passes through locking ring 172 and moves toward the tip, to collide with pricking depth setting section 163 provided on the housing. Since depth-determining protrusion 154 is located on the tip side of lancet hub 111, which passes through locking ring 172 during pricking, it is less susceptible to bending deformation due to the biasing force of compression coil spring 103, and is less likely to shake during pricking.

[0045] Furthermore, since the depth determining protrusion 154 is located on the tip side of the lancet hub, the tip surface of the depth determining protrusion 154 is less likely to tilt significantly when the axis of the lancet hub is bent, compared to when the depth determining protrusion 154 is located on the base end side of the lancet hub. This makes it possible to reduce the deviation until the surfaces come into contact when the tip surface of the depth determining protrusion 154 collides with the puncture depth setting part 163. Also, since the proximal end surface of the locking ring 172 abuts in the puncture preparation state, it can also serve to regulate the axial position of the puncture needle in the puncture preparation state, and it is possible to minimize consideration of the influence of interference with the locking ring 172.

[0046] If a protrusion for setting the puncture depth is provided at the tip of the lancet hub 111, the effect of the bending of the lancet hub 111 can be minimized. However, in this case, the collision part on the cap body 122 side that collides with the protrusion for setting the puncture depth must be provided near the tip of the cap body. If the collision part is provided near the tip of the cap, the visibility of the puncture part from the outside decreases. After puncturing, the user presses the tip of the cap body against the skin until blood leaks from the puncture part, but if the visibility decreases, it becomes difficult to determine whether blood has leaked out, which is not preferable. However, in this embodiment, the depth determination protrusion 154 is provided on the base end side of the tip side protrusion 153 so that it passes through the locking ring 172 during puncturing. Therefore, the puncture depth setting part 163 can be provided at a position a predetermined distance away from the tip of the cap body 122 toward the base end, and the visibility of the puncture part from the outside can be improved.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 19, the visibility can be further improved by providing a thin skin contact tube portion 164 at the tip of the cap body 122. The thickness t of the skin contact tube portion 164 is preferably thinner than the maximum thickness of at least the portion of the cap body 122 where the puncture depth setting portion 163 protrudes inward, and thinner than the thickness of the portion of the cap body 122 where the depth determining protrusion 154 passes on the base end side of the puncture depth setting portion 163. Furthermore, if the inner diameter φ of the skin contact tube portion 164 is made larger than the depth determining protrusion 154, a sufficient space can be provided around the blood that seeps out after puncturing, making it difficult for the seeped blood to come into contact with the cap body 122. Furthermore, since the skin contact tube portion 164 does not have a guide groove, if the skin contact tube portion 164 is made of a highly transparent material, it becomes easy to see inside, and the state of blood seeping out can be visually confirmed. It is possible to make only the skin contact tube portion 164 transparent, or the entire cap body 122 transparent.

[0048] From the viewpoint of making it possible to visually check the seepage of blood due to puncturing more reliably, it is preferable that the length L from the tip of the skin contact tube part 164 to the puncturing depth setting part 163 is larger than the inner diameter φ of the tip of the skin contact tube part 164. Also, by making the inner diameter φ of the tip of the skin contact tube part larger than the maximum width of the depth determining protrusion 154, it is possible to suppress blood adhesion to the skin contact tube part. Also, when the cap side guide groove 146 is provided, it is preferable to provide the puncturing depth setting part 163 at the tip of the cap side guide groove 146. In this way, the positions of the cap side guide groove 146 and the puncturing depth setting part 163, which interfere with visibility, are concentrated, and the situation in which visibility is hindered can be reduced.

[0049] During the puncturing operation, the operation piece 124 is likely to be pressed by the thumb, and the operation piece 124 naturally ends up in a position slightly diagonally shifted from a position facing the front of the body. For this reason, it is preferable that there are no irregularities that impede visibility within an angle range of ±25° to 65° between the operation piece and the circumference of the cap body 122. Specifically, it is preferable that the puncturing depth setting portion 163 and the cap side guide groove 146 are not within this angle range, and when a pair of puncturing depth setting portions 163 are provided opposite each other on the circumference of the cap body 122, it is preferable that the circumferential position of one of the puncturing depth setting portions 163 and the circumferential position of the operation piece 124 overlap. In this case, the protruding direction of the puncturing depth setting portion 163 in a plan view seen from the tip side (the direction connecting the puncturing depth setting portion 163 and the central axis of the housing 102) coincides with the pressing direction of the operation piece 124. Moreover, when the cover locking projection 147 is provided, it is preferable that the cover locking projection 147 is also not within this angle range, and specifically, it is preferable that the cover locking projection 147 is positioned 90° away from the puncture depth setting section 163. Moreover, it is preferable that no other projections or the like are present on the circumference between the puncture depth setting section 163 and the cover locking projection 147.

[0050] In this embodiment, the tip of the lancet hub 111 is provided with the tip protrusion 153, but the tip protrusion 153 may not be provided. In this case, instead of the tip protrusion 153 as a mechanism for preventing the locking ring 172 from rotating erroneously, another mechanism for preventing erroneous rotation may be provided. In addition, the locking ring may have any configuration as long as it does not allow the depth-determining protrusion 154 to pass in the puncture preparation state, but rotates by some operation from outside the housing 102 to allow the depth-determining protrusion 154 to pass. In this embodiment, the depth-determining protrusions 154 protrude on both sides of the central axis of the lancet hub 111 so as to face each other. In this way, by arranging a pair of depth-determining protrusions 154 symmetrically with respect to the central axis, the lancet 101 can be made less likely to shake when the depth-determining protrusion 154 hits the puncture depth setting section 163.

[0051] In this embodiment, the depth determining protrusion 154 abuts against the locking ring 172 in the puncture preparation state, preventing the lancet 101 from moving toward the tip. This configuration has the advantage of simplifying the structure. However, it is also possible to provide an abutment protrusion separate from the depth determining protrusion 154 that abuts against the locking ring 172 in the puncture preparation state, preventing the lancet 101 from moving toward the tip. With this configuration, no force is applied to the depth determining protrusion 154 in the puncture preparation state, making it more unlikely that the depth determining protrusion 154 will become slanted.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the depth setting portion is provided separately from the cover locking projection 147, but the cover locking projection 147 can also be used as the depth setting portion. In this case, the visibility of the tip of the cap body 122 decreases, but shaking during puncturing can be reduced. Also, the depth determining projection can be the tip side projection 153 or can be provided at the base end of the tip side projection 153.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the depth-determining protrusion 154 abuts against the locking ring when the cap is removed, and has the function of fixing the position of the lancet hub, but this function may be separated from the depth-determining protrusion 154 by providing a separate protrusion, etc. Also, although the depth-determining protrusion 154 is located on the proximal side of the locking ring, the depth-determining protrusion 154 may be located within the locking ring. For example, a portion of the locking ring may be extended toward the proximal side, the depth-determining protrusion 154 may be located within the locking ring, and the depth-determining protrusion 154 may pass through the locking ring when the button is pressed.

[0054] Furthermore, the depth determining protrusion 154 may be used as a safety mechanism to reject defective products. For example, if the axis of the lancet hub is bent significantly due to some abnormality, the depth determining protrusion 154 cannot pass through the locking ring 172 and puncturing cannot be performed, and defective products with excessively bent lancet hub axes can be made unusable. The cover locking protrusion 147 may also be used as a puncturing depth setting section. In this case, the number of protrusions provided near the tip can be reduced, and visibility at the tip of the cap body 122 can be further improved. The puncturing depth setting section 163 may also be provided at the same height as the cover locking protrusion 147. In this case, the effect of suppressing puncturing blurring can be improved without excessively impairing visibility. [Industrial Applicability]

[0055] The lancing device of the present disclosure is less susceptible to puncture shaking and can be widely used for blood sampling and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 100 Puncture device 101 Lancet 102 Housing 103 Compression coil spring 111 Lancet Hub 112 Puncture needle 113 Needle Cover 121 Housing body 122 Cap body 124 Operation piece 126 Spring seat 130 Main body guide groove 134 Through window 136 Connecting Rib 138 Connecting Ring 141 Connection section 142 Support cylinder part 144 Notch Groove 146 Cap side guide groove 147 Cover locking projection 151 Spring seat 152 Proximal protrusion 153 Tip side protrusion 154 Depth determining protrusion 155 Thread cutting section 156 Gripping part 157 Protrusion 158 Elastic Claw 163 Puncture depth setting unit 164 Skin contact cylinder part 172 Locking ring 174 Contact leg 175 Engagement part 176 1st passage groove 178 2nd passage groove 180 Pressing piece 182 Pressing inclined surface

Claims

1. a lancet having a lancet hub and a puncture needle integrated with the lancet hub; A housing for accommodating the lancet; a biasing member attached to a base end of the lancet hub and biasing the lancet hub in a direction in which the pricking needle protrudes from the housing; a through hole through which the lancet hub is inserted at a center portion, and a locking portion that holds the lancet hub in a puncture preparation state; The housing includes a housing body and a cap body attached to a tip of the housing body, The cap body has a puncture depth setting portion on a tip side of the locking portion, The lancet hub is a disposable puncture device having a contact protrusion that releasably contacts the locking portion in the puncture preparation state and passes through the locking portion by releasing the contact with the locking portion, and a depth determining protrusion that collides with the puncture depth setting portion after the contact protrusion has passed through the locking portion, thereby restricting the movement of the lancet hub toward the tip side by the biasing member and determining the puncture depth.

2. 2. The disposable puncture device according to claim 1, wherein said contact protrusion and said depth determining protrusion are the same protrusion.

3. 2. The disposable puncture device according to claim 1, wherein said contact protrusion and said depth determining protrusion are different protrusions.

4. the cap body has a skin contact tube portion that is provided on the distal end side of the puncture depth setting portion and has transparency that allows the inside of the cap body to be visually observed, The puncture device according to claim 1, wherein said skin contact tube portion is entirely thin-walled compared to a portion of said cap body above said puncture depth setting portion.

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