Liquid medicine injection device having solenoid motion detection sensor

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid medicine injection device comprising: a solenoid (130) that is supplied with electrical power and generates a magnetic force; a first movable body (140) that reciprocates due to the magnetic force of the solenoid; a second movable body (150) that reciprocates in conjunction with the first movable body; a lever (160) that has one end coupled to the upper end of the first movable body and the other end coupled to the second movable body and is provided with a pivot shaft located at a certain point between the two ends; and a displacement-limiting member (152) that is integrated with the second movable body (150) and has an opening (153), which passes through the middle, and a contact groove (158), which is recessed inward from the lower end. A first protruding member (172) and a second protruding member (174) spaced a certain distance apart from each other are provided inside the opening (153), a third protruding member (176) is provided such that the outer circumferential surface thereof is constantly in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the contact groove, and whether or not the solenoid is operating normally is determined by sensing contact with the first protruding member (172) or the second protruding member (174) while the displacement-limiting member (152) reciprocates.

Description

Liquid injection device equipped with a solenoid motion detection sensor

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug injection device, and more specifically, to a drug injection device having a sensor capable of detecting the operation of a solenoid mounted therein to enhance the reliability of operation.

[0002] Drug injection devices are widely used to inject medicinal liquids such as hormones into the human body to treat various diseases.

[0003] For example, for diabetes treatment, insulin infusion devices are used to inject medication into a patient's body. While these devices are sometimes used by medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, they are often used by the patient themselves or by ordinary individuals, such as their guardians. Diabetics, especially those with pediatric diabetes, require the injection of medications like insulin at regular intervals. Therefore, patch-type medication infusion devices are being developed, which can be attached to the body for a set period of time and used in a patch-like manner.

[0004] It is crucial for these drug injection devices to inject the drug in a precise amount. To achieve this, the device requires a structure that distributes the drug in a precise amount within the device.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a technology for accurately controlling a small amount of a drug solution injected into a human body, and also aims to provide a sensor for detecting whether a solenoid that performs a drug solution dispensing operation is operating normally.

[0006] The present invention comprises: a solenoid (130) that receives power and generates magnetic force; a first moving body (140) that reciprocates by the magnetic force of the solenoid; a second moving body (150) that reciprocates in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the first moving body; a lever (160) that has one end coupled to the upper end of the first moving body and the other end coupled to the second moving body, and has a pivot shaft positioned at a certain point between the two ends; And a movement amount limiting member (152) which is integrally provided with the second moving body (150) and has an opening (153) penetrating through the center and a contact groove (158) which is introduced inwardly from the bottom; and a first protruding member (172) and a second protruding member (174) which are formed at a predetermined distance apart from each other on the inside of the opening (153) are provided, and a third protruding member (176) whose outer surface is always in contact with the inner surface of the contact groove is provided, and a liquid injection device which detects contact with the first protruding member (172) or the second protruding member (174) during a reciprocating operation of the movement amount limiting member (152) to determine whether the solenoid is operating normally is provided.

[0007] The first protruding member (172) and the second protruding member (174) formed at a certain distance apart in the vertical direction are provided on the inside of the above opening (153), and the third protruding member (176) whose outer surface is always in contact with the inner surface of the contact groove is provided, and the characteristic is that contact with the first protruding member (172) or the second protruding member (174) is detected during the up-and-down reciprocating process of the movement amount limiting member (152) to determine whether the solenoid is operating normally.

[0008] Each of the first to third protruding members (172, 174, 176) is connected to the main PCB of the reusable module by the first to third conductive members (s1, s2, s3), and contact is determined by the control unit.

[0009] When the second moving body moves downward and is positioned at the lowest position, the upper surface of the opening contacts the first protruding member and the third protruding member contacts the contact groove, so that the first protruding member and the third protruding member are electrically connected to each other. When the second moving body moves upward and is positioned at the highest position, the lower surface of the opening contacts the second protruding member and the third protruding member contacts the contact groove, so that the second protruding member and the third protruding member are electrically connected to each other.

[0010] The pivot shaft (162) of the above lever is located at a point closer to the other end coupled to the second movable body than to the one end coupled to the first movable body, thereby making the reciprocating movement distance of the second movable body smaller than the reciprocating movement distance of the first movable body, thereby reducing the single discharge amount of the liquid from the piston-check valve module, and a smaller force can be applied to one end of the pivot shaft than to the other end of the pivot shaft.

[0011] The above contact groove is formed so that the length in the direction of movement of the second moving body is longer than the left-right width, so that the inner surfaces on both left and right sides of the contact groove are always in contact with the outer surface of the third protruding member even during the up-and-down reciprocating movement of the second moving body.

[0012] The present invention has the effect of detecting whether a solenoid is operating normally by using a solenoid detection sensor, thereby increasing the reliability of the operation of a drug injection device and enabling more precise control of the amount of drug injected into the human body.

[0013] The present invention has the effect of detecting not only the operation of the solenoid but also the position of the magnet of the first moving body by detecting the position of the second moving body using a solenoid detection sensor.

[0014] Figures 1 and 2 are front and rear views of the drug injection device according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 is a view showing the reusable module and the disposable module separated from the liquid injection device according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the reuse module of the liquid injection device according to the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a disposable module in a liquid injection device according to the present invention.

[0018] Figures 6 to 9 are drawings showing the internal structure of the liquid injection device according to the present invention and the operation of the piston check valve module.

[0019] Figures 10 and 11 illustrate a structure for controlling the up-and-down movement of a piston in a liquid injection device of the present invention.

[0020] Figures 12 and 13 are drawings showing the principle of detecting solenoid operation in the liquid injection device of the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a solenoid operation detection structure in the liquid injection device of the present invention.

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0023] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0024] In the following description, the forward / retreat etc. are expressed as 'forward' when the moving body or piston, which is a component of the device of the present invention, moves upward as seen in the drawing, and 'retreat' when the moving body or piston moves downward as seen in the drawing, but this is only an expression for convenience of explanation and does not limit the scope of the rights of the present invention. In addition, the 'up and down' direction used in the following description is a direction based on the drawing for convenience of explanation, and such direction does not limit the scope of the rights of the invention.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a drug injection device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a rechargeable module (100) that can be recharged and reused, and a disposable module (200) that is replaced after use, and further includes an attachment member (not shown) for attaching the disposable module to a human body, and a tube (T) for guiding the drug discharged from the disposable module to a needle (not shown) inserted into a human body. In addition, a separation button (B) for separating the reusable module and the disposable module from each other is provided on the front side of the drug injection device, and the reusable module and the disposable module can be separated from each other by pressing the separation button (FIG. 3).

[0026] However, the drug injection device of the present invention is not limited to such a detachable modular structure. That is, the drug injection device of the present invention may be an integral structure that is structurally inseparable. Therefore, the internal structure of the drug injection device of the present invention, described below, is applicable to both an integral structure and a detachable modular structure.

[0027] However, the following description will be based on a combined structure of a reusable module (100) that can be reused repeatedly and a disposable module (200) that is replaced after use.

[0028]

[0029] [Structure of reusable and disposable modules]

[0030] Referring to Fig. 4, the structure of the reusable module (100) will be examined. The reusable module (100) has a structure that can be separated from the disposable module (200) using a separation button (B), and can be reused repeatedly. The reusable module (100) has an upper case (111) and a lower case (112), and inside these cases, a main PCB (114), a lower bracket (116), and an upper bracket (118) are provided. And, as a member accommodated by the upper bracket and the lower bracket, etc., it comprises a battery (120) that stores electric power, a solenoid (130) that receives electric power from the battery and generates magnetic force, a first moving body (140) that reciprocates up and down with the magnetic force generated by the solenoid, and a second moving body (150) that performs an up and down reciprocating motion linked to the up and down reciprocating motion of the first moving body and discharges the medicine stored in the disposable module (200). In addition, a lever (160) that links the up and down reciprocating motions of the first moving body and the second moving body is provided.

[0031] In Fig. 5, a disposable module (200) of a drug injection device according to the present invention is illustrated. The disposable module (200) includes an inner case (210) and an outer case (220) coupled on top of the inner case, and includes a reservoir (230) for storing a drug as a member provided inside the cases, a piston-check valve module (250) for discharging a certain amount of the drug, and a connector (240) for connecting the reservoir and the piston-check valve module to transmit the drug. The drug stored in the reservoir (230) is transmitted to the piston-check valve module (250) via the connector (240).

[0032]

[0033] [Quantitative Control Structure]

[0034] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, a structure for discharging a liquid in a state where the reusable module (100) and the disposable module (200) are combined will be described.

[0035] The first movable body (140) of the above-described reusable module (100) is composed of a central axis (142) and an outer member (144). The entire first movable body (140) may be composed of magnets, or may be located at the center and only the central axis (142) may be composed of magnets. The first movable body moves up and down by the magnetic force generated by the solenoid (130). In addition, the lever (160) is a member whose left and right ends move up and down based on a pivot axis (162) that is arranged approximately horizontally and is located at a certain point between the two ends. The meaning of "up and down direction" in the up and down reciprocation described herein means the upward and downward directions as seen in the drawing of FIG. 6, and means a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the central axis (142).

[0036] The upper end of the central axis (142) of the first moving body (140) is coupled with one end (164) of the lever (160), and the other end (166) of the lever (160) is coupled to the second moving body (150). The pivot axis (162) may be positioned closer to the other end rather than at the exact center point between the two ends, and in the present invention, the pivot axis (162) is positioned at a point closer to the second moving body.

[0037] By configuring the position of the pivot axis to be biased toward the second moving body in this way, there is an advantage in that small amount of liquid can be controlled and the second moving body can be reciprocated with a relatively small force on the solenoid side. That is, by making the vertical reciprocating movement distance of the second moving body smaller than the vertical reciprocating movement distance of the first moving body, the liquid discharged from the quantitative control space (251) to be described below can be controlled in a smaller amount, and also, by the lever principle, the second moving body can be operated with a smaller force than the force required for the vertical movement of the first moving body.

[0038] When the first moving body (140) moves forward (moves upward), the second moving body (150) moves backward (moves downward) (as shown in FIG. 6), and when the first moving body (140) moves backward (moves downward), the second moving body (150) moves forward (moves upward) (as shown in FIG. 8).

[0039] Figures 6 and 8 show the overall operation of the first and second moving bodies, and Figures 7 and 9 are enlarged detailed drawings for explaining the operation structure of the piston-check valve module (250) of the disposable module (200) in Figures 6 and 8.

[0040] First, the structure of the piston-check valve module (250) of the disposable module (200) will be examined. The piston-check valve module (250) has a quantitative control space (251) in which a certain amount of chemical liquid is supplied and received, an injection passage (252) through which the chemical liquid is injected is formed in the horizontal direction of the quantitative control space (251), and a discharge passage (253) through which the chemical liquid is discharged is formed on the upper side of the quantitative control space (251). The quantitative control space (251) is a cylindrical space formed in the vertical direction, and a piston (255) moves up and down reciprocally inside the quantitative control space (251). A circular piston lower member (256) formed with an increasing radius is provided at the lower portion of the piston (255).

[0041] And, the piston lower member (256) is coupled to the upper end of the second moving body (150) of the reuse module (100) and moves up and down together with the second moving body, and as a result, the piston moves up and down. The piston lower member (256) is coupled to the upper end of the second moving body (150) of the reuse module (100) by a coupling member (M) located inside the piston lower member (256). When the first moving body (140) moves up and down by the operation of the solenoid (130) of the reuse module (100), the second moving body (150) moves up and down accordingly, and as a result, the piston (255) moves up and down inside the quantitative control space (251).

[0042] At this time, when the piston (255) moves down, the quantitative control space (251) is opened, and an injection process is performed in which the medicinal solution stored in the reservoir (230) is injected into the quantitative control space through the injection passage (252) (Figs. 6 and 7). Then, when the piston (255) moves up, the medicinal solution in the quantitative control space (251) is discharged to the outside through the discharge passage (253) and discharged to the tube (T in Fig. 1) to be supplied to the inside of the human body (Figs. 8 and 9). The piston also functions as a kind of check valve during the medicinal solution discharge process. When looking at the process in which the medicinal solution is discharged to the outside from the quantitative control space, the piston (255) has a structure that functions as a kind of check valve by closing the injection passage (252) by the outer surface of the side surface, so that the medicinal solution does not move to the injection passage (252) on the reservoir side.

[0043] In addition, first and second check valves (CV1, CV2) are arranged in each of the injection passage (252) through which the chemical liquid is injected into the quantitative control space (251) and the discharge passage (253) through which the chemical liquid from the quantitative control space (251) is discharged to block reverse flow. The first check valve (CV1) allows the chemical liquid to move only from the connector (240) to the quantitative control space (251) and prevents it from moving in the opposite direction, and the second check valve (CV2) allows the chemical liquid to move only from the quantitative control space (251) toward the tube and prevents it from moving in the opposite direction.

[0044] The present invention has developed a compact structure in which two check valves are configured in a direction perpendicular to each other in an injection passage and a discharge passage together with a quantitative control space using a piston as described above, and these are configured as a single integrated module, thereby drastically reducing the size of the product.

[0045] The present invention has a structure of a piston-check valve module (250) such that a small amount of a fixed amount of a medicinal solution can always be injected into the quantitative control space (251) and also injected into the human body. That is, by one up-and-down reciprocating motion of the piston (255), a medicinal solution equivalent to the amount of the quantitative control space can be injected into the human body. The specific amount of the medicinal solution to be injected can be determined by the size of the quantitative control space (251) (diameter of the piston (255), reciprocating movement distance (stroke) of the piston, etc.), and this can be determined according to the specific situation of supplying the medicinal solution.

[0046]

[0047] [Piston up-and-down stroke control]

[0048] Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the principle of controlling the up-and-down reciprocating movement distance (movement stroke) of the second moving body (150) in the drug injection device of the present invention. The up-and-down reciprocating movement distance of the second moving body determines the up-and-down movement distance of the piston (255) in the quantitative control space, and as a result, the amount of drug injected into the human body for one time is determined.

[0049] In order to control the movement amount of the second moving body (150), the second moving body (150) is provided with a movement amount limiting member (152). The movement amount limiting member (152) has an opening (153) penetrating through the center, and the opening is formed in an approximately rectangular shape. The upper surface of the inner surface is referred to as the upper surface (154), and the lower surface of the inner surface is referred to as the lower surface (156).

[0050] The lower case (112) of the above reusable module (100) is formed with two protruding members spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and is composed of a first protruding member (172) positioned relatively upward and a second protruding member (174) positioned relatively downward. The first protruding member (172) and the second protruding member (174) protrude from the bottom surface of the lower case (112) and are positioned inside the opening (153) of the movement amount limiting member (152).

[0051] As described above, the second moving body (150) moves up and down by the operation of the solenoid (130), and the amount of up and down movement is limited by the first protruding member (172) and the second protruding member (174) that are fixed to the lower case (112) and protrude.

[0052] Referring to Fig. 10, the second moving body is moved downward and is positioned at the lowest position, and at this time, the upper surface (154) of the opening (153) comes into contact with the first protruding member (172) (contact point C1). And, referring to Fig. 11, the second moving body is moved upward and is positioned at the highest position, and at this time, the lower surface (156) of the opening (153) comes into contact with the second protruding member (174) (contact point C2).

[0053] In other words, by the structure of the first and second protruding members (172, 174) and the opening (153), the vertical movement distance of the movement amount limiting member (second movable body) is controlled by a predetermined distance (d), and as a result, the vertical movement amount of the piston is controlled. In this regard, the first protruding member (172) and the second protruding member (174) serve as stoppers that determine the vertical movement limit point in the up-and-down reciprocating motion of the second movable body. For reference, in the present invention, the vertical movement distance (d) of the second movable body is controlled to 0.64 mm.

[0054] The present invention utilizes such a structure to minimize the amount of drug injected into the human body at a time and to control the amount of drug more precisely.

[0055]

[0056] [Solenoid motion detection]

[0057] In order to ensure the reliability of the operation for the drug injection, the drug injection device of the present invention must be able to detect and confirm whether each component is operating properly. In the present invention, the configuration for confirming whether the solenoid (130) of the reuse module (100) and the first moving body (140) are operating properly is provided as follows. When power is supplied to the solenoid (130) and the first moving body (140) performs an up-and-down reciprocating movement, the second moving body (150) moves up-and-down reciprocatingly in conjunction therewith, so that the operation of the solenoid is sensed by detecting the up-and-down reciprocating movement of the second moving body.

[0058] FIGS. 12 and 13 are enlarged drawings of only a portion of the liquid injection device to show solenoid operation detection among the reuse modules (100), and FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the portion illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0059] As described above, the second moving body (150) is provided with a movement amount limiting member (152), and the movement amount of the second moving body is limited by the first and second protruding members (172, 174) provided in the opening (153) of the movement amount limiting member. Referring to the drawing, a contact groove (158) that is recessed inward is formed at the lower end of the movement amount limiting member (152). In addition, a third protruding member (176) that protrudes from the lower case (112) of the reusable module (100) is provided, and the third protruding member (176) is configured to be located on the inner side of the contact groove (158) and always in contact with the inner surface of the contact groove. That is, the third protruding member (176) is fixed at a certain position, and the contact groove (158), which is a part of the movement amount limiting member (152), moves up and down by the operation of the solenoid (130), but despite the up and down movement, the third protruding member (176) always comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the contact groove (158). And, as shown in FIG. 14, the first to third protruding members (172, 174, 176) are respectively connected to the main PCB (114 in FIG. 4) of the reuse module (100) by the first to third conductive members (s1, s2, s3). The first to third conductive members (s1, s2, s3) may have a wire structure or may have a spring shape as illustrated in the drawing of the present invention.

[0060] Referring to Fig. 12, the second moving body (150) of the present invention is shown as having retreated downwards and positioned at the lowest position, and at this time, the upper surface (154) of the opening (153) of the movement amount limiting member (152) comes into contact with the first protruding member (172). Referring to Fig. 13, the second moving body (150) of the present invention is shown as having advanced upwards and positioned at the highest position, and at this time, the lower surface (156) of the opening (153) of the movement amount limiting member (152) comes into contact with the second protruding member (174). In addition, in the cases of Figs. 12 and 13, the third protruding member (176) is always in contact with the contact groove (158).

[0061] In other words, when the second moving body (150) is positioned at the lowest end as shown in FIG. 12, the first protruding member (172) and the third protruding member (176) come into contact with the movement amount limiting member (152), and since both the first and third protruding members are connected to the main PCB, the control unit can use this to detect that the second moving body is positioned at the lowest end.

[0062] And, as shown in FIG. 13, when the second moving body (150) is positioned at the top, the second protruding member (174) and the third protruding member (176) come into contact with the movement amount limiting member (152), and since both the second and third protruding members are connected to the main PCB, the control unit can detect that the second moving body is positioned at the top.

[0063] By using this principle, it is possible to detect whether 1) the first protruding member (172) and the third protruding member (176) are in contact with the movement amount limiting member (152), or 2) the second protruding member (172) and the third protruding member (176) are in contact with the movement amount limiting member (152), and by using this, it is possible to determine whether the solenoid of the liquid injection device of the present invention is operating normally or malfunctioning. That is, the normal operation of the solenoid is determined by whether the second moving body moves back and forth accurately in a given up-and-down section. In addition, the present invention can also demonstrate the effect of confirming the position of the magnet of the first moving body as well as the operation of the solenoid by using the solenoid detection sensor.

[0064] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A solenoid (130) that receives power and generates magnetic force; a first moving body (140) that reciprocates by the magnetic force of the solenoid; a second moving body (150) that reciprocates in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the first moving body; a lever (160) that has one end coupled to the upper end of the first moving body and the other end coupled to the second moving body and has a pivot shaft positioned at a certain point between the two ends; and a movement amount limiting member (152) that is integrally provided to the second moving body (150) and has an opening (153) that penetrates the center and a contact groove (158) that is retracted inward from the bottom; On the inside of the above opening (153), a first protruding member (172) and a second protruding member (174) are formed at a certain distance apart, and a third protruding member (176) whose outer surface is always in contact with the inner surface of the contact groove is provided. A liquid injection device that detects contact with the first protruding member (172) or the second protruding member (174) during the reciprocating motion of the movement amount limiting member (152) to determine whether the solenoid is operating normally.

2. In paragraph 1, A liquid injection device in which each of the first to third protruding members (172, 174, 176) is connected to the main PCB of the reusable module by the first to third conductive members (s1, s2, s3).

3. In paragraph 2, When the second moving body moves downward and is positioned at the lowest position, the upper surface of the opening contacts the first protruding member and the third protruding member contacts the contact groove, so that the first protruding member and the third protruding member are electrically connected to each other. A liquid injection device in which, when the second moving body moves upward and is positioned at the top, the lower surface of the opening contacts the second protruding member and the third protruding member contacts the contact groove, so that the second protruding member and the third protruding member are electrically connected to each other.

4. In paragraph 1, The pivot axis (162) of the above lever is located at a point closer to the other end coupled to the second moving body than to the one end coupled to the first moving body. By making the reciprocating movement distance of the second moving body smaller than the reciprocating movement distance of the first moving body, the amount of liquid discharged at a time from the piston-check valve module is made small. A liquid injection device that allows a smaller force to be applied to one end of the pivot shaft than to the other end of the pivot shaft.

5. In paragraph 1, A liquid injection device in which the contact groove is formed so that the length in the direction of movement of the second moving body is longer than the left-right width, so that the inner surface on both left and right sides of the contact groove is always in contact with the outer surface of the third protruding member even during the reciprocating motion of the second moving body.

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