Control apparatus for automatic injector pen and automatic injector pen

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of automatic injector pens and particularly to a control apparatus for an automatic injector pen and an automatic injector pen. The control apparatus comprises a housing and a control assembly, wherein a knob of the control assembly rotates about the axis of the housing and allows a pressing action to be performed in the axial direction, and a control module for receiving signals of the rotation and pressing is included. The control assembly has a rotary portion arranged on the outer side of the housing and a fixed portion arranged on the inner side relative to the rotary portion. The rotary portion has a body and an engaging portion. The engaging portion is non-fixedly connected to the body. An inner wall of the fixed portion has a plurality of engaged portions arranged around the axis, and any one of the plurality of engaged portions is engaged with the engaging portion. There is a distance that allows, when a pressing action is performed, the rotary portion to move relative to the fixed portion between at least one end of the engaging portion and the corresponding end portions of the engaged portions in the length direction.

Description

A control device for an automatic injection pen, an automatic injection pen Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic injection pens, and more particularly to a control device for an automatic injection pen and an automatic injection pen. Background Technology

[0002] Automatic injection pens are used to inject medication into the body of recipients. Existing technologies include automatic injection pens such as Chinese patents CN202021787074.1 and CN202321399431.0, which adjust the single injection dosage by rotating the end of the pen and administering medication by pressing. However, the rotatable adjustment part of such injection pens often uses a one-to-one corresponding serrated structure to engage and prevent backflow with the non-rotating pen body. During long-term use, the serrated engagement points are prone to wear, resulting in poor feel when rotating and insensitive and non-linear adjustment of the injection volume. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a control device and an automatic injection pen for an automatic injection pen, so as to solve the technical problem that the adjustment of the injection volume in the existing automatic injection pen with rotary adjustment is prone to insensitivity and nonlinearity after long-term use.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is: a control device for an automatic injection pen, comprising a housing and a control component;

[0005] The control component knob rotates around the axis of the housing and allows for pressing actions in the axial direction; and has a control module that receives the rotation and pressing signals;

[0006] The control component has a rotating part disposed on the outside of the housing and a fixed part disposed on the inside of the housing with the relative rotating part disposed therein;

[0007] The rotating part has a body and a locking part. The locking part is not fixedly connected to the body. The inner wall of the fixed part has a plurality of locking parts arranged around the axis. Any one of the plurality of locking parts engages with the locking part.

[0008] At least one end of the engaging part and the corresponding end of the engaged part along the length direction have a distance that allows the rotating part to move relative to the fixed part when it performs a pressing action.

[0009] Preferably, the rotating part has a body, and a limiter is symmetrically arranged on a cross section of the body relative to the axis, and a limit groove is formed in the limiter; the engaging part is constructed as a spring piece, and the two ends of the engaging part are fitted in the limit groove, and the protrusion in the middle engages with the engaged part.

[0010] The limiting groove is provided through the limiting device, and an auxiliary piece is also provided on the main body. The two ends of the engaging part pass through the limiting groove and abut against the auxiliary piece.

[0011] When the protrusion slides between adjacent engaged portions, the engaged portion and the auxiliary piece deform synchronously, causing the engaged portion to slide in the limiting groove.

[0012] Preferably, the limiter has a stop portion provided on one end face of the parallel engaging portion. When the limiter moves axially with the body, the stop portion abuts against the engaging portion, causing the engaging portion to move synchronously along the axial direction.

[0013] Preferably, the limiting groove is configured as an arc-shaped structure with its center coinciding with the axis of the housing.

[0014] Preferably, the control component is further provided with a spring, which is arranged along the axis of the housing and its two ends abut against the rotating part and the fixed part respectively, for resetting the pressing action.

[0015] Preferably, the engaging part is made of metal.

[0016] An automatic injection pen, employing a control device for the automatic injection pen, characterized in that it includes a loading component and a pushing component for loading a drug;

[0017] The loading assembly is located at the first section of the housing and has a chamber capable of accommodating cartridge bottles; a pushing assembly is located inside the middle section of the housing, and the pushing assembly has a push rod mechanism and a drive mechanism coaxially arranged with the housing.

[0018] Preferably, the push rod mechanism includes a push rod and a push rod sleeve; one end of the push rod is fixed to the actuating end of the drive mechanism and threadedly engaged with the push rod sleeve along the same axis; the outer wall of the push rod sleeve has a plane that fits against the housing, and the end away from the drive mechanism can abut against the piston inside the cartridge bottle in the loading assembly.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0020] (1) Compared with the traditional one-to-one matching of two non-metallic materials, the adjustment method of a single engaging part and multiple engaged parts adopted in this invention can be achieved by making the engaging part a wear-resistant metal material spring, so that the meshing part of the engaging part and the engaged part is not easily worn and missing, thus obtaining a longer service life.

[0021] (2) The present invention provides abutting auxiliary pieces at both ends of the engaging part, so that the metal engaging part itself is not directly fixed to the non-metallic body. On the one hand, it reduces the processing difficulty and avoids damage to the fixing point due to frequent stress. On the other hand, it also allows the engaging part to extend in the length direction of its two ends, compensating for the radial deformation of the two ends of the engaging part, saving the space originally reserved for radial deformation, and compacting the diameter of the injection pen.

[0022] (3) In this invention, the parallel engaging part of the limiter is set as a stop part. The stop part drives the engaging part to move along the axial direction. The distance between the point of friction of the engaging part and the stop part is short, which effectively reduces the deformation of the engaging part along the axial direction, thereby making the pressing feel smoother. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0024] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic injection pen according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the control component described in this invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the engaging part (hidden knob) of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the fixing part according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 is a side view of the rotating part (hidden knob) of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 5 of this invention;

[0030] Figure 7 is a view along direction B in Figure 6 of this invention;

[0031] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of the auxiliary sheet described in this invention;

[0032] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the installation method and stress deformation of the locking part in the prior art;

[0033] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the installation method and stress deformation of the locking part in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the forces acting on the engaging part of the present invention when it moves axially.

[0035] The components are: 1. Housing; 2. Control assembly; 21. Rotating part; 211. Body; 212. Engaging part; 2121. Protrusion; 213. Limiter; 2131. Limiting groove; 2132. Stop part; 215. Auxiliary piece; 2151. Insertion end; 2152. Abutment end; 216. Knob; 22. Fixing part; 221. Engaged part; 2211. Tooth groove; 2212. Tooth tip; 23. Spring; 3. Loading assembly; 4. Pushing assembly; 41. Push rod mechanism; 411. Push rod; 412. Push rod sleeve; 42. Stepper motor; 5. Cartridge bottle; 51. Piston. Detailed Implementation

[0036] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0037] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments:

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, an automatic injection pen can be used for automatic insulin injection in diabetes. It includes a housing 1 on the outside, and a control component 2 installed at the tail end of the housing 1 for performing injection actions and controlling the injection dosage. A loading component 3 is provided at the front end of the housing 1, which is used to hold a cartridge bottle 5. One end of the cartridge bottle 5 is connected to a needle, and the other end has an opening with a piston 51. By pushing the piston 51, the liquid medication in the bottle is pushed out of the needle. A pushing component 4 is provided inside the middle of the housing 1. The pushing component 4 has a push rod mechanism 41 coaxially arranged with the housing 1, and a drive mechanism 42 fixed to the housing 1 by a fixing bracket. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 42 is a stepper motor. The push rod mechanism 41 includes a push rod 411 and a push rod sleeve 412. One end of the push rod 411 is fixed to the execution end of the drive mechanism 42, and its outer wall has external threads. The inner wall of the push rod sleeve 412 is provided with an internal thread that engages with the push rod 411. The outer wall of the push rod sleeve 412 has a flat surface that fits against the housing 1, and the end away from the drive mechanism 42 abuts against the piston 51 inside the cartridge bottle 5. The drive mechanism 42 drives the push rod 411 to rotate, causing the push rod sleeve 412, which is threaded with the push rod 411, to extend and retract, thereby pushing the piston 51 inside the cartridge bottle 5 toward the needle and dispensing the liquid medicine from the cartridge bottle 5.

[0040] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the control component 2 includes a rotating part 21 disposed on the outer side and having the same diameter as the housing 1, and a fixed part 22 connected to the inner side of the rotating part 21. The fixed part 22 is connected to the housing 1. The rotating part 21 can be directly controlled by the operator to rotate around the axis of the housing 1 and to press axially. The rotation angle of the rotating part 21 can be read from a scale marked on the outer wall, or it can be analyzed by an encoder or other electronic components and projected onto a display screen on the outer wall of the housing 1. Based on the rotation angle of the rotating part 21 and the pressing signal, the control module controls the start and stop of the drive mechanism 42 and the stroke of its drive push rod mechanism 41.

[0041] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the inner wall of the fixing part 22 has multiple engaging parts 221 arranged around an axis. The rotating part 21 includes a body 211 located at one end and a knob 216, shown in Figure 2, located on the outer wall and driving the body 211 to rotate synchronously. Engaging parts 212 are provided on the body 211 corresponding to the engaging parts 221. These engaging parts can engage with the engaging parts 221. When the rotating part 21 is not rotated, the engaging parts 212 maintain the current rotation angle. When the rotating part 21 is manually rotated, the engaging parts 212 slide out from the currently engaged part 221 and engage with the adjacent engaged part 221. That is, the distance between adjacent engaged parts 221 corresponds to the minimum rotation angle of the rotating part 21. This arrangement facilitates quick and precise adjustment of the dosage for each administration by the operator.

[0042] Diabetes can affect a patient's vision to some extent. Therefore, in this embodiment, for patients with poor vision due to diabetes who have difficulty distinguishing scales and display screen content, the engaging part 212 is a spring clip. The number of "clicks" produced when the protrusion 2121 of the engaging part 212 engages with the engaged part 221 can also be used as a reference for the patient to adjust the injection volume.

[0043] The engaging portion 212 is made of a material with good elasticity and wear resistance, such as a metal like copper. When the central protrusion 2121 slides from one engaging portion 221 to another, the engaging portion 212 deforms. During long-term use, when the engaging portion 212 and the body 211 are configured as shown in Figure 9, this frequent deformation can easily lead to fatigue damage at the fixed end B1 of the engaging portion 212 and the body 211. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, when the engaging portion 212 is fixedly connected to the body 211, a large amount of space needs to be left for the engaging portion 212 to bend radially, which is difficult to achieve in a compact electronic product like an injection pen.

[0044] Therefore, in this embodiment, an auxiliary piece 215 is provided on the main body 211 to replace the direct connection between the engaging part 212 and the main body 211, and the deformation of the engaging part 212 during each deformation is reduced.

[0045] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, a limiter 213 is fixed on the main body 211. The limiter 213 is symmetrically arranged with respect to a cross section passing through the axis of the housing 1. A limit groove 2131 is formed in the limiter 213. The engaging part 212 is constructed as an arc-shaped structure. Both ends of the engaging part 212 are disposed in the limit groove 2131 and abut against the inner wall of the limit groove 2131. The middle part of the engaging part 212 is bent to form a V-shaped protrusion 2121. The engaged part 221 is configured as a toothed structure. The protrusion 2121 engages with the tooth groove 2211 of the engaged part 221. When the protrusion 2121 is subjected to an external force in the direction of the main body axis, both ends of the engaging part 212 will abut against the inner wall of the limit groove 2131 and slide along the length direction of the limit groove 2131.

[0046] As shown in Figures 3, 6 and 7, the limiting groove 2131 passes through both ends of the limiter 213 and is set as an arc with the center coinciding with the axis of the housing 1. The two ends of the engaging part 212 pass through the limiting groove 2131 and are not directly fixed to the limiter 213 or the body 211.

[0047] An auxiliary piece 215 is installed on one end of the main body 211, which corresponds to the limiting groove 2131 and is away from the engagement part 212. As shown in Figure 8, the auxiliary piece 215 is bent to form an insertion end 2151 and an abutment end 2152. The insertion end 2151 is inserted into a preset slot on the main body 211 and fixed to the main body 211. The abutment end 2152 is bent toward the engagement part 212 and abuts against one end of the engagement part 212.

[0048] As shown in Figures 4, 6 and 10, when the protrusion 2121 of the engaging part 212 slides to the tooth tip 2212 of the engaged part 221, the two ends of the engaging part 212 tend to bend radially. However, due to the setting of the limiting groove 2131, the tendency of the two ends of the engaging part 212 to bend radially will be transformed into sliding along the inner wall of the arc structure of the limiting groove 2131 toward the auxiliary piece 215 and pushing the auxiliary piece 215 to deform synchronously.

[0049] In this way, the stroke at the protrusion 2121 of the engaging part 212 remains unchanged, that is, without changing the tooth structure size of the engaging part 221, so that both ends of the engaging part 212 can extend along the length direction, thereby compensating for the radial deformation of the engaging part 212 and compacting the diameter size of the control part.

[0050] In addition, to enable the pressing of the rotating part 21, as shown in Figure 2, the axial dimension of the engaging part 221 is larger than the axial dimension of the engaging part 212 that it mates with, leaving space for the engaging part to slide when the rotating part 21 is pressed. The control assembly 2 also includes a spring 23, which is positioned along the axis of the housing 1, with its two ends abutting against the rotating part 21 and the fixed part 22 respectively, for resetting the pressing action.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the limiter 213 has a stop 2132 provided parallel to one end face of the engaging part 212. When the rotating part 21 is pressed down, one end face of the engaging part 212 along the thickness direction abuts against the body 211 and moves toward the fixing part 22 under the push of the body.

[0052] Furthermore, when the spring 23 resets the rotating part 21, the other end face of the engaging part 212 along the thickness direction abuts against the stop part 2132. This abutment covers most of the engaging part 212 from the protrusion 2121 to the auxiliary piece 215. This arrangement effectively reduces the torque generated by friction between the protrusion 2121 and the engaged part 221 when the engaging part 212 moves axially, making it less prone to jumping or jamming due to excessive torque during pressing of the rotating part 21, thus effectively optimizing the pressing feel.

[0053] Specifically, referring to Figure 11, in the conventional method, the end of the structure similar to the engaging part 212 that is far from the engaging part 221 is fixed or abutted against only B1 on the main body when the limiter 213 is not provided. Then, when moving along the axial direction, the point C of the frictional force between the protrusion 2121 on the engaging part 212 and the engaging end of the engaging part 221 will generate a torque B about the position B1.

[0054] As shown in Figure 11, in traditional methods, to ensure that the protrusion 2121 has sufficient deformation so that the engaging part 212 can move between adjacent engaged parts 221, the distance between the protrusion 2121 and the fixed end B1 is set to be relatively long. This makes the protrusion 2121 prone to being flicked along the D1 or D2 direction (determined by the rotation direction) by the engaged part 221, as shown in Figure 9, thereby increasing the rotational stickiness of the knob 216, resulting in poor feel and inaccurate precision.

[0055] In this embodiment, due to the different deformation direction of the engaging portion 212, as shown in Figure 10, there is no "fixed end B1," but rather it slides against the limiter 213 at point A1. Therefore, the torque A of the protrusion 2121 on the limiter in this embodiment is significantly less than the torque B generated by a similar structure to the engaging portion 212 in a conventional configuration when moving axially. This makes the protrusion 2121 less likely to be moved by the engaging portion 221 along the D1 or D2 direction, thereby optimizing the feel and improving rotational accuracy.

[0056] When using:

[0057] Rotating the knob 216 on the outside of the rotating part 21 causes the engaging part 212 on the main body 211 to engage with multiple engaging parts 221 in sequence. The dosage of a single injection is adjusted by the scale on the rotating part 21 and the housing 1, the reading on the display screen, or the sound when the engaging part 212 engages with the engaging part 221.

[0058] Pressing the rotating part 21 causes the drive motor to drive the push rod mechanism 41 to run, and according to the previous rotation angle of the rotating part 21, it runs for a corresponding duration, thereby dispensing the preset dose of medicine from the cartridge bottle 5.

[0059] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical concept and features of the present invention, intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and thus all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. A control device for an automatic injection pen, characterized in that, Includes housing (1) and control components (2): The control component (2) rotates around the axis of the housing (1) and allows pressing actions in the axial direction; and has a control module that receives rotation and pressing signals; The control component (2) has a rotating part (21) disposed on the outside of the housing (1) and a fixing part (22) disposed on the inside of the relative rotating part (21). The rotating part (21) has a body (211) and a locking part (212). The locking part (212) is not fixedly connected to the body (211). The inner wall of the fixed part (22) has a plurality of locking parts (221) arranged around the axis. Any one of the plurality of locking parts (221) engages with the locking part (212). The engaging part (212) has at least one end and the corresponding end of the engaged part (221) along the length direction, which allows the rotating part (21) to move relative to the fixed part (22) when it performs the pressing action.

2. The control device for an automatic injection pen according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating part (21) has a body (211), and a limiter (213) is symmetrically arranged on a cross section of the body (211) relative to the axis. A limit groove (2131) is formed in the limiter (213). The engaging part (212) is constructed as a spring piece. Both ends of the engaging part (212) are fitted in the limit groove (2131). The protrusion (2121) in the middle engages with the engaging part (221). The inner wall of the limit groove (2131) forms the guide end for the movement of the engaging part (212). The limiting groove (2131) is provided through the limiting device (213), and an auxiliary piece (215) is also provided on the main body (211). The two ends of the engaging part (212) pass through the limiting groove (2131) and abut against the auxiliary piece (215). When the protrusion (2121) slides between adjacent engaged portions (221), the engaged portion (212) and the auxiliary piece (215) deform synchronously, causing the engaged portion (212) to slide in the limiting groove (2131).

3. A control device for an automatic injection pen according to claim 2, characterized in that, The limiter (213) has a stop (2132) provided on one end face of the parallel engaging part (212). When the limiter (213) moves along the axial direction with the body (211), the stop (2132) abuts against the engaging part (212), causing the engaging part (212) to move synchronously along the axial direction.

4. A control device for an automatic injection pen according to claim 3, characterized in that, The limiting groove (2131) is set as an arc-shaped structure with its center coinciding with the axis of the shell (1).

5. A control device for an automatic injection pen according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control component (2) is also provided with a spring (23), which is arranged along the axis of the housing (1) and its two ends abut against the rotating part (21) and the fixed part (22) respectively, for resetting the pressing action.

6. A control device for an automatic injection pen according to claim 4, characterized in that, The engaging part (212) is made of metal.

7. An automatic injection pen, employing a control device for an automatic injection pen as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes a loading assembly (3) for loading the agent and a propulsion assembly (4); The loading component (3) is located at the first section of the housing (1) and has a chamber capable of accommodating a cartridge bottle; a pushing component (4) is provided inside the middle section of the housing (1), and the pushing component (4) has a push rod mechanism (41) and a drive mechanism (42) coaxially arranged with the housing (1).

8. An automatic injection pen according to claim 7, characterized in that, The push rod mechanism (41) includes a push rod (411) and a push rod sleeve (412); one end of the push rod (411) is fixed to the execution end of the drive mechanism (42) and threadedly engaged with the push rod sleeve (412) along the same axis; the outer wall of the push rod sleeve (412) has a plane that fits against the housing (1), and the end away from the drive mechanism (42) can abut against the piston in the cartridge bottle in the loading assembly.

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