Electronic injection pen

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of injection pens, and in particular, to an electronic injection pen and a control method therefor. The electronic injection pen comprises an injection pen body and a control module. The injection pen body is hollow inside, with both front and rear ends provided as openings. The front end of the injection pen body is detachably connected to a medicament loading part, and the medicament loading part is configured to load a cartridge bottle. The injection pen body is internally provided with a pushing part, and the pushing part comprises a push rod. Driven by a drive motor, the push rod can abut against a rubber stopper inside the cartridge bottle. The control module comprises a pressure sensor disposed inside the injection pen body, and a control knob disposed at one end of the injection pen body away from the medicament loading part. The pressure sensor is coupled to the drive motor to detect the force exerted by the drive motor on the push rod. The control knob has two input signals: rotation and pressing, which are configured for switching and confirmation of an injection pen program, respectively.

Description

An electronic injection pen Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of injection pens, and more particularly to an electronic injection pen. Background Technology

[0002] An electronic injection pen is an intelligent injection pen that uses a precision stepper motor drive and electronic control principles to complete the drug injection process. Electronic injection pens offer higher precision than mechanical injection pens, offer more diverse functional modules, and are generally reusable products.

[0003] Traditional electronic injection pens have significant technical drawbacks when using reusable cartridges:

[0004] When the medication in the cartridge is not completely used and the rubber stopper position changes, the plunger needs to move an ineffective distance (playback) before contacting the stopper again, causing a deviation between the actual injection volume and the set value, because the plunger resets to its initial position after each use. Furthermore, existing injection pens lack intelligent detection of the cartridge's installation status. The filling section uses an opaque structure and may not have a cartridge installed, making it easy for operators to mistakenly use empty or missing cartridges due to blind spots, leading to injection failures or medication waste. Simultaneously, there are no automated solutions for problems such as the inability to accurately expel residual air from the cartridge and mechanical sticking of the plunger, relying on manual intervention, which affects injection safety and efficiency. While existing technologies optimize some issues through mechanical structure improvements, they do not address core pain points such as dynamic stopper positioning, intelligent status detection, and automated error correction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electronic injection pen to solve the technical problem that existing injection pens lack the ability to detect different states of cartridge bottles and to provide automated solutions for different states of cartridge bottles.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is: an electronic injection pen, comprising an injection pen body and a control module;

[0007] The injection pen body is hollow inside, with openings at both the front and rear ends; the front end of the injection pen body is detachably connected to a drug filling part, which is used to load a cartridge bottle; the injection pen body is provided with a pushing part, which includes a push rod, and the push rod can abut against the rubber stopper inside the cartridge bottle under the drive of a drive motor.

[0008] The control module includes a pressure sensor disposed within the body of the injection pen and a control knob disposed at the end of the injection pen body away from the drug filling part; the pressure sensor is coupled to a drive motor to detect the force exerted by the drive motor on the push rod; the control knob has two input signals, rotation and pressing, which are used for switching and confirming the injection pen program, respectively.

[0009] Preferably, the following parameters are set:

[0010] The actual detected value F of the pressure sensor, and the first preset value F1 and the second preset value F2, wherein F1 < F2;

[0011] The push rod travel stroke D and the third preset value D1.

[0012] Preferably, the injection pen program includes a first operating mode, in which the injection pen can perform the following operations:

[0013] When the push rod travels a distance D < D1 under the drive of the motor, and the pressure sensor detects a value F2 ≥ F > F1, the push rod stops running; and each time the control knob is pressed briefly, the drive motor can drive the push rod to push the rubber stopper for a single stroke of 1-3 mm.

[0014] Preferably, the injection pen program includes a second operating mode, wherein the pressure sensor's detection value F is always less than F2 until the stroke D of the drive motor driving the push rod is greater than D1; the injection pen program enters the second operating mode and is able to perform the following operations:

[0015] The drive motor drives the push rod to run in reverse until it is reset.

[0016] Preferably, when the stroke D of the push rod driven by the drive motor is less than D1, and the pressure sensor detection value F is greater than F2, the drive motor stops working and an alarm is triggered.

[0017] Preferably, an automatic operation module is also provided, the automatic operation module including a first detection contact and a second detection contact respectively fixed to the drug filling part and the body of the injection pen;

[0018] The first and second detection contacts are coupled when the drug loading part is engaged with the injection pen body, and the injection pen can perform the corresponding first action mode or second action mode.

[0019] Preferably, the first detection contact and the second detection contact are respectively a magnet and a Hall sensor.

[0020] An electronic injection pen includes an injection pen body and a control module;

[0021] The injection pen body includes a push rod for abutting against the rubber stopper inside the cartridge bottle, and a drive motor for driving the push rod to run.

[0022] The control module includes a pressure sensor disposed within the body of the injection pen; the pressure sensor is coupled to a drive motor and detects the force exerted by the drive motor on the push rod.

[0023] The following parameters are set: the actual detection value F of the pressure sensor, and the first preset value F1 and the second preset value F2, wherein F1 < F2; the push rod travel stroke D and the third preset value D1;

[0024] The injection pen program includes a first action mode, in which the injection pen can perform the following operations:

[0025] When the push rod travels a distance D < D1 under the drive of the motor, and the pressure sensor detects a value F = F2 and subsequently F2 ≥ F > F1, the push rod stops running.

[0026] The injection pen program includes a second operating mode, wherein the pressure sensor's detection value F is always less than F2 until the stroke D of the drive motor driving the push rod is greater than D1; the injection pen program enters the second operating mode and is able to perform the following operations:

[0027] The drive motor drives the push rod to run in reverse until it is reset.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0029] (1) This invention, by setting a control knob, in conjunction with a pressure sensor and detecting the stroke of the plunger, adjusts the injection pen program to execute either the first action mode or the second action mode under different conditions; these are respectively used to set the initial position of the plunger after the medicine bottle is reused, and to detect the presence or absence of a cartridge bottle and whether it is empty. Through automatic program determination, the operation process is simplified and the learning cost of the injection pen is reduced.

[0030] (2) The first action mode of the present invention detects the pressure on the push rod, determines the position of the rubber stopper, and dynamically updates the initial position of the push rod to ensure that the push rod action directly corresponds to the amount of drug discharged each time, effectively solving the problem of injection volume deviation caused by the change of rubber stopper position.

[0031] (3) The second action mode of the present invention automatically identifies the state of no cartridge bottle or empty bottle by linking the push rod stroke with the pressure detection, and triggers an alarm prompt to reduce the risk of operation error.

[0032] (4) The present invention also includes an automatic operation module, which enables the injection pen program to automatically execute the corresponding first action mode or second action mode after the drug loading part is engaged with the injection pen body, thereby improving the automation level of the injection pen. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0034] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic injection pen according to the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the electronic injection pen program of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 is an enlarged view of point A in Figure 1 of this invention;

[0037] The components are: 1. Injection pen body, 2. Drug filling part, 21. Cartridge vial, 22. Rubber stopper, 3. Pushing part, 31. Push rod, 32. Push rod sleeve, 33. Drive motor, 4. Control knob, 5. Automatic operation module, 51. First detection contact, 52. Second detection contact, 6. Function key. Detailed Implementation

[0038] 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.

[0039] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0040] As shown in Figure 1, an electronic injection pen includes an injection pen body 1 and a control module.

[0041] The injection pen body 1 has a detachable drug-filling section 2 at its tip. The inside of the drug-filling section 2 is used to hold a cartridge bottle 21, which is similar to a syringe without a plunger, essentially a "bottomless bottle." The front of the bottle is fitted with a rubber-sealed injection needle, the bottle opening is sealed with a rubber stopper and aluminum cap, and the tail is sealed with a rubber stopper 22. During use, the medication in the cartridge bottle 21 does not come into contact with any part of the syringe. The medication in the bottle can be pushed out of the needle by pushing the rubber stopper 22. The injection pen body 1 has a pushing section 3 inside its middle section. The pushing section 3 includes a push rod mechanism, which has a push rod 31 coaxially arranged with the injection pen body 1, a push rod sleeve 32 that cooperates with the push rod 31, and a drive motor 33. One end of the push rod 31 is fixed to the actuating end of the drive motor 33, and its outer wall is provided with external threads. The inner wall of the push rod sleeve 32 is provided with an internal thread that engages with the push rod 31. The end of the push rod 31 away from the drive motor 33 abuts against the rubber stopper 22 inside the cartridge bottle 21. The drive motor 33 drives the push rod sleeve 32 to rotate, causing the push rod 31, which is threaded into the push rod sleeve 32, to extend and retract, thereby pushing the rubber stopper 22 inside the cartridge bottle 21 toward the needle and pushing out the liquid medicine inside the cartridge bottle 21.

[0042] The control module includes a pressure sensor installed inside the injection pen body 1 and a control knob 4 located at the end of the injection pen body 1 away from the drug filling section 2. The pressure sensor is coupled to the drive motor 33 to detect the force exerted by the drive motor 33 on the push rod 31; the control knob 4 has two input signals, rotation and pressing, which are used for switching and confirming the injection pen program, respectively.

[0043] In practical applications, operators often do not inject the entire contents of the cartridge 21 at once. Therefore, when using the same cartridge 21 subsequently, the rubber stopper 22 will not be in its initial position at the bottom, but rather near the front or middle of the cartridge 21. However, after each use of the injection pen, the plunger 31 will return to its initial position. This can cause play in the plunger 31's movement during injection when the pen uses a used cartridge, resulting in inaccurate injection volume.

[0044] To solve this problem, first set the following parameters:

[0045] 1. The actual detected value F of the pressure sensor corresponds to the first preset value F1 and the second preset value F2 of F, and F1 < F2;

[0046] 2. The travel stroke D of push rod 31 and the corresponding third preset value D1 of D.

[0047] The first preset value is set to the thrust of the drive motor 33 on the push rod 31 when the push rod 31 is unloaded; the second preset value F2 is set to the maximum static friction between the rubber stopper 22 inside the cartridge bottle 21 and the bottle body of the cartridge bottle 21; the third preset value D1 is set to the stroke that the push rod 31 needs to travel when the rubber stopper 22 is located at the front end of the cartridge bottle 21 and the push rod 31 comes into contact with the rubber stopper 22.

[0048] As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the injection pen program includes a first operating mode, which is set to an venting mode. This mode is used to activate the drive rod 31 before injection when the injection pen has the old cartridge 21 installed. The drive rod 31 engages with the rubber stopper 22 inside the cartridge 21, and the position where the drive rod 31 engages with the stopper 22 is set as the initial position of the drive rod 31. After the injection pen enters the first operating mode, the desired dosage can be selected. Because the updated drive rod 31's initial position directly engages with the stopper 22, the subsequent stroke of the drive rod 31 will not have any play and will directly correspond to the amount of medication released from the cartridge 21.

[0049] Specifically, rotating control knob 4 can put the injection pen into the first operating mode and perform the following actions:

[0050] Driven by the drive motor 33, the push rod 31 moves towards the filling section 2. At this time, the push rod 31 is unloaded, and the driving force F of the drive motor 33 on the push rod 31 detected by the pressure sensor is F1. The drive motor 33 continues to drive the push rod 31. If the push rod 31 comes into contact with the rubber stopper 22 inside the cartridge 21, the push rod 31 will be loaded, and the pushing force of the drive motor 33 on the push rod 31 will increase to F2. If the drive motor 33 continues to drive the push rod 31 at this time, it will push the rubber stopper 22 and change the static friction between the rubber stopper 22 and the inner wall of the cartridge 21 to dynamic friction. Since the dynamic friction force between the same medium is less than the maximum static friction force, the driving force F of the drive motor 33 becomes a value less than F2 and greater than F1. Based on this, it is determined that the push rod 31 is in contact with the rubber stopper 22. At this time, the drive motor 33 stops running and sets the position of the push rod 31 at this time as the initial injection position.

[0051] Furthermore, at this time, if the control knob 4 is pressed briefly, the drive motor 33 will drive the push rod 31 to push the rubber stopper 22 for a single stroke of 1-3mm, which is used to expel excess air from the cartridge bottle 21.

[0052] Because the cartridge vial 21 and the drug filling section 2 are detachably connected, and the drug filling section 2 does not have the conditions for aseptic storage of the cartridge vial 21, the operator needs to remove the cartridge vial after each use and install it before the next use. Therefore, it is easy for the cartridge vial 21 to be not installed in the drug filling section 2. Furthermore, the drug filling section 2 is made of an opaque structure, and the tip of some injection pens also has a hidden needle cover, making it difficult for the operator to directly observe the presence or absence of the cartridge vial 21 from the outside. Therefore, in this embodiment, the injection pen program also includes a second operating mode, which is used to detect the presence or absence of the cartridge vial 21. The specific process is as follows:

[0053] When the stroke D of the push rod 31 driven by the drive motor 33 exceeds the third preset value D1, and the pressure sensor's detection value F remains less than F2, it can be determined that the vial 21 is not installed in the filling section 2, or that the vial 21 is empty, causing its rubber stopper 22 to be at the foremost position. Subsequently, the corresponding sound or light element on the injection pen is triggered to indicate that the vial 21 needs to be installed or replaced. At the same time, the drive motor 33 drives the push rod 31 to run in reverse until it resets, making it convenient for the operator to remove the filling section 2 and install or replace the vial 21.

[0054] In both the first and second action modes, the following situations may occur:

[0055] If the stroke D of push rod 31 driven by drive motor 33 is less than the third preset value D1, but the detection value F of pressure sensor is greater than the second preset value F2, then a fault has occurred and push rod 31 is stuck. At this time, drive motor 33 stops working and issues a fault alarm.

[0056] In other embodiments of this application, an automatic operation module 5 is also provided for automatic operation of the first and second operation modes. The automatic operation module 5 includes a first detection contact 51 and a second detection contact 52. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a bottom hole is provided axially at the bottom of the drug filling part 2. The first detection contact 51 is a magnet and fixed in the bottom hole of the drug filling part 2. The second detection contact 52 is a Hall sensor and fixed on a PCB board located inside the injection pen body 1 near the drug filling part 2. When the drug filling part 2 is engaged with the end of the injection pen body 1, the distance between the first detection contact 51 and the second detection contact 52 reaches a preset value, and the two couple, generating a corresponding electromagnetic signal. This electromagnetic signal causes the drive motor 33 to run automatically to perform the venting operation in the first operation mode or the drug dosage detection operation of the cartridge 21 in the second operation mode.

[0057] Specifically, under the control of the automatic operation module, the drive motor 33 drives the push rod 31 to run, and at the same time, the pressure sensor measures the pressure F on the push rod 31.

[0058] When the stroke D of push rod 31 is less than D1, the first action mode is executed. When F=F1, push rod 31 continues to move; when F becomes a value less than F2 and greater than F1, drive motor 33 drives push rod to stop moving.

[0059] If the stroke D of push rod 31 is less than D1 and F is greater than F2, then drive motor 33 will stop working and issue a fault alarm.

[0060] If F always equals F1 until the stroke D of push rod 31 equals D1, an alarm is triggered, and the second action mode is executed, causing push rod 31 to run in reverse until it is reset.

[0061] In addition, a function key 6 is provided on one side of the injection pen body 1. Pressing and holding the function key 6 turns the injection pen on and off, while pressing the function key 6 briefly controls the menu return operation.

[0062] After completing the first action mode, perform initialization settings by rotating and briefly pressing control knob 4 to set the time, drug information, single injection dose, injection speed, etc., and then complete the pre-injection preparation.

[0063] During injection, pressing and holding the control knob 4 will cause the drive motor 33 to push the push rod 31, which in turn moves the rubber stopper 22 to eject the medication from the vial 21. To terminate the injection during the procedure, a short press of the control knob 4 will pause the injection.

[0064] 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. An electronic injection pen, characterized in that, It includes the injection pen body (1) and the control module; The body of the injection pen (1) is hollow inside, with openings at both the front and rear ends; the front end of the body of the injection pen (1) is detachably connected to a drug loading part (2), which is used to load a cartridge bottle (21); the body of the injection pen (1) is provided with a pushing part (3), which includes a push rod (31), which can abut against the rubber stopper (22) inside the cartridge bottle (21) under the drive of the drive motor (33); The control module includes a pressure sensor installed inside the injection pen body (1) and a control knob (4) installed at one end of the injection pen body (1) away from the drug filling part (2); the pressure sensor is coupled to the drive motor (33) to detect the force exerted by the drive motor (33) on the push rod (31); the control knob (4) has two input signals, rotation and pressing, which are used for switching and confirming the injection pen program, respectively.

2. An electronic injection pen according to claim 1, characterized in that, Set the following parameters: The actual detected value F of the pressure sensor, and the first preset value F1 and the second preset value F2, wherein F1 < F2; The push rod (31) has a travel stroke D and a third preset value D1.

3. An electronic injection pen according to claim 2, characterized in that, The injection pen program includes a first action mode, in which the injection pen can perform the following operations: When the push rod (31) runs for a stroke D < D1 under the drive of the drive motor (33), and the detection value of the pressure sensor is F = F2 and then F2 ≥ F > F1, the push rod (31) stops running; and each short press of the control knob (4) enables the drive motor (33) to drive the push rod (31) to push the rubber stopper (22) for a single stroke of 1-3 mm.

4. An electronic injection pen according to claim 2, characterized in that, The injection pen program includes a second operating mode, wherein the pressure sensor's detection value F is always less than F2 until the stroke D of the drive motor (33) driving the push rod (31) is greater than D1; the injection pen program enters the second operating mode and is able to perform the following operations: The drive motor (33) drives the push rod (31) to run in the opposite direction until it is reset.

5. An electronic injection pen according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, When the push rod (31) runs for a stroke D < D1 under the drive of the drive motor (33) and the detection value F of the pressure sensor > F2, the drive motor (33) stops working and alarms.

6. An electronic injection pen according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, An automatic operation module (5) is also provided, which includes a first detection contact (51) and a second detection contact (52) respectively fixed in the drug loading part (2) and the injection pen body (1). When the first detection contact (51) and the second detection contact (52) are coupled when the drug loading part (2) is engaged with the injection pen body (1), the injection pen can perform the corresponding first action mode or second action mode.

7. An electronic injection pen according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first detection contact (51) and the second detection contact (52) are respectively a magnet and a Hall sensor.

8. An electronic injection pen, characterized by It includes the injection pen body (1) and the control module; The injection pen body (1) includes a push rod (31) for abutting the rubber stopper (22) inside the cartridge (21), and a drive motor (33) for driving the push rod (31) to run. The control module includes a pressure sensor installed inside the injection pen body (1); the pressure sensor is coupled to a drive motor (33) to detect the force exerted by the drive motor (33) on the push rod (31); The following parameters are set: the actual detection value F of the pressure sensor, and the first preset value F1 and the second preset value F2, wherein F1 < F2; The push rod (31) has a travel stroke D and a third preset value D1; The injection pen program includes a first action mode, in which the injection pen can perform the following operations: When the push rod (31) runs for a stroke D < D1 under the drive of the drive motor (33), and the pressure sensor detects a value F = F2 and then F2 ≥ F > F1, the push rod (31) stops running; The injection pen program includes a second operating mode, wherein the pressure sensor's detection value F is always less than F2 until the stroke D of the drive motor (33) driving the push rod (31) is greater than D1; the injection pen program enters the second operating mode and is able to perform the following operations: The drive motor (33) drives the push rod (31) to run in the opposite direction until it is reset.

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