JP7172293B2 - microneedle applicator - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a microneedle applicator capable of puncturing the skin with microneedles for percutaneously transmitting drugs or the like.

Conventionally, transdermal drug administration methods such as subcutaneous injection and intravenous injection have been known. Such transdermal administration of drugs by injection has advantages such as rapid exertion of effects and non-degradation by enzymes, etc., compared with oral drug administration, for example, but it is invasive and It was often painful.

Therefore, a transdermal drug administration method using microneedles has been proposed. That is, the drug is transdermally administered by puncturing the skin with a microneedle coated with a drug, or by puncturing the skin with a hollow microneedle and injecting the drug through the lumen provided in the microneedle. can be Adopting a drug administration method using microneedles enables percutaneous treatment with less pain.

By the way, as a device for puncturing the skin with a microneedle, for example, a microneedle applicator as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-519983 (Patent Document 1) is known. Such a microneedle applicator has a puncture rod that holds the microneedle during puncture, a housing that contains the puncture rod, and a movable cylinder that is movable with respect to the housing. Then, for example, the puncture rod is pushed into the housing to compress an elastic member such as a coil spring, and the applicator is pressed against the skin to move the movable cylinder toward the housing. As a result, the microneedle is put into a state in which it can be punctured, and by releasing the compression of the elastic member from this state, the puncture rod protrudes and the microneedle is punctured.

However, conventionally proposed microneedle applicators are not sufficient to prevent erroneous puncture. For example, in a microneedle applicator with a conventional structure, if the applicator is pressed against the skin before the puncture rod is pushed into the housing, the movable cylinder is pushed toward the housing, and the microneedle provided on the puncture rod is pushed into the applicator. There have been cases where the skin is punctured unintentionally by protruding from the tip.

Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2016-519983

The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and the problem to be solved is to provide a microneedle applicator with a novel structure that is effective in preventing unintended puncture or the like of microneedles. to do.

Hereinafter, aspects of the present invention that have been made to solve such problems will be described. It should be noted that the constituent elements employed in each aspect described below can be employed in any possible combination.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the microneedle is pushed into the housing by moving in the puncturing direction to pierce the skin with the microneedle, and the movable cylinder is moved toward the housing to maintain the state of being pushed into the housing. In a microneedle applicator in which the puncture rod is allowed to move in the puncture direction so that the microneedle can puncture, movement restricting means for preventing movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing; and releasing means for releasing the movement restricting means and allowing the movable cylinder to move toward the housing when the rod is pushed into the housing.

According to the microneedle applicator constructed according to this mode, the movable cylinder is allowed to move toward the housing by releasing the movement restricting means when pushing the puncture rod into the housing. Therefore, the movable cylinder is prevented from moving toward the housing before the operation of pushing the puncture rod into the housing, and erroneous puncture of the microneedle can be prevented.

A second aspect of the present invention is the microneedle applicator according to the first aspect, wherein the movement restricting means is provided by a locking member that prevents movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing by contact with the movable cylinder. is configured, and in the releasing means, the abutment between the lock member and the movable cylinder is released by pushing the puncture rod into the housing.

According to the microneedle applicator constructed according to this aspect, the lock member is provided and brought into contact with the movable cylinder to form a movement restricting means for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder, and the puncture rod is pushed in to move the movable cylinder. Release means for releasing the movement restricting means and permitting the movement of the movable cylinder is configured by releasing contact with the cylinder.

A third aspect of the present invention is the microneedle applicator according to the second aspect, wherein the lock member is arranged to be movable in a direction intersecting the pushing direction of the puncture rod, and the movement of the lock member Thus, blocking of movement due to contact with the movable cylinder and permission of movement due to release of contact are selectively realized.

According to the microneedle applicator constructed according to this mode, the movement of the locking member cancels the contact with the movable cylinder, and the movement of the movable cylinder is permitted. In particular, since the movable direction of the locking member intersects with the pushing direction of the puncture rod, the pushing force of the puncture rod can be blocked more efficiently by the locking member.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a cap covering the puncture rod from the outside prevents the puncture rod from being pushed into the housing. There is.

According to the microneedle applicator constructed according to this aspect, since the insertion of the puncture rod and the movement of the movable cylinder are not permitted unless the cap is removed, unintended movement of the movable cylinder can be more reliably prevented.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a cover that covers at least part of the movable cylinder.

According to the microneedle applicator structured according to this aspect, the cover that can prevent movement toward the housing by covering the movable cylinder can more reliably prevent unintended movement of the movable cylinder. .

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the microneedle can be attached to the movable cylinder, and the puncture rod can be removed from the outside. A removable cap is attached to the housing to prevent the microneedle from being attached to the movable cylinder.

According to the microneedle applicator structured according to this aspect, since it is impossible to attach the microneedle to the movable cylinder without removing the cap, for example, the state where the microneedle is attached to the applicator It is also possible to prevent accidental puncture due to unintentional movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a safety mechanism that disables operation of a puncture button that causes the microneedle to puncture, and , the safety mechanism is released by moving the movable cylinder toward the housing.

According to the microneedle applicator constructed according to this aspect, the movable cylinder is moved to the housing side, that is, for example, by pressing the applicator against the skin, the microneedle can be pierced. It can also prevent the microneedles from protruding before pressing against the skin.

According to the microneedle applicator constructed according to the present invention, by controlling the movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing, it is effective in preventing unintended puncture operation of the microneedles.

1 is a perspective view showing the microneedle applicator according to the first embodiment of the present invention in an initial state with the cover removed from the bottom side; FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 1; 2 is an exploded perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 1 in a storage state covered with a cover from a plane side; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a puncture rod is pushed in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 5; The perspective view which shows the state in the middle of mounting|wearing with the case holding a microneedle with respect to the microneedle applicator shown by FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which a case for holding microneedles is attached to the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 7; 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which a case cover is removed from a case holding microneedles in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 8. FIG. The perspective view which shows the microneedle applicator shown by FIG. 9 from the plane side. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the XI-XI cross section in FIG. 10; The perspective view which shows the state which moved the movable cylinder to the housing side in the microneedle applicator shown by FIG. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 12; FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 12; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the XV-XV cross section in FIG. 14; FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the puncture button is released after the microneedle is punctured by pressing the puncture button in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 12 ; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a microneedle applicator according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a storage state covered with a cover. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a cap that constitutes the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 17;

Hereinafter, in order to clarify the present invention more specifically, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a microneedle applicator (hereinafter, applicator) 10 as a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2 show the applicator 10 in its initial state with a cover 152, which will be described later, removed. The applicator 10 is capable of holding a minute needle (microneedle 12 (see FIG. 9, etc.)), and the applicator 10 holding the microneedle 12 is pressed against the skin to remove the microneedle 12. By puncturing the skin, for example, the drug solution applied to the microneedle 12 is transdermally administered to the patient. In the following description, the vertical direction refers to substantially the vertical direction in FIG. 2, which is the pushing direction and ejection direction of the puncture rod 14, which will be described later. 2, which is the side (far side from the skin) that the user grips and presses when the applicator 10 is pressed against the patient's skin. Approximately the lower side in FIG. 2, which is the side where the skin is located. Incidentally, FIG. 1 is shown in a state in which the top and bottom of FIG. 2 are reversed.

More specifically, the applicator 10 includes a housing 16 that is generally upside down and has a bottomed tubular shape that opens downward as a whole. In this embodiment, as also shown in FIG. 3, the housing 16 includes an outer housing 18 located on the outer peripheral side and an inner housing 20 located on the inner peripheral side. In the applicator 10, each member other than the spring is preferably made of hard synthetic resin or the like.

The outer housing 18 as a whole has an inverted substantially bottomed cylindrical shape that opens downward, and a peripheral wall portion 24 extends downward from an outer peripheral edge portion of an upper bottom wall portion 22 . The upper bottom wall portion 22 has a dome shape that swells upward in a substantially annular shape or a substantially annular regular octagon when viewed from the top, and a through hole 26 penetrating vertically is formed in the center. there is A substantially straight cylindrical peripheral wall portion 24 is integrally formed downward from the outer peripheral edge portion of the upper bottom wall portion 22 .

A locking claw 28 protruding downward is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening of the through hole 26 of the upper bottom wall portion 22 . The locking claw 28 is elastically deformable in the radial direction perpendicular to the axis of the housing 16 . In addition, in this embodiment, the four locking claws 28 are formed at approximately equal intervals (approximately every 90 degrees) on the circumference.

Further, on the upper bottom wall portion 22, on the outer peripheral side of the locking claw 28 (between the locking claw 28 and the peripheral wall portion 24), two flat plate-like or curved plate-like supporting wall portions 30a project downward. 30b are formed facing each other in the radial direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 14, which will be described later). That is, one support wall portion 30a is provided between the puncture button 102 described below and members such as the puncture rod 14 and the puncture spring 70 provided in the center, and the other support wall portion 30b is provided between the puncture rod and the puncture rod. 14 and the puncture spring 70 are provided on the opposite side.

Here, a guide projection 32 protruding to the outer peripheral side is formed to extend in the vertical direction at the central portion in the width direction (circumferential direction) of one of the support wall portions 30a. In addition, a notch 34 opening downward is provided in the center portion in the width direction of the other support wall portion 30b.

Furthermore, a fitting hole 36 that penetrates the peripheral wall portion 24 in the thickness direction is formed in the vertical middle portion of the outer housing 18 .

On the other hand, the inner housing 20 as a whole has an inverted substantially bottomed cylindrical shape that is smaller than the outer housing 18 . That is, the upper end portion of the inner housing 20 is provided with a lid portion 38 having substantially the same shape as the through hole 26 of the outer housing 18 . Locking holes 40 penetrating in the radial direction are provided below the lid portion 38 at positions corresponding to the locking claws 28 of the outer housing 18 . Further, a substantially small-diameter cylindrical spring support portion 42 that supports a puncture spring 70 described later is integrally provided on the inner surface of the lid portion 38 so as to protrude downward.

Furthermore, the peripheral wall portion extending downward from the outer periphery of the lid portion 38 is provided with a step at an intermediate portion in the height direction, and the portion below the step is a peripheral wall portion 44 having a large diameter. The peripheral wall portion 44 has a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. It includes a pair of wall portions 46c, 46c connecting the wall portions 46a, 46b located opposite to each other. The outer surface of the wall portion 46a is a vertical plane extending from the upper end to the vicinity of the lower end below the step, and a contact surface extending in the direction perpendicular to the axis is formed at the lower end of the vertical plane.

In addition, a guide groove 48 is formed in the inner surface of the wall portion 46a substantially at the center in the width direction, below the step, extending over substantially the entire length in the vertical direction and opening inward. Furthermore, each of the walls 46a, 46b, 46c, and 46c forming the peripheral wall 44 has a locking hole 40 positioned above the step. Further, the wall portion 46b is provided with a notch 50 extending downward from the locking hole 40, and the wall portions 46c, 46c are provided with notches 52, 52 extending downward from the locking holes 40, 40. is provided. In addition, in the present embodiment, ribs that partially extend vertically are provided on the outer surfaces of the walls 46b, 46c, and 46c. Further, the lower end of the inner housing 20 is formed with a collar portion 54 whose inner circumference is widened and protrudes downward.

The housing 16 is constructed by inserting the above-described inner housing 20 into the above-described outer housing 18 and assembling them from below. Further, the lid portion 38 of the inner housing 20 is fitted in the through hole 26 of the outer housing 18 and each locking claw 28 is locked in the locking hole 40 .

Both the outer and inner housings 18 and 20 are positioned in the circumferential direction by making the inner and outer peripheral surfaces that overlap in the radial direction have a non-circular shape. Also, the locking action of the locking claw 28 to the locking hole 40 and the contact between the lower end of the support wall portion 30a of the outer housing 18 and the contact surface formed on the lower end of the wall portion 46a of the inner housing 20. By this action, the outer housing 18 and the inner housing 20 are fixed in a vertically positioned state. In this fixed state, the upper end surface of the outer housing 18 (the upper end surface of the upper bottom wall portion 22) and the upper end surface of the inner housing 20 (the upper end surface of the lid portion 38) are at substantially the same position in the vertical direction. there is

Furthermore, a puncture rod 14 is arranged inside the housing 16 . In the present embodiment, the puncture rod 14 has a tubular portion 56 and a bottom wall portion 58, and has a generally bottomed tubular shape extending vertically as a whole. The outer peripheral shape of the tubular portion 56 is slightly smaller than the inner peripheral shape of the peripheral wall portion 44 of the inner housing 20 .

Tubular portion 56 includes wall portions 60a, 60b, 60c, 60c at respective wall portions corresponding to wall portions 46a, 46b, 46c, 46c of inner housing 20, respectively. A guide projection 62 extending substantially over the entire length in the vertical direction projects outward from substantially the center of the wall portion 60a in the width direction. A through window 64 is formed through the wall portion 60b in an upper portion of the wall portion 60b. Further, a positioning protrusion 66 that protrudes outward is provided at the upper end portion of the wall portion 60c.

Furthermore, the bottom wall portion 58 has a substantially disk shape with an outer diameter larger than that of the tubular portion 56 and projects like a flange from the lower end of the puncture rod 14 . A substantially tubular spring support portion 68 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 58 so as to protrude into the tubular portion 56 and support the lower end of a puncture spring 70 to be described later.

The puncture rod 14 as described above is inserted into the peripheral wall portion 44 of the inner housing 20 at the cylindrical portion 56 from below. Further, a guide projection 62 provided on the outer surface of the wall portion 60a of the cylindrical portion 56 is inserted into the guide groove 48 provided on the inner surface of the wall portion 46a of the peripheral wall portion 44, and the guide protrusion 62 provided on the wall portion 46c A positioning projection 66 provided on the wall portion 60c is inserted into the notch 52 formed in the wall portion 60c. As a result, the puncture rod 14 is attached to the inner housing 20 (housing 16) so as to be vertically movable.

The upward movement end of the puncture rod 14 with respect to the inner housing 20 can be defined, for example, by the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall portion 58 hitting the lower end portion of the peripheral wall portion 44 . Also, the downward movement end of the puncture rod 14 with respect to the inner housing 20 can be defined by the positioning protrusion 66 hitting the lower end of the notch 52, or the like.

A compression coil spring as a puncture spring 70 is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 56 of the puncture rod 14 so as to exert a biasing force between the cover portion 38 and the bottom wall portion 58 that face each other in the axial direction. It has become.

Further, a generally cylindrical movable cylinder 72 is assembled to the housing 16 so as to be vertically movable. In this embodiment, the peripheral wall portion 74 is substantially octagonal.

In addition, an insertion port 76 is provided in a portion of the circumference of the peripheral wall portion 74 (on the left side in FIG. 14). The insertion port 76 is formed in the shape of a notched window that opens downward. As will be described later, the user can easily insert his/her finger into the movable cylinder 72 through the insertion port 76 from the outside of the movable cylinder 72 .

A portion of the circumference of the peripheral wall portion 74 (the left side in FIG. 14) is formed with a contact plate portion 78 that protrudes upward. The contact plate portion 78 is provided with protruding contact portions 80, 80 that protrude on both sides in the width direction (the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 74). Each protruding contact portion 80 extends downward from the upper end of the contact plate portion 78 by a predetermined length, and the lower end of the protruding contact portion 80 forms an inclined surface 81 . In addition, on both sides in the width direction of the base end portion of the contact plate portion 78, the projecting contact portion 80 is not provided, and a notch-shaped contact avoiding region 82 is formed. Further, a guide recess 84 extending substantially over the entire length in the vertical direction is formed at substantially the center of the inner surface of the contact plate portion 78 in the width direction.

Furthermore, the peripheral wall portion 74 is formed with a substantially cylindrical spring accommodating portion 86 that opens upward. In this embodiment, a pair of spring accommodating portions 86, 86 are provided so as to face each other in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the peripheral wall portion 74 (the direction toward the front and back of the paper surface in FIG. 14). Note that, in the present embodiment, the spring accommodating portion 86 protrudes upward from the peripheral wall portion 74 of the movable cylinder 72 . Further, pressing portions 88 (see FIG. 15) are protruded from the inner surfaces of the pair of spring accommodating portions 86, 86 facing each other. In each pressing portion 88, the front surface on the side of the puncture button 102, which will be described later, is an inclined surface 90 (see FIG. 15) that slopes rearward (to the right in FIG. 14) away from the puncture button 102 as it goes downward. It is

Further, the movable cylinder 72 is provided with a pair of case holding portions 92, 92 for holding a case 160 of the microneedle 12, which will be described later, protruding below the pair of spring accommodating portions 86, 86. As shown in FIG. Each case holding portion 92 has a substantially rectangular frame shape, and a claw portion 94 protruding inward is provided at substantially the center of the lower side portion. In particular, in the present embodiment, the inner surface of the claw portion 94 is provided with unevenness so that it can be engaged with the unevenness provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case 160 of the microneedle 12 as described later.

Further, a stopper 96 protruding downward is provided on the peripheral wall portion 74 of the movable cylinder 72 on the rear side facing the insertion port 76 in the radial direction. The stopper 96 defines a moving end for pushing the case 160 backward when attaching the case 160 of the microneedle 12 to the movable cylinder 72, which will be described later.

When the movable cylinder 72 is assembled to the housing 16 , the peripheral wall portion 74 of the movable cylinder 72 is positioned between the peripheral wall portion 24 of the outer housing 18 and the peripheral wall portion 44 of the inner housing 20 . Further, the guide projections 32 of the support wall portion 30a of the outer housing 18 are inserted into the guide recesses 84 provided in the contact plate portion 78 of the movable cylinder 72, and the guide projections 32 and the guide recesses 84 are guided. This action allows the movable cylinder 72 to move relative to the housing 16 without tilting in the vertical direction.

Also, between the movable cylinder 72 and the housing 16, a pair of compression springs 98, 98 consisting of a pair of compression coil springs whose lower portions are inserted into a pair of spring accommodating portions 86, 86 are provided to separate the movable cylinder 72 from each other in the vertical direction. is exerted. The upper end of each presser spring 98 is positioned by a spring holding portion 100 ( see FIG. 11) projecting from the inner surface of the upper bottom wall portion 22 of the outer housing 18 .

Further, the housing 16 is assembled with a puncture button 102 and a lock lever 104 for performing the puncture operation of the microneedle 12 . The puncture button 102 includes a button body 106 that is fitted into the fitting hole 36 so as to be retractable and protrudes outside the outer housing 18 , and a collar part that expands inside the fitting hole 36 to prevent it from slipping out of the outer housing 18 . 108. Further, engaging protrusions 110, 110 protruding inward are provided at both end portions of the flange portion 108 in the width direction (the front-rear direction of the paper surface in FIG. 14). An inclined surface 112 (see FIG. 3) whose protrusion height gradually increases downward is provided on the projecting tip surface of each engaging protrusion 110 .

On the other hand, the lock lever 104 is a substantially rectangular frame-shaped member as a whole. It is composed of wall portions 116c, 116c.

Notch-like through grooves 118 and 118 that open upward are provided at positions corresponding to the engaging protrusions 110 and 110 of the puncture button 102 on the front side wall portion 116 a of the peripheral wall portion 114 . Collar portion 108 of puncture button 102 is superimposed on wall portion 116 a from the outside, and engaging protrusion 110 is inserted into through groove 118 and protrudes inward from lock lever 104 .

A rear wall portion 116b of the peripheral wall portion 114 is provided with a spring support portion 120 protruding outward from substantially the center in the circumferential direction and a locking portion 122 protruding inward. Furthermore, the lower surface of the protruding tip of the locking portion 122 is formed as an inclined surface in which the height of the inward projection increases as it goes upward. ing. On the other hand, the upper surface of the engaging portion 122 is a flat surface 125 extending substantially horizontally.

Further, the wall portions 116c, 116c on the left and right sides of the peripheral wall portion 114 are each provided with an opening groove 126 that opens outward and extends over substantially the entire length in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, an inclined surface 128 (see FIG. 3) is provided on the inner groove surface on the front side of the open groove 126 so as to decrease the width of the groove downward.

Furthermore, above the lock lever 104, a cylinder lock 130 is arranged as a lock member for preventing upward movement of the movable cylinder 72. As shown in FIG. The cylinder lock 130 is formed as a substantially rectangular frame-shaped member as a whole. , 134c.

The rear wall portion 134b is provided with a spring support portion 136 protruding outward from substantially the center in the circumferential direction and an engaging portion 138 protruding inward. The lower surface of the projecting tip of the engaging portion 138 is an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the projecting tip.

In addition, the left and right wall portions 134c, 134c are each provided with a contact protrusion 142 that protrudes downward.

In addition, in the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock 130, a button spring 144 and a lock spring 146, both of which are compression coil springs, are assembled between the outer housing 18 accommodating them. One end of the button spring 144 is externally inserted into the spring support portion 120 of the lock lever 104 and the other end is supported by the opposing inner surface of the outer housing 18 . Similarly, the lock spring 146 has one end fitted over the spring support portion 136 of the cylinder lock 130 and the other end supported on the opposite inner surface of the outer housing 18 .

As a result, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock 130 are biased toward the front of the outer housing 18 , and the puncture button 102 located in front of the lock lever 104 protrudes from the fitting hole 36 of the outer housing 18 . state is energized. A cylinder lock 130 is superimposed above the lock lever 104. A wall portion 116b of the lock lever 104, a wall portion 134b of the cylinder lock 130, and locking portions protruding inward from these wall portions 116b and 134b are provided. 122 and the engaging portion 138 are vertically sandwiched between the support wall portion 30b of the outer housing 18 and the wall portion 46b of the inner housing 20 (and the rib projecting outward from the wall portion 46b). It is inserted between the notches 34 and 50 in the vertical direction and supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock 130 are movable in a direction intersecting the pushing direction (vertical direction) of the puncture rod 14. can move in any direction. Of course, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock 130 may be movable in a direction inclined with respect to the front-rear direction.

1 and 2 the applicator 10 is shown in its initial state. That is, the puncture spring 70, the pressing spring 98, the button spring 144, and the lock spring 146 provided inside the applicator 10 are all in a natural length or in a slight initial compression state, and the puncture rod 14 and the movable cylinder 72 both protrude downward from the housing 16 . In particular, in the present embodiment, the bottom wall portion 58 of the puncture rod 14 is positioned inside the movable cylinder 72 in the initial state, but the puncture rod is positioned outward (below) the movable cylinder in the initial state. It may protrude up to In the initial state, the puncture button 102 protrudes outward from the fitting hole 36 of the housing 16 (outer housing 18). Furthermore, in the initial state, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock 130 are configured with the inclined curved surfaces 124 and 140 provided at the protruding ends of the engaging portion 122 and the engaging portion 138 provided inside them, and the puncture device. It is arranged at a position where the wall portion 60b of the cylindrical portion 56 of the rod 14 overlaps in projection in the vertical direction.

1 and 2, in the initial state shown in FIGS. The contacting protrusions 142, 142 contact each other in the vertical direction. As a result, the movable cylinder 72 is prevented from moving toward the housing 16 in the initial state. and the contact protrusion 142 of the cylinder lock 130 .

In this initial state, as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later, the engaging projection 110 protruding inward from the puncture button 102 passes through the through groove 118 provided in the wall portion 116a of the lock lever 104 to the peripheral wall portion. 114, and the protruding tip of the engaging protrusion 110 is in front-rear direction with respect to the protruding contact portion 80 of the contact plate portion 78 of the movable cylinder 72 provided inside the wall portion 116a. It is designed to abut. As a result, in the initial state, the push operation of the puncture button 102 is disabled. and a projecting contact portion 80 of the cylinder 72 .

When the applicator 10 having the structure described above is stored before use, the housing 16 is covered with a cover 152 from below as shown in FIG. The cover 152 has a substantially cup shape as a whole, and includes a substantially octagonal bottom wall portion 154 and a peripheral wall portion 156 . The peripheral wall portion 156 is detachably fitted onto the peripheral wall portion 24 of the housing 16 (outer housing 18), whereby the cover 152 covers the movable cylinder 72 and the puncture rod 14 from the outside, and the movable cylinder 72 and the puncture rod 14 are covered. It is designed to protect the rod 14 from external force. By providing such a cover 152, unintentional movement of the movable cylinder 72 and the puncture rod 14 in the storage state can be prevented. By removing the cover 152 from the stored state shown in FIG. 4, the initial state before use shown in FIGS.

When using the applicator 10, first, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the housing 16 from the initial state. That is, by pressing the bottom wall portion 58 of the puncture rod 14 with a finger inserted through the insertion port 76 of the movable cylinder 72 , the puncture spring 70 is compressed and deformed, and the puncture rod 14 is pushed above the housing 16 . Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the applicator 10 may be held upside down and the puncture rod 14 may be pushed down. When the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the housing 16 , the guiding action of the guide ridges 62 of the puncture rod 14 and the guide grooves 48 of the inner housing 20 , and the positioning projections 66 of the puncture rod 14 in the notches of the inner housing 20 . Due to the guide action of fitting into 52, the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the housing 16 without tilting.

By pushing the puncture rod 14 into the housing 16, the puncture rod 14 moves upward, and the upper end of the wall portion 60b of the puncture rod 14 and the lock portion 122 protruding inward from the lock lever 104 are inclined and curved. surface 124 abuts. By further pushing the puncture rod 14 from this contact state, the lock lever 104 is moved rearward while the button spring 144 is compressed and deformed.

Then, by further pushing the puncture rod 14 into the housing 16, the upper end of the wall portion 60b of the puncture rod 14 and the inclined curved surface 140 of the engaging portion 138 projecting inward from the cylinder lock 130 come into contact. . By further pushing the puncture rod 14 from this contact state, the cylinder lock 130 is moved rearward while the locking spring 146 is compressed and deformed. As a result, the contact between the projecting contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 and the contact projecting portion 142 of the cylinder lock 130 in the movement restricting means 148 that prevents the movement of the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 is released. Movement of the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 is permitted. That is, in the present embodiment, the releasing means 158 for releasing the movement restricting means 148 and allowing the movable cylinder 72 to move toward the housing 16 causes the projecting contact portion 80 and the contact projecting portion 142 to be placed in the non-contact state. It is configured by a mechanism that Therefore, in the present embodiment, the prevention of movement of the movable cylinder 72 by contact between the movable cylinder 72 and the cylinder lock 130 and the permission of movement of the movable cylinder 72 by releasing the contact between the movable cylinder 72 and the cylinder lock 130 are combined with each other. Movement of the lock 130 is selectively accomplished.

In this embodiment, since the cover 152 covers the movable cylinder 72 in the storage state before use, it can be understood that the movement restricting means 148 that prevents the movement of the movable cylinder 72 includes the cover 152 . can also In addition, since it is possible to push in the puncture rod 14 and move the movable cylinder 72 by removing the cover 152, it is understood that the releasing means 158 that allows the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is constituted by the removal structure of the cover 152. You can also Of course, the cover that constitutes the movement restricting means is not limited to one that is released by removal. For example, the release means that permits the movement of the movable cylinder 72 can be configured by moving, opening, tilting, or the like.

Furthermore, when the penetrating window 64 provided in the wall portion 60b of the puncture rod 14 that is moved by the pushing operation reaches the position of the lock lever 104, the engaging portion 122 of the lock lever 104 enters the through window 64, and the lock lever 104 is pushed. moves forward based on the elastic restoring force of the button spring 144 . As a result, the flat surface 125 at the projecting tip of the locking portion 122 abuts against the inner surface of the through window 64 , and the locking portion 122 is locked to the through window 64 . As a result, the downward movement of the puncture rod 14 is blocked, and the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the housing 16 and held under the downward biasing force of the puncture spring 70 .

After pushing the puncture rod 14 into the housing 16 in this way, the case 160 holding the microneedle 12 is attached to the movable cylinder 72 of the applicator 10 as shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, the case 160 includes a case body 162 that holds the microneedle 12 and a case cover 164 that covers the case body 162 from the outside.

That is, the case main body 162 of the present embodiment has a substantially annular shape as a whole, and an outer peripheral flange portion 168 and an inner peripheral flange portion 170 (see FIG. 13) are formed at the upper end portion of the cylindrical wall portion 166. It is Note that the outer diameter dimension of the cylinder wall portion 166 is substantially equal to the distance between the opposing case holding portions 92, 92 in the movable cylinder 72, and the inner diameter dimension of the inner peripheral flange portion 170 of the cylinder wall portion 166 is equal to the puncture. It is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the bottom wall portion 58 of the rod 14 .

An outer peripheral portion of a substantially circular adhesive sheet 172 is superimposed and fixed to the inner peripheral flange portion 170 . The microneedle 12 is fixed to the central portion of the lower surface of the adhesive sheet 172 and arranged in the center hole of the inner peripheral flange portion 170 .

Although the specific structure of the microneedle 12 is not limited, in the present embodiment, it includes a needle body 174 made up of a plurality of fine solid needles and a base portion 176 to which the needle body 174 is fixed. , the needle body 174 is coated with a drug to be administered to the patient.

On the other hand, the case cover 164 is substantially U-shaped as a whole, and includes a pair of cover portions 178, 178 that sandwich the case main body 162 from both upper and lower sides. and a connecting portion 180 that connects with the . The case cover 164 is removable from the case main body 162 toward the side.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the case 160 can be attached to and detached from the movable cylinder 72 through the insertion port 76 with the case cover 164 attached to the case main body 162 . When the case main body 162 is attached to the movable cylinder 72 , the outer peripheral flange portion 168 is sandwiched between the claw portion 94 of the case holding portion 92 and the peripheral wall portion 74 in the vertical direction, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion 166 The projections and depressions provided on the claw portion 94 are engaged with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the microneedles 12 are exposed to the outside by pulling out the case cover 164 from the case body 162 through the insertion port 76 .

Furthermore, the applicator 10 fitted with the case 160 having the microneedles 12 is pressed against the patient's skin on the lower surface of FIGS. 10 and 11 where the microneedles 12 are exposed. That is, the housing 16 is pushed downward while the lower end of the cylindrical wall portion 166 of the case main body 162 is in contact with the patient's skin, displacing the housing 16 and the case main body 162 toward each other.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, the movable cylinder 72 is moved toward the housing 16 (upward). That is, by moving the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 , substantially the entire peripheral wall portion 74 of the movable cylinder 72 is accommodated in the housing 16 while the presser spring 98 is compressed and deformed. The movement of the movable cylinder 72 into the housing 16 is caused by the guide action of the guide projections 32 of the housing 16 and the guide recesses 84 of the movable cylinder 72 to move the movable cylinder 72 straight up and down with respect to the housing 16 .

In the initial state shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the engaging projection 110 of the puncture button 102 and the projecting contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 contact each other to form the safety mechanism 150, and the puncture button 102 However, when the movable cylinder 72 moves upward in the housing 16 (moves toward the housing 16), the contact between the engaging projection 110 and the projecting contact portion 80 is released. As a result, the engaging protrusion 110 is moved to the contact avoidance area 82 positioned below the projecting contact portion 80 . As a result, the safety mechanism 150 is released and the puncture button 102 can be pushed inside through the fitting hole 36 of the housing 16 .

Further, in the puncture preparation state in which the movable cylinder 72 has entered the housing 16, the pressing portion 88 provided in the spring accommodating portion 86 of the movable cylinder 72 enters the opening groove 126 provided in the wall portion 116c of the lock lever 104. The inclined surface 90 provided on the pressing portion 88 and the inclined surface 128 provided on the opening groove 126 face each other while being separated from each other in the front-rear direction.

By pressing the puncture button 102 in the applicator 10 in the puncture preparation state, the microneedle 12 is punctured as shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 16 shows a state in which the pressing of the puncture button 102 is released after the microneedle 12 has been punctured. 12 to 15, the puncture button 102 and the lock lever 104 located inside the puncture button 102 are moved backward while the button spring 144 is compressed and deformed, thereby opening the through window. The locking of locking portion 122 by 64 is released, and puncture rod 14 is moved downward based on the elastic restoring force of puncture spring 70 . In this embodiment, the movement of the lock lever 104 associated with the pushing operation of the puncture button 102 causes the inclined surface 90 of the pressing portion 88 of the movable cylinder 72 and the inclined surface 128 of the opening groove 126 of the lock lever 104 to move toward each other. It is designed to abut. By adopting such an abutment structure, it is possible to stably move the movable cylinder 72 and the lock lever 104, which will be described later, to their initial positions.

As a result, the lower end portion of the puncture rod 14 passes through the inside of the case body 162, and the bottom wall portion 58 of the puncture rod 14 presses the microneedle 12 together with the adhesive sheet 172 against the skin. That is, the adhesive sheet 172 is attached to the skin while the microneedles 12 are punctured into the skin, and the microneedles 12 are pressed and punctured into the skin for a predetermined period of time. Thereby, the drug applied to the microneedles 12 can be effectively administered to the patient.

When the puncture button 102 is released from the puncture operation state, the elastic restoring force of the button spring 144 returns the lock lever 104 to the initial position as shown in FIG. Further, since the contact between the wall portion 60b of the puncture rod 14 and the engaging portion 138 of the cylinder lock 130 is also released, the elastic restoring force of the lock spring 146 causes the cylinder lock 130 to return to the initial position. It has become. Further, by separating the applicator 10 from the skin from the state shown in FIG. As a result, the applicator 10 returns to the initial state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that the applicator 10 can be used multiple times by removing and replacing the case 160 .

In the applicator 10 of the present embodiment, which is structured as described above, the movement restriction means 148 for moving the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 side is provided, and the movement restriction means 148 moves the puncture rod 14 toward the housing 16 . is released by pressing the That is, even if the microneedle 12 is attached to the movable cylinder 72 before the puncture rod 14 is pushed in and the applicator 10 is pressed against the skin in this state, the movable cylinder 72 moves into the housing 16 and the microneedle Accidental puncture of the skin 12 is prevented.

In particular, in this embodiment, the movement restricting means 148 that prevents the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is constituted by the contact between the projecting contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 and the contact projection 142 of the cylinder lock 130 . At the same time, by pushing the puncture rod 14 to move the cylinder lock 130, the contact between the projecting contact portion 80 and the contact projecting portion 142 is released, and the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is permitted. ing. That is, before and after the movement of the cylinder lock 130, the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is selectively blocked or permitted. This simplifies the structure and reduces the number of parts.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the safety mechanism 150 is configured to prevent the push operation of the puncture button 102 before the movable cylinder 72 is moved, for example, the microneedle 12 is applied to the applicator before the applicator 10 is pressed against the skin. The possibility that the microneedle 12 protrudes from the microneedle 10 and unintentionally punctures the skin is prevented. In particular, since the safety mechanism 150 includes the projecting contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72, the projecting contact portion 80 can constitute both the movement restricting means 148 and the safety mechanism 150. Further simplification of the structure and reduction in the number of parts are achieved.

Next, FIG. 17 shows a microneedle applicator 190 as a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the movement restricting means for blocking movement of the movable cylinder 72 is implemented in a manner different from that of the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 17 shows the applicator 190 in a storage state before use. In addition, in the present embodiment, members and portions that are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, in the present embodiment, a cap 192 is provided to prevent the puncture rod 14 from being pushed into the housing 16 in a pre-use state in which the puncture rod 14 protrudes inside the movable cylinder 72 . 18, the cap 192 has a cup shape having a bottom wall portion 194 and a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall portion 196. As shown in FIG. In addition, a flange portion 198 protruding to the outer periphery is provided at the peripheral edge portion of the opening of the peripheral wall portion 196 .

The outer diameter dimension of the flange portion 198 is substantially equal to the inner diameter dimension of the peripheral wall portion 74 of the movable cylinder 72, and the cap 192 can be inserted from the lower opening portion of the movable cylinder 72 with the opening portion facing upward. A collar portion 198 of the cap 192 is substantially fitted into the peripheral wall portion 74 of the movable cylinder 72 so that the cap 192 is detachably attached to the movable cylinder 72 . By attaching the cap 192 , the puncture rod 14 is covered from the outside and a gap is set between the puncture rod 14 and the cap 192 so that the external force applied to the cap 192 is not exerted on the puncture rod 14 . It's becoming

In particular, in this embodiment, when the cap 192 is attached to the movable cylinder 72, the bottom wall portion 194 of the cap 192 is positioned below the case holding portion 92 of the movable cylinder 72, so that the applicator 190 can be applied to the skin. The movable cylinder 72 is prevented from being pushed up by the skin and moving toward the housing 16 even if the movable cylinder 72 is pressed against the body. In addition, when the cap 192 is attached to the movable cylinder 72, the bottom wall portion 194 of the cap 192 is positioned below the case holding portion 92 of the movable cylinder 72, so that the microneedle (12) case ( 160) cannot be attached to the movable cylinder 72.

By adopting such a cap 192, the movable cylinder 72 does not move toward the housing 16 unless the cap 192 is removed. A limiting means 200 is configured. Also in this embodiment, since the same cylinder lock 130 as in the above embodiment is employed, the movable cylinder 72 is prevented from moving toward the housing 16 until the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the housing 16. there is That is, since the movable cylinder 72 is allowed to move toward the housing 16 in accordance with the pushing operation of the puncture rod 14, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be exhibited.

Here, in the present embodiment, since the puncture rod 14 cannot be pushed in until the cap 192 is removed, the movement restricting means 200 is released after the cap 192 is removed, as in the first embodiment. It is realized by the pushing operation of the puncture rod 14 similar to . That is, in the present embodiment, since the pushing operation of the puncture rod 14 is enabled by removing the cap 192, the releasing means (158) of the movement restricting means 200 similar to the first embodiment is replaced by the cap 192. is configured by a detachment structure. In particular, in this embodiment as well, in a storage state before use, the cover 152 is provided in the same manner as in the first embodiment. ) is configured by the structure for removing the cover 152 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, the case (160) of the microneedle (12) cannot be attached until the cap 192 is removed. No problem occurs, and even if the cap 192 is removed, the movable cylinder 72 is prevented from moving toward the housing 16 before the puncture rod 14 is pushed. can be effectively prevented.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not to be construed as being limited by the specific descriptions in such embodiments, and various changes, modifications, improvements, etc. based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. It is possible to implement in a mode in which

For example, in the above-described embodiment, a solid needle is used as the microneedle 12 and the drug to be administered is applied to the solid needle, but the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. As for the microneedle, for example, as in Patent Document 1, a hollow needle having a lumen or a structure in which the drug is administered through the lumen of a hollow needle punctured from a separate reservoir holding the drug can be adopted. Also, the shape, structure, number, etc. of the puncture needle are not limited.

Further, the mechanism for restricting the movement by contacting the movable cylinder 72 is not limited to the illustrated cylinder lock 130, and may be a releasable locking structure such as a rotatable hook or an engagement using magnetic force. Various types can be employed as appropriate.

Furthermore, the urging of the puncture rod, movable cylinder, lock lever, and lock member (cylinder lock) is not limited to the spring as in the above embodiment, but can be achieved by an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer, or by a magnet or the like. may be

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cover 152 has a substantially cup shape and covers the puncture rod 14 and the movable cylinder 72 in the storage state. may cover only at least a portion of the However, such a cover is not essential.

10, 190: Microneedle applicator, 12: Microneedle, 14: Puncture rod, 16: Housing, 72: Movable cylinder, 102: Puncture button, 130: Cylinder lock (lock member), 148, 200: Movement limiting means, 150: safety mechanism, 152: cover, 158: release means, 160: case, 192: cap

Claims (7)

The puncture rod , which is moved in the puncture direction to puncture the skin with the microneedle, is pushed into the housing, and the movable cylinder is moved toward the housing, so that the puncture rod held in the state of being pushed into the housing moves in the puncture direction. In a microneedle applicator that allows the movement of the microneedle to be punctured,
movement restricting means for preventing movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing;
a releasing means for releasing the movement restricting means and allowing the movable cylinder to move toward the housing when the puncture rod is pushed into the housing. applicator. The movement restricting means is constituted by a locking member that prevents the movable cylinder from moving toward the housing by coming into contact with the movable cylinder, and
2. The microneedle applicator according to claim 1, wherein the release means releases the contact between the lock member and the movable cylinder by pushing the puncture rod into the housing. The locking member is arranged movably in a direction intersecting the pushing direction of the puncture rod, and the movement of the locking member prevents movement due to contact with the movable cylinder and permits movement due to release of contact with the movable cylinder. 3. The microneedle applicator of claim 2, wherein is selectively achieved. The microneedle applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a cap covering the puncture rod from the outside prevents the puncture rod from being pushed into the housing . The microneedle applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cover covering at least part of said movable cylinder. The microneedle is attachable to the movable cylinder, and a removable cap that covers the puncture rod from the outside is attached to the housing, so that the microneedle cannot be attached to the movable cylinder. The microneedle applicator according to any one of items 1 to 5. 7. The safety mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a safety mechanism is provided to disable operation of a puncture button that causes the microneedle to puncture, and the safety mechanism is released by moving the movable cylinder toward the housing. or the microneedle applicator according to item 1.

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