INJECTION DEVICE

Abstract

An injection device includes a drive mechanism, and the drive mechanism in turn includes a drive rod being axially moveable, a plunger rod being axially moveable, and a gear assembly. The gear assembly is arranged such that an axial movement of the drive rod generates an axial movement of the plunger rod. This allows for a force transmission between the drive rod and the plunger rod, facilitating the expelling of viscous substances from the injection device.

Claims

1. An injection device comprising: a drive mechanism, the drive mechanism comprising: a drive rod being axially moveable; a plunger rod being axially moveable; and a gear assembly, wherein the gear assembly is arranged such that an axial movement of the drive rod generates an axial movement of the plunger rod, wherein the drive mechanism is arranged at a finger grip of the injection device, and wherein the finger grip is releasably arranged.

2. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the axial movement of the drive rod generates an axial movement of the plunger rod in the same direction.

3. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the drive rod comprises a grooved surface and the plunger rod comprises a grooved surface.

4. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the gear assembly comprises a drive cogwheel engaged with the drive rod, and a plunger cogwheel engaged with the plunger rod, the drive cogwheel and the plunger cogwheel being connected to each other.

5. The injection device according to claim 4, wherein a circumference of the drive cogwheel is smaller than a circumference of the plunger cogwheel, the circumference of the plunger cogwheel being in engagement with the circumference of the drive cogwheel.

6. The injection device according to claim 4, wherein the plunger cogwheel comprises a first wheel element engaged with the drive cogwheel, and a second wheel element engaged with the plunger rod.

7. The injection device according to claim 6, wherein the first wheel element is rotatable with respect to the second wheel element in one direction only.

8. The injection device according to claim 6, wherein the plunger cogwheel comprises a first peripheral cog portion arranged at the first wheel element, and a second peripheral cog portion arranged at the second wheel element.

9. The injection device according to claim 8, wherein the first peripheral cog portion has a circumference that is larger than a circumference of the second peripheral cog portion.

10. The injection device according to claim 4, wherein the drive cogwheel and the plunger cogwheel are arranged on the same axis.

11. The injection device according to claim 4, wherein a circumference of the drive cogwheel is larger than a circumference of the plunger cogwheel.

12. The injection device according to claim 4, wherein the drive cogwheel is rotatable with respect to the plunger cogwheel in one direction only.

13. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the drive rod has an idle position and wherein the injection device further comprises a return spring arranged to force the drive rod towards the idle position.

14. The injection device according to claim 13, further comprising: a housing including a partition between the drive rod and the plunger rod, wherein the return spring is arranged in the partition so as to act on the drive rod to permit movement between the idle position and a drive position upon applying pressure to the plunger rod in a direction in which substance is expelled from plunger rod.

15. The injection device according to claim 14, wherein in the idle position, the drive cogwheel does not engage the plunger cogwheel.

16. The injection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a housing comprising apertures through which the plunger rod is configured to travel in an axial direction, and a guiding track configured to guide the drive rod in the axial direction.

17. The injection device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing, wherein at least a portion of the plunger rod is disposed outside the housing.

18. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the finger grip houses at least a portion of the drive mechanism.

19. The injection device according to claim 14, wherein the finger grip comprises two flanges extending in opposite directions from each other, and the finger grip forms at least a portion of the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0022] FIG. 1a is a perspective view of an embodiment of the injection device according to the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 1b is an exploded view of an embodiment of the injection device according to the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 2a is a cutaway view of an embodiment of the injection device according to the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 2b is a schematic view of an embodiment of a drive mechanism of the injection device according to the present invention;

[0026] FIGS. 3a-b show schematic perspective views of an embodiment of a gear assembly of the drive mechanism of the injection device according to the present invention; and

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a cutaway view of an embodiment of the injection device according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1a-b, there is provided an injection device 1 comprising a finger grip 2 and a cartridge 3. The cartridge 3 comprises a proximal end 4 and a distal end 5, the distal end 5 being that oriented towards a patient receiving an injection from the injection device 1. The distal end 5 of the cartridge 3 thus comprises a portion adapted to hold an injection needle, not shown. The cartridge 3 further comprises a plunger (not shown) which upon application of a pressure thereto in a direction towards the distal end 5 of the cartridge, which hereinafter also will be referred to as a substance expelling direction, acts to expel a substance contained in the cartridge 3.

[0029] Generally, any longitudinal part of the injection device 1 which extends in a direction parallel to the cartridge 3 will be considered to comprise a distal end, being that arranged closest to the distal end 5 of the cartridge 3, and a proximal end, being that arranged furthest away from the distal end 5 of the cartridge 3. Similarly, a longitudinal or axial movement in a distal direction shall be considered to represent a movement towards the distal end 5 of the cartridge 3, and thus, as a substance expelling direction.

[0030] The proximal end 4 of the cartridge 3 is arranged in engagement with the finger grip 2. In the exemplifying embodiment of FIG. 1, the finger grip 2 is provided with tracks 6 for receiving and holding the proximal end 4 of the cartridge 3, see FIG. 1b. Other ways of arranging the cartridge 3 in engagement with the finger grip 2 are also conceivable within the concept of the present invention.

[0031] The finger grip 2 comprises two oppositely extending flanges 7, which extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 3, and which are arranged for providing a finger grip for a person operating the injection device 1. The finger grip 2 further comprises a housing 8 which houses a drive mechanism 10.

[0032] The drive mechanism 10 comprises a drive rod 11, a plunger rod 12 and a gear assembly 20. The drive rod 11 is elongated and has a rectangular cross-section. Other cross-sections, such as square or circular, are also possible within the concept of the present invention. The drive rod 11 has at least one grooved elongated surface 13. The grooved surface 13 is arranged to engage with the gear assembly 20, as will be described in more detail further on. At a proximal end of the drive rod 11, a pressure application portion 14 is arranged. The pressure application portion 14 comprises an upper end surface 15, onto which pressure from an operator can be applied, for example by using the thumb, in order to push the drive rod 11 in a direction towards a distal end thereof.

[0033] The plunger rod 12 is elongated and has a circular cross-section. However, other cross-sections, such as for example rectangular or square, are also conceivable within the concept of the present invention. The plunger rod 12 has a grooved elongated surface 16, in this embodiment extending around the complete extension of the plunger rod 12. In an alternative embodiment in which the plunger rod 12 has a rectangular or square cross-section, at least one elongated surface of the plunger rod 12 is grooved. The plunger rod 12 is arranged such that the grooved surface 16 engages the gear assembly 20 as will be described in more detail further on.

[0034] At a distal end of the plunger rod 12, a plunger engagement portion 17 is provided, see FIG. 1b. In the shown embodiment, the plunger engagement portion 17 comprises an outer thread, adapted to engage with an inner thread of a plunger arranged in the cartridge 3. Considering the threaded engagement of the plunger rod 12 and the plunger, it is preferable that the plunger rod 12 of this embodiment has a circular cross-section with grooves extending around its entire extension, such that the grooves are accessible for engaging the gear assembly 20 independently of the angular position of the plunger rod 12. Other engagements between the plunger rod 12 and the plunger are, however, also conceivable within the concept of the present invention, such as for example a snap-in engagement.

[0035] The gear assembly 20 is arranged in engagement with the drive rod 11 and the plunger rod 12. As shown in FIGS. 2a-b, the gear assembly 20 comprises a drive cogwheel 21 engaged with the grooved surface 13 of the drive rod 11. The gear assembly 20 further comprises a plunger cogwheel 22 engaged with the grooved surface 16 of the plunger rod 12. The plunger cogwheel 22 of this embodiment comprises a first wheel element 23 with a first peripheral cog portion 24 which engages the drive cogwheel 21, see FIG. 2b. The circumference of the first peripheral cog portion 24 is here larger than the circumference of the drive cogwheel 21, allowing a compact arrangement of the drive mechanism 10. Providing a drive cogwheel 21 with a circumference larger than that of the first peripheral cog portion 24 is also conceivable, although it would result in a less space efficient drive mechanism 20. The plunger cogwheel further comprises a second wheel element 25 with a second peripheral cog portion 26 which engages the grooved surface 16 of the plunger rod 12. The circumference of the first peripheral cog portion 24 is larger than the circumference of the second peripheral cog portion 26, allowing a force transmission between the drive rod and the plunger rod that is larger than 1. The first and second wheel elements 23, 25 are further centralised on a common axis 33 around which they are rotatable.

[0036] The first and second wheel elements 23, 25 each have engaging side surfaces 27, 28, see FIGS. 3a-b. In this exemplifying embodiment, the engaging side surface 27 of the first wheel element 23 comprises a protruding portion 29, protruding in an axial direction of the plunger cogwheel 22 and extending in a circular direction thereof. The engaging side surface 28 of the second wheel element 25 comprises a recessed portion 30, arranged to receive and engage with the protruding portion 29 of the first wheel element 23. The recessed portion 30 is provided with hook receiving wedge shaped recesses 31 around an inner circumference thereof, so arranged to engage hook portions 29a of the protruding portion 29 of the first wheel element 23. The hook portions 29a of the protruding portion 29 thereby prevent the first wheel element 23 from rotating with respect to the second wheel element 25 in one direction. The wedge shaped recesses 31 are shaped such that the inclination of one wedge side of each wedge is larger than the inclination of the other wedge side of each wedge. Furthermore, the hook portions 29a are resilient. This allows the hook portions 29a of the protruding portions 29 to slide along the less inclined wedge side from one wedge to another upon rotation in an opposed direction such that the first wheel element 23 rotates with respect to the second wheel element 25. In this embodiment, the resilience of the hook portions 29a is obtained by providing the protruding portion 29 in a rather flexible material, such as a plastic material, thereby enabling the sliding of the hook portions 29a along the less inclined wedge side from one wedge to another.

[0037] Referring back to FIGS. 1a-b, the housing 8 is provided with a drive axis 32 and a plunger axis 33. The drive axis 32 is arranged to rotatably carry the drive cogwheel 21, and the plunger axis 33 is arranged to rotatably carry the plunger cogwheel 22. The plunger and drive axes 32, 33 are arranged such that the drive cogwheel 21 and the plunger cogwheel 22 enter in a cogwheel engagement when respectively mounted thereon. More particularly, the plunger and drive axes 32, 33 are arranged such that the drive cogwheel 21 and the first wheel element 23 of the plunger cogwheel 22 enter in a cogwheel engagement when respectively mounted thereon. In the exemplifying embodiment shown, the drive axis 32 is arranged proximally of the plunger axis such that the drive cogwheel 21 engages the plunger cogwheel 22 at a proximal portion of the plunger cogwheel 22. The skilled person understands, however, that arranging the drive axis for example distally of the plunger axis such that the drive cogwheel 21 and the plunger cogwheel 22 engage at a distal portion of the plunger cogwheel 22 also is conceivable within the concept of the present invention.

[0038] The housing 8 further comprises upper and lower apertures 34 through which the plunger rod 12 is arranged and can travel in an axial direction. A guiding track 36 is further provided for the drive rod 11 for guiding the drive rod 11 in a longitudinal axial direction. At the distal end 37 of the guiding track 36, a return spring 35 is provided extending in a proximal direction. A proximal end of the spring 35 is arranged to support the distal end of the drive rod 11 when arranged in the guiding track 36.

[0039] Finally, the housing 8 comprises a closing wall portion 39 which secures the drive mechanism 10 at the finger grip 2.

[0040] When the injection device comprising the drive mechanism 10 is mounted and no pressure is applied to the drive rod 11, the drive rod 11 is in an idle position, in which it protrudes to a maximum from the guiding track 36 in the proximal direction. In the idle position, the gear assembly 20 does not rotate and the plunger rod 12 does not move. To operate the injection device, the drive rod 11, arranged in the guiding track 36, is pressed in a distal direction, whereby the drive cogwheel 21 enters in rotation in a counter-clockwise direction, as seen from the side shown in FIGS. 2a-b. This drives the plunger cogwheel 22, with first and second wheel elements 23, 25, to rotate in a clockwise direction. The second wheel element 25, being engaged with the plunger rod 12, thereby forces the plunger rod 12 to travel in a distal direction of the injection device 1, and of the cartridge 3, causing the plunger to move in the distal direction thereof such that a substance contained in the cartridge 3 is expelled.

[0041] Due to the arrangement of the gear assembly 20, having differently sized circumferences which engage the drive rod 11 and the plunger rod 12, respectively, there will be a force transmission between the drive rod 11 and the plunger rod 12. Typically, the force transmission from the drive rod 11 to the plunger rod 12 can be of a factor of 2 to 4, such as for example 3. As a result, a viscous substance contained in the cartridge 3 can be expelled therefrom by means of the injection device 1 without having to apply a considerable force to the drive rod 11. Also, since the drive rod 11 will travel a larger distance with respect to the plunger rod when pressure is applied thereto, the injection device 1 is provided with the return spring 35 at the bottom of the guiding track 36 of the finger grip 2. When the drive rod 11 has been pressed down and is released, the return spring 35 will spring back to its extended state, forcing the drive rod 11 towards the idle position. From the idle position, the drive rod 11 can be pressed anew towards the distal end thereof to continue generating an axial movement of the plunger rod 12 towards the distal end of the cartridge 3.

[0042] When the drive rod 11 is forced by the return spring 35 to travel in a proximal direction, the drive cogwheel 21 enter in rotation in a clockwise direction, as seen from the side view of FIG. 2a, causing the first wheel element 23 of the plunger cogwheel 22 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. The less inclined wedge sides of the wedge shaped recesses 31 of the second wheel element 25 here allows the resilient hook portions 29a of the first wheel element 23 to slide there along such that the first wheel element 23 rotates with respect to the second wheel element 25. Thereby, the second wheel element 25 remains in position and the plunger rod 12 does not move. When the drive rod 11 is moved in an axial direction towards the distal end 37 of the guiding track 7 anew, the hook portions 29a of the protrusions 29 of the first wheel element 23 will engage the hook receiving wedge shaped recesses 31 of the recessed surface 30 of the second wheel element 25 such that the second wheel element 25 rotates with the first wheel element 23 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2a, thereby generating an axial movement of the plunger rod 12 towards the distal end of the cartridge 3.

[0043] The drive rod 11 and plunger rod 12 are in the above described embodiment arranged at different sides of the drive and plunger axes 32, 33 requiring the drive cogwheel 21 to act on the plunger cogwheel 22 in order to generate an axial movement of the plunger rod 12 in the same direction as the axial movement of the drive rod 11 when the latter is pressed towards its distal end.

[0044] According to another embodiment of the injection device 100, and with reference to FIG. 4, the drive rod 111 and the plunger rod 112 are arranged at the same side of an axis 133 at which the gear assembly 200 is arranged, and around which the gear assembly 200 is rotatable. In this embodiment, the gear assembly 200 comprises a drive cogwheel 221 engaged with the drive rod 111, and a plunger cogwheel 222 engaged with the plunger rod 212. The drive cogwheel 221 and the plunger cogwheel 222 are connected to each other by means of engaging side surfaces, corresponding to the engaging side surfaces 27, 28 of the first and second wheel elements 23, 25 of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 3a-b. The engaging side surface 27 of the drive cogwheel 221 comprises protruding portions 29 protruding in the axial direction of the drive cogwheel 221. The engaging side surface 28 of the plunger cogwheel 222 comprises a recessed surface 30 for receiving the protruding portions 29 of the drive cogwheel 221. The protruding portions 29 of the drive cogwheel 221 side surface are further provided with hook portions 29a which can engage hook receiving wedge shaped recesses 31 at the inner circumference of the recessed surface 30 of the plunger cogwheel 222. This allows the drive cogwheel 221 to rotate with respect to the plunger cogwheel 222 in one direction only. The circumference of the drive cogwheel 221 is larger than the circumference of the plunger cogwheel 222. As a consequence, when the drive rod 111 is pressed in an axial direction, an axial movement of the plunger rod 112 in the same direction will be generated with a force transmission. The size of the drive and plunger cogwheels 221, 222 can be adapted to meet the need of particular force transmissions. Generally, a force transmission of 2-5 times that induced in the drive rod 111 can be generated for the plunger rod 112, consequently reducing significantly the force needed to inject a viscous substance.

[0045] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0046] For instance, the housing 8 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-2 can alternatively be embodied as having a partition between the bearing structures of the drive axis 32 and the plunger axis 33. Furthermore, the return spring 35 of this alternative embodiment is arranged in the partition to act on the bearing structure of the drive axis 32, such that the drive axis can be moved between an idle position and a drive position when applying a pressure to the plunger rod 11 in a substance expelling direction. In the idle position, the return spring 35 is extended, forcing the drive axis to move in a proximal direction such that the drive cogwheel 21 arranged thereat does not engage the plunger cogwheel 22 arranged at the plunger axis 33. As pressure is applied to the drive rod 11, the return spring is compressed and the drive axis moved to the drive position, in which the drive cogwheel 21 engages the plunger cogwheel 22. This embodiment allows the first and second wheel elements 23, 25 of the plunger cogwheel 22 to be embodied as one single part, or to be in a sealing engagement with each other such that no relative rotation there between is possible.

[0047] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word comprising does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article a or an does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.