Injection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11376364-B2
Application number	US-201816494074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is an auto-injection apparatus for receiving a syringe, including: an outer casing enclosing a drive assembly and a syringe carrier configured to hold a barrel of the syringe, the syringe carrier being forward of the drive assembly and having stowed and delivery positions; an interlock extending between the syringe carrier and a syringe carrier housing at least partially surrounding the syringe carrier, the interlock preventing forward motion of the syringe carrier under the influence of an insertion actuator whilst in the stowed position. The drive assembly includes the insertion actuator for inserting a needle of the syringe into an injection site and a delivery actuator for driving a plunger into a barrel of the syringe which contains a substance for injection. The syringe carrier includes an interlock release mechanism which is configured to release the interlock such that the insertion actuator drives the syringe carrier forward.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) for receiving a syringe, the apparatus comprising:
an outer casing ( 12 ) which encloses
a drive assembly ( 32 ) having a delivery spring ( 38 ) for driving a plunger ( 30 ) into a barrel ( 20 ) of the syringe which contains a substance for injection,
a syringe carrier ( 26 ) configured to hold the barrel ( 20 ) of the syringe, the syringe carrier ( 26 ) being forward of the drive assembly ( 32 ) and not extending beyond a distal end of the barrel and having a stowed position and a delivery position,
a syringe carrier housing ( 58 ) which at least partially surrounds the syringe carrier ( 26 ),
an insertion spring ( 48 ) for inserting a needle ( 14 ) of the syringe into an injection site, the insertion spring being located at a distal end of the outer casing and acting on the drive assembly,
an interlock ( 54 ) forward of a distal end of the syringe carrier and which comprises elements on the syringe carrier ( 26 ) and the syringe carrier housing ( 58 ) which interact with one another,
the interlock ( 54 ) preventing forward motion of the syringe carrier ( 26 ) under the influence of the insertion spring ( 48 ) whilst in the stowed position, and
the insertion spring being arranged prior to release of the interlock to urge the syringe carrier ( 26 ) forwards, via the abutment between the drive assembly ( 32 ) and syringe carrier ( 26 ) via the barrel ( 20 ), relative to the outer casing ( 12 ) and to drive the drive assembly ( 32 ) and the syringe carrier ( 26 ) forward once the interlock ( 54 ) has been released, and

a shield ( 18 ) which is arranged to shroud the needle ( 14 ) at least prior to an injection and which is slidably arranged between the outer casing and the syringe carrier, and an interlock release mechanism ( 56 ) which is configured to release the interlock ( 54 ) and wherein the interlock release mechanism comprises said shield which provides a pressure activated trigger for the interlock release mechanism,
wherein a driving force provided by the delivery spring ( 38 ) is greater than an insertion force provided by the insertion spring ( 48 ).

2. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the syringe carrier ( 26 ) comprises a barrel housing ( 52 ) and the interlock ( 54 ) is provided between the barrel housing ( 52 ) and the syringe carrier housing ( 58 ).

3. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the interlock ( 54 ) includes a syringe carrier housing stop ( 60 ) and a syringe carrier stop ( 62 ) which axially abut one another to prevent forward motion of the syringe carrier ( 26 ).

4. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein either or both of the syringe carrier housing stop ( 60 ) and the syringe carrier stop ( 62 ) includes an elongate circumferentially extending axially facing abutment surface for engaging the other of the syringe carrier housing stop ( 60 ) or syringe carrier stop ( 62 ).

5. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the interlock release mechanism ( 56 ) includes a trigger which activates the interlock release mechanism ( 56 ) when actuated.

6. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the trigger provides relative rotation between the syringe carrier stop ( 62 ) and the syringe carrier housing stop ( 60 ).

7. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the syringe carrier ( 26 ) includes a barrel housing ( 52 ), and the barrel housing ( 52 ) is located at least partially within the trigger, and wherein the interlock ( 54 ) is provided between the barrel housing ( 52 ) and the syringe carrier housing ( 58 ).

8. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the trigger comprises a pressure activated trigger.

9. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the pressure activated trigger comprises a shield ( 18 ) which is arranged to shroud the needle ( 14 ) prior to, during, or after an injection.

10. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the interlock release mechanism ( 56 ) includes a track ( 70 ) and protrusion ( 72 ) arrangement in which the protrusion ( 72 ) is arranged to slide within the track ( 70 ) such that relative movement of either of the protrusion ( 72 ) or track ( 70 ) causes the other of the protrusion ( 72 ) and track ( 70 ) to move axially and/or rotationally.

11. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the track ( 70 ) includes a release portion ( 74 ) in which a rearwards axial movement of the trigger translates to a rotation of the syringe carrier stop ( 62 ) to disengage the interlock ( 54 ).

12. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the track ( 70 ) further includes a priming portion in which a forwards axial movement of the trigger translates to a rotation of the syringe carrier ( 26 ).

13. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the track ( 70 ) includes an axial stop to prevent the protrusion ( 72 ) travelling axially rearwards beyond a predetermined position once the interlock ( 54 ) has been disengaged and the trigger released.

14. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the track ( 70 ) includes a rotational stop arranged to allow relative axial movement between the track ( 70 ) and protrusion ( 72 ) but no relative rotation.

15. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the trigger is configured to depress by a first portion using a first force and a second portion by a second force, wherein the second force is greater than the first force.

16. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly ( 32 ) abuts the syringe carrier ( 26 ).

17. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outer casing ( 12 ) comprises a first portion and a second portion which are attached together, and, wherein the drive assembly ( 32 ) is retained by a latch in the first portion prior to the first portion being attached to the second portion and the insertion spring ( 48 ) is between the first portion and the drive assembly ( 32 ) such that the insertion spring ( 48 ) urges the drive assembly ( 32 ) out of the first portion of the outer casing ( 12 ) and against the latch, and wherein the second portion of the outer casing ( 12 ) is arranged to activate a latch release mechanism comprising an axially translatable portion of the drive assembly, the latch release mechanism for disengaging the latch upon the attachment of the first portion and second portion during assembly of the outer casing ( 12 ) such that the insertion spring ( 48 ) urges the drive assembly ( 32 ) forwards beyond the latch once disengaged.

18. An auto-injection apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the axially translatable portion of the drive assembly engages with the outer casing ( 12 ) during the assembly of the outer casing ( 12 ).

Assignees

• Owen Mumford Ltd

Inventors

• Dobson Matthew John
• Gould Oliver
• Hung Andrew
• Shabudin Tahir
• Farmer Matthew David
• Zhang Kuiwei

Classifications

• A61M5/3271

  with guiding tracks for controlled sliding of needle protective sleeve from needle exposing to needle covering position · CPC title

• A61M5/3202

  Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps (A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001) · CPC title

• A61M2005/2026

  Semi-automatic, e.g. user activated piston is assisted by additional source of energy · CPC title

• A61M5/31

  Details · CPC title

• A61M2005/2086

  having piston damping means, e.g. axially or rotationally acting retarders · CPC title