Punctur device, its manufacture method, pump mechanism and suction device

• US 20040059366A1
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Sato, Yoshiharu, Fukuzawa, Masahiro, Hirao, Etsuo, Uchigaki, Takatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,131,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150068 by tissue compression, e.g. with specially designed surface of device contacting the skin area to be pierced
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150412 Pointed piercing elements, e.g. needles, lancets for piercing the skin blade-like piercing elements A61B5/150442
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15113 Manually triggered, i.e. the triggering requires a deliberate action by the user such as pressing a drive button
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15186 Devices loaded with a single lancet, i.e. a single lancet with or without a casing is loaded into a reusable drive device and then discarded after use; drive devices reloadable for multiple use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15194 fully automatically retracted, i.e. the retraction does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by terminating the contact with the patient's skin

Abstract

A lancing device according to the present invention includes: a housing; a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle; a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body; a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion. The pump mechanism is capable of adjusting the vacuum. The pump mechanism includes for example: a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction. Preferably, the adjustment of the vacuum is made by changing the number of reciprocations of the moving part in the first and the second directions.

Claims

1. A lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

wherein the pump mechanism is capable of adjusting the vacuum.

2. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pump mechanism includes:

a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction; and

a pressure chamber having a volumetric capacity varied by the reciprocation of the moving portion.

3. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment of the vacuum is made by changing the number of reciprocations of the moving part in the first and the second directions.

4. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pump mechanism includes:

a cylinder and a plunger collectively providing a pressure chamber capable of communicating with an outside of the pressing portion via a discharge port and capable of communicating with an inside of the pressing portion via an intake port;

an operating mechanism operated by another action than for the driving mechanism, for causing one of the plunger and the cylinder to reciprocate relatively to the other;

a first check valve capable of opening and closing the discharge port, opening the discharge port when the volumetric capacity of the pressure chamber decreases; and

a second check valve capable of opening and closing the intake port, opening the intake port when the volumetric capacity of the pressure chamber increases.

5. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the discharge port and the first check valve are in the cylinder.

6. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the discharge port and the first check valve are in the plunger.

7. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein vacuum generation by the pump mechanism is selectable from whichever of before and after the moving body is moved forward.

8. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the pressure chamber is outside of the housing and communicates with an inside of the housing.

9. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the pressure chamber is inside the housing.

10. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2,

wherein the pump mechanism further includes an elastic force generating portion storing an elastic force generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction and moving the moving portion in the second direction by releasing the elastic force, and

wherein the vacuum is generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction.

11. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the driving mechanism includes:

a first engaging portion provided in the moving body;

an elastic portion for forward movement of the moving body, for urging the moving body in the forward direction;

a second engaging portion for engagement with the first engaging portion, for latching the moving body in the housing;

a lancing operation member having at least a part thereof exposed to outside of the housing; and

an unlatching portion to act on the engagement between the first and the second engaging portions thereby unlatching the moving body upon operation of the lancing operation member.

12. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the unlatching portion is fixed to the lancing operation member.

13. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 11,

wherein the pressure chamber is provided by a cylinder and a plunger, communicatable with an outside of the housing via a discharge port, and communicatable with an inside of the pressing portion via an intake port, and

wherein the cylinder is movable relatively to the housing, the unlatching action by the unlatching portion to the moving body being actuated by direct or indirect pushing by the cylinder on the unlatching portion.

14. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 13, wherein the cylinder is fitted reciprocatably in the housing.

15. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the inside of the pressing portion communicates with an outside of the housing when the lancing operation member is operated further, after the moving member is unlatched.

16. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the lancing operation member is operable under a smaller resistance before the unlatching of the moving member than after.

17. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising a pressure reducing operation member for movement of the moving portion.

18. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 17,

wherein the pressure reducing operation member reciprocates with respect to the housing, and

wherein the pressing portion is rotated axially thereof by the reciprocating action of the pressure reducing operation member with respect to the housing.

19. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising an elastic portion urging the moving portion for returning reverse movement, the elastic portion being outside of the pressure chamber.

20. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the second engaging portion is provided in a latching member fixed to the housing and providing a housing space for the moving body, the elastic portion for forward movement and the elastic portion for reverse movement.

21. The lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism according to claim 20, further comprising an elastic portion for reverse movement of the moving body, in series with the elastic portion for forward movement of the moving body, for supplying the moving body with a reverse moving force after the forward movement of the moving body.

22. A lancing device comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle; and

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

wherein the driving mechanism includes;

an elastic portion for forward movement for supplying the moving body with a forward moving force;

a first engaging portion in the moving body; and

a second engaging portion engagable with the first engaging portion and provided in the housing, and

wherein the device further comprises an elastic portion for reverse movement of the moving body placed in series with the elastic portion for forward movement, for supplying the moving body with a reverse moving force after the forward movement of the moving body.

23. A lancing device according to claim 22, wherein the second engaging portion is provided in a latching member fixed to the housing and providing a housing space for the moving body, the elastic portion for forward movement and the elastic portion for reverse movement.

24. A lancing device according to claim 23, wherein the elastic portion for forward movement and the elastic portion for rearward movement are fixed to the latching member while being housed in the housing space, and elastically expanded or compressed by the forward and reverse movement of the moving body.

25. A lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

wherein the pump mechanism includes;

a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction; and

an elastic force generating portion storing an elastic force by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction and moving the moving portion in the second direction by releasing the elastic force, and

wherein the vacuum is generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction.

26. A method of making a lancing device comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made;

a pressure chamber having a volumetric capacity varied by the reciprocation of the moving portion; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

the pump mechanism being capable of adjusting the vacuum,

wherein a maximum vacuum to be generated inside the pressing portion is adjusted by selecting at least one of;

a volumetric capacity of the pressure chamber when there is no outer force acting on the moving portion; and

a maximum volumetric capacity increase possible in the pressure chamber when there is an outer force acting on the moving portion.

27. A method of making a lancing device comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made;

a pressure chamber having a volumetric capacity varied by the reciprocation of the moving portion; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

the pump mechanism being capable of adjusting the vacuum,

wherein the number of reciprocations to be made by the moving portion before approaching a maximum vacuum to be generated inside the pressing portion is adjusted by selecting an actual volumetric capacity of the housing.

28. A pump mechanism having a pressure chamber for generation of a vacuum in a vacuum generation chamber, comprising:

a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction; and

an elastic force generating portion storing an elastic force by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction and moving the moving portion in the second direction by releasing the elastic force,

wherein the vacuum is generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction.

29. A sucking device comprising a pump mechanism for sucking a target place by generation of a vacuum in a vacuum generation chamber,

wherein the pump mechanism is capable of adjusting the vacuum.

30. The sucking device according to claim 29,

wherein the pump mechanism includes a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction, and a pressure chamber having a volumetric capacity varied by the reciprocation of the moving portion, and

wherein the adjustment of the vacuum is made by changing the number of reciprocations of the moving part in the first and the second directions.

31. The sucking device according to claim 30,

wherein the pump mechanism further includes an elastic force generating portion storing an elastic force by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction and moving the moving portion in the second direction by releasing the elastic force, and

wherein the vacuum is generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction.