Injection device

• US 6,042,571 A
• Filed: 07/01/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pharmacia & Upjohn AB (Pharmacia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Pharmacia & Upjohn AB (Pharmacia Corp.)
• Inventors: Hertig, Guido, Bosse, Rainer, Hjertman, Birger, Cseke, Rudolf, Pettersson, Gunnar
• Primary Examiner(s): MCDERMOTT, CORRINE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US08/886,515
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 604/131, 604/151, 604/154, 604/155, 604/207, 604/208, 604/211, 604/232, 604/234, 604/218, 604/224, 604/228
• US Class Current: 604/208
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31596 comprising means for injection of two or more media, e.g. by mixing

Abstract

An injection device comprising a) a housing, b) a cartridge containing a preparation or precursor components for the preparation and having a front part and a rear part defining a general cartridge axis, an outlet for the preparation arranged at the front part and at least one movable wall arranged between the front part and the rear part, a displacement of which wall causes the preparation to be moved towards or expelled through the outlet, c) a piston rod, having a first end and a second end, at least partly contained within the housing and being operable to engage and displace the movable wall at its first end and d) actuating means within the housing arranged to move at least the rod. According to the invention the device comprises gripping means connected to the housing and arranged to hold the cartridge, or an enclosure therefore, with its front part distal and its rear part proximal to the housing, the actuating means being arranged to move the gripping means so as to move the cartridge, with its rear part leading, relative the housing, locking means able to lock the cartridge against axial movements relative to the housing, hereby defining a locked position for the cartridge, the actuating means being able to move the piston rod between at least one retracted position and at least one extended position, and the relative positions between the piston rod in its retracted position and the cartridge in its locked position being such that the piston rod extends into the cartridge. The invention also relates to a method for operating the device.

Claims

1. An injection device comprising a) a housing, b) a cartridge containing a preparation or precursor components for the preparation and having a front part and a rear part defining a general cartridge axis, an outlet for the preparation arranged at the front part and at least one movable wall arranged between the front part and the rear part, a displacement of which wall causes the preparation to be moved towards or expelled through the outlet, c) a piston rod, having a first end and a second end, at least partly contained within the housing and being operable to engage and displace the movable wall at its first end and d) an actuator within the housing arranged to move at least the rod,

a gripper connected to the housing and arranged to hold the cartridge, or an enclosure therefore, with its front part distal and its rear part proximal to the housing,

the actuator being arranged to move the gripper so as to move the cartridge, with its rear part leading, relative the housing,

a lock arranged in the injection device to lock the cartridge against axial movements relative to the housing, hereby defining a locked position for the cartridge,

the actuator being able to move the piston rod between at least one retracted position and at least one extended position,

a shifter at least operative to disable the actuator against axial movements of the piston rod relative to the housing during at least part of the gripper movement;

and

the relative positions between the piston rod in its retracted position and the cartridge in its locked position being such that the piston rod extends into the cartridge.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises a vessel having a substantially constant internal cross-section and that the movable wall is of plunger type.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is of dual or multi chamber type separated with one or more intermediate walls and containing component precursors to be mixed before administration.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises a vessel having an internal diameter between 2 and 20 mm and a length to internal diameter ratio above 3.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing forms a container embracing at least part of the piston rod, the gripper, the lock and at least some of the actuator.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the housing has an opening surrounding the cartridge in whole or in part and in size and shape adapted to allow the cartridge to be received and perform at least a part of its movement therein.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing ends proximal to the cartridge distal end when the cartridge is held by but before movement of the gripper.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing extends at least partly along the cartridge when in its locked position.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the ratio housing length along cartridge axis related to total preparation height in the cartridge before expulsion thereof is less than 10.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston rod in its retracted position has its second end confined within the housing.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston rod has threads over at least part of its length and that the actuator for moving the piston rod includes a complementary screw-and-nut arrangement with a driven part.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein, in the screw-and-nut arrangement, the actuator is arranged to rotate the nut while means are provided for preventing the piston rod from rotating.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein, in the screw-and-nut arrangement, the actuator is arranged to rotate the piston rod while means are provided for preventing the nut from rotating.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the actuator include a motor.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the motor comprises at least one electric motor.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the actuator include an energy source containing stored energy.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the energy source comprises at least one electric source.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston rod has a length less than 2 times cartridge length between a rear part of the movable wall and a cartridge interior front part.

19. The device of claim 1, the gripper is separate from the piston rod.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the actuator includes a motor arranged for driving either the gripper or the piston rod and that a shifter is provided for shift of engagement therebetween.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston rod is arranged as the gripper.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the piston rod and the cartridge have corresponding threads and are arranged for reciprocal rotation to move the cartridge.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the piston rod part is arranged for rotation and the cartridge part is arranged non-rotational.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein a part of the piston rod having the threads is arranged to penetrate into the cartridge interior during cartridge movement.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the threads on the piston rod are arranged both for moving the cartridge relative the housing and for moving the piston rod relative the housing for dispensing action.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the actuator includes a motor arranged for driving either the cartridge movement or the piston rod movement.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the gripper comprises attachment means and moving means, the attachment means being arranged to affix the cartridge to the moving means.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the attachment means includes a carriage for the cartridge, the carriage being attached to the gripper and having locking features for releasable connection of the cartridge thereto.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the lock is operative to lock the cartridge against axial and rotational movements.

30. The device of claim 1, wherein the lock is operative to prevent, when engaged, removal of the cartridge and that a controller is present to impede disengagement unless the piston rod is in its retracted position.

31. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one trigger, having a trigger release, for performing the shift and the shifter is responsive to the at least one trigger.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the trigger for disabling the gripper and enabling the piston rod is correlated to the arrival of the gripper or cartridge to the locked position thereof.

33. The device of claim 31, wherein the trigger for enabling the gripper and disabling the piston rod is correlated to the arrival of the piston rod to its retracted position.

34. The device of claim 31, wherein the shifter includes a communicator for communication of the trigger release to disable the actuator, the communicator being mechanical.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the shifter is are operable to enable piston rod axial movement when the cartridge is in its locked position and to enable the gripper for cartridge movement when the piston rod is in its retracted position.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein enabling and disabling respectively in the shift are performed substantially simultaneously.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a motor for both gripper and piston rod movements and that the shifter performs a shift of engagement thereof.

38. The device of claim 1, wherein the relative positions between the piston rod in its retracted position and the cartridge in its locked position being such that the piston rod extends into the cartridge beyond the initial position for the movable wall in the cartridge.

39. The device of claim 1, wherein the lock is arranged to give several locked positions along cartridge movement trajectory.

40. The device of claim 39, wherein from the piston rod, separate second gripper are arranged to move and stop the cartridge at several positions to provide the several locked positions.

41. The device of claim 1, wherein the injection device further comprises position sensing means with control means for preventing or allowing operation of the device in predetermined positions of the device.

42. The device of claim 1, wherein the injection further comprises a sensor for at least one cartridge parameter.

43. An injection device comprising a) a housing, b) a cartridge containing a preparation or precursor components for the preparation and having a front part and a rear part defining a general cartridge axis, an outlet for the preparation arranged at the front part and at least one movable wall arranged between the front part and the rear part, a displacement of which wall causes the preparation to be moved towards or expelled through the outlet, c) a piston rod, having a first end and a second end, at least partly contained within the housing and being operable to engage and displace the movable wall at its first end and d) an actuator within the housing arranged to move at least the rod,

a gripper connected to the housing and arranged to hold the cartridge, or an enclosure therefore, with its front part distal and its rear part proximal to the housing,

the actuator being arranged to move the gripper so as to move the cartridge, with its rear part leading, relative the housing,

the actuator being able to move the movable rod between at least one retracted position and at least one extended position, and

that the piston rod is arranged as a gripper whereby the cartridge moves over and along the piston rod while the piston rod is engaged with the movable wall, at least during the movement of the cartridge.