Medicament delivery device with needle alignment detection mechanism

• US 9,861,766 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Sanofi )
• Original Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Sanofi )
• Inventors: Henderson, Charley, Cross, David, Jennings, Douglas Ivan, McGinley, Ryan Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): LANDRY II, GERALD ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US14/426,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20150238708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 604 67, 604111, 604198, 604263, 604533
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6027 Electric-conductive bridges closing detection circuits, with or without identifying elements, e.g. resistances, zener-diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3287 Accessories for bringing the needle into the body; Automatic needle insertion A61M5/20, A61M5/31525 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/5086 for indicating if defective, used, tampered with or unsterile

Abstract

Described is a medicament delivery device comprising a case, a container slidably disposed in the case between a first position and a second position, a needle coupled to the container, and a needle alignment detection mechanism disposed on the case and adapted to receive the needle. The needle alignment detection mechanism determines whether the needle is aligned with a longitudinal axis (L) when the needle is in the first position, the second position or translating between the first position and the second position.

Claims

1. A medicament delivery device, comprising:

a case;

a container slidably disposed in the case between a first position and a second position;

a needle coupled to the container; and

a needle alignment detection mechanism disposed on the case and adapted to receive the needle,

wherein the needle alignment detection mechanism is configured to detect that the needle is bent relative to a longitudinal axis of the container when the container is in the first position, the second position, or translating between the first position and the second position.

2. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the container is a syringe or a cartridge.

3. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle is integrally formed with the container or removably coupled to the container.

4. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle alignment detection mechanism includes at least one hinged door disposed along a transverse axis, wherein the at least one hinged door has a non-deflected position aligned with the transverse axis and a deflected position at an angle to the transverse axis.

5. The medicament delivery device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one hinged door is biased in the non-deflected position.

6. The medicament delivery device according to claim 4, wherein:

the at least one hinged door includes a first door and a second door each having a non-deflected position, the first door includes a first cut-out and the second door includes a second cut-out, and

the first and second cut-outs are configured to form a hole when the first and second doors are in non-deflected positions.

7. The medicament delivery device according to claim 6, wherein the hole has a cross-section at least as large as a diameter of the needle.

8. The medicament delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the cross-section includes a buffer space.

9. The medicament delivery device according to claim 4, further comprising:

an interlock mechanism adapted to control a component in the medicament delivery device,

wherein at least one of the at least hinged one door is configured to, upon transitioning to the deflected position, activate the interlock mechanism.

10. The medicament delivery device according to claim 9, wherein the needle alignment detection mechanism includes at least one sensor adapted to detect a transition of at least one of the at least one hinged door from the non-deflected position to the deflected position.

11. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle alignment detection mechanism includes an electrode coupled to the needle and a conductive transverse element having a hole adapted to receive the needle, wherein the needle is configured to impinge on the transverse element to create a circuit.

12. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle alignment detection mechanism includes an electrode adjacent to the needle and a conductive transverse element having a hole adapted to receive the needle, wherein the needle is configured to impinge on the transverse element to cause a measurable impedance change.

13. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle alignment detection mechanism includes

two light sources disposed perpendicularly relative to one another on a transverse element, and

two optical sensors each adapted to receive a respective optical signal from a given one of the two light sources.

14. The medicament delivery device according to claim 13, wherein the needle is configured to impinge on a center point of an intersection of light beams from the two light sources such that a changed optical signal is generated.

15. The medicament delivery device according to claim 13, wherein the needle is configured to impinge on an intersection of light beams from the two light sources other than a center point of the intersection such that a changed optical signal is generated.

16. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising an interlock sleeve configured to provide feedback indicative of misalignment between the needle and the longitudinal axis when the needle alignment detection mechanism detects the misalignment.

17. The medicament delivery device according to claim 9, wherein the component is a syringe or a plunger, and the interlock mechanism is configured to, upon activation, inhibit translation of the syringe or the plunger relative to the case.

18. The medicament delivery device according to claim 11, further comprising an interlock mechanism configured to inhibit translation of a syringe or a plunger relative to the case when the circuit is created.

19. The medicament delivery device according to claim 12, further comprising an interlock mechanism configured to inhibit translation of a syringe or a plunger relative to the case upon detection of the measurable impedance change.

20. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle is integrally formed with the container.

21. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the needle extends distally from the container.

22. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the first position corresponds to a retracted position in which the needle is retracted within the case, and the second position corresponds to an extended position in which the needle is insertable into an injection site.

23. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interlock mechanism configured to be activated to inhibit movement of at least a portion of the container or the needle, and

a controller configured to activate the interlock mechanism in response to detecting that the needle is bent.

24. The medicament delivery device according to claim 1, wherein:

the needle alignment detection mechanism comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of the needle being bent, and

the medicament delivery device comprises a controller configured to activate an interlock mechanism in response to the signal.