FR2895681A1 - Product anti-wrinkle intradermal injection device for use in e.g. cosmetic field, has control unit subjecting nozzle to backward movement in direction opposite to product flow, during establishment of flow under impulsion of pushing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a support structure (2) supporting a container (3) e.g. syringe, that contains a product to be injected through an injection nozzle (5). A pushing unit (4) e.g. piston, is provided for pushing the product to be injected in a direction of the nozzle. A drive unit is provided for advancing and backwarding the nozzle with respect to the structure. A control unit (26) subjects the nozzle to a backward movement in a direction opposite to a flow of the product traversing the nozzle, during a part or entire part of establishment of the flow under the impulsion of the unit (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a method of injection by back-tracking to

  through an injection nozzle of a product contained in a container. It also relates to an injection device comprising support means for a product container to be injected, in particular a syringe or a cartridge as well as an injection nozzle, said injection device further comprising thrust means for repelling the product to be injected from the container in the direction of the injection nozzle, as well as drive means for advancing and retreating said injection nozzle relative to said support structure. The present invention relates both to the field of cosmetics and the medical field, knowing that it will find a particular interest for intradermal anti-wrinkle injection. In particular, two different techniques are known for injecting a product under the skin: mesotherapy and retro-tracking. Unlike the technique of multipuncture very used in mesotherapy, which consists of practicing a large number of small volume injections on a small space (a few hundred points on a few square centimeters), using automatic guns designed to work in gusts, backtracking is a manual process of continuous injection. An injection tip, in the form of a needle, is pressed under the skin and parallel thereto, at the level of the area to be filled, especially under a wrinkle. This tip is connected to a container, in the form of a reservoir, or a cartridge, or a syringe, which contains the product to be injected. Once the nozzle is in position, it is necessary to inject very slowly and very regularly the product, which is in liquid or pasty form, at the same time as the recoil of the tip through which the product is injected. It is necessary to control both the injected quantity, the product flow, the location of the injected product, and the aesthetic correction performed, while ensuring that the injection is bearable by the patient. It is difficult to guarantee, by purely manual operations, both a regular retreat of the tip, a regular flow of the injection. There is no specific device to backtrack, to ensure these different functions in an automated and regulated. As a result, the application is currently performed using simple syringes equipped with a hypodermic needle and a piston, operated purely manually.

  Various automated devices have been designed for mesotherapy, mounted on support means, usually in the form of pistols. They include a support intended to come into contact with the patient's skin. This support corresponds to a stop before end of stroke linear movement of a cradle supporting a tip such as a hypodermic needle. The tip is connected to a container, such as a syringe or cartridge, which contains the product to be injected. The actuation of a means such as a piston makes it possible to push the product to inject the container in the direction of the injection nozzle.

  The cradle may, depending on the case, directly support the tip, or more generally a set consisting of the container and the tip, such as a syringe. The cradle movably mounted on the support structure by means of appropriate guiding means is controlled in translation between a front position corresponding to the maximum penetration into the skin of the patient and a rear position under the influence of appropriate drive means which can be of the pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical or electromechanical type. Note that in its retracted position, called back, the tip is held back from a cowling to hurt neither the manipulator nor the patient. On these mesotherapy devices, the movement, both in the direction of advance towards the skin, and in the direction of the recoil of the tip, is the fastest possible, to allow the execution of a cycle of extremely short injection, allowing burst work.

  As for the thrust means, they can, again, be of the pneumatic or hydraulic type. They will generally be in the form of a piston cooperating with translation control means actuated by a suitable electric motor. The drive means acting on the cradle and the thrust means obey here, a pre-established sequential cycle operating, successively but not simultaneously then each other. Thus, it will operate the electric motor for moving the syringe provided with the injection nozzle and, this, for example, to penetrate the skin of the patient. In a second step, it acts on the piston to push the product through the tip. After injection, the piston is successively stopped before controlling the retraction of the tip. Finally, the sequential injection cycle on this mesotherapy device is broken down into: - movement of movement of the cradle of the end-piece in abutment before - pressurization of product in its container and injection of the product in this forward abutment position - stopping product compression - backward movement of the cradle from the end piece to the rear stop.

  The start of the whole cycle usually follows a single pulse given by the manipulator on a trigger or a pedal. The cycle is carried out in a few tenths of a second, and the manipulator does not have the possibility of intervening on the cycle; generally the only option available to him, to alleviate a hazard or malfunction, is to manually move the device away from the patient's skin. All existing devices are designed in the optics of a puncture with penetration of a tip and injection of product in a single position, as in the cycle described above.

  There are still syringes designed for the puncture of organic elements in the body of the patient, by recoil of a piston, creating a vacuum in the container, possibly combined with the manual recoil of the tip, but which can not, at During the same cycle, allow the injection of a product. The problem to be solved is therefore the combination and regulation of a slow recoil movement of a tip, inserted beforehand under the skin of a patient, and the simultaneous injection of a product contained in a container, under the effect of means for repelling the product to inject the container towards the injection nozzle, while allowing to control the linear distribution of the amount of injected product, in an automated and programmable manner. The present invention proposes to provide a solution to this problem, by implementing a simple and precise method of back-tracing, using a device of small size and low weight, easy to set up and control by the manipulator, versatile, and low unit cost. For this purpose, the invention relates to a method of injection by back-tracking through an injection nozzle of a product contained in a container, such as a syringe, cartridge or the like, under the influence of thrust means, characterized in that over all or part of the duration of the product flow established through the injection nozzle under the impulse of the thrust means, said injection nozzle is subjected to a movement of reverse in the sense of this flow. The invention also relates to an injection device for carrying out this method and comprising, on the one hand, a support structure of a container, in particular a syringe or a cartridge, of product to be injected through a injection nozzle and, secondly, thrust means, such as a piston, for pushing the product to inject the container towards the injection nozzle and drive means to ensure the advance and recoil of said injection nozzle with respect to said support structure, characterized in that it comprises control means designed able to subject the injection nozzle to a recoil motion in the opposite direction to the product flow which passes through it during all or part of the establishment of said flow under the impulse of the thrust means. Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows with reference to the single figure attached in the appendix showing a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention. As visible in this figure 1, the present invention relates to an injection device 1 which can find an application in the medical field or in the field of cosmetics, especially for intradermal anti-wrinkle injection. In particular, this device will find a particular interest in injecting fillers along wrinkles or skin depressions. Thus, this injection device 1 comprises a support structure 2 of a container 3 of product to be injected, this container adopting more generally in the form of a syringe or a cartridge. This injection device 1 also comprises thrust means 4 designed to push the product contained in the container 2 towards an injection nozzle 5. Note, in this connection, that, as in the case of a usual syringe, this injection nozzle 5 can be directly secured to the latter, just as it is possible to imagine that it is independent and connected to the container 3 by means of a tube of supply of adapted product. Precisely, the injection device 1 further comprises drive means 6 designed to submit the injection nozzle 5, either directly or through the container 3, a forward and backward movement. According to the invention, the purpose of this injection device 1 is to implement an injection method which consists, during an injection cycle, for example, during a cycle of filling a wrinkle, to establish, through the injection nozzle 5, a product injection flow, this in this case using the thrust means 4, and, simultaneously, to subject said injection nozzle 5 to a movement of reverse in the opposite direction to the flow that passes through it. In particular, this recoil movement is introduced over all or part of the duration of establishment of the product flow by the thrust means. Thus, if this decline can be constant throughout this injection period, it must still be imagined discontinuous, that is to say at a non-constant speed, the displacement sequences being interspersed with rest sequences. It is thus possible, after having previously introduced the tip 5 subcutaneously, under the skin of the patient and substantially parallel to the surface thereof, to deposit in the path of this tip 5, in a movement of recess, tending to release the tip 5 of the patient, a certain amount of product from this tip 5 under the effect of the thrust means 4.

  The advantages deriving from the present invention are precisely that, during an injection cycle, a regular filling of a wrinkle is performed, a result which can not be achieved imperfectly during an injection. according to the methods implemented up to now.

  In the following description we will focus more particularly on the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 knowing that the present invention is not limited. Thus, as visible, the support structure 2 essentially comprises a cradle 7 on which can take position 1 the container 3, in this case the syringe, which receives, at one end 8, the injection nozzle 5 while in its opposite end is engaged a piston 9 constituting, in part, the thrust means 4. This cradle 7 defines itself a carriage movable in translation 35 along guide means 10 that still comprises the support structure 2.

  As for the drive means 6, more particularly in the form of an electric motor 11, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, they are designed able, precisely, to control in displacement the cradle 7, supporting the container 3 with its injection nozzle 5, along said guide means 10. According to a preferred embodiment, said guide means 10 consist, substantially, of at least one guide rod 12 extending between two support flanks 13, 14.

  The cradle 7 is further equipped with a nut 15 mounted on a threaded rod 16 extending parallel to the guide rod 12 between said support flanks 13, 14. In short, the threaded rod 16, in combination with the guide rod 12 further complements, advantageously, the guide means 10. This threaded rod 13 completes the drive means 6 further, in that the electric motor 11, preferably mounted on one of the support flanges 14, is designed to drive in rotation, in particular through a suitable ring gear 17, this threaded rod 16. As already mentioned above, said drive means may adopt another embodiment and may be in the form of pneumatic means or the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described or shown in FIG. 1. To return to the thrust means 4, these are constituted substantially 9, in combination with a pusher 18 designed adapted to cooperate with a piston rod 19 extending at the rear of the syringe defining the container 3. The pusher 18 is itself controlled on the move in the axis of the piston rod 19 under the influence of actuating means 20. These are defined in the manner of the driving means 6 in the form of an electric motor 21 acting through the intermediary of a gear 22 on a threaded rod 23 mounted in rotation between the support flanks 13, 14, in the illustrated embodiment, parallel to the threaded rod 16. On this threaded rod 23 is mounted a nut 24 secured to the pusher 18 which is still guided in translation by at least one guide rod 25 disposed parallel to the threaded rod 23. Substantially, the nut 24 is defined by the pusher 18 itself. The injection device according to the invention is further supplemented by control means 26 whose function is to act on the thrust means 4 and the drive means 6 for advancing and retracting the end piece. injection 5 so as to establish through said injection nozzle 5 an injection flow for a determined duration T, corresponding, for example, to an injection cycle and simultaneously to subject the injection nozzle 5 to a recoil movement, in the opposite direction to the flow that passes through the drive means 6. Note that with respect to this decline managed by the control means 26, it can be constant speed for the duration T of the injection cycle, just as it can be managed in a variable manner so that this speed takes into account certain variations in the flow through the injection nozzle 5, resulting, for example inertia phenomena. This decrease during an injection cycle can also be of sequential type. In other words, while the flow passes through the injection nozzle 5, it can be subjected, via the drive means 6, to successive sequences of reversing control interspersed with downtime. Note, again, that this profile that can adopt the recoil movement of the injection nozzle 5 during an injection cycle, can be strictly adapted to the profile of the filling of the ride to obtain. In particular, the filling of a portion of heavily dug wrinkle can be obtained by a lower injection nozzle at a lower speed compared to a portion of ride requiring a lower filling.

  The electric motors 11, 21 may be step-type motors, just as it is possible to imagine control means comprising electrical management means for the operation of simpler motors, asynchronous type, mono or polyphase. As already explained above, the thrust means 4 and the drive means 6 may adopt other embodiments. In particular, they can be of the pneumatic and / or hydraulic type.

  In a design as shown in Figure 1 attached, it is quite possible to imagine the movement of the cradle 7 along the guide means 10 by means of a cylinder as, moreover, the pusher 18 which can substantially be constituted by such a cylinder.

  In yet another embodiment of the invention, the drive means 6 and the thrust means 4 more exactly, the actuating means 20 of the pusher 18 may be interdependent. In particular, it is conceivable that the same electric motor can serve, through a transmission adapted to the drive, simultaneously, two threaded rods 16, 23, this with a gear ratio adapted to obtain the advancement of the piston 9 in the container 3 for the establishment of a predetermined injection flow which is adapted to the speed of retraction of the nozzle 5. In an even simpler embodiment, where these thrust means 4 and the drive means 6 are inter-dependent, only the cradle 7 is actually movable, on this cradle 7 being disposed the container 3, in the form of a syringe having at one end 8 the injection nozzle 5 and at its opposite end the feed piston 9, the latter cooperating, through a piston rod 19 with a push 18 fixed. It is well understood, under these conditions, that at the same time as it controls the recoil of the cradle 7 by means of the drive means 6, this results in the recoil of the injection nozzle 5 and simultaneously , establishing a flow through the latter due to the relative advancement of the fixed piston 9, in the mobile container 3. If one can imagine a design where the cradle 7 can receive, alone, the container 3, in this case the syringe and maintain it during the injection operations, it is quite possible to imagine, as illustrated in FIG. 1, this function of holding the container 3 or the syringe is ensured not only by this cradle 7 but also by additional holding means 27 which can be defined by one of the 13. More precisely, it may include, as visible, a cutout 28 located in the axial extension of the cradle 7 and designed to accommodate the container 3.

  These means 27 for additional holding of the container 3 may, in particular, be designed in the form of an outer shell, in particular of plastic, forming a protective casing. As for the cradle 7 itself, it advantageously comprises a housing 29 adapted to the container 3 and defined by two holding arms 30, 31 between which is designed capable of being engaged, preferably by clipping. Thus, after insertion of the container 3, it can be maintained by simply clamping through the holding arms 30, 31. Obviously other restraint systems are imaginable by those skilled in the art. In particular, it is common for syringes to have at their end through which the piston 9 is engaged a retaining collar which can be used for holding relative to the cradle 7. The cradle 7 may also comprise a multiplicity of housings 29, with a multi-head system configuration, allowing the attachment of various models of syringes or cartridges, especially up to the capacity of 5 cubic centimeters.

  The container 3 can also be imagined as the combination of a syringe or a commercial cartridge, with a tubular sleeve of internal diameter adapted thereto, and whose outer diameter is designed to be engaged in the housing 29. To return to the control means 26, these have been presented very schematically in Figure 1, knowing that they can, as shown in this figure be independent and adopt the form of a control box with or without a screen comprising one or more preprogrammed operation keys and / or programming keys, these control means then comprising at least one transmitter 32 designed capable of communicating with at least one receiver 33 associated with the thrust means 4 and the means of drive 6 more particularly to the electric motors 11 and 21 to precisely control the operation thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the control box comprises a touch screen. The fact of separating the control means 26 from the support structure 2 of the injection device 1 makes it possible to make the support structure 2 lighter and therefore easier to handle. The power supply of the electric motors 11, 21 with electrical energy may be of the self-powered type in the form of a rechargeable or replaceable battery or battery, which, again, gives the injection device 1 a perfect autonomy which makes it easier to handle for the operator. Nevertheless, these motors 11, 21 can be powered by a mains connection.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, all the components of the injection device 1 except, if necessary, the control means 26 as just described, can take up position in a suitable protective casing. comprising, for example, a handle of manipulation. This casing then comprises a simple opening through which the container 3, in this case the syringe, can be engaged and clipped. As can be seen from the foregoing description, the present invention satisfactorily addresses the problem encountered in the state of the art. Although the invention has been described with respect to a particular embodiment, it is understood that it is in no way limited and that various modifications of shapes, materials and combinations thereof can be made. 10 various elements without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims (9)

  1. Injection device (1) comprising, on the one hand, a support structure (2) of a container (3), in particular a syringe or a cartridge, of product to be injected through an injection nozzle (5) and, on the other hand, pushing means (4), such as a piston (9), for pushing the product to be injected from the container (3) towards the injection nozzle (5). ) as well as drive means (6) for advancing and retreating said injection nozzle (5) with respect to said support structure (2), characterized in that it comprises control means (26) adapted to subject the injection nozzle (5) to a recoil movement in the opposite direction to the product flow therethrough during all or part of the establishment of said flow under the impulse of the thrust means (4). 15   2. Injection device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said support structure (2) comprises a cradle (7) designed adapted to receive said container (3) and defining a movable carriage in translation under the action of said drive means (6) along 20 guide means (10), constituted by at least one guide rod (12) extending between two support flanks (13) and (14), which further comprises said support structure (2).   3. Injection device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said drive means (6), in particular constituted in the form of an electric motor (11), or of the pneumatic type and / or hydraulic, are designed capable of driving in rotation, in particular through a pinion (17) adapted, a threaded rod (16) extending between support flanks (13), (14), on which is mounted a nut 30 {15) equipping said cradle (7). 134   4. Injection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said thrust means (4) are constituted by a piston (9) in combination with a pusher (18) designed adapted to cooperate with a piston rod (19) extending on the side of said container (3) opposite to that receiving said nozzle (5)   5. Injection device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said pusher (18) is controlled in displacement in the axis of the piston rod (19) under the influence of actuating means ( 20), in particular constituted in the form of an electric motor (21), which are designed to drive in rotation, in particular through a gearing (22) adapted, a threaded rod (23) extending between flanks support (13), (14), on which is mounted a nut (24) equipping said pusher (18), or constituted by said pusher (18) itself, which pusher (18) is still guided in translation by at least a guide rod (25).   6. Injection device (1) according to one of claims 2 and following, characterized in that one of the support flanks (13) comprises, in the alignment of said cradle (7), additional holding means ( 27), particularly in the form of a cutout (28) designed to accommodate said container (3), and that said cradle (7) is designed to accommodate said container (3) in a housing (29) delimited by two holding legs (30), {31), between which is designed able to be engaged said container (3), in particular by clipping.   7. Injection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said infection tip (5) is designed capable of being connected to said container (3) at one of its ends (8) opposite to that on which the said thrust means (4) are exerted, either directly or via a suitable product feed tube.   8. Injection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said 15, 2895681 control means (26) comprise at least one transmitter (32) designed adapted to communicate with at least one receiver ( 33) associated with said pushing means (4) and means for driving forward and backward ~ (6) of said injection nozzle (5), and are still designed capable of controlling a discontinuous recoil movement, or sequential of said injection nozzle (5).   9. Injection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said control means (26) are designed capable of being separated from said support structure (2), and that said thrust means (4) and said drive means for advancing and reversing (6) of said injection nozzle (5) are designed capable of being supplied with energy autonomously, in particular by batteries or electric batteries. 15 20