JP6345978B2 - Needleless syringe - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a needleless syringe that injects a substance to be injected into an injection target region without using an injection needle.

  2. Description of the Related Art A needleless syringe that ejects an injection solution without going through an injection needle and injects an object is widely known. For example, in a needleless syringe (injector) shown in Patent Document 1, injection of an injection solution enclosed in a cartridge is performed using the force of a piston driven by compressed air. Specifically, a cartridge is attached to the tip of the injector. In the cartridge, for example, a piston seal is attached to one end opening of the filling chamber, and an orifice that is a flow path for injection is provided on the other end. A filling passage communicating with the filling chamber is formed on the side of the cartridge. When filling the filling liquid, filling is performed with the piston seal positioned at the most distal end, and then the filling passage is opened. Move the piston seal to close it. In this state, pressurization with compressed air is performed, and an injection solution is ejected.

US Pat. No. 6,213,980

  According to the prior art, in a needleless syringe, a filling chamber is filled with an injection solution, and then a piston seal is moved to form a ready state for closing a filling passage used for filling, and then injected with compressed air. Energy will be provided for. Here, in such a prior art configuration, when the piston seal is advanced to the ready state after the filling chamber is filled with the filling liquid with the piston seal placed at the most distal end, Since the diameter of the filling passage is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the orifice, a part of the injection solution easily leaks to the outside through the filling passage, leading to waste of the injection solution and surrounding contamination.

  When the ready state is formed according to the configuration of the prior art, the injection solution easily moves to the filling passage as described above, and the injection solution does not easily move to the orifice side. For this reason, there is a high possibility that air remains in the tip portion of the orifice. Generally, in needleless syringes, injection liquid is injected toward the object by applying high energy to the injection liquid from the outside, but if a lot of air remains at the tip of the orifice, the injection state of the injection liquid Is difficult to control in a state where injection into the object can be suitably performed. For example, it is considered difficult to make the injection solution reach the correct position (depth) of the object.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention makes it easy to fill an injection target substance such as an injection solution in a needleless syringe, and it is difficult for the injection target substance to leak during preparation for injection. An object of the present invention is to provide a needleless syringe that is easy to handle so that the air remaining in the filling chamber can be easily discharged to the outside.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a needle-free injector for injecting an injection target substance (for example, an injection solution) without going through an injection needle. A configuration is adopted in which a plug is inserted after filling and the injection target substance is sealed. At this time, the injection target substance in the filling hole is pressed with the plug and pushed in, thereby making it possible to suppress leakage of the injection target substance and air remaining.

  Specifically, the present invention is a needleless syringe for injecting an injection target substance into an injection target region by injecting the injection target substance without going through an injection needle, and holding the injection target substance A filling hole to which an external supply device connected is connected, a filling chamber capable of containing the injection target substance supplied from the external supply device through the filling hole, a plunger slidable in the filling chamber, The injection target substance in the filling chamber, which is pressurized by the sliding of the plunger, flows and includes a flow path whose inner diameter is smaller than that of the filling chamber, and the injection target substance is injected from an injection port formed at the tip of the flow path. A filling portion having a nozzle portion, and a drive portion for applying injection energy for injecting the injection target substance from the nozzle portion to the plunger. And the said filling hole is connected to the said filling chamber by opening in the side surface of the said filling part so that the said external supply apparatus can be connected, and it is formed toward the said filling chamber from the opening part. . Further, the injection target substance existing in the filling hole is pressed against the filling hole in which the injection target substance is supplied from the external supply device to the filling chamber through the filling hole. The filling hole is sealed by inserting the plug.

  In the needleless syringe according to the present invention, various known energy generation modes can be adopted as the energy source as long as the drive unit can transmit the energy to the injection target substance. For example, an igniter that is ignited by an ignition device or a gas generating agent that generates gas by combustion can be employed. Moreover, as an aspect of the drive unit other than the above, release of energy of an elastic member such as a spring or energy of compressed gas may be used as injection energy of the injection target substance. Alternatively, an electromagnetic valve or solenoid actuator driven by voltage application from the power supply circuit may be used, and the piston fixed by the biasing spring by these driving sources is released from the locked state and stored. The elastic energy of the biasing spring may be used as the injection energy.

  In addition, when using the combustion energy of explosives as injection energy, as an igniting agent, for example, explosives containing zirconium and potassium perchlorate, explosives containing titanium hydride and potassium perchlorate, titanium and potassium perchlorate are used. One of the following: explosives containing, explosives containing aluminum and potassium perchlorate, explosives containing aluminum and bismuth oxide, explosives containing aluminum and molybdenum oxide, explosives containing aluminum and copper oxide, explosives containing aluminum and iron oxide The explosive which consists of a gunpowder or these some combinations may be sufficient. The characteristics of these igniting agents are that even if the combustion product is a gas in a high temperature state, it does not contain a gas component at room temperature. When used for injection, efficient injection into a shallower part of the injection target region of a living body becomes possible. In addition, when the generated energy of the gas generating agent is used as the injection energy, the gas generating agent includes various gases used in single-base smokeless explosives, gas generators for airbags and gas generators for seat belt pretensioners. It is also possible to use a generator.

  The injection energy from the drive unit is transmitted to the plunger, and when the plunger slides in the filling chamber, the injection target substance contained in the filling chamber is pushed out along the flow path formed in the nozzle portion, and finally. Injected from the injection port toward the injection target area. Here, in the needleless syringe according to the present invention, the injection target substance is not stored in the filling chamber from the beginning, but when the user uses the needleless syringe, the injection target substance has a filling hole from the external supply device. To the filling chamber. In this way, by adopting a configuration that requires a filling operation into the filling chamber, it becomes possible to inject any necessary injection target substance using a needleless syringe. Improves. In addition, a filling hole is formed so that it may open to the side surface of a filling part and may penetrate a filling chamber from there. Therefore, the connection between the external supply device and the filling hole becomes easy, which also contributes to the improvement of convenience.

  On the other hand, when the injection target substance is supplied to the filling hole from the external supply device as described above, the injection target substance exists in the filling hole and the filling chamber. When the injection energy is applied from the drive unit to the plunger, the filling hole remains open. Naturally, the injection target substance in the filling chamber is ejected from the opening of the filling hole. Become. Therefore, in the needleless syringe according to the present invention, the stopper is inserted into the filling hole where the injection target substance is supplied from the external supply device, and the injection of the injection target substance to the outside is restricted. become. Then, when the plug is inserted into the filling hole, the insertion is performed so as to press the injection target substance existing in the filling hole. That is, when the plug is inserted, the distal end of the plug progresses through the filling hole while contacting the injection target substance existing in the filling hole. As a result, the injection target substance filled and existing in the filling hole is pushed out to the filling chamber side without returning to the opening side of the filling hole.

  At this time, since the flow path formed in the nozzle portion and connected to the filling chamber opens to the outside of the needleless syringe at the injection port, the injection target substance in the filling hole is pushed out, so that the injection from the external supply device Air (residual air) remaining in the filling chamber after the target substance is supplied can be discharged from the injection port. As a result, it becomes easy to control the injection of the injection target substance to which the injection energy is applied from the drive unit via the plunger, and thus the injection target substance can be accurately reached in the injection target region. Preferably, in the needleless syringe, when the plug is inserted into the filling hole, the plug has pushed the injection target material into the filling chamber, and the predetermined volume of the injection target substance is The volume is set to be equal to or greater than the volume of residual air formed in the filling chamber in which the substance to be injected is supplied from the external supply device to the filling chamber through the filling hole. Thereby, the residual air in a filling chamber can be discharged | emitted suitably, and the further improvement of the injection performance of a needleless syringe can be aimed at. Even if air enters when the plug body is fitted into the filling hole, the remaining air can be similarly discharged by moving the air to the flow path portion by tilting the filling portion.

  In the needleless syringe according to the present invention, the injection target substance includes a component expected to be effective at the target site in the injection target region. Therefore, as long as at least injection by the drive unit is possible, the state of the injection target substance in the storage unit, the specific state of the injection target substance such as liquid, gel-like fluid, powder, granular solid, etc. The physical form is not questioned. For example, the injection target substance is a liquid, and even if it is a solid, it may be a gel-like solid as long as fluidity enabling injection is ensured. The injection target substance contains a component to be sent to the target site, and the component may exist in a state dissolved in the injection target substance, or the component is simply mixed without being dissolved. It may be. For example, as ingredients to be delivered, there are vaccines for antibody enhancement, proteins for cosmetics, cultured cells for hair regeneration, etc., so that these can be injected into fluids such as liquids and gels. By inclusion, a substance for injection is formed.

  Here, in the needleless syringe described above, when the plug is inserted into the filling hole, it extends into the filling hole at the tip of the plug without contacting the inner peripheral wall of the filling hole. You may have an extension part. Since the plug body has the extending portion configured as described above, the injection target substance existing in the filling hole can be further pressed toward the filling chamber by the volume of the extending portion. The base end of the plug body is in contact with the inner peripheral wall to seal the filling hole, but the extension portion is in a non-contact state with respect to the inner peripheral wall, and therefore the friction with respect to the extension portion. It can be avoided that the force does not act and the insertion load of the plug by the user is excessively increased.

In the needleless syringe described above, the filling portion may have a protruding portion that protrudes from a side surface of the filling portion and in which the filling hole is disposed. In this case, the plug body is disposed outside the plug body. It is inserted into the filling hole until the end surface is flush with the end surface of the protrusion. Thus, by providing the protrusion on the side surface of the filling portion and disposing the filling hole in the protrusion, the volume in the filling hole can be set relatively large. Thereby, the plug body itself can also be enlarged, and therefore, when the plug body is inserted into the filling hole, the amount of the injection target substance pushed out to the filling chamber side can be increased. As a result, it becomes possible to discharge the remaining air in the filling chamber more reliably by inserting the plug. In addition, since the outer end surface of the plug body and the end surface of the protruding portion are flush with each other, the amount of lateral protrusion in the needleless syringe can be suppressed, and the size can be reduced.

  Similarly, in the configuration in which the protruding portion is installed on the side surface of the filling portion, the plug body includes a main body portion inserted into the filling hole, and a surface to which the main body portion is fixed. The main body portion may include a lid portion including a contact surface that comes into contact with the end surface of the protruding portion when inserted into the filling hole. By providing the lid portion in this way, the user can grasp the lid portion and insert the main body portion of the plug body into the filling hole, which facilitates the insertion operation. In addition, by providing some engagement means between the lid and the protrusion, the plug is fixed to the filling hole using not only the frictional force with the filling hole but also the engaging force by the engaging means. In addition, it is possible to prevent the plug body from being detached from the filling hole due to the applied pressure when the injection energy is applied by the drive unit.

  Here, the needleless syringe described above may further include a syringe main body that holds the filling portion and the driving portion. In that case, when the filling part and the driving part are held by the syringe body, the outer end surface of the plug body contacts the syringe body or the outer end surface of the plug body and the plug body It is preferable that a predetermined arrangement state is formed in which the distance from the syringe body is a predetermined distance at which the stopper is prevented from being detached from the filling hole. By configuring the needleless syringe in this manner, the movement of the stopper is hindered by the syringe body in a state where the filling unit and the drive unit are held by the syringe body. Therefore, when the injection energy is applied by the driving unit, it is possible to reliably suppress the plug body from being detached from the filling hole due to the applied pressure.

  In the needleless syringe, the drive unit includes an ignition device that burns explosives by supplying electric power from the outside, and a piston that transmits combustion energy from the ignition device to the plunger, and the filling unit and the The drive part may have an engaging part for fixing each other. In the state where the filling portion and the driving portion are fixed to each other by the engaging portion, the piston may be disposed so as to face the plunger. By configuring the needleless syringe in this way, the preparation for injection of the needleless syringe by the user can be simplified.

  The syringe body may include a power supply unit that supplies power to the ignition device. In that case, the filling unit and the drive unit are configured to be detachable from the syringe body, and when the filling unit and the drive unit are mounted on the syringe body, the electrode on the drive unit side, The power supply unit side electrode included in the syringe main body may be in a contacted state. It should be noted that the power supply unit can include a switch, and it is preferable that the power supply unit does not operate unless the switch is turned on even if the electrodes are in contact with each other. By adopting such a configuration, the user can form a state in which power can be supplied to the drive unit only by attaching the filling unit and the drive unit to the syringe body. The operability can be improved.

  In the above needleless syringe, when the filling unit and the driving unit are attached to the syringe body, the predetermined arrangement state is formed, and the electrode on the driving unit side and the power source unit side are formed. You may have a positioning means to determine the relative positional relationship with an electrode. The relative positional relationship between the filling unit and the driving unit is determined by the positioning unit, and the relative positional relationship between the driving unit and the power supply unit disposed in the syringe body is determined, so that the filling unit and the driving unit are syringes by the user. When attached to the main body, formation of a predetermined arrangement state and formation of a state capable of supplying power to the drive unit are automatically performed. This greatly contributes to improving the operability of the needleless syringe.

  The needleless syringe described above may further include a restraining portion that restrains movement of the filling portion and the driving portion so that the filling portion and the driving portion are not detached from the syringe body. As a result, the user can stably operate the needleless syringe.

  It is easy to fill the injection target substance such as injection solution in a needleless syringe, and it is difficult for the injection target substance to leak during preparation for injection, and the air remaining in the filling chamber after filling is easily discharged to the outside. can do.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the needleless syringe which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the needleless syringe which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows operation regarding injection solution filling to the filling part of the needleless syringe which concerns on this invention. In the needleless syringe which concerns on this invention, it is a figure which shows sealing operation after filling with an injection solution. It is a 1st figure which shows the state of the injection solution in the filling chamber by sealing operation shown in FIG. It is a 2nd figure which shows the state of the injection solution in the filling chamber by sealing operation shown in FIG.

  A needleless syringe 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as “injector 1”) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the structure of the following embodiment is an illustration and this invention is not limited to the structure of this embodiment.

<Configuration of syringe 1>
Here, the schematic structure of the syringe 1 is shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the syringe 1, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the syringe 1 along its longitudinal direction. The syringe 1 is formed by loading a syringe unit 5 including a filling unit 3 and a drive unit 4 described later into a housing 2 (syringe body). In the following description of the present application, injection target substances that are injected into the injection target region by the syringe 1 are collectively referred to as “injection solution”. However, this is not intended to limit the content or form of the injected substance. In the injection target substance, the component to be delivered to the skin structure or the like that is the injection target area may or may not be dissolved. Also, the injection target substance can be applied to the injection target area from the nozzle 16 by pressurization. As long as it can be injected, the specific form is not questioned, and various forms such as liquid and gel can be adopted.

  The syringe 1 is configured such that the syringe unit 5 can be attached to and detached from the housing 2. The syringe unit 5 is a unit that is disposable every time the injection solution is injected. On the other hand, the housing 2 includes a battery 40 that supplies power to the igniter 11 included in the drive unit 4 of the syringe unit 5. ing. The power supply from the battery 40 is performed between the electrode 40a on the housing 2 side and the electrode 11a on the igniter 11 side of the drive unit 4 via the wiring 41 (in the state of FIG. 2, the electrodes 40a and 11a are The electrodes 40a and 11a are in contact with each other when the syringe unit 5 is mounted on the housing 2 although they are separated to show each configuration. The housing 2 is a unit that can be used repeatedly as long as the electric power that can be supplied to the igniter 11 remains in the battery 40. In addition, in the housing 2, when the electric power of the battery 40 is lost, only the battery 40 may be replaced and the housing 2 may continue to be used. In FIG. 2, the activation switch in which the battery 40 and the igniter 11 are interposed between the electrode and the wiring 41 is omitted.

Here, the drive unit 4 included in the syringe unit 5 has an igniter 11 which is an electric igniter whose body is formed in a cylindrical shape and in which an explosive component is burned to generate energy for injection. The piston 14 that transmits energy from the igniter 11 to the filling unit 3 side is incorporated. Specifically, the body of the drive unit 4 is manufactured by resin injection molding, and a known method can be used for the injection molding. At this time, the igniter 11 is positioned in the body so that the piston 14 is positioned in the direction in which the combustion gas generated by the combustion of the explosive in the igniter 11 is released, and the igniter 11 is integrated with the body. It is insert-molded. In addition, as a resin material of the body of the drive part 4, well-known nylon 6-12, polyarylate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, a liquid crystal polymer, etc. can be used, for example. Moreover, you may include fillers, such as glass fiber and a glass filler, in these resin, 20-80 mass% glass fiber in polybutylene terephthalate, 20-80 mass% glass fiber in polyphenylene sulfide, Moreover, in a liquid crystal polymer, 20-80 mass% mineral can be included. Furthermore, a metal may be used in combination for a portion requiring heat resistance and pressure resistance.

  Here, the igniter used in the igniter 11 is preferably a gunpowder containing zirconium and potassium perchlorate (ZPP), a gunpowder containing titanium hydride and potassium perchlorate (THPP), titanium and potassium perchlorate. Explosives containing aluminum (TiPP), explosives containing aluminum and potassium perchlorate (APP), explosives containing aluminum and bismuth oxide (ABO), explosives containing aluminum and molybdenum oxide (AMO), explosives containing aluminum and copper oxide ( ACO), explosives containing aluminum and iron oxide (AFO), or explosives composed of a combination of these explosives. These explosives generate high-temperature and high-pressure plasma at the time of combustion immediately after ignition. However, when the combustion product is condensed at a normal temperature and does not contain a gas component, the generated pressure rapidly decreases. As long as appropriate injection is possible, other explosives may be used as igniting agents.

  A combustion chamber 12 is formed in front of the igniter 11 (in the direction in which combustion gas is released), and a through hole 13 having a constant diameter along the axial direction is connected to the combustion chamber 12. . And the other end of the through-hole 13 is connected to the filling part 3 side. A metal piston 14 is disposed in the through hole 13 so as to be able to propel the inside of the through hole 13 along the axial direction, and one end thereof faces the combustion chamber 12 side. The other end faces the plunger 15 arranged in the filling part 3. The piston may be a resin, and metal may be used in combination where heat resistance and pressure resistance are required.

  Next, the filling unit 3 will be described. The filling unit 3 includes the nozzle unit 16 including a filling chamber 16a that is a space capable of containing an injection solution, and is connected to the driving unit 4 and integrated as described above, so that the syringe unit 5 is formed. Is done. The connection between the filling portion 3 and the drive portion 4 is realized by the snap fit member 3a on the filling portion 3 side and the snap fit member 4a on the drive portion 4 side engaging with each other. When the filling part 3 and the drive part 4 are connected by these snap-fit members, as shown in FIG. 2, the end face of the piston 14 on the drive part 4 side and the end face of the plunger 15 on the filling part 3 side are automatically set. A relative positional relationship is formed that faces each other or both end faces come into contact with each other. In addition, the unevenness | corrugation which positions the filling part 3 in the circumferential direction with respect to the drive part 4 may be formed in each snap fit part 3a and 4a.

The body of the filling unit 3 is formed of the same resin material as that of the driving unit 4. The plunger 15 is arranged so as to be slidable in the direction of the nozzle portion 16 in the space formed inside the body, and the space formed between the plunger 15 and the body of the filling portion 3 is It becomes the filling chamber 16a in which the injection solution is accommodated. Here, when the plunger 15 slides in the filling chamber 16a, the injection solution stored in the filling chamber 16a is pressed and ejected from the flow path 16b provided on the distal end side of the nozzle portion 16. Become. Therefore, the plunger 15 is formed of a material that slides smoothly in the filling chamber 16a and does not leak the injection solution from the plunger 15 side. As a specific material of the plunger 15, for example, butyl rubber or silicon rubber can be adopted. Furthermore, styrene elastomers, hydrogenated styrene elastomers, and polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, and α-olefin copolymers, oils such as para, process oil, and powders such as talc, cast, mica, etc. The thing which mixed the inorganic substance is mention | raise | lifted. Furthermore, various rubber materials such as polyvinyl chloride elastomer, olefin elastomer, polyester elastomer, polyamide elastomer, polyurethane elastomer, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile-butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber (especially added) Sulfurized ones) and mixtures thereof can be used as the material for the plunger 15.

  In addition, the internal diameter of the flow path 16b provided in the nozzle part 16 by the side of the filling part 3 is formed thinner than the internal diameter of the filling chamber 16a. With such a configuration, when the combustion chamber 12 is in a high-temperature and high-pressure state by the combustion gas generated by the combustion of the explosive in the igniter 11, the piston 14 pushes the through-hole 13 by pressurization and enters the filling chamber 16a. The stored injection solution is pressurized through the plunger 15, and the injection solution is injected to the outside from the injection port of the flow path 16b. Further, in the nozzle portion 16, an annular shield portion 16c is provided so as to surround the periphery of the injection port. For example, when the injection solution is injected by pressing the injection port against the human skin, it can be shielded by the shield portion 16c so that the injected injection solution is not scattered around the injection solution. In addition, when the injection port is pressed against the skin, the skin is recessed to some extent, so that the contact between the injection port and the skin can be improved, and scattering of the injection solution can be suppressed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the tip of the nozzle portion 16 where the injection port is located slightly protrudes from the end face of the shield portion 16c.

  Although no additional explosive component is particularly disposed in the combustion chamber 12 shown in FIG. 2, an igniter is provided in the combustion chamber 12 in order to adjust the pressure transition applied to the injection solution via the piston 14. The gas generating agent etc. which burn by the combustion product produced by the explosive combustion in 11 and generate | occur | produce gas can also be arrange | positioned. As an example of the gas generating agent, a single base smokeless gunpowder composed of 98% by mass of nitrocellulose, 0.8% by mass of diphenylamine and 1.2% by mass of potassium sulfate can be mentioned. It is also possible to use various gas generating agents that are used in gas generators for airbags and gas generators for seat belt pretensioners. It is possible to change the combustion completion time of the gas generating agent by adjusting the size, size and shape of the gas generating agent when placed in the combustion chamber 12, in particular, the surface shape. A change in pressure applied to the injection solution can be a desired change, that is, a change in which the injection solution can appropriately reach the injection target region. In this invention, the igniter 11 arrange | positioned in the combustion chamber 12 is made into a drive part, and the gas generating agent etc. which are used as needed are also contained in a drive part.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the filling unit 3 needs to perform a filling operation of the injection solution into the filling chamber 16 a by the user before the syringe unit 5 is attached to the housing 2. That is, before the mounting to the housing 2, no injection solution exists in the filling chamber 16 a of the filling unit 3, and the cavity is in a hollow state. Therefore, filling of the injection solution into the filling unit 3 is performed by moving the injection solution separately held by the external supply device 30 to the filling chamber 16a side. As a merit of adopting the configuration in which the injection solution is transferred from the external supply device 30 in this way, the user can select a predetermined type and a predetermined amount of the injection solution as necessary, and can perform flexible injection processing. Can be realized. For this reason, the injection solution is not held in the filling portion for a long period of time, and the problem in terms of hygiene can be eliminated.

In order to enable such filling of the injection solution, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side portion of the filling portion 3 (the body side surface portion of the filling portion 3 extending along the sliding direction of the plunger 15). ) Is provided with a protrusion 17 in which a filling hole 19 for flowing an injection solution from the external supply device 30 is disposed. The filling hole 19 communicates with the filling chamber 16a. The projecting portion 17 has a filling hole 19 formed therein, and one end thereof opens to the outside of the filling portion 3 so that the external supply device 30 can be connected, and the other end opens to the filling chamber 16a. doing. Note that the opening on the filling chamber 16a side of the filling hole 19 is set to a position that does not interfere with the plunger 15 in a state before use so that the injection solution can flow into the filling chamber 16a from the external supply device 30. Furthermore, the filling hole 19 has a two-stage configuration of a first filling hole 19a and a second filling hole 19b, and the inner diameter of the first filling hole 19a is connected to the external supply device 30, so that the second filling hole 19 It is larger than the inner diameter of 19b. In any case, the inner diameters of the first filling hole 19a and the second filling hole 19b are considerably larger than the inner diameter of the flow path 16b. This is because the flow path 16b needs to be injected and injected with an injection solution, so that the flow path 16b has a flow path inner diameter required to form the pressurized state, while the inner diameter of the filling hole 19 is externally supplied. Since the injection solution needs to flow smoothly from the device 30, the inner diameter is relatively large.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the external supply device 30 holds the injection liquid in the holding chamber 35 inside the body 31, and the user presses the piston 32 to discharge the internal injection liquid. Can do. Specifically, when filling the injection solution, the distal end portion 33 of the external supply device 30 is inserted into the filling hole 19 (first filling hole 19a) side on the syringe 1 side. The distal end portion 33 is provided with a stopper 34, and when the distal end portion 33 is inserted into the filling hole 19, the stopper 34 abuts against the end surface 17 a (see FIG. 5) of the protruding portion 17, and the distal end portion 33. Further insertion of is inhibited. At this time, the tip 33 is inserted up to the position of the depth L1 (distance from the end surface 17a) of the filling hole 19. In this state, when the user pushes the piston 32, the injection solution held in the holding chamber 35 is discharged to the filling hole 19 side, and the injection solution is accommodated in the filling chamber 16a through the filling hole 19. become. In addition, in the filling part 3, since the flow path 16b is opened, no special labor is required in the filling operation of the injection solution.

  After the injection solution is supplied from the external supply device 30 to the filling unit 3, the plug body 18 is inserted into the filling hole 19 and sealed so that the injection solution does not leak from the filling hole 19. Is stopped. The plug 18 is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and has a main body 18a and a lid 18b that are inserted into the filling hole 19 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a screw is formed inside the lid portion 18 b, and the screw engages with a screw formed outside the protruding portion 17, whereby the insertion of the main body portion 18 a and the plug body 18. Is fixed to the protruding portion 17. The main body portion 18a is inserted into the filling hole 19 until the back surface of the lid portion 18b to which the main body portion 18a is connected hits the end surface 17a of the projecting portion 17.

  Here, the state where the plug 18 is inserted into the filling hole 19 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the illustration of the lid portion 18 b of the plug body 18 is omitted to simplify the illustration. And the upper stage (a) of Drawing 5 shows the state where filling of injection liquid to filling part 3 by external supply device 30 was completed, and before plug 18 is inserted, and the lower stage (b ) Shows a state in which the main body 18a of the plug 18 is completely inserted into the filling hole 19. As shown in FIG. 5A, immediately after the filling of the injection solution is completed, the injection solution exists from the position of the depth L1 of the filling hole 19 to the back, that is, the filling chamber 16a side. This is because the injection solution is discharged while the distal end portion 33 of the external supply device 30 is inserted into the filling hole 19 by the depth L1 when the injection solution is filled. In this state, since a relatively large amount of injection solution is present in the filling hole 19, air is introduced into a part of the filling chamber 16a (in the state shown in FIG. 5A, the space near the flow path 16b). The remaining air is represented by Vr.

Here, the length of the main body 18a (the length in the direction of insertion into the filling hole 19) is designed to be L2 longer than the depth L1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the plug 18 is inserted into the filling hole 19, the main body 18a has a difference ΔL (= L2−) between the depth L1 of the injection solution and the length L2 of the main body 18a. The injection solution is pressed toward the filling chamber 16a by an amount corresponding to L1). The volume ΔV of the injection solution pushed in this way follows Formula 1 below.
ΔV = S · ΔL (Formula 1)
However, S is a cross-sectional area of the first filling hole 19a.

  The length L2 of the main body 18a is designed so that the volume ΔV is equal to or greater than the volume Vr of the residual air. The remaining air volume Vr is calculated based on the volume of the injection solution supplied from the external supply device 30 and the volumes of the filling hole 19 and the filling chamber 16a, which can be grasped in advance. When there is a variation in the volume of the injection solution that is held, the maximum value that can be taken by the volume of the remaining air Vr is used in consideration of the case where the volume of the injection solution is the smallest. It is preferable to determine the length L2. The external supply device 30 may have a configuration other than that shown in FIG.

  When the volume ΔV is larger than the volume of the remaining air Vr, when the main body portion 18a is inserted into the filling hole 19, a part of the injection solution leaks outside from the injection port of the flow path 16b. However, since the leaked injection solution comes out from the tip of the nozzle 16, it does not scatter to the user side who is performing the operation of inserting the plug 18, and the user is exposed to the scattered injection solution. Unlikely. On the other hand, since the injection solution is completely filled in the filling chamber 16a by this insertion operation, and the air in the filling chamber 16 can be completely eliminated, the pressure applied by the drive unit 4 is suitably transmitted to the injection solution. Thus, it is possible to stably inject the injection solution into the target target area. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the plug body 18 is screwed and fixed to the projecting portion 17, so that the plug body 18 does not come off even when pressure is applied to the injection solution by the plunger 15 during operation. .

<Modification 1>
The plug body 18 of the above embodiment is formed of the main body portion 18a and the lid portion 18b. However, the plug body 18 including only the main body portion 18a may be adopted instead of the mode. In this case, it is preferable to insert the plug 18 until the end surface of the main body portion 18a is flush with the end surface 17a of the projecting portion 17 so as to be in the same state as shown in FIG. By inserting the plug 18 in such a manner, the injection solution of ΔV can be pushed into the filling chamber 16a as originally designed, and the residual air Vr in the filling chamber 16a can be discharged as described above. Further, by inserting the plug 18 until it becomes flush, the amount of lateral protrusion to the syringe 1 can be suppressed, and thus the size of the syringe 1 can be reduced.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 6 shows a modification of the plug 18. In the modification, the main body portion 18a of the plug body 18 has a first main body portion 18a1 having an outer diameter in contact with the first filling hole 19a, and a second main body portion having an outer diameter smaller than the first main body portion 18a1 ( Extension part) 18a2. The second main body portion 18a2 is arranged closer to the filling chamber 16a than the first main body portion 18a1 in the insertion state into the filling hole 19, and the length of the first main body portion 18a1 is set to L1. When the plug 18 configured in this way is inserted into the filling hole 19, the plug 18 is fixed to the filling hole 19 between the first main body portion 18 a 1 in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the filling hole 19. Left to the frictional force of On the other hand, this frictional force becomes a resistance force when the plug 18 is inserted into the filling hole 19. However, since the second main body portion 18a2 is designed not to contact the inner peripheral surface of the filling hole 19, it is possible to avoid an increase in resistance force when the plug body 18 is inserted. Moreover, since the length of the 1st main-body part 18a1 is L1, in the form shown in FIG. 6, the 2nd main-body part 18a2 will press an injection solution. Therefore, by designing the volume occupied by the second main body 18a2 to be larger than the volume of the remaining air Vr, the remaining air Vr in the filling chamber 16a can be discharged as described above. The second body portion 18a2 has a length until it reaches the second filling hole 19b when the plug body 18 is inserted into the filling hole 19 as long as the tip does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the filling hole 19. You may do it.

  The mounting | wearing to the housing 2 of the syringe unit 5 which consists of the filling part 3 and the drive part 4 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 2 has a space 2a in which the syringe unit 5 is fitted, and the syringe unit is attached to and detached from the space 2a. Here, the protruding portion 17 of the filling portion 3 is positioned so as to protrude from the side portion of the syringe unit 5. Therefore, as can be understood from FIG. 2, the side surfaces of the connected filling portion 3 and the drive portion 4 and the end surface of the protrusion 17 (in the state shown in FIG. 2, the outer surface of the plug 18 inserted into the protrusion 17). It is located in a step shape. Therefore, when the syringe unit 5 is mounted on the housing 2, the side surfaces of the filling unit 3 and the drive unit 4 and the end surface of the protruding portion 17 are configured to be supported on different surfaces in the housing 2. That is, in the space 2a, a concave portion corresponding to the protruding amount of the protruding portion 17 is formed, and a step is formed with respect to a portion of the housing 2 where the side surfaces of the filling portion 3 and the driving portion 4 abut.

  Here, when viewed from the front of the syringe 1 (the direction in which the nozzle 16 is located), the protrusion 17 has a predetermined width. Therefore, the width of the portion (depth of the concave portion) is determined so that the movement of the protrusion 17 in the width direction of the syringe 1 is restricted at the portion where the protrusion 17 of the space 2a is fitted. . Therefore, the user slides the syringe unit 5 from the front of the housing 2 in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the syringe 1 and attaches the syringe unit 5 to the housing 2. At this time, the electrodes 11a of the igniter 11 positioned at the rear end of the slid syringe unit 5 are automatically brought into contact with the electrodes 40a on the battery 40 side provided on the housing 2 side, Means for regulating the position of 30a or the orientation of the syringe unit 5 and the housing 2 (for example, forming irregularities that fit each other) is designed.

  According to such a mounting configuration of the syringe unit 5, after the user engages the filling unit 3 and the drive unit 4 with the snap fit members 3 a and 4 a, the syringe uses the protruding portion 17 and the space 2 a as a guide mechanism. By sliding the unit 5 into the housing 2 and fitting it, a state in which power can be supplied from the battery 40 to the igniter 11 can be automatically formed. The syringe 1 is provided with a fixing member (not shown) that fixes the slid syringe unit 5 to the housing 2 so that the electrodes 11a and 40a are in contact with each other.

  Further, in the state shown in FIG. 2, the end surface of the lid portion 18 b of the plug body 18 is in a state of being substantially in contact with the bottom surface of the space 2 a of the housing 2. As a result, even if the injection solution is injected, even if a force that pushes the plug 18 out of the filling hole 19 due to the pressure applied to the injection is generated, the plug 18 and the projecting portion 17 In addition to the fastening force by the screw between, the plug body 18 is physically impossible to be detached from the filling hole 19, that is, the predetermined arrangement state according to the present invention is formed. For this reason, even in the unlikely event, interference to the surroundings by the plug 18 can be reliably suppressed. In particular, when the plug body 18 does not have a lid portion and the main body portion is simply pushed into the filling hole 19 as in the first and second modification examples described above, the plug body 18 faces outward with respect to the main body portion 18a during operation. Such a fixing method is useful because the plug 18 can be easily removed from the filling hole 17 when a force is generated.

  As described above, in the syringe 1, the user can connect the filling unit 3 and the drive unit 4 and the syringe unit 5 by the movement restricting configuration in the width direction of the projecting portion 17 by the snap fit members 3 a and 4 a and the space 2 a. By performing the insertion into the housing 2, as described above, the state in which power can be supplied from the battery 40 to the igniter 11 and the formation in the predetermined arrangement state are automatically performed. Therefore, the snap fit members 3a and 4a and the movement restricting configuration correspond to the positioning means according to the present invention.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the syringe unit 5 is mounted and fixed so as to slide on the housing 2 as described above. The tip of the nozzle 16 of the syringe 1 slightly protrudes from the tip surface of the housing 2. For this reason, if a user catches a hand and a force that lifts the syringe unit 5 against the tip of the nozzle 16 is applied, the syringe unit 5 may be detached from the housing 2. Therefore, in order to prevent unintentional detachment of the syringe unit 5, for example, a fixing band (band) is hung on the upper portion (portion where the syringe unit is exposed) of the syringe shown in FIG. 1. A means for restraining the movement of the image may be adopted.

<Other examples>
According to the syringe 1 according to the present invention, in addition to the case of injecting the above-mentioned injection solution into the skin structure, for example, in the field of regenerative medicine for humans, the cells to be injected and the cultured cells in the scaffold tissue / scaffold It is possible to seed stem cells and the like. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-2008-206477, cells that can be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art depending on the site to be transplanted and the purpose of recellularization, such as endothelial cells, endothelial precursor cells, bone marrow cells, and prebones Blast cells, chondrocytes, fibroblasts, skin cells, muscle cells, liver cells, kidney cells, intestinal cells, stem cells, and any other cells considered in the field of regenerative medicine can be injected with the syringe 1. .

  Furthermore, the syringe 1 according to the present invention can also be used for delivery of DNA or the like to cells, scaffold tissue, scaffolds, etc. as described in JP-T-2007-525192. In this case, it can be said that the use of the syringe 1 according to the present invention is more preferable than the case of delivery using a needle because the influence on the cells, the scaffold tissue / scaffold and the like can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, the syringe 1 according to the present invention is suitable also when various genes, tumor suppressor cells, lipid envelopes, etc. are directly delivered to a target tissue or when an antigen gene is administered to enhance immunity against a pathogen. Used for. In addition, in the field of various disease treatments (fields described in JP2008-508881, JP2010-503616, etc.), immunomedicine (fields described in JP2005-523679, etc.), etc. The syringe 1 can be used, and the field in which the syringe 1 can be used is not intentionally limited.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Syringe 2 ... Housing 2a ... Space 3 ... Filling unit 4 ... Drive unit 5 ... Syringe unit 11 ... Ignition device 14 ... · Piston 15 ··· Plunger 16 · · · Nozzle 16a · · · Filling chamber 16b · · · Channel 17 · · · Projection 18 · · · Plug body 18a · · · Body 18b .... Lid 19 ... Filling hole 30 ... External supply device 40 ... Battery

Claims (10)

A needleless syringe for injecting an injection target substance into an injection target region by ejecting the injection target substance without going through an injection needle,
A filling hole to which an external supply device holding the injection target substance is connected; a filling chamber capable of storing the injection target substance supplied from the external supply apparatus through the filling hole; and A plunger that is slidable, and includes a flow path through which the substance to be injected in the filling chamber pressurized by sliding of the plunger flows. A filling part having a nozzle part for injecting the injection target substance from an outlet;
A drive unit that applies to the plunger injection energy for injecting the injection target substance from the nozzle unit;
With
The filling hole opens on a side surface of the filling portion so that the external supply device can be connected, and communicates with the filling chamber by being formed from the opening toward the filling chamber.
With respect to the filling hole in which the injection target substance has been supplied from the external supply device to the filling chamber through the filling hole, the plug body reaches the position of the injection target substance existing in the filling hole after the supply is completed. And the stopper is inserted so as to press the injection target substance present in the filling hole in an amount equal to or larger than the volume of residual air formed in the filling chamber after the supply is completed. The filling hole is sealed,
Needleless syringe. When the plug body is inserted into the filling hole, the plug body has an extending portion extending into the filling hole in a non-contact state with the inner peripheral wall of the filling hole at the tip of the plug body.
The needleless syringe according to claim 1. The filling part protrudes from the side surface, and has a protruding part in which the filling hole is disposed,
The plug is inserted into the filling hole until the outer end surface of the plug is flush with the end surface of the protrusion.
The needleless syringe according to claim 1 or 2. The filling part protrudes from the side surface, and has a protruding part in which the filling hole is disposed,
The plug body includes a main body portion inserted into the filling hole, and a contact surface that is a surface to which the main body portion is fixed and that contacts the end surface of the protruding portion when the main body portion is inserted into the filling hole. A lid,
The needleless syringe according to claim 1 or 2. A syringe body that holds the filling portion and the drive portion;
When the filling portion and the drive portion are held by the syringe body, the outer end surface of the plug body contacts the syringe body, or the outer end surface of the plug body and the syringe body A predetermined arrangement state is formed in which the distance is a predetermined distance that prevents the plug body from being detached from the filling hole.
The needleless syringe according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The drive unit includes an ignition device that burns explosives by supplying power from the outside, and a piston that transmits combustion energy from the ignition device to the plunger.
The filling part and the driving part have an engaging part for fixing each other,
In a state where the filling portion and the driving portion are fixed to each other by the engagement portion, the piston is disposed so as to face the plunger.
The needleless syringe according to claim 5 . The syringe body includes a power supply unit that supplies power to the ignition device.
The needleless syringe according to claim 6 . The filling unit and the driving unit are configured to be detachable from the syringe body,
When the filling unit and the drive unit are mounted on the syringe body, the electrode on the drive unit side and the electrode on the power supply unit side included in the syringe body are in contact with each other.
The needleless syringe according to claim 7 . When the filling unit and the drive unit are attached to the syringe body, the predetermined arrangement state is formed, and a relative positional relationship between the electrode on the drive unit side and the electrode on the power supply unit side is determined. Having positioning means,
The needleless syringe according to claim 8 . The filling unit and the driving unit further include a restraining unit that restrains the movement of the filling unit and the driving unit so as not to be detached from the syringe body.
The needleless syringe according to claim 8 or 9 .

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