KR102690653B1 - Management apparatus for insulin pen - Google Patents

Abstract

The insulin pen management device according to the present invention includes a second guide tube that guides the end side of the insulin pen injected from the top; a stepped portion limiting the insertion depth of the insulin pen on the bottom side of the second guide tube; a second sensing unit provided on the bottom of the second guide tube to detect either insertion of the insulin pen or pressure by the insulin pen; and an ultraviolet ray irradiation unit that radiates ultraviolet rays to an end side of the inserted insulin pen when insertion of the insulin pen is detected by the second detection unit.

Description

Insulin pen management device {Management apparatus for insulin pen}

The present invention relates to an insulin pen management device, and more specifically, to a device that stores an insulin pen and facilitates its setting.

Diabetes is currently known to be a common disease, affecting approximately 200 million people worldwide, and diabetes and its related complications and concomitant diseases are emerging as one of the important health problems, accompanied by human, social, and economic losses. Korea is no exception, and according to an analysis of health insurance data for the past 10 years by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, it is estimated that 7.22 million people (14.4% of the total population), or 1 in 7 people, will be diabetic patients by 2020. The accompanying socioeconomic costs are expected to be enormous.

In treating and managing diabetes, the patient's blood sugar control, that is, blood sugar control, is the most important, and insulin is usually injected into the patient using an insulin syringe, insulin pen, or insulin pump. Insulin syringes are the most common method of administering insulin, and have the advantage of being able to administer insulin very inexpensively, being easy to use, and learning how to use them.

Insulin pens are devices for injecting insulin built into their own cartridges, and there are numerous types of products and models. Most insulin pens are divided into two types: reusable pens and disposable pens. Insulin pens have the advantage of being easier and more convenient to inject while going out than an insulin syringe, and allowing the precise amount to be injected with a simple dial operation. Patent documents related to insulin pens include U.S. Patent No. 5,308,340 (title of the invention: MULTIPLE DOSE INJECTION PEN), which discloses a method of manually injecting insulin, and U.S. Patent No. 6,942,646 (title of the invention: PEN-TYPE). There is literature that discloses a method of automatically injecting insulin, such as INJECTOR HANING AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT.

However, such insulin pens may not be easy to use for patients with impaired use of one hand, and the elderly or dementia patients often have difficulty managing the number and remaining doses of insulin pens stored.

The present invention provides an auxiliary device for using an insulin pen that can facilitate the medication preparation process with one hand, and the present invention also provides a device that can facilitate the management of the remaining number and remaining dose of the insulin pen. do.

The insulin pen management device according to the present invention includes a second guide tube that guides the end side of the insulin pen injected from the top; a stepped portion limiting the insertion depth of the insulin pen on the bottom side of the second guide tube; a second sensing unit provided on the bottom of the second guide tube to detect either insertion of the insulin pen or pressure by the insulin pen; and an ultraviolet ray irradiation unit that radiates ultraviolet rays to an end side of the inserted insulin pen when insertion of the insulin pen is detected by the second detection unit.

Additionally, a light emitting part located at one point of the second guide tube emits light toward the inside of the second guide tube; a camera module provided on the other side of the light emitting unit to capture an image of the light emitting unit; and a capacity calculation unit that receives images captured from the camera module and calculates the remaining capacity inside the insulin storage unit of the insulin pen.

In addition, when the insertion of the insulin pen is detected by the second detection unit, the dose calculation unit receives the image of the insulin storage unit, detects the boundary line of the insulin area in the image of the insulin storage section, and determines the remaining amount according to the height of the boundary line. Insulin dose can be calculated.

Additionally, an insulin pen storage portion formed as a certain space surrounded by an insulating member; A Peltier element that cools the inside of the insulin pen storage unit; and an opening and closing part that opens and closes the upper part of the insulin pen storage unit.

Additionally, the insulin pen storage unit may include a partitioned spacer to store a plurality of insulin pens.

It may also include a heat dissipation member surrounding the heat insulating member of the insulin pen storage unit, and the Peltier element may be provided to contact the heat dissipation member.

Additionally, the second guide tube may be provided with a second Peltier element that cools the inside of the second guide tube.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily prepare for insulin administration even in patients with impaired use of one hand, and there is an advantage in that it is possible to easily manage the remaining dose that can be administered even in elderly or dementia patients.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of an insulin pen and a disposable needle according to an embodiment.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment.
Figure 3 is a first cross-sectional view showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment.
Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing the internal structure of the insulin needle supply unit.
Figures 6 to 8 are schematic diagrams sequentially showing the needle supply process of the insulin pen.
Figure 9 is a second cross-sectional view showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment.
Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Unless otherwise specified or specified, terms indicating direction used in this description are based on the state shown in the drawings. Additionally, the same reference numerals refer to the same members throughout each embodiment. Meanwhile, the thickness or dimensions of each configuration shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and this does not mean that the configuration should actually be composed of the ratio between the corresponding dimensions or configurations.

Referring to FIG. 1, an insulin needle capsule for using an insulin pen and a disposable needle according to an embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of an insulin pen and a disposable needle according to an embodiment.

The insulin pen 10 is formed in a pen shape so that insulin can be stored inside and the insulin can be administered multiple times. The insulin pen 10 has an insulin storage portion 11 on the lower side. The insulin storage unit 11 is made of a transparent material so that the remaining amount of insulin stored therein can be observed. Additionally, a scale may be provided on the outside of the insulin storage unit 11 to assist in measuring the remaining dose.

The insulin pen is equipped with a grip part 13, a control part 17, and a dosage unit display window 15. The grip part 13 is a part that allows the user to administer insulin when administering medication, and the control part 17 is a rotary control part to control the administered dose when administering a single dose. The dosage unit display window 15 is a component for displaying the one-time dosage controlled by the control unit 17 in numbers, etc. The grip part 13, the control part 17, and the dosage unit display window 15 can be configured by adopting the structures of a conventional insulin pen.

The insulin needle capsule includes an insulin needle coupled to the end of the insulin pen; an external capsule surrounding the outside of the insulin needle; and a sanitary cover covering a portion of the insulin needle that is coupled to the insulin pen, wherein the entrance of the external capsule is formed with an edge having an enlarged diameter compared to the diameter of the insulin needle,

The insulin needle capsule 50 includes an external capsule 51 and an insulin needle 53. The insulin needle 53 is coupled to the end of the insulin pen 10 and is provided so that it can be injected into the human body. The external capsule 51 is provided to surround the outside of the insulin needle 53 and prevents the insulin needle 53 from being contaminated until use.

Meanwhile, the open side of the insulin needle 53, that is, the part for coupling with the insulin pen 10, may be covered by a sanitary cover (not shown). For example, the sanitary cover can be made of silver foil or a synthetic resin cover with cut lines. When this sanitary cover is combined with the insulin pen 10, it can be partially separated or opened to allow insulin to pass through.

Referring to FIG. 1 , when the insulin pen 10 and the insulin needle 53 are combined and then removed, the insulin needle 53 and the external capsule 51 are separated and the needle is exposed.

An insulin pen management device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a first cross-sectional view showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment. Additionally, Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing the internal structure of the insulin needle supply unit, and Figures 6 to 8 are schematic diagrams sequentially showing the needle supply process of the insulin pen.

The insulin pen management device 100 according to the present invention includes an insulin needle capsule supply unit and an insulin pen setting unit. The insulin needle capsule supply unit can be used by inserting an insulin pen into the first insertion port 101, and the insulin pen setting unit can be used by inserting an insulin pen into the second insertion port 103. The first insertion port 101 and the second insertion port 103 are formed on one side of the stepped surface 107 of the insulin pen management device 100.

In addition, the insulin pen management device 100 according to this embodiment has a tray input port 110 formed on the side of the first insertion port 101. Insulin needles can be used by inserting a tray containing a plurality of insulin needle capsules into the tray inlet 110 before setting the insulin pen.

Inside the main body 105 of the insulin pen management device 100, a certain space is formed for storing the insulin pen, and this certain space may be provided with an opening and closing part 190 that opens and closes to store or take out the insulin pen. The opening and closing part 190 is provided with a handle part 191 and the like to enable opening and closing.

When the insulin needle capsule supply unit is described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the tray 120 is formed in a plate shape with a certain length. The tray 120 accommodates at least one insulin needle capsule 50 at regular intervals. The tray 50 is formed with a receiving portion 1201 of a penetrating shape to accommodate the end of the external capsule 53, and the receiving portion 1201 is cut to a smaller diameter than the diameter of the edge portion 511 to capture the external capsule 53. Only part of (53) can be accepted.

The support portion 128 supports and guides the tray input from the tray inlet 110. The driving unit 121 provides driving force to move the tray 120 toward the tray inlet 110 or to the side opposite to the tray inlet.

The guide tube 1011 guides the end side of the insulin pen 10, which is injected from the top through the first insertion hole 101, to the upper part of the coupling point, which is a point of the support part 128. Here, the binding point refers to the point where the insulin pen and the insulin needle are combined.

The sensing unit 123 is provided below the coupling point and detects when the insulin pen is located on the coupling point or when the insulin pen presses the coupling point, that is, the sensing unit 123. At this time, the sensing unit 123 may be a pressure sensor.

The departure limiting part 127 is provided at the upper part of the coupling point of the support part 128. The departure restriction portion 127 is provided in the form of a pair of bars, and is formed so that the gap between them is smaller than the diameter of the above-described edge portion 511, so that when the external capsule tries to escape, the departure restriction portion 127 The edge portion 511 is pressed to limit the separation of the external capsule.

The cover portion 129 is formed in a plate shape on the support portion. The cover portion 129 covers the insulin needle capsule 50 accommodated in the tray 120 at the top of the tray 120.

As shown in FIG. 6, the insulin pen 10 is inserted and combined with the insulin needle capsule 50, and then the insulin pen 10 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 7, the insulin needle is inserted into the insulin pen 10. It is combined with and comes out to the outside, and the external capsule 51 remains on the tray 120 as is. Thereafter, as the tray 120 moves toward the tray inlet 110, the remaining external capsule 51 can be removed.

Referring to FIG. 9, the insulin pen setting unit of the insulin pen management device according to one embodiment will be described. Figure 9 is a second cross-sectional view showing an insulin pen management device according to an embodiment.

The insulin pen setting unit includes a second insertion port 103, a second guide tube 1031, a second detection unit 115, and an ultraviolet irradiation unit 116.

The insulin pen 10 is inserted through the second insertion hole 103, and the end side of the insulin pen inserted from the top is guided downward through the second guide tube 1031. The stepped portion 117 is provided in a shape that protrudes toward the inside of the guide tube to limit the insertion depth of the insulin pen. The second detection unit 115 is provided on the bottom side of the second guide tube 1031 and detects either insertion of the insulin pen or pressure by the insulin pen. When insertion of the insulin pen 10 is detected by the second detection unit 115, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 116 irradiates ultraviolet rays to the end side of the inserted insulin pen 10.

Meanwhile, a light emitting unit 111 and a corresponding camera module 113 are provided at one point of the second guide tube 1031. The light emitting unit 111 emits light toward the inside of the second guide tube 1031, and the camera module 113 is provided on the other side of the light emitting unit 111 to capture an image of the light emitting unit 111.

The capacity calculation unit, which will be described later, receives images captured from the camera module and calculates the remaining capacity inside the insulin storage unit of the insulin pen.

Additionally, a second Peltier element 112 may be further provided. The second Peltier element 112 can lower the temperature inside the second guide tube 1031 by cooling it.

A Peltier device is a semiconductor device composed of a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor. When direct current flows, heat absorption occurs on one side and heat dissipation occurs on the other side due to the Peltier effect, one of the three thermoelectric effects. The Peltier device according to this embodiment is controlled so that heat absorption occurs on the inner side and heat dissipation occurs on the outer side.

Separately, an insulin pen storage unit is provided. The insulin pen storage unit may be defined as a space surrounded by an insulation member 195 and an opening/closing unit 190. The Peltier element 193 cools the inside of the insulin pen storage unit. The spacer 167 is provided inside the insulin pen storage unit to provide a partitioned space for storing a plurality of insulin pens. Meanwhile, it may include a heat dissipation member 196 surrounding the heat insulating member 195 of the insulin pen storage part, and in this case, the Peltier element 193 may be provided to contact the heat dissipation member 196.

Insulin pens can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius before opening and refrigerated or at room temperature after opening (4 to 8 weeks). The Peltier element and the second Peltier element described above may be cooled at any time or periodically to meet these temperature conditions.

Meanwhile, a sensing unit (not shown) may be further included. The sensing unit measures the internal temperature and provides it to the control units.

When the detection unit detects that the insulin pen has been removed after being inserted through the guide tube, the supply control unit controls the drive unit described above to move the tray to the input port by a certain unit length.

Additionally, the control unit controls the ultraviolet irradiation unit to emit light when the second detection unit detects that the insulin pen has been inserted through the second guide tube.

As described above, the capacity calculation unit receives the image captured from the camera module and calculates the remaining capacity inside the insulin storage unit of the insulin pen. At this time, when the insertion of the insulin pen is detected by the second detection unit, the dose calculation unit receives the image of the insulin storage unit, detects the boundary line of the insulin area in the image of the insulin storage section, and calculates the remaining insulin dose according to the height of the boundary line. there is.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the above-described preferred embodiments, and may be implemented in various ways without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention as specified in the patent claims. there is.

10: Insulin pen
100: Insulin pen management device
101: first insertion port
103: Second insertion port
110: Input part
121: driving unit
128: support part
193: Peltier element
1011: Guide Hall
1031: 2nd guide hall

Claims (7)

a second guide tube that guides the end side of the insulin pen injected from the top;
a stepped portion limiting the insertion depth of the insulin pen on the bottom side of the second guide tube;
a second sensing unit provided on the bottom of the second guide tube to detect either insertion of the insulin pen or pressure by the insulin pen; and
An insulin pen management device comprising: an ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays to an end side of the inserted insulin pen when insertion of the insulin pen is detected by the second detection unit. According to paragraph 1,
a light emitting part located at one point of the second guide tube that emits light toward the inside of the second guide tube;
a camera module provided on the other side of the light emitting unit to capture an image of the light emitting unit; and
An insulin pen management device comprising: a capacity calculation unit that receives images captured from the camera module and calculates the remaining capacity inside the insulin storage unit of the insulin pen. According to paragraph 2,
The capacity calculation unit,
When insertion of the insulin pen is detected by the second detection unit, an insulin device receives the image of the insulin storage unit, detects the boundary line of the insulin area in the image of the insulin storage section, and calculates the remaining insulin dose according to the height of the boundary line. Pen management device. According to paragraph 1,
An insulin pen storage unit formed as a constant space surrounded by an insulating member;
A Peltier element that cools the inside of the insulin pen storage unit; and
An insulin pen management device comprising: an opening and closing part that opens and closes the upper part of the insulin pen storage unit. According to paragraph 4,
An insulin pen management device comprising a spacer partitioned inside the insulin pen storage unit to store a plurality of insulin pens. According to paragraph 4,
It includes a heat dissipation member surrounding the heat insulating member of the insulin pen storage portion,
An insulin pen management device wherein the Peltier element is provided to be in contact with the heat dissipation member. According to paragraph 1,
An insulin pen management device comprising a second Peltier element in the second guide tube to cool the inside of the second guide tube.