KR20210086599A - micro needle applicator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a microneedle applicator with a new structure that can prevent microneedle puncture errors. In the microneedle applicator 10 in which the microneedle 12 can be punctured by pushing the puncture rod 14 toward the housing 16 and simultaneously moving the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16, the movable cylinder The movable cylinder 72 by releasing the movement limiting means 148 for preventing the movement of the 72 to the housing 16 side and the movement limiting means 148 according to the press-fitting operation of the puncture rod 14 toward the housing 16 side. ) has a release means 158 which permits movement towards the housing 16 side.

Description

micro needle applicator

The present invention relates to a microneedle applicator capable of puncturing (inserting) a microneedle that transmits a drug or the like percutaneously into the skin.

Conventionally, methods for transdermal drug administration such as subcutaneous injection or intravenous injection have been known. The transdermal drug administration by injection has advantages such as, for example, that the effect is exhibited more rapidly than oral drug administration and is not degraded by enzymes, etc., but is invasive and painful.

Therefore, a method of transdermal drug administration using a microneedle (microneedle) has been proposed. That is, the drug can be administered percutaneously by puncturing the skin with the microneedle containing the drug or by puncturing the hollow microneedle into the skin and injecting the drug through the lumen installed in the microneedle. By adopting a drug administration method using a microneedle, percutaneous treatment with less pain is possible.

On the other hand, as a device for injecting a microneedle into the skin, for example, a microneedle applicator as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-519983 (Patent Document 1) is known. The related microneedle applicator has a puncture rod for holding the microneedle during puncture, a housing having the puncture rod therein, and a movable cylinder movable with respect to the housing. Then, for example, the puncture rod is pushed into the housing to compress an elastic member such as a coil spring, and at the same time, the applicator is pressed against the skin to move the movable cylinder toward the housing. Accordingly, the microneedle is in a state in which puncture is possible, and by releasing the compression of the elastic member in the caught state, the puncture rod protrudes so that the microneedle can be punctured.

However, in the previously proposed microneedle applicator, countermeasures against puncture errors are not sufficient. For example, in a conventional microneedle applicator, if the applicator is pressed against the skin before pushing the puncture rod into the housing, the movable cylinder is pushed into the housing, and the microneedle installed on the puncture rod protrudes from the applicator and is accidentally punctured into the skin (Special Publication No. 2016-519983)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel microneedle applicator that is effective in preventing unintentional puncture of the microneedle.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for grasping the present invention will be described, but each aspect described below is illustratively described, and can be appropriately combined and employed with each other, as well as a plurality of components described in each aspect. It can also be recognized and adopted independently as much as possible, and can be appropriately employed together with any component described in other aspects. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the examples described below, and various other forms may be realized.

A first aspect is a microneedle applicator in which a microneedle can be injected by pushing a puncture rod against a housing and moving a moving cylinder toward the housing, the microneedle applicator comprising: movement limiting means for preventing movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing; and release means for releasing the movement limiting measure and allowing the movable cylinder to move to the housing side in accordance with a press-fitting operation of the rod into the housing.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, when the puncture rod is press-fitted into the housing, the movement limiting means is released to allow movement toward the movable cylinder housing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the movable cylinder from moving toward the housing before the press-fitting operation of the puncturing rod into the housing, and a puncture error of the microneedle can be prevented.

A second aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the first aspect, wherein the movement limiting means is constituted by a locking member that makes contact with the movable cylinder and prevents movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing side, while the release means In, the contact with the movable cylinder by the locking member is released by the puncture rod being press-fitted into the housing.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, the movement limiting means for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder by providing a locking member and making contact with the movable cylinder is constituted, and at the same time, when the puncture rod is pushed to release the contact with the movable cylinder, the movement limiting measures are taken. Release means are configured to release and allow movement of the movable cylinder.

A third aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the second aspect, wherein the locking member is movably disposed in a direction intersecting the press-fitting direction of the puncture rod, and contacts the movable cylinder by the movement of the locking member. It is to be selectively realized by preventing movement and allowing movement according to the release of contact.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, contact with the movable cylinder is released by the movement of the locking member, so that the movement of the movable cylinder is permitted. In particular, since the moving direction of the locking member intersects the pressing direction of the puncturing rod, the locking member can more effectively block the pressing force of the puncturing rod.

A fourth aspect is that in the microneedle applicator according to the first aspect, the movement limiting means is configured by a cap that covers the puncture rod from the outside, and the release means is configured by the separation structure of the cap.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the press-fitting of the puncture rod and the movement of the movable cylinder are not allowed unless the cap is removed, the unintentional movement of the movable cylinder can be more reliably prevented.

A fifth aspect is that, in the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the movement limiting means is configured including a cover for covering at least a part of the movable cylinder.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, as a cover capable of blocking movement to the housing side by covering the movable cylinder is provided, unintentional movement of the movable cylinder can be prevented more reliably.

A sixth aspect, in the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the microneedle is mountable to the movable cylinder, and at the same time, a detachable cap covering the puncture rod from the outside is mounted on the housing The microneedle cannot be mounted on the movable cylinder.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the microneedle cannot be mounted on the movable cylinder without removing the cap, for example, the movable cylinder moves unintentionally to the housing side while the microneedle is mounted on the applicator, resulting in a puncture error. can be prevented from occurring.

In a seventh aspect, in the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a safety mechanism that disables the puncture button for puncturing the microneedle is installed, and the movable cylinder moves toward the housing By doing so, the safety mechanism is released.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the microneedle puncture operation is possible by moving the movable cylinder toward the housing, that is, for example, by pushing the applicator to the skin, it is possible to prevent the microneedle from protruding before pushing the applicator to the skin. can

An eighth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the microneedle protrudes from the housing by a biasing means, and at the same time, the microneedles protrude from the housing by the biasing means It is to have a buffering external force adding mechanism that continuously applies an additional external force in the direction of protrusion through the buffer means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since an additional external force is continuously applied to the microneedle protruding from the housing and punctured into the skin, the puncture state is maintained on the skin of the microneedle, thereby stabilizing the transdermal administration of the drug. In addition, since the additional external force applied to the punctured microneedle is applied through the buffer means, the effect of the impact force on the microneedle is reduced, so that the patient's discomfort, such as pain, can be alleviated.

A ninth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the eighth aspect, wherein the buffering external force applying device includes an additional external force generating member for generating an additional external force, and the additional external force generated by the additional external force generating member is the It will reach the microneedle through the buffer means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the additional external force generating member is provided, the user does not need to apply a large additional external force from the outside.

A tenth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the ninth aspect, wherein the additional external force generating member is maintained in a compressed state to generate an additional external force, and the additional external force to the compression spring member is the A movement locking device that is released with respect to the buffer means through the urging force transmitting member and blocking the movement of the urging force transmitting member is releasably installed.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, it is possible to control that an additional external force acts on the microneedle by using the pressing force transmitting member.

An eleventh aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the eighth aspect, wherein the shock-absorbing external force applying device includes an additional external force operating member for applying an additional external force by operation from the outside, wherein the additional external force is affected by the additional external force operating member An external force is applied to the microneedle through the buffer means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, it is possible to easily change, adjust, etc. while appropriately applying an additional external force from the outside through the additional external force operation member.

A twelfth aspect is that, in the microneedle applicator according to the eleventh aspect, an operation locking device for preventing operation of the additional external force operation member is releasably installed.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, the unintentional addition of the additional external force by the additional external force operating member by the operation locking mechanism can be prevented.

A thirteenth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the eleventh or twelfth aspect, wherein the operating surface on the outside of the additional external force operating member is set at a position retracted from the surface of the housing at least in a storage state before puncture.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, unintentional manipulation of the additional external force operating member can be more effectively prevented, at least in the stored state.

A fourteenth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to any one of the eighth to thirteenth aspect, wherein the buffer means is configured in an elastic member different from the bias means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, for example, when the buffer means and the bias means are composed of different elastic members, the elasticity of the buffer means and the bias means can be set separately, respectively, so that the design freedom of the applicator can be improved. .

A fifteenth aspect is that in the microneedle applicator according to any one of the eighth to thirteenth aspect, the buffer means is configured as the bias means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the buffer means and the bias means are composed of the same member, it is possible to simplify the structure and reduce the number of parts.

A sixteenth aspect, in the microneedle applicator according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, wherein the puncture rod is disposed in the housing to be movable in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction At the same time, a biasing means for pressing the puncture rod in a first direction, and a first position positioned in the first direction with respect to the housing, resist a force by the biasing means to push the puncture rod in the second direction. a latch means for moving the housing from a first position to a second position positioned in the second direction with respect to the housing, and pressing in a direction crossing the first direction to act on the latch means to maintain the puncture rod a button for releasing, and a pressure receiving portion for regulating the action of the button on the latch means by contacting the button pressed between the button and the latch means when in a third position relative to the housing; When moving from the third position to the fourth position located in the second direction, the pressure receiving portion moves in the second direction between the button and the latch means, and a button regulation allowing the action of the button on the latch means. means; and an anti-skid means for preventing sliding of the button and the button regulating means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, even if the user tries to move the button regulating means in the second direction while pressing the button, sliding of the button and the button regulating means is prevented, so that a smooth operation is possible while ensuring safety.

A seventeenth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the sixteenth aspect, wherein, in a state in which the sliding preventing means is pressed by the button, the button regulating means regulates movement from the third position to the fourth position. to have a means of regulating movement

According to the microneedle applicator of the above aspect, since the movement of the button regulating means from the third position to the fourth position is regulated when the button is pressed, sliding of the button and the button regulating means is prevented.

An eighteenth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the seventeenth aspect, wherein the movement regulating means is in contact with the button regulating means moving in the second direction in a state pressed by the button, so that the fourth of the button regulating means is in contact. to have a contact surface that regulates movement to the position of

According to the microneedle applicator of the above aspect, since the portion for regulating movement to the fourth position in contact with the button regulating means is constituted on the contact surface, the fourth position movement of the button regulating means can be more reliably regulated.

A nineteenth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the eighteenth aspect, wherein the contact surface is a stepped surface provided on a wall disposed on the opposite side to the button with respect to the button regulating means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, when the button is pressed, the button regulating means comes into contact with the step surface formed on the opposite wall, and the movement of the button regulating means is restricted to the fourth position. The sliding of the button and the button regulating means can then be prevented.

A twentieth aspect is the microneedle applicator according to the sixteenth aspect, wherein the anti-skid means covers the pressing portion of the button when the button regulating means is in the third position, and the button regulating means is in the fourth position. It is a cover that exposes the pressing part of the corresponding button when there is.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the user cannot press the button until the button regulating means moves to the fourth position and the button is exposed from the cover, sliding of the button and the button regulating means is prevented.

However, the microneedle applicator described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-511105 includes, for example, a housing and a biasing means accommodated in the housing, and the microneedle mounted on the applicator by this biasing means protrudes from the housing and punctures the patient's skin. do. That is, in such a microneedle applicator, for example, since a bias means such as a compression coil spring is restored and deformed and the microneedle is momentarily penetrated, transdermal administration of the drug contained in the microneedle may not be sufficient. Therefore, there has been a demand for a microneedle applicator capable of transdermally administering the drug more reliably.

In addition, in the Patent Publication No. 2016-511105, an aspect of continuously striking or colliding an additional plunger element with respect to the first plunger element (micro-needle) using several springs for the purpose of improving puncture has been proposed, but adopting this structure If the microneedle is subjected to a shocking external force, there is a fear that the patient may feel discomfort such as pain.

A first aspect separate from the present invention made to solve this problem is in the microneedle applicator in which the microneedles protrude from the housing by the biasing means, with respect to the protrusion direction with respect to the microneedles protruding from the housing by the biasing means. It is to have a buffering external force adding mechanism that continuously applies the additional external force through the buffer means.

According to the microneedle applicator of the above type, since the additional external force is continuously influenced by the microneedle protruding from the housing and punctured into the skin, the puncture state is maintained on the skin of the microneedle, and the transdermal administration of the drug can be stabilized. . In addition, since the additional external force of the punctured microneedle is influenced by the buffer means, the effect of the impact force on the microneedle is reduced, thereby reducing discomfort such as pain of the patient.

In addition, in the microneedle applicator described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-510530, the piston 14 pushed into the body 12 against the impact spring 20 is the catch 26 and the latch 30 of the flexible finger 28. It is fixed in a predetermined position by coupling. Next, a patch retainer 34 holding a patch 44 having several microneedles is mounted to the end of the body 12 . And when the end 42 of the patch retainer 34 is pressed against the skin and the cap 16 is pressed against the pressing spring 24 to the body 12 side, the pin 46 protruding downward from the cap 16 ) moves the flexible finger 28 outward. The engagement of the catch 26 of the piston 14 with the latch 30 of the flexible finger 28 is then released, and the piston 14 is released. A piston 14 moving downward by an impact spring 20 impacts the patch 44 held in the patch retainer 34 against the skin.

The Patent Publication No. 2004-510530 discloses a rotation locking device capable of rotating the cap 16 in the axial direction and taking a position where the pin 46 and the flexible finger 28 do not coincide with a position coincident with the circumferential direction. that is described. In this way, if the cap 16 is rotated at a position where the pin 46 and the flexible finger 28 do not coincide, the piston 14 is not released because a force in the pressing direction is applied to the cap 16 by mistake. Safety is high.

In order to further improve safety, the present applicant has studied a button regulating means that is movable in the puncture direction while installing a button for applying a microneedle on the side of the main body. As such a button regulating means, it is conceivable that the button and the button regulating means interfere with each other to block the operation of the button when the button regulating means is not inserted. And by pushing the button regulating means to a predetermined position, the operation of the button becomes possible. Although it is preferable to press the button after pushing the button regulating means to a predetermined position for such a button regulating means, the user does not necessarily operate in the assumed order, and it is expected that the button regulating means is pushed while the button is pressed. do.

When this operation is made, each member is worn or deformed as the pressed button and the button regulating means slide, which may interfere with the smooth operation of the microneedle applicator.

The present invention and another first aspect of the present invention made to solve the above problems are a rod arranged to move in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction in a housing, and the rod is pressed in the first direction and a biasing means to collide the rod pressed by the biasing means against a microneedle support supporting the microneedle in the first direction pressed against the rod to press the microneedle support to the target site, and the microneedle A microneedle applicator for puncturing the target site, wherein the rod is moved in the second direction against the force by the biasing means in a first position positioned in the first direction with respect to the housing, a latch means for holding the second position from the first position to the second position in the second direction; and a button for releasing the holding of the rod by acting on the latch means by being pressed in a direction crossing the first direction; , having a press receiving portion that, when in a third position relative to the housing, regulates the action of the button on the latch means by contacting the button pressed between the button and the latch means, wherein in the third position button regulating means for allowing the button to act on the latch means by moving the press receiving portion in the second direction between the button and the latch means when moving to the fourth position located in the second direction; and an anti-slip means for preventing sliding of the button and the button regulating means.

According to this example, even if the user tries to move the button regulating means in the second direction while pressing the button, since sliding of the button and the button regulating means is prevented, it is possible to provide a microneedle applicator capable of smooth operation while ensuring safety.

According to the microneedle applicator according to the present invention, movement to the movable cylinder housing side is controlled, so that it is effective to prevent an unintentional puncture operation of the microneedle.

1 is a perspective view of the microneedle applicator cover, which is a first embodiment of the present invention, in an initial state in which the cover is removed from the bottom.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the micro-needle applicator shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the micro-needle applicator cover shown in Figure 1, shown from the planar side in a storage state.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the puncture rod is pushed into the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a state in the middle of mounting the case for holding the micro-needle to the micro-needle applicator shown in Figure 5.
8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the case for holding the microneedle is mounted on the microneedle applicator shown in FIG.
9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover is removed from the case for holding the microneedles in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG.
10 is a perspective view of the micro-needle applicator shown in FIG. 9 from the plane side.
11 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cross section XI-XI of FIG. 10 ;
Figure 12 is a perspective view showing a state moved toward the movable cylinder housing in the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 10.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 12;
Figure 14 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 12;
15 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross-section XV-XV of FIG. 14 .
16 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state in which the puncture button is released after the microneedle is punctured by pressing the puncture button in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 12;
17 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a storage state covered with a micro-needle applicator cover as a second embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a perspective view showing a cap constituting the micro-needle applicator shown in FIG.
19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the storage state before using the microneedle applicator as a third embodiment of the present invention.
20 is an exploded perspective view of the micro-needle applicator shown in FIG.
21 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view showing an enlarged main part of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 19, and describes a movement limiting means for preventing movement toward the movable cylinder housing.
22 is a perspective view showing an initial state before use in which the cap and the cover are separated from the housing in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 19 from the bottom side.
23 is a perspective view showing a state in which the puncture rod is pushed into the housing in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 22;
Figure 24 is a perspective view showing a state in the middle of mounting the case for holding the microneedle to the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 23.
25 is a perspective view showing a state in which the case for holding the microneedles is mounted on the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 24;
26 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover is separated from the case for holding the microneedles in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG.
27 is a perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 26 from the plane side.
28 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross section XXVIII-XXVIII in FIG. 27;
29 is a perspective view showing a state in which the movable cylinder is pushed into the housing in the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 27;
30 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG.
Fig. 31 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross section XXXI-XXXI in Fig. 30;
Figure 32 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view showing the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 19 in a microneedle puncture state.
33 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG.
FIG. 34 is a perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 32 except for the outer housing, and is an explanatory view for explaining a movement locking device that blocks the movement of the pressing force transmitting member.
35 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state in which additional external force is applied to the microneedle after puncture to the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 19;
Figure 36 is a perspective view showing a microneedle applicator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, showing the microneedle puncture preparation state.
37 is a perspective view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 36 except for the outer housing and the cylinder lock, and explains the operation locking device for preventing the operation of the additional external force operation member.
38 is an exploded perspective view of the microneedle shown in FIG. 36;
Fig. 39 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the microneedle shown in Fig. 36, showing a state after the puncture of the microneedle and before applying an additional external force;
Fig. 40 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the microneedle shown in Fig. 39;
41 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state in which an additional external force is applied to the microneedle after puncture to the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 36;
42 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the microneedle applicator in a storage state before use as a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
43 is an exploded perspective view of the micro-needle applicator shown in FIG.
44 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cap and the cover are separated from the microneedle applicator shown in FIG. 42 and the puncture rod is pushed into the housing.
Figure 45 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the microneedle puncture state in the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 42.
Figure 46 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state in which an additional external force is applied to the microneedle in the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 42;
47 is an overall external perspective view of a microneedle applicator as a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
48 is an exploded perspective view of the micro-needle applicator shown in FIG.
Figure 49 is an explanatory view for explaining the state when using the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 47.
Figure 50 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state when using the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 47.
Fig. 51 is a perspective view of a cylinder locking member constituting the micro-needle applicator shown in Fig. 47;
Figure 52 is an explanatory view for explaining the sliding preventing means of the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 47.
53 is an overall external perspective view of the microneedle applicator body as a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 54 (a) is a plan view showing the microneedle applicator shown in Figure 53, (b) is a BB cross-sectional view in (a).
55 is an overall external perspective view showing a state in which the cover is moved and the button is exposed in the micro-needle applicator body shown in FIG. 53;
56 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the microneedle applicator shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings in order to clarify the present invention in more detail.

First, Figures 1 and 2 show a microneedle applicator (hereinafter the applicator) 10 as a first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown in an initial state except for the cover 152 to be described later in the applicator 10. The applicator 10 is possible by holding a fine needle (micro-needle 12 (see FIG. 9, etc.)), and by pushing the applicator 10 holding the micro-needle 12 to the skin, the micro-needle 12 skin By puncturing into the , for example, the drug contained in the microneedle 12 is transdermally administered to the patient. In addition, in the following description, the up-down direction refers to the substantially up-down direction in FIG. 2 which becomes the press-in direction and the ejection direction of the puncture rod 14 mentioned later. In addition, the upward refers to approximately the upper side in FIG. 2, which is the side that the user grabs and pushes (the side away from the skin) when the applicator 10 is pushed to the patient's skin, while the lower side refers to approximately the lower side in FIG. 2 which is the side where the patient's skin is located . For reference, FIG. 1 is shown in a state in which the upper and lower sides of FIG. 2 are inverted.

In more detail, the applicator 10 is provided with a cylindrical housing 16 in the upside down direction that is opened downward as a whole. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the housing 16 is configured to include an outer housing 18 positioned on the outer periphery and an inner housing 20 positioned on the inner periphery. In addition, each member except the spring in the applicator 10 is preferably formed of a hard synthetic resin or the like.

The outer housing 18 is generally downwardly open and has a substantially cylindrical bottom bottom, and a peripheral wall 24 extends downward from the outer periphery of the upper and lower wall 22 . The upper and lower wall 22 has a circular or annular regular octagonal dome shape bulging upward in plan view, and a through hole 26 penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the center. In addition, a cylindrical peripheral wall 24 that is substantially straight downwards from the outer periphery of the upper and bottom wall 22 is integrally formed.

At the periphery of the opening of the through hole 26 of the upper bottom wall 22, a locking portion 28 protruding downward is provided. The locking portion 28 is elastically deformable in a radial direction perpendicular to the axis of the housing 16 . Further, in the present embodiment, the four locking portions 28 are formed at approximately equal intervals (approximately 90 degrees) on the circumference.

In addition, on the outer peripheral side (between the locking part 28 and the peripheral wall 24) of the upper and bottom wall 22 rather than the locking part 28, two supporting walls 30a and 30b of a flat plate or a curved plate that protrude downward are provided in the radial direction. (The left-right direction of FIG. 14 to be described later) is formed to face each other. That is, a support wall 30a opposite to the puncture button 102 described later, a puncture rod 14 installed in the center, a puncture spring 70, etc., is provided, and at the same time, the other support wall 30b is connected to the puncture rod ( 14) and the puncture spring 70 is installed on the opposite side.

Here, a guide protrusion 32 protruding toward the outer periphery is formed to extend in the vertical direction at a central portion in the width direction (circumferential direction) of one supporting wall 30a. In addition, a notch 34 opened downward is provided in the central portion of the support wall 30b in the width direction.

In addition, a fitting hole 36 penetrating the circumferential wall 24 in the thickness direction is formed in the upper and lower middle portion of the outer housing 18 .

On the other hand, the inner housing 20 has a generally cylindrical bottom in a reverse direction smaller than that of the outer housing 18 as a whole. That is, a lid portion 38 having substantially the same shape as the through hole 26 of the outer housing 18 is installed at the upper end of the inner housing 20 . In addition, a locking hole 40 penetrating in a radial direction is provided at a position corresponding to the locking part 28 of the outer housing 18 in the lower portion of the lid part 38 . In addition, on the inner surface of the lid part 38, a substantially cylindrical spring support part 42 supporting a puncture spring 70, which will be described later, protrudes downward and is integrally formed.

Further, a step is formed in the middle portion in the height direction on the circumferential wall extending downward from the outer periphery of the lid portion 38, and the circumferential wall 44 having a larger diameter below the step is formed. The main wall 44 is substantially spherical with rounded angles, and the wall 46a located inside the support wall 30a of the outer housing 18 and the wall 46b inside the support wall 30b and these opposing walls and a pair of walls 46c and 46c connecting the walls 46a and 46b to each other. In addition, the outer surface of the wall 46a has a vertical plane spreading from the top to the bottom near the lower than the step, and a contact surface spreading in the direction perpendicular to the axis is formed at the lower end of the vertical plane.

A guide concave portion 48 that is opened inward over the length in the vertical direction below the step is formed in the substantially central portion of the inner surface of the wall 46a in the width direction. In addition, each of the walls 46a, 46b, 46c, and 46c constituting the main wall 44 is positioned above the step, respectively, and the locking hole 40 is formed. In addition, the wall 46b is provided with a notch 50 extending downward from the engaging hole 40, and at the same time, the walls 46c and 46c have notches 52 and 52 extending downward from the engaging holes 40 and 40. is installed Further, in this embodiment, ribs partially extending in the up-down direction are provided outside each of the walls 46b, 46c, and 46c. In addition, the lower end of the inner housing 20 is formed with a collar 54 protruding downward by the inner periphery spread.

Then, the inner housing 20 is inserted into the outer housing 18 from below and assembled to form the housing 16 . In addition, in the through hole 26 of the outer housing 18 , each locking part 28 is caught in the locking hole 40 at the same time that the lid part 38 of the inner housing 20 is fitted.

Both the outer and inner housings 18 and 20 are arranged in the circumferential direction such that the inner and outer peripheral surfaces overlapping in the radial direction become non-circular. In addition, the engaging action of the engaging portion 28 to the engaging hole 40 and the contact action with the contact surface formed at the lower end of the support wall 30a of the outer housing 18 and the lower end of the wall 46a of the inner housing 20 Thus, the outer housing 18 and the inner housing 20 are fixed in a vertically positioned state. In addition, in this fixed state, the upper end surface of the outer housing 18 (the upper end surface of the upper and lower wall 22 ) and the upper end surface of the inner housing 20 (the upper end surface of the lid part 38 ) are approximately the same in the vertical direction will achieve

In addition, a puncture rod 14 is disposed inside the housing 16 . In this embodiment, the puncture rod 14 has a cylindrical portion 56 and a bottom wall 58, and a bottom extending in the vertical direction as a whole is cylindrical. The outer circumferential shape of the cylindrical portion 56 is slightly smaller than the inner circumferential shape of the circumferential wall 44 of the inner housing 20 .

The cylindrical portion 56 has walls 60a, 60b, 60c, 60c on each wall corresponding to the walls 46a, 46b, 46c, 46c of the inner housing 20, respectively. In addition, a guide bar 62 extending over the entire length in the vertical direction protrudes outward from the substantially center of the wall 60a in the width direction. In addition, a through window 64 penetrating the wall 60b is formed in the upper portion of the wall 60b. Further, a positioning protrusion 66 protruding outward is provided at the upper end of the wall 60c.

In addition, the bottom wall 58 has a substantially disk shape with an outer diameter larger than that of the cylindrical portion 56 and protrudes from the lower end of the puncture rod 14 in a flange shape. In addition, a cylindrical spring support portion 68 is installed on the upper surface of the bottom wall 58 to support the lower end of the puncture spring 70 to be described later by protruding into the cylindrical portion 56 .

The puncture rod 14 as described above is inserted into the circumferential wall 44 of the inner housing 20 in the cylindrical portion 56 from below. In addition, a guide bar 62 installed on the outer surface of the wall 60a of the cylindrical portion 56 is inserted into the guide concave portion 48 formed on the inner surface of the wall 46a of the main wall 44, and is inserted into the wall 46c. A positioning protrusion 66 installed on the wall 60c can be inserted into the installed notch 52 . Thereby, the puncture rod 14 is assembled to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the inner housing 20 (housing 16).

Further, the upwardly moving end with respect to the inner housing 20 of the puncture rod 14 may be defined, for example, such that the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall 58 abuts the lower portion of the main wall 44 . Also, the downward moving end of the puncture rod 14 with respect to the inner housing 20 may be defined such that the positioning protrusion 66 strikes the lower end of the notch 52 , or the like.

In addition, a compression coil spring is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 56 of the puncture rod 14 as the puncture spring 70, and an elastic force can be exerted between the lid portion 38 and the bottom wall 58 opposite to each other in the axial direction. .

In addition, a movable cylinder 72 having a generally cylindrical shape is assembled to the housing 16 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the main wall 74 has a substantially octagonal shape.

Moreover, the insertion hole 76 is provided in a part (left side in FIG. 14) of the periphery of the peripheral wall 74. As shown in FIG. The insertion hole 76 is in the form of a cut-out window opened downward. As will be described later, the user can easily put a finger into the inside of the movable cylinder 72 through the insertion hole 76 from the outer side of the movable cylinder 72 .

A contact plate 78 protruding upward is formed on a portion of the circumference of the main wall 74 (left side in FIG. 14 ). The contact plate 78 is provided with protruding contact portions 80 and 80 protruding from both sides in the width direction (circumferential direction of the circumferential wall 74 ). Each protruding contact portion 80 extends downward by a predetermined length from the upper end of the contact plate 78 , and the lower end of the protruding contact portion 80 becomes an inclined surface 81 . In addition, the protruding contact portions 80 are not provided on both sides in the width direction of the proximal end of the contact plate 78 , but the contact avoiding regions 82 having a notch shape are formed. In addition, a guide concave portion 84 extending over substantially the entire length in the vertical direction is formed in the substantially center of the inner surface of the contact plate 78 in the width direction.

In addition, a substantially cylindrical spring receiving portion 86 opened upward is formed on the peripheral wall 74 . In this embodiment, a pair of spring accommodating parts 86 and 86 are installed facing the main wall 74 in a direction perpendicular to the axis (inward direction in front of the paper in FIG. 14 ). In addition, in this embodiment, the spring receiving portion 86 protrudes above the peripheral wall 74 of the movable cylinder 72 . In addition, a pressing part 88 (refer to FIG. 15) is protruded from each of the opposite inner surfaces of the pair of spring accommodating parts 86 and 86, respectively. In addition, as the front of the puncture button 102, which will be described later, in each pressing unit 88 goes downward, it becomes an inclined surface 90 (refer to FIG. 15) that is inclined toward the rear (right in FIG. 14) away from the puncture button 102. .

In addition, in the movable cylinder 72, a pair of case holding parts 92 and 92 for holding the case 160 of the microneedle 12, which will be described later, protrude below the pair of spring receiving parts 86 and 86. and installed Each case holding part 92 has a substantially rectangular frame shape, and a locking part 94 protruding inward is provided in the substantially center of the lower side portion. In particular, in this embodiment, irregularities are formed on the inner surface of the engaging portion 94 , and as will be described later, it is possible to connect with the irregularities formed on the outer peripheral surface of the case 160 of the microneedle 12 .

Further, on the rear side of the peripheral wall 74 of the movable cylinder 72 opposite to the insertion hole 76 in the radial direction, a stopper 96 protruding downward is provided. When the case 160 of the microneedle 12, which will be described later, is mounted on the movable cylinder 72 by the stopper 96, a moving end for pushing the case 160 to the rear is defined.

In the state in which the movable cylinder 72 is assembled to the housing 16 , the circumferential wall 74 of the movable cylinder 72 is positioned between the circumferential wall 24 of the outer housing 18 and the circumferential wall 44 of the inner housing 20 . located in In addition, in the guide recess 84 installed in the contact plate 78 of the movable cylinder 72, the guide protrusion 32 of the support wall 30a of the outer housing 18 is inserted, and the guide protrusion 32 and By the guiding action of the guide concave portion 84 , the movable cylinder 72 is movable with respect to the housing 16 without being inclined in the vertical direction.

In addition, between the movable cylinder 72 and the housing 16, the pressing springs 98 and 98 composed of a pair of compression coil springs each having their lower portions inserted into the pair of spring receiving portions 86 and 86 in the vertical direction are used in the vertical direction. The elastic force that separates them from each other depends. In addition, the upper end of each pressing spring 98 is positioned by the spring holding part 100 (refer to FIG. 11 ) protruding from the inner surface of the upper and lower wall 22 of the outer housing 18 .

In addition, the puncture button 102 and the lock lever 104 for puncturing the microneedle 12 are assembled to the housing 16 . The puncture button 102 is inserted into and out of the fitting hole 36 so as to spread inside the button body 106 and the fitting hole 36 protruding to the outside of the outer housing 18 and escape from the outer housing 18. An awning 108 is provided to prevent it. In addition, engaging protrusions 110 and 110 protruding inward are provided at both ends of the flange 108 in the width direction (in the front inward direction of the paper in FIG. 14 ). In addition, an inclined surface 112 (see FIG. 3 ) whose protrusion height gradually increases downward is installed on the protruding distal end surface of each coupling protrusion 110 .

On the other hand, the lock lever 104 is made of a substantially rectangular frame-shaped member as a whole, and the circumferential wall 114 is approximately flat-shaped walls 116a and 116b facing in the front-rear direction and approximately flat-shaped walls facing in the left and right directions ( 116c, 116c).

In addition, the front wall 116a of the main wall 114 is provided with through-holes 118 and 118 that are upwardly open grooves at positions corresponding to the engaging protrusions 110 and 110 of the puncture button 102 . And the flange 108 of the puncture button 102 overlaps the wall 116a from the outside, and at the same time, the engaging protrusion 110 protrudes to the inside of the lock lever 104 inserted into the through hole 118 .

In addition, a spring support portion 120 protruding outward from the approximately center in the circumferential direction and a locking portion 122 protruding inward are provided on the rear wall 116b of the main wall 114 . In addition, the lower portion of the protruding tip of the locking portion 122 is formed of an inclined surface whose height protrudes inward toward the upper side, and in this embodiment is formed of an inclined curved surface 124 that is curved and inclined. On the other hand, the upper surface of the engaging portion 122 is a flat surface 125 that spreads substantially horizontally.

In addition, in each of the left and right side walls 116c and 116c of the main wall 114, an opening groove 126 which is opened outward and extends over substantially the entire length in the vertical direction is provided. In the present embodiment, an inclined surface 128 (refer to FIG. 3 ) that is inclined in the direction of narrowing the width of the groove toward the bottom is provided on the inner surface of the groove on the front side of the opening groove 126 .

In addition, a cylinder locking device 130 as a locking member for preventing upward movement of the movable cylinder 72 is disposed on the upper portion of the locking lever 104 . The cylinder locking device 130 as a whole is made of a member having a substantially rectangular frame shape, and the main wall 132 is substantially flat-shaped walls 134a and 134b facing in the front-rear direction and a pair of walls facing in the left-right direction ( 134c, 134c).

And the rear wall 134b is provided with a spring support 136 protruding outward from the approximately center in the circumferential direction, and a coupling portion 138 protruding inward. In addition, the lower surface of the protruding tip of the coupling part 138 is formed of an inclined surface inclined upward along the protruding tip, and in this embodiment, the inclined curved surface 140 is curved.

In addition, protrusions 142 that protrude downward and contact each of the left and right walls 134c and 134c are provided.

In addition, in the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock member 130, between the outer housing 18 for accommodating them, a button spring 144 and lock spring 146, both composed of a compression coil spring, are assembled. The spring 144 for the button is externally inserted into the spring support 120 of the lock lever 104 at one end, and the other end is supported on the opposite inner surface of the outer housing 18 . Similarly, the locking spring 146 is externally inserted into the spring support 136 of the cylinder locking member 130 at one end, and the other end is supported on the opposite inner surface of the outer housing 18 .

Accordingly, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder locking device 130 are added toward the front of the outer housing 18 , and at the same time, the puncture button 102 located in the front of the lock lever 104 is moved toward the outer housing 18 . It is supplied in a state protruding from the fitting hole (36). Also, the cylinder locking device 130 is superposed on the upper portion of the locking lever 104, and at the wall 116b of the locking lever 104 and the wall 134b of the cylinder locking member 130 and the walls 116b and 134b. The locking portion 122 and the engaging portion 138 projecting inwardly protrude outward from the support wall 30b of the outer housing 18 and the wall 46b of the inner housing 20 (and the corresponding wall 46b). ribs) in the vertical direction, that is, inserted between the vertical directions of the notches 34 and 50, and is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder locking device 130 are movable in a direction intersecting the press-fit direction (up and down direction) of the puncture rod 14 , and in this embodiment, it is orthogonal to the press-in direction of the puncture rod 14 . It is movable in the forward and backward direction. Above all, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder lock 130 are movable in an oblique direction with respect to the front-rear direction.

1 and 2 show the applicator 10 in its initial state. That is, the puncture spring 70, the push spring 98, the button spring 144, and the lock spring 146 installed inside the applicator 10 are all in their natural length or in a state of slight initial compression, and the puncture rod 14 and Both movable cylinders 72 protrude downward from the housing 16 . In particular, in the present embodiment, the bottom wall 58 of the puncture rod 14 is located inside the movable cylinder 72 in the initial state, but in the initial state, the puncture rod may protrude outward (below) than the movable cylinder. . Also, in the initial state, the puncture button 102 is in a state protruding outward from the fitting hole 36 of the housing 16 (outer housing 18). In addition, in the initial state, the lock lever 104 and the cylinder locking device 130 are inclined curved surfaces 124 and 140 installed at the respective protruding ends of the engaging portion 122 and the engaging portion 138 formed therein and the puncture In the rod 14, the wall 60b of the cylindrical portion 56 is disposed at a position where it overlaps in the vertical projection.

Here, in the initial state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the protruding contact portions 80 and 80 which are the upper ends of the contact plate 78 of the movable cylinder 72 and the walls 134c and 134c of the cylinder locking member 130 downward The protruding contact protrusions 142 and 142 contact each other in the vertical direction. Thereby, the movement of the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 is prevented in the initial state, and in this embodiment, the movement limiting means 148 for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 is such a movement. It is configured to include the protruding contact portion 80 of the cylinder 72 and the contact projection 142 of the cylinder locking member 130 .

In addition, in this initial state, as shown in FIG. 11 to be described later, the engaging protrusion 110 protruding inward from the puncture button 102 has a through hole 118 installed in the wall 116a of the lock lever 104 . It extends to the inside of the main wall 114 through, and the protruding tip of the engaging protrusion 110 is in the front-rear direction with respect to the protruding contact portion 80 of the contact plate 78 of the movable cylinder 72 installed inside the wall 116a. come into contact Accordingly, the press-in operation of the puncture button 102 is impossible in the initial state, and in this embodiment, the safety mechanism 150 for stopping the puncture button 102 is movable with the engaging protrusion 110 of the puncture button 102 . and a protruding contact portion 80 of the cylinder 72 .

In the storage state before use, the applicator 10 having the above structure is covered with a cover 152 from the lower side with respect to the housing 16, as shown in FIG. 4 . The cover 152 is generally cup-shaped, and has a bottom wall 154 and a main wall 156 of an approximately octagonal shape. The main wall 156 is detachably externally fitted to the main wall 24 of the housing 16 (outer housing 18), whereby the cover 152 connects the movable cylinder 72 and the puncture rod 14 from the outside. Cover the movable cylinder (72) or the puncture rod (14) to prevent external force from being applied to protect it. By installing the cover 152, it is possible to prevent the movable cylinder 72 and the puncture rod 14 from moving unintentionally in the storage state. And by removing the cover 152 in the storage state shown in FIG. 4, the initial state before use shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained.

When the applicator 10 is used, first, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in the initial state, the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the inside of the housing 16 . That is, by pressing and operating the bottom wall 58 of the puncture rod 14 with a finger inserted from the insertion port 76 of the movable cylinder 72, the puncture rod 14 is moved to the housing 16 while compressively deforming the puncture spring 70. ) is pushed upwards. In addition, as shown in Figure 5, the applicator 10 can be operated as if holding down the puncture rod 14 while inverted up and down. When the puncture rod 14 is press-fitted into the housing 16, the guide action of the guide bar 62 of the puncture rod 14 and the guide recess 48 of the inner housing 20 and the positioning of the puncture rod 14 are determined. The puncture rod 14 is inserted without being inclined with respect to the housing 16 by a guiding action as the protrusion 66 is fitted into the notch 52 of the inner housing 20 .

The puncture rod 14 is moved upward by the press-fitting operation of the puncture rod 14 into the housing 16, and the upper end of the wall 60b of the puncture rod 14 and the lock lever 104 are caught protruding inward. The inclined curved surface 124 of the portion 122 is in contact. By further pushing the puncture rod 14 in this contact state, the lock lever 104 is moved rearward while the spring 144 for the button is compressed and deformed.

And by pushing the puncture rod 14 further into the housing 16 , then the top of the wall 60b in the puncture rod 14 and the engagement portion 138 protruding inward from the cylinder lock 130 . The inclined curved surface 140 is in contact. By further pushing the puncture rod 14 in this contact state, the locking spring 146 is compressively deformed, and the cylinder locking device 130 is moved rearward. Accordingly, the protruding contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 of the movement limiting means 148 for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 and the contact protrusion 142 of the cylinder locking device 130 are released from contact. and movement to the housing 16 side of the movable cylinder 72 is permitted. That is, in the present embodiment, the release means 158 for releasing the movement limiting means 148 and allowing the movement toward the housing 16 of the movable cylinder 72 makes the protrusion 142 in contact with the protruding contact portion 80 non-contact. It is made up of instruments that Therefore, in the present embodiment, the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is prevented through the contact between the movable cylinder 72 and the cylinder locking device 130 and the operation according to the release of the contact between the movable cylinder 72 and the cylinder locking device 130 . Allowing movement of the cylinder 72 is selectively realized by movement of the cylinder locking device 130 .

In addition, in this embodiment, the movement limiting means 148 for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder 72 in that the cover 152 covers the movable cylinder 72 in the storage state before use includes the cover 152 . It can be seen that it is constituted by In addition, by removing the cover 152, the press-fitting of the puncture rod 14 and the movement of the movable cylinder 72 are made possible, so that the release means 158 allowing the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is provided in the separation structure of the cover 152. It can be seen that it is constituted by However, the cover constituting the movement limiting means is not limited to being removed by separation, and, for example, a release means for allowing the movement of the movable cylinder 72 by moving, opening, or tilting may be configured.

In addition, when the through window 64 installed on the wall 60b of the moving puncture rod 14 reaches the position of the lock lever 104 by press-fitting operation, the locking portion of the lock lever 104 on the through window 64 ( 122) enters, and the lock lever 104 moves forward according to the elastic restoring force of the spring 144 for the button. Then, the flat surface 125 of the protruding tip of the locking part 122 comes into contact with the inner surface of the through window 64 so that the locking part 122 is caught by the through window 64 . As a result, the downward movement of the puncture rod 14 is prevented, and the puncture rod 14 is inserted into the housing 16 and maintained in a state where the downward elastic force by the puncture spring 70 is applied.

After pushing the puncture rod 14 into the housing 16 in this way, the case 160 for holding the microneedle 12 in the movable cylinder 72 of the applicator 10 as shown in FIGS. 7-9 Mount it. In this embodiment, the case 160 is configured to include a case body 162 for holding the microneedle 12 and a cover 164 for covering the case body 162 from the outside.

That is, the case body 162 of this embodiment has a substantially circular annular shape as a whole, and the upper end portion of the cylindrical wall 166 is formed with an outer peripheral flange portion 168 and an inner peripheral flange portion 170 (see Fig. 13). . Further, the outer diameter dimension of the cylindrical wall 166 is approximately equal to the distance between the opposite sides of the case holding portions 92 and 92 of the movable cylinder 72, while the inner diameter dimension of the inner peripheral flange 170 of the cylindrical wall 166 is the puncture rod In (14), it becomes larger than the outer diameter dimension of the bottom wall (58).

Then, the outer peripheral portion of the substantially circular pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 172 is overlapped and fixed to the inner peripheral flange 170 . A microneedle 12 is fixed to a central portion of the lower surface of the adhesive sheet 172 and is disposed in the center hole of the inner peripheral flange 170 .

Although the specific structure of the microneedle 12 is not limited, in this embodiment, it is configured to include a needle body 174 composed of a plurality of fine solid needles and a base 176 to which the needle body 174 is fixed, The needle body 174 contains a drug administered to the patient.

On the other hand, the cover 164 includes a pair of covers 178 and 178 covering the case body 162 having a generally U-shape from both upper and lower sides, and a connecting portion connecting the covers 178 and 178 at a part of the circumference. 180 is equipped. And the cover 164 is detachable toward the side of the case body 162 .

And, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the case 160 is mounted and detachable through the insertion hole 76 with respect to the movable cylinder 72 in the state where the cover 164 is mounted on the case body 162 . do. In addition, in the case body 162 is mounted on the movable cylinder 72, the outer peripheral flange 168 is fitted between the engaging portion 94 of the case holding portion 92 and the vertical direction of the peripheral wall 74 at the same time, The unevenness formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall 166 and the unevenness provided on the locking part 94 are connected to each other.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9 , the case cover 164 of the case body 162 is pulled out through the insertion hole 76 , and the microneedle 12 is exposed to the outside.

In addition, the applicator 10 equipped with the case 160 having the microneedle 12 is pressed against the skin of the patient from the bottom surface of FIGS. 10 and 11 where the microneedle 12 is exposed. That is, while the lower end of the cylindrical wall 166 of the case body 162 is in contact with the patient's skin, the housing 16 is pressed downward to displace the housing 16 and the case body 162 to approach each other.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 , the movable cylinder 72 moves toward the housing 16 (upward). That is, by moving the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 , the pressing spring 98 is compressively deformed to accommodate substantially the entire circumferential wall 74 of the movable cylinder 72 in the housing 16 . The movement of the housing 16 of the movable cylinder 72 is caused by the guide action between the guide protrusion 32 of the housing 16 and the guide recess 84 of the movable cylinder 72 so that the movable cylinder 72 moves to the housing ( 16) moves straight up and down.

In addition, in the initial state shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the safety mechanism 150 is constituted by the engaging protrusion 110 of the puncture button 102 and the protruding contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 contacting each other, and the puncture button 102 . ) becomes impossible, but the movable cylinder 72 moves upward in the housing 16 (moves toward the housing 16 side) so that the contact between the engaging protrusion 110 and the protruding contact 80 is released, and the engagement The protrusion 110 may move to the contact avoidance region 82 positioned below the protruding contact portion 80 . Accordingly, the safety mechanism 150 is released and the puncture button 102 can be pushed inside through the fitting hole 36 of the housing 16 .

In addition, in the ready-to-puncture state when the movable cylinder 72 enters the housing 16 , the pressing part 88 installed in the spring receiving part 86 of the movable cylinder 72 is attached to the wall 116c of the lock lever 104 . It is placed in the installed opening groove 126 , and the inclined surface 90 installed in the pressing part 88 and the inclined surface 128 formed in the opening groove 126 face each other in a state of being spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction.

Thus, by pressing and pushing the puncture button 102 in the applicator 10 that is ready for puncture, the microneedle 12 is operated as shown in FIG. 16 . In addition, FIG. 16 shows a state in which the pressure of the puncture button 102 is released after the microneedle 12 is penetrated. That is, as the puncture button 102 and the lock lever 104 located inside the puncture button 102 in the state shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 are moved backward while accompanying the button spring 44 compression deformation, The locking part 122 with respect to the through window 64 is released, and the puncture rod 14 moves downward according to the elastic restoring force of the puncture spring 70 . In addition, in this embodiment, the inclined surface 90 of the pressing part 88 of the movable cylinder 72 and the opening groove of the lock lever 104 according to the movement of the lock lever 104 according to the press-fit operation of the puncture button 102 . The inclined surfaces 128 of 126 come into contact with each other. By adopting such a contacting structure, the movement to the initial positions of the movable cylinder 72 and the lock lever 104, which will be described later, can be stably realized.

Accordingly, the lower portion of the puncture rod 14 passes through the inside of the case body 162 so that the bottom wall 58 of the puncture rod 14 presses the microneedle 12 together with the adhesive sheet 172 against the skin. . That is, the microneedle 12 is attached to the skin by the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 172 in a state in which the microneedle 12 is punctured on the skin, and the microneedle 12 is punctured into the skin over a predetermined time. Through this, the drug contained in the microneedle 12 can be effectively administered to the patient.

When the pressure of the puncture button 102 is released in this puncture operation state, the lock lever 104 returns to its initial position by the elastic restoring force of the button spring 144 as shown in FIG. 16 . In addition, since the contact between the wall 60b of the puncture rod 14 and the coupling portion 138 of the cylinder locking device 130 is also released, the cylinder locking device 130 returns to the initial position by the elastic restoring force of the fixing spring 146 . will return In addition, by separating the applicator 10 from the skin in the state shown in FIG. 16 , the movable cylinder 72 may return to the initial position by the elastic restoring force of the pressing spring 98 . Accordingly, since the applicator 10 returns to the initial state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the applicator 10 for detaching and exchanging the case 160 can be used several times.

In the applicator 10 of this embodiment having the structure as described above, the movement limiting means 148 is installed toward the housing 16 of the movable cylinder 72, and at the same time, the movement limiting means 148 is the puncture rod 14 of the It is released by press-fitting into the housing 16 . That is, before the puncture rod 14 is press-fitted, the microneedle 12 is mounted on the movable cylinder 72, and even when the applicator 10 is pressed against the skin in this state, the movable cylinder 72 moves to the housing 16. It is possible to prevent puncture errors when moving and the microneedle 12 is injected into the skin.

In particular, in this embodiment, the protruding contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 and the cylinder locking device 130 contact each other with the contact protrusion 142, so that movement limiting means ( 148 is configured, by pushing the puncture rod 14 to move the cylinder locking device 130, the contact between the protruding contact portion 80 and the contact protrusion 142 is released, so that the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is allowed That is, the movement of the movable cylinder 72 before and after the movement of the cylinder locking device 130 is prevented and allowed and selectively realized. This simplifies the structure and reduces the number of parts.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the safety mechanism 150 for preventing the press-in operation of the puncture button 102 before the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is configured, for example, before pushing the applicator 10 into the skin. The microneedle 12 protrudes from the applicator 10 and the risk of the microneedle 12 being unintentionally punctured into the skin is prevented. In particular, since this safety device 150 is configured to include the protruding contact portion 80 of the movable cylinder 72 , both the movement limiting means 148 and the safety mechanism 150 are configured by the projecting contact portion 80 . It is possible to further simplify the structure and reduce the number of parts.

Next, Figure 17 shows a microneedle applicator 190 as a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the movement limiting means for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder 72 is realized in a form different from that of the first embodiment. In addition, the applicator 190 of FIG. 17 is shown in a storage state prior to use. In addition, in the present embodiment, members and parts substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, thereby simplifying the detailed description.

That is, in the present embodiment, a cap 192 is installed to prevent press-fitting of the puncture rod 14 into the housing 16 of the puncture rod 14 in a state before use in which the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the inside of the movable cylinder 72 . As shown in FIG. 18 , the cap 192 has a cup shape having a bottom wall 194 and a substantially cylindrical main wall 196 . In addition, an awning portion 198 protruding outward is provided in the peripheral portion of the opening of the main wall 196 .

The outer diameter dimension of this awning portion 198 is approximately the same as the inner diameter dimension of the circumferential wall 74 of the movable cylinder 72, and is inserted from the lower opening of the movable cylinder 72 with the opening of the cap 192 facing upward. , the awning portion 198 of the cap 192 is roughly mounted against the circumferential wall 74 of the movable cylinder 72 , so that the cap 192 can be detachably assembled with respect to the movable cylinder 72 . As the cap 192 is mounted, the puncture rod 14 is covered from the outside, and a gap is set between the puncture rod 14 and the cap 192 so that an external force applied to the cap 192 is applied to the puncture rod 14 . does not reach

In particular, in this embodiment, in the state mounted on the movable cylinder 72 of the cap 192, the bottom wall 194 of the cap 192 is located below the case holding part 92 of the movable cylinder 72, and the applicator ( Even if the 190) is pushed into the skin, the movable cylinder 72 cannot move toward the housing 16 while receiving elasticity from the skin. In addition, since the bottom wall 194 of the cap 192 is located below the case holding part 92 of the movable cylinder 72 in a state of being mounted on the movable cylinder 72 of the cap 192, the case of the microneedle 12 (160) cannot be mounted on the movable cylinder (72).

Since the movable cylinder 72 does not move toward the housing 16 unless the cap 192 is removed by adopting the cap 192 to be caught, in this embodiment, the housing of the movable cylinder 72 by the cap 192 is A movement limiting means 200 for preventing movement toward (16) is configured. Also in this embodiment, since the same cylinder locking device 130 as that of the above embodiment is employed, the housing 16 of the movable cylinder 72 until the puncture rod 14 is pushed into the housing ring 16. movement can be prevented. That is, since movement of the movable cylinder 72 toward the housing 16 side is permitted according to the press-fitting operation of the puncture rod 14, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be exhibited.

Here, in this embodiment, since it is impossible to push in the puncture rod 14 until the cap 192 is removed, the movement limiting means 200 is released after the cap 192 is removed. It is realized by the press-fitting operation of the puncture rod 14 as well as in the first embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, when the cap 192 is removed, the press-fitting operation of the puncture rod 14 becomes possible, so the release means 158 of the movement limiting means 200 same as that of the first embodiment is the cap 192 . It consists of a separate structure. In particular, in the storage state before use in this embodiment as well, as the cover 152 is installed as in the first embodiment described above, the movement limiting means 200 includes the cover 152 and the release means 158 at the same time. It is also possible to grasp that the cover 152 has a separate structure.

In addition, in this embodiment, until the cap 192 is removed, the case 160 of the microneedle 12 becomes impossible to mount, so before removing the cap 192, the original microneedle 12 puncture problem Also, even if the cap 192 is removed, the movable cylinder 72 is prevented from moving toward the housing 16 before the puncture rod 14 is press-fitted, so that the problem of puncture error of the microneedle 12 can be effectively prevented. can

Next, FIG. 19 shows a micro-needle applicator (hereinafter referred to as an applicator) 210 as a third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, Figure 19 is shown in the state before use of the applicator 210, for example, in a storage state that is distributed to the market as a product and provided to the user. The applicator 210 has a housing 212 and a puncture spring 214 as a biasing means accommodated in the housing 212, and by the elastic force of the puncture spring 214, the microneedle 216 (Fig. 26, etc.) is protruded from the housing 212 to puncture the skin, so that the medicament contained in the microneedle 216 is transdermally administered to the patient. In addition, in the following description, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction of FIG. 19 which becomes the movement direction of the puncture rod 218 according to the deformation of the puncture spring 214, which will be described later. In addition, the upward refers to the upper side of FIG. 19, which is the side that the user grips and pushes (the side away from the skin) when the applicator 210 is pushed into the patient's skin, while the lower side is the side where the patient's skin is located. say below In addition, the front refers to the left side of FIG. 19 which is the protrusion direction of the puncture button 322 or the press button 372 to be described later of the housing 212, while the rear refers to the puncture button 322 or the press button 372 of the housing 212. The right side of FIG. 19 used as a press-fitting direction is said.

In more detail, the applicator 210 is provided with a housing 212 of a substantially cylindrical shape in the vertical reverse direction that is opened downward as a whole. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20 , the housing 212 is configured to include an outer housing 220 positioned on the outer periphery and an inner housing 222 positioned on the inner periphery. In addition, each member except the spring in the applicator 210 is preferably formed of a hard synthetic resin or the like.

The outer housing 220 is generally cylindrical in a reverse direction open downward, and the peripheral wall 226 extends downward from the outer periphery of the upper and lower wall 224 . The upper and bottom wall 224 has a substantially circular or substantially annular regular octagon in plan view and has a dome shape that is swollen upward, and a through hole 228 of a substantially regular octagonal shape penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the center. In addition, in the upper bottom wall 224, a substantially rectangular window portion 229 (refer to FIG. 29 and the like) that penetrates in the vertical direction in a portion of the circumference (inside the paper in FIG. 19 ) on the outer peripheral side of the through hole 228 is formed. And the circumferential wall 226 of a substantially linear cylindrical shape is integrally formed from the outer periphery of the upper-bottom wall 224 downward.

In addition, at the periphery of the opening of the through-hole 228 of the upper-bottom wall 224, a locking part 230 protruding downward is provided. The locking part 230 is elastically deformable in a radial direction (left and right direction in FIG. 19 ) that is a direction perpendicular to the axis of the housing 212 . In addition, in the present embodiment, four locking portions 230 are formed at approximately equal intervals (approximately every 90 degrees) on the circumference.

In addition, on the outer peripheral side (between the locking part 230 and the peripheral wall 226 in the radial direction) from the upper and lower wall 224 than the locking part 230, two support walls 232a and 232b in the form of flat or curved plates protruding downward. ) teeth are formed to face each other in the radial direction (left and right direction in FIG. 19). That is, the support wall 232a is installed on one side with a member such as the puncture spring 214 or the puncture rod 218 installed in the center of the applicator 210, and at the same time, the support wall 232b is installed on the other side. do. In the present embodiment, the vertical dimension of the one side support wall 232a is larger than the vertical dimension of the other side support wall 232b. In addition, a guide protrusion 234 (see FIG. 21 and the like) protruding toward the outer periphery is formed in a central portion in the width direction (circumferential direction) of the one side support wall 232a to extend in the vertical direction.

In addition, a hole 236 for a pressing button and a hole 238 for a pressing button are formed in the upper and lower middle portion of the outer housing 220 in the thickness direction through the upper and lower wall 224 and/or the main wall 226 . In this embodiment, the two holes 236 and 238 are each formed in a horizontal rectangle, and are disposed in parallel while being spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction in a part of the circumference (left in FIG. 19 ). In particular, in this embodiment, the hole 236 for the puncture button has a size slightly larger than the hole 238 for the press button and is located below the hole 238 for the press button.

On the other hand, the inner housing 222 is generally smaller than the outer housing 220 in the reverse direction of a substantially cylindrical shape. That is, a lid portion 240 having substantially the same shape as the through hole 228 of the outer housing 220 is installed at the upper end of the inner housing 222 . In addition, a locking hole 242 penetrating in a radial direction is installed at a position corresponding to the locking part 230 of the outer housing 220 under the lid part 240 . In addition, on the inner surface (lower surface) of the lid part 240, a spring support part 246 in the shape of a substantially cylindrical or polygonal column supporting the pressure spring 288 as an additional external force generating member to be described later is integrally formed by protruding downward. . In the present embodiment, the lower end of the spring support portion 246 extends to the vertical middle portion of the housing 212 (the vertical middle portion of the circumferential wall 226 of the outer housing 220 ).

In addition, a step is formed in the middle portion in the height direction on the peripheral wall portion extending downward from the outer periphery of the lid portion 240 , and the lower side becomes the peripheral wall 248 having a larger diameter than the step. The main wall 248 has an approximately round rectangle or approximately regular octagonal shape, and a wall 250a located inside the supporting wall 232a of the outer housing 220 and a wall located inside the supporting wall 232b. 250b and a pair of walls 250c and 250c connecting these radially opposite walls 250a and 250b to each other. In addition, the outer surface of the wall 250a is placed below the step and is formed of a vertical surface that diffuses from the upper end to the vicinity of the lower end, and a contact surface that diffuses in a direction perpendicular to the axis is formed at the lower end of the vertical surface.

Further, in the center of the inner surface of the wall 250a in the width direction, a guide concave portion 252 (see FIG. 28 and the like) which is opened to the inside extending over the entire length in the up-down direction below the step is formed. In addition, each wall (250a, 250b, 250c, 250c) constituting the main wall (248) is located at a portion above the step, respectively, a locking hole (242) is formed. In addition, the wall 250b is provided with a notch 254 extending downward from the engaging hole 242, and at the same time, the walls 250c and 250c have notches 256 and 256 extending downward from the engaging hole 242 and 242. is installed Further, in this embodiment, ribs partially extending in the up-down direction are provided on the outside of each of the walls 250b, 250c, and 250c. In addition, the lower end of the inner housing 222 is formed with a color portion 258 that protrudes downward by the inner periphery is spread.

In addition, the inner housing 222 is inserted and assembled from the bottom with respect to the outer housing 220 to configure the housing 212 . In addition, in the through hole 228 of the outer housing 220 , the lid part 240 of the inner housing 222 is fitted, and each locking part 230 is caught in the locking hole 242 .

Both the outer and inner housings 220 and 222 are positioned in the circumferential direction by making the inner and outer peripheral surfaces overlapped in the radial direction from the through hole 228 and the lid portion 240 to be non-circular (each approximately regular octagon in this embodiment). do. Also, the engaging action of the engaging part 230 on the engaging hole 242 and the contact surface formed at the lower end of the support wall 232a of the outer housing 220 and the lower end of the wall 250a of the inner housing 222 are in contact. By the action, the outer housing 220 and the inner housing 222 are fixed in a state positioned in the inward direction. In addition, in this fixed state, the upper surface of the outer housing 220 (the upper surface of the upper and lower wall 224 ) and the upper surface of the inner housing 222 (the upper surface of the lid part 240 ) are approximately the same in the vertical direction. becomes

In addition, a puncture rod 218 is disposed inside the housing 212 . In this embodiment, the puncture rod 218 has a cylindrical portion 260 and a bottom wall 262, and has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction as a whole. The outer circumferential shape of the cylindrical portion 260 is slightly smaller than the inner circumferential shape of the circumferential wall 248 of the inner housing 222 .

The cylindrical portion 260 is provided with walls 250a, 250b, 250c, and 250c on the inner peripheral side of the inner housing 222 and walls 264a, 264b, 264c, and 264c as respective walls diametrically opposed to each other. In addition, a guide bar 266 extending over the entire length in the vertical direction protrudes outward from the substantially center of the wall 264a in the width direction. In addition, a through window 268 penetrating the wall 264b is formed on the upper portion of the wall 264b. Further, a positioning protrusion 270 protruding outward is provided at each upper end portion of the wall 264c.

In addition, the bottom wall 262 is made of a substantially circular plate shape having an outer diameter greater than that of the cylindrical portion 260 and protrudes in a flange shape at the lower end of the puncture rod 218 . In addition, a cylindrical spring support portion 271 protruding from the cylindrical portion 260 to support the lower end of the puncture spring 214 is provided on the surface of the bottom wall 262 .

The puncture rod 218 as described above is inserted and assembled from the lower side to the circumferential wall 248 of the inner housing 222 in the cylindrical portion 260 . In addition, the guide barbed wire 266 installed on the outer surface of the wall 264a of the cylindrical portion 260 is inserted into the guide recess 252 formed on the inner surface of the wall 250a of the main wall 248, and at the same time as the wall 250c. A positioning protrusion 270 installed on the wall 264c may be inserted into the formed notch 256 . Due to this, the lid portion 240 of the inner housing 222 and the puncture rod 218 face each other in the vertical direction, and at the same time, the puncture rod 218 and the inner housing 222 are movable in the vertical direction, that is, the direction in which they approach each other. And it becomes possible to move relative to each other in a direction spaced apart.

In addition, the outer diameter dimension of the bottom wall 262 of the puncture rod 218 is smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the collar portion 258 of the inner housing 222 , and the upwardly moving end of the puncture rod 218 with respect to the inner housing 222 . is defined, for example, by the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall 262 striking the lower portion of the main wall 248, or by the puncture rod 218 being in contact with the pressing rod 272 with a pressing force transmitting member described later. In addition, the downward moving end of the puncture rod 218 with respect to the inner housing 222 may be defined, for example, as the positioning protrusion 270 collides with the lower end of the notch 256 .

In addition, between the puncture rod 218 and the vertical direction of the inner housing 222, a pressure rod 272 is disposed as a pressure transmission member. The pressure rod 272 has a generally upwardly opened cylindrical shape, and includes a cylindrical portion 274 extending in the vertical direction and a substantially circular bottom plate 276 for blocking the lower opening of the cylindrical portion 274 . The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 274 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 260 of the puncture rod 218 , while the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 274 is supported by a spring protruding downward from the lid portion 240 . larger than the outer dimensions of part 246.

In addition, the upper end of the cylindrical portion 274 has an outer circumference tube 278 that is bent to the outer circumference side, and is opened downwardly between the cylindrical portion 274 and the outer circumference tube 278 in the radial direction to puncture spring 214. An annular spring support 280 for supporting the upper portion of the is formed.

In addition, a portion of the circumference of the outer periphery 278 (left in FIG. 19 ) is formed with a thick wall 282 having a large thickness dimension, and a thick wall taken during assembly of the inner housing 222 and the pressure rod 272 is formed. The portion 282 may be inserted into the guide recess 252 formed in the inner surface of the wall 250a of the inner housing 222 . As a result, the inner housing 222 and the pressure rod 272 are positioned to each other in the circumferential direction, and are guided and moved in the vertical direction.

In addition, locking projections 284 protruding toward the outer periphery are provided on both sides of the outer periphery tube 278 in the first radial direction (both sides in the front and inner direction of the paper in FIG. 19 ). In this embodiment, the locking protrusions 284 and 284 are formed at positions corresponding to the notches 256 and 256 formed in the walls 250c and 250c of the inner housing 222, and the inner housing 222 and the pressure rod ( When assembling the 272 , each locking protrusion 284 is positioned at each notch 256 . In particular, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the locking protrusion 284 has a thickness dimension (vertical dimension) of the locking protrusion 284 toward the moving direction (from the left to the right in FIG. 19 ) of the pressing button 372 to be described later. ) inclined in a direction in which the inclined surface 286 is formed.

And the inner housing 222, the puncture rod 218 and the pressure rod 272 are assembled with each other. That is, the spring support portion 246 protruding downward from the lid portion 240 of the inner housing 222 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 274 of the pressure rod 272 from above, and the cylindrical portion 274 is punctured. The rod 218 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 260 from the upper opening of the cylindrical portion 260 of the rod 218, and the inner housing 222, the puncture rod 218, and the pressure rod 272 are coaxially in series in the vertical direction. are placed

In addition, a puncture spring 214, which is a compression coil spring, is disposed between the puncture rod 218 and the pressure rod 272 in the vertical direction. That is, the puncture spring 214 is extrapolated to the cylindrical portion 274 of the puncture rod 272 and at the same time is interpolated into the cylindrical portion 260 of the puncture rod 218, so that the upper end of the puncture spring 214 is the pressing rod ( The lower portion of the puncture spring 214 is fixed to the spring support 271 of the puncture rod 218 while it is fixed to the spring support 280 of the 272 . Accordingly, as the puncture spring 214 is compressed, a downward elastic force is applied to the puncture rod 218 . In addition, in the storage state of the applicator 210 shown in FIG. 19 and the initial state in which the cover 394 and the cap 392 to be described later in the state shown in FIG. 19 are separated ( FIG. 22 to be described later), the puncture spring 214 is shown in approximate natural length.

Also, a pressing spring 288 is disposed as an additional external force generating member between the pressing rod 272 and the inner housing 222 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the urging spring 288 is constituted by a compression spring member (compression coil spring). That is, the pressure spring 288 is interpolated into the cylindrical portion 274 of the pressure rod 272 at the same time as the inner housing 222 is extrapolated to the spring support portion 246 so that the upper end of the pressure spring 288 is the inner housing 222 . is fixed to the lid portion 240 of the pressure spring 288, while the lower end of the pressure spring 288 is fixed to the bottom plate 276 of the pressure rod 272. Accordingly, as the pressure spring 288 is compressed, the pressure rod 272 moves downward. In addition, this pressure spring 288 is assembled in a compressed state in the storage state shown in Fig. 19.

In addition, the housing 212 is assembled so that the movable cylinder 290 having a generally cylindrical shape is movable in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the main wall 292 is formed in a substantially octagonal shape.

In addition, an insertion hole 294 is provided in a portion (left side in FIG. 19 ) around the peripheral wall 292 . The insertion hole 294 is in the form of a cut-out window opened downward. As will be described later, the user can easily insert a finger into the inside of the movable cylinder 290 through the insertion hole 294 from the outer side of the movable cylinder 290 .

A part (left side in FIG. 19) of the peripheral wall 292 is formed with a contact plate 296 protruding upward. The contact plate 296 is provided with protruding contact portions 298 and 298 protruding from both sides in the width direction (the circumferential direction of the circumferential wall 292). Each of the protruding contact portions 298 extends downward by a predetermined length from the upper end of the contact plate 296 , and the lower end of the protruding contact portion 298 becomes the inclined surface 300 . In addition, the contact portions 298 protruding on both sides of the width direction of the base end portion (lower portion) of the contact plate 296 are not provided, and the contact avoidance region 302 having a notch shape is formed. In addition, a guide concave portion 304 extending over the entire length in the vertical direction is formed in the substantially center of the inner surface of the contact plate 296 in the width direction.

Also, the circumferential wall 292 is formed with a substantially cylindrical spring receiving portion 306 that opens upward. In the present embodiment, a pair of spring accommodating portions 306 and 306 are provided to face the circumferential wall 292 in a direction perpendicular to the axis (inward direction toward the front of the page in FIG. 19). In addition, in this embodiment, the spring receiving portion 306 protrudes above the peripheral wall 292 of the movable cylinder 290 . In addition, a pressing portion 308 (see FIG. 31 ) protrudes from each of the opposite inner surfaces of the pair of spring receiving portions 306 and 306 . In addition, the front surface (left side in FIG. 19) on the side of the puncture button 322, which will be described later in each pressing unit 308, is inclined toward the rear (right side in FIG. 19) away from the puncture button 322 as it goes down. ) (see FIG. 31).

In addition, in the movable cylinder 290, a pair of case holding parts 312 and 312 for holding the case 410 of the microneedle 216, which will be described later, protrude downward of the pair of spring receiving parts 306 and 306. and installed Each case holding part 312 has a substantially rectangular frame shape, and a locking part 314 protruding inward is installed in the substantially center of the lower part. In particular, in this embodiment, irregularities are attached to the inner surface of the locking part 314 , and as will be described later, the microneedles 216 may be coupled to the irregularities formed on the outer peripheral surface of the case 410 .

In addition, a stopper 316 protruding downward is provided at the rear of the movable cylinder 290 circumferential wall 292 opposite to the insertion hole 294 dkh in the radial direction. When the case 410 of the microneedle 216 to be described later is mounted on the movable cylinder 290 by the stopper 316 , a moving end for pushing the case 410 to the rear is defined.

And, in the assembled state of the housing 212 of the movable cylinder 290 , the peripheral wall 292 of the movable cylinder 290 is between the peripheral wall 226 of the outer housing 220 and the peripheral wall 248 of the inner housing 222 . Located. In addition, the guide concave portion 304 installed in the contact plate 296 of the movable cylinder 290 may be inserted into the guide projection 234 of the support wall 232a of the outer housing 220, such a guide projection 234 ) and the guide action of the guide concave portion 304 , the movable cylinder 290 is movable without being inclined in the vertical direction to the housing 212 .

Between the movable cylinder 290 and the housing 212, each other in the vertical direction by the pressing springs 318 and 318 composed of a pair of compression coil springs, each lower part of which is inserted into the pair of spring accommodating parts 306 and 306. An elastic force in a spaced apart direction is applied. That is, the movable cylinder 290) and the housing 212 move relative to each other in a direction to approach each other, so that the pressing springs 318 and 318 are compressively deformed, and at the same time, by the elastic restoration deformation of the corresponding pressing springs 318 and 318, The movable cylinder 290 and the housing 212 may be relatively moved in a direction spaced apart from each other. Further, the upper portion of each pressing spring 318 is extrapolated to, for example, a spring holding portion 320 (see FIG. 28 ) protruding downward from the upper and lower wall 224 of the outer housing 220, for example, pressing The upper end of the spring 318 is fixed to the inner surface of the upper and lower wall 224 .

In addition, a puncture button 322 and a lock lever 324 for puncturing the microneedle 216 are assembled to the housing 212 . The puncture button 322 is inserted into and out of the hole 236 for the puncture button and spreads inside and outside the puncture button body 326 and the hole 236 for the puncture button protruding out of the outer housing 220. A shading portion 328 is provided to prevent the housing 220 from escaping. In addition, coupling protrusions 330 and 330 protruding inward are provided at both ends of the awning portion 328 in the width direction (in the front inward direction of the paper in FIG. 19 ). In addition, an inclined surface 332 (see FIG. 20 ) whose protrusion height gradually increases downward is formed on the protruding tip surface of the coupling protrusion 330 .

On the other hand, the lock lever 324 is a member of a substantially rectangular frame shape as a whole, and the circumferential wall 334 is substantially flat-shaped walls 336a and 336b opposed in the front-rear direction and flat-walled walls 336c and 336c opposed in the left and right directions. ) is composed of

In addition, the front wall 336a of the main wall 334 is provided with through-holes 338 and 338 in a cut state open upward at positions corresponding to the engaging protrusions 330 and 330 of the puncture button 322 . And the flange 328 of the puncture button 322 is overlapped from the outside with respect to the wall 336a, and at the same time the engaging protrusion 330 is inserted into the through hole 338. The inner side of the circumferential wall 334 of the lock lever 324 is projected on

In addition, in the wall 336b on the rear side of the main wall 334, a spring support portion 340 protruding outward (rear) of the main wall 334 from the approximately center in the circumferential direction and a locking portion 342 protruding inward (forward). is installed In addition, the lower portion of the protruding tip of the locking portion 342 is formed as an inclined surface whose height protrudes inward toward the upper side, and in this embodiment is formed as an inclined curved surface 344 that is gently inclined. On the other hand, the upper surface of the engaging portion 342 is made of a flat surface 346 that spreads substantially horizontally.

In addition, opening grooves 348 that open outward and extend over the entire length in the vertical direction are provided in each of the left and right side walls 336c and 336c of the main wall 334 . In this embodiment, an inclined surface 350 (refer to FIG. 20) is provided on the inner surface of the groove on the front side of the opening groove 348, which is inclined in a direction to narrow the groove width as it goes downward.

In addition, a cylinder locking device 352 for preventing upward movement of the movable cylinder 290 is disposed on the upper portion of the lock lever 324 . The cylinder locking device 352 is a member of a substantially rectangular frame shape as a whole, and the main wall 354 is substantially flat-shaped walls 356a and 356b opposed in the front-rear direction and a pair of walls 356c opposed in the left-right direction; 356c).

And the rear wall 356b is provided with a spring support portion 358 protruding outward (rear) from approximately the center in the circumferential direction, and a protruding coupling portion 360 protruding inward (forward). In addition, the lower surface of the protruding tip of the coupling part 360 is an inclined surface inclined upward toward the protruding tip, and in this embodiment is made of a gently inclined inclined curved surface 362 .

In addition, protrusions 364 that protrude downward and contact each of the left and right walls 356c and 356c are provided. Also, among the walls 356c and 356c on the left and right, a locking part protruding upward from the middle part in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 19) in one wall 356c (in this embodiment, the inner wall 356c in FIG. 19 in FIG. 19) 366) is installed. The locking portion 366 has a predetermined widthwise dimension (left-right dimension in FIG. 19) and protrudes upward, and at an upper end thereof, a bent portion 368 bent inward in the opposite direction to the left and right walls 356c and 356c. is installed In this embodiment, the front portion of the upper end surface of the bent portion 368 becomes a colored portion 370 (refer to FIG. 34 to be described later) colored in a color different from that of the rear portion. Further, in Fig. 34, the rear portion of the top surface of the bent portion 368 is colorless (white), while the front portion (colored portion 370) is colored gray, but this front portion (colored portion 370) and The color of the rear portion is not particularly limited. And in the storage state and pre-use state shown in FIG. 19 , specifically, in the state before the puncture rod 218 is press-fitted into the housing 212 , the area visible by the window 229 in FIG. 34 is indicated by a dotted line. As shown, the color (colorless or white) of the rear portion of the upper surface of the bent portion 368 is visually recognized through the window portion 229 installed in the outer housing 220 .

[0170]

Further, above the cylinder locking device 352 is disposed a pressing button 372 that allows the downward movement of the pressing rod 272 . The pressing button 372 has a peripheral wall 374 of a substantially rectangular rim shape as a whole, so that the peripheral wall 374 is located in the front and the pressing button body 376a protrudes from the pressing button hole 238 of the housing 212 . ) and a substantially flat wall 376b facing the press button body 376a in the front-rear direction, and a pair of walls facing left and right by connecting the press button body 376a and the wall 376b ( 376c, 376c).

In addition, in the middle portion of the left and right walls 376c in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 19 ), holding portions 378 protruding downward are formed with a predetermined width. The holding part 378 faces each other at a predetermined distance in the left and right directions, and a locking protrusion 380 protruding inward in the opposite direction is formed on the inner surface of the holding part 378 . In the present embodiment, an inclined curved surface 382 is installed on the front end of the lower end of the locking protrusion 380 . Also, on the rear wall 376b of the main wall 374, a spring support portion 384 protruding outward (rear) from the substantially center in the circumferential direction is formed.

And the lock lever 324, the cylinder locking device 352, and the pressing button 372 are each a spring 386 for a puncture button composed of a compression coil spring extending in the front-rear direction with respect to the outer housing 220 for accommodating them, respectively. It is assembled with a locking spring 388 and a spring 390 for the pressing button. One end of the spring 386 for the puncture button is extrapolated to the spring support 340 of the lock lever 324 , and the other end is supported on the opposite inner surface of the outer housing 220 . Similarly, the fixing spring 388 and the spring 390 for the pressing button have one end extrapolated to the spring support portion 358 of the cylinder locking device 352 and the spring support portion 384 of the pressing button 372, and the other end is the outer housing. (220) is supported on the opposite inner surface.

Accordingly, in the pre-use state shown in FIG. 19 , the lock lever 324 , the cylinder locking device 352 , and the pressing button 372 are biased toward the front of the outer housing 220 , and located in front of the lock lever 324 . While the puncture button body 326 of the puncture button 322 protrudes from the hole 236 for the puncture button of the outer housing 220 , the press button body 376a in the press button 372 is It protrudes from the hole 238 for the pressing button.

In addition, the lock lever 324, the cylinder locking device 352, and the pressing button 372 are overlapped in the vertical direction, and each of these members 324, 352, 372 is provided in the housing 212 in the support wall 232b of the outer housing 220. and the wall 250b of the inner housing 222 (and the ribs protruding outward from the wall 250b) are fitted and supported in the vertical direction, while at the same time protruding inward from the wall 336b of the lock lever 324 The engaging portion 342 and the engaging portion 360 protruding inward from the wall 356b of the cylinder locking device 352 are inserted into the notch 254 formed in the wall 250b of the inner housing 222 .

Also, the locking portion 366 protruding upward from the cylinder locking device 352 is connected to the wall 376c of the pressing button 372 (the bent portion 368 is in contact with the top surface of this wall 376c), and at the same time as the pressing button Retaining portions 378 , 378 projecting downward from the walls 376c , 376c of 372 are inserted inside the walls 356c , 356c of the cylinder lock 352 to contact in and out.

Accordingly, the puncture button 322, the lock lever 324, the cylinder locking device 352, and the pressing button 372 are assembled in a vertically positioned state in the housing 212, and at the same time, each member 322, 324, 352, 372 is With the deformation of the spring 386 for the puncture button, the lock spring 388 and the spring 390 for the pressure button, it is possible to move in the front-rear direction.

The above-described applicator 210 includes, for example, a puncture button 322, a lock lever 324 along with a spring 386 for a puncture button, a lock spring 388, and a spring 390 for a press button on the outer housing 220. After assembling the cylinder locking device 352 and the pressing button 372 , the inner housing 222 , the pressing spring 288 , the pressing rod 272 , and the pressing springs 318 and 318 in the lower opening of the outer housing 220 . ), the movable cylinder 290, the puncture spring 214, and the puncture rod 218 may be sequentially assembled and manufactured, but the assembly sequence is not limited.

Here, in the state before use shown in FIG. 19 , the pressure spring 288 installed between the inner housing 222 and the pressure rod 272 and the vertical direction is maintained in a compressed state. That is, in the state before use shown in FIG. 19 , the lower surface of the lid part 240 of the inner housing 222 to which the upper end of the pressure spring 288 is fixed and the pressure rod 272 to which the lower end of the pressure spring 288 is fixed. The distance between the upper surfaces of the bottom plate 276 of the is shorter than the natural length of the pressing spring 288, the downward elastic force according to the elastic restoring force of the pressing spring 288 is applied to the pressing rod 272.

Here, in the state shown in FIG. 19 , the downward movement of the pressure rod 272 can be prevented. That is, in the state before the use of the applicator 210, as shown in FIG. 34 to be described later, the engaging protrusions 284 protruding from the outer periphery 278 of the pressurizing rod 272 to the outer periphery are the left and right walls of the pressurizing button 372 ( 376c) is caught by the locking protrusion 380 protruding inward. Accordingly, the downward movement of the pressing rod 272 according to the elastic force of the pressing spring 288 is prevented by the engaging projection 284 being caught by the engaging projection 380 . That is, in this embodiment, the locking device 391 for preventing downward movement by maintaining the upward positioning of the pressure rod 272 is configured to include a locking protrusion 284 and a locking protrusion 380 .

In addition, the locking protrusion 284 is caught by the locking protrusion 380 is realized by pushing the pressing rod 272 against the pressing button 372 from the bottom so that the locking projection 284 turns over the locking projection 380 . That is, by assembling the pressure rod 272 with respect to the outer housing 220 to which the pressure button 372 is assembled, the inclined surface 286 of the locking protrusion 284 of the pressure rod 272 and the locking protrusion of the pressure button 372 . The inclined curved surface 382 of the 380 is brought into contact so that the pressing button 372 is pushed backward while accompanying the compression deformation of the spring 390 for the pressing button. Therefore, additional upward press-fitting of the pressing rod 272 is possible, and the pressing button 372 is initially deformed according to the elastic restoration deformation of the spring 390 for the pressing button at the time when the locking protrusion 284 crosses the locking protrusion 380 . Returning to the position, the locking protrusion 284 is caught by the locking protrusion 380 .

On the other hand, the puncture spring 214, the press springs 318, 318, the spring 386 for the puncture button, the lock spring 388, the spring 390 for the pressing button installed in the applicator 210 are all natural length or With some initial compression, both the puncture rod 218 and the movable cylinder 290 project downwardly from the housing 212 . In particular, in this embodiment, in the state before use, the bottom wall 262 of the puncture rod 218 is located inside the main wall 292 of the movable cylinder 290 and exposed to the external space, for example, the movable cylinder 290 ) It is possible to access the bottom wall 262 of the puncture rod 218 through the insertion hole 294 installed in the main wall 292. However, in the state before use, the puncture rod may protrude outward (below) than the movable cylinder. In addition, in the state before use, the puncture button 322 (the puncture button body 326) and the press button 372 (the press button body 376a) are provided with the hole for the puncture button of the housing 212 (outer housing 220) ( 236) and a state protruding outward from the hole 238 for the pressing button. In addition, in the state before use, the lock lever 324 and the cylinder locking device 352 are inclined curved surfaces 344 and 362 installed at the respective protruding ends of the engaging portion 342 and the engaging portion 360 installed therein and the puncture rod The wall 264b of the cylindrical portion 260 of 218 is disposed at a position overlapping with the projection in the vertical direction.

Here, in this embodiment, a cap 392 for covering the puncture rod 218 protruding from the housing 212 from the outside is installed, and a cover 394 for covering the lower opening of the housing 212 from the outside. is installed to prevent unintentional puncture rod 218 contact.

That is, the cap 392 has a cup shape having a bottom wall 396 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 398 . In addition, a flange 400 protruding outwardly is provided at the periphery of the opening of the main wall 398 . The outer diameter dimension of the flange 400 is approximately the same as the inner diameter dimension of the circumferential wall 292 of the movable cylinder 290, and is inserted from the lower opening of the movable cylinder 290 with the hole of the cap 392 facing upward, The flange 400 of the cap 392 is fitted against the circumferential wall 292 of the movable cylinder 290 so that the cap 392 can be detachably assembled to the movable cylinder 290 . As the cap 392 is mounted, the puncture rod 218 protruding from the housing 212 is covered from the outside, and at the same time, a gap is set between the puncture rod 218 and the cap 392 to be attached to the cap 392 . The applied external force does not reach the puncture rod 218 .

In addition, in the storage state shown in FIG. 19 , the cover 394 is covered from the lower side with respect to the housing 212 . The cover 394 is generally cup-shaped, and has a bottom wall 402 and a main wall 404 in a substantially octagonal shape. The main wall 404 is detachably extrapolated to the main wall 226 of the housing 212 (outer housing 220), so that the movable cylinder 290 or the puncture rod 218 is protected from external force. .

Here, in the state before use shown in FIG. 19 and the like, as shown in an enlarged view of the main part in FIG. 21 , the protruding contact parts 298 and 298 that are the upper ends of the contact plate 296 of the movable cylinder 290 and the cylinder locking device 352 ) of the protrusions 364 and 364 protruding downward from the walls 356c and 356c and contacting each other in the vertical direction. Therefore, the movement of the movable cylinder 290 toward the housing 212 side in the state before use is prevented, and in this embodiment, the movement limiting means 406 for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder 290 toward the housing 212 side is movable. and a protruding contact portion 298 of the cylinder 290 and a contact projection 364 of the cylinder locking device 352 .

In addition, in this embodiment, as will be described later, by pushing the puncture rod 218 toward the housing 212, movement of the movable cylinder 290 to the housing 212 side is allowed, and direct contact of the puncture rod 218 is allowed. A movement limiting means 406 for preventing movement toward the housing 212 side of the movable cylinder 290 including a cap 392 for preventing may be configured. Alternatively, if the lower opening of the housing 212 is covered with the cover 394, it is impossible to directly apply an external force to the movable cylinder 290, so the cylinder locking device 352 and the cap 392 are not installed on the cover 394. The movement limiting means 406 may be configured by this, or the movement limiting means 406 may be configured by providing a cylinder locking device 352 and a cap 392 and further including a cover 394 .

In this pre-use state, particularly as shown in FIG. 28 to be described later, the engaging protrusion 330 protruding inward from the puncture button 322 has a through hole 338 installed in the wall 336a of the lock lever 324 . It extends to the inside of the main wall 334 and the protruding end of the engaging protrusion 330 contacts the protruding contact portion 298 of the contact plate 296 of the movable cylinder 290 installed inside the wall 336a in the front-rear direction. do. Therefore, it is impossible to press-in the puncture button 322 in the state before use, and in this embodiment, the safety mechanism 408 for stopping the puncture button 322 is provided with the coupling protrusion 330 of the puncture button 322 and the movable cylinder. and a protruding contact 298 of 290 .

When using the related applicator 210, first, in the storage state shown in FIG. 19, the cover 394 and the cap 392 are sequentially separated to the initial state before use shown in FIG. And in such an initial state, as shown in FIG. 23 , the puncture rod 218 is pushed into the housing 212 . That is, by pressing the bottom wall 262 of the puncture rod 218 with a finger inserted from the insertion hole 294 of the movable cylinder 290 to compressively deform the puncture spring 214, the puncture rod 218 is moved to the housing 212. push the top of When press-fitting into the housing 212 of the puncture rod 218, the guide rib 266 of the puncture rod 218 and the guide recess 252 of the inner housing 222 act as a guide, and the position of the puncture rod 218 is Since the crystal protrusion 270 is fitted into the notch 256 of the inner housing 222 , the puncture rod 218 is inserted into the housing 212 without being inclined by the guide action.

In addition, FIGS. 22 and 23 show the applicator 210 in a vertically inverted state in the state of FIG. 19, for example, by holding the applicator 210 in a vertically inverted state as shown in FIG. 23 to remove the puncture rod 218 It may be operated to press, but the direction in which the puncture rod 218 is pressed is not limited thereto.

This press-fitting operation into the housing 212 of the puncture rod 218 causes the puncture rod 218 to move upwardly protruding inward from the lock lever 324 and the top of the wall 264b at the puncture rod 218 . The inclined curved surface 344 of the locking part 342 is in contact. When the puncture rod 218 is further pushed in the contact state, the spring 386 for the puncture button is compressively deformed, and the lock lever 324 is moved rearward.

And by pushing the puncture rod 218 further into the housing 212 , then the top of the wall 264b in the puncture rod 218 and the engagement portion 360 protruding inward from the cylinder lock 352 . of the inclined curved surface 362 is in contact. By further pushing the puncture rod 218 in the contact state, the locking spring 388 is compressed and the cylinder locking device 352 is moved backward. Therefore, the contact of the protruding contact portion 298 of the movable cylinder 290 of the movement limiting means 406 for preventing the movement of the movable cylinder 290 toward the housing 212 side and the contact protrusion 364 of the cylinder locking device 352 . is released, and the movable cylinder 290 is allowed to move toward the housing 212 side. That is, in the present embodiment, the release means for releasing the movement limiting means 406 and allowing the movement toward the housing 212 of the movable cylinder 290 is a mechanism for bringing the protruding contact portion 298 and the contact protrusion 364 into a non-contact state. is composed of Therefore, in the present embodiment, the movement of the movable cylinder 290 by the contact between the movable cylinder 290 and the cylinder locking device 352 is prevented, and according to the release of the contact between the movable cylinder 290 and the cylinder locking device 352 . Allowing movement of the movable cylinder 290 is selectively realized by the movement of the cylinder locking device 352 .

In addition, although the rear portion of the upper surface of the bent portion 368 of the cylinder locking device 352 was visually visible from the window portion 229 of the outer housing 220 before the cylinder locking device 352 moved, the cylinder locking device 352 moved After that, in FIG. 34 , the dotted line portion indicating the region recognizable by the window portion 229 moves to the colored portion 370 so that the color and the rear portion of the upper end surface of the curved portion 368 in the window portion 229 change. Another front portion (colored portion 370) is visible. That is, it can be checked whether the cylinder locking device 352 moves, that is, whether the puncture rod 218 is inserted into the housing 212 according to the color visible from the window 229 . Also, a mechanism for confirming whether the cylinder locking device 352 is moving by the window portion 229 is not essential, that is, the window portion 229 or the colored portion 370 is not essential.

In addition, when the through window 268 formed in the wall 264b of the puncture rod 218, which moves by the press-fitting operation, reaches the position of the lock lever 324, the engaging portion of the lock lever 324 on the through window 268 ( 342 enters and the lock lever 324 moves forward according to the elastic restoring force of the spring 386 for the through button. As shown in FIG. 30, which will be described later, the flat surface 346 of the protruding tip of the locking part 342 comes into contact with the inner surface of the through window 268, and the locking part 342 is caught by the through window 268. . As a result, the downward movement of the puncture rod 218 is prevented, and the puncture rod 218 is inserted into the housing 212 and maintained in a state where the downward elastic force by the puncture spring 214 is applied.

After pushing the puncture rod 218 into the housing 212 in this way, as shown in FIGS. 24-26, the case 410 for holding the microneedle 216 in the movable cylinder 290 of the applicator 210 is mounted. do. In this embodiment, the case 410 is configured to include a case body 412 holding the microneedle 216 and a cover 414 covering the case body 412 from the outside.

That is, the case body 412 of this embodiment has a substantially circular annular shape as a whole, and an outer peripheral flange 418 and an inner peripheral flange 420 (see FIG. 30 ) are formed at the upper end of the cylindrical wall 416 . In addition, the outer diameter dimension of the cylindrical wall 416 is approximately equal to the distance between the opposite sides of the case holding portions 312 and 312 of the movable cylinder 290, while the inner diameter dimension of the inner peripheral flange 420 of the cylindrical wall 416 is the puncture rod (218) larger than the outer diameter dimension of the bottom wall (262). In particular, in this embodiment, irregularities are attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 416 .

In addition, the inner peripheral flange 420 is fixed by overlapping the outer peripheral portion of the substantially circular pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 422 . A microneedle 216 is fixed to a central portion of the lower surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 422 and is disposed in the center hole of the inner peripheral flange 420 .

Although the specific structure of the microneedle 216 is not limited, in this embodiment, it is configured to include a needle body 424 composed of a plurality of fine solid needles and a base 426 to which the needle body 424 is fixed, the needle The main body 424 contains a drug to be administered to a patient.

On the other hand, the cover 414 is made in a substantially U-shape as a whole, and a pair of covers 428 and 428 covering the case body 412 from both upper and lower sides, and a connecting portion connecting the covers 428 and 428 at a part of the periphery (430) is provided. And the cover 414 is detachable toward the side of the case body 412 .

And, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 , in a state in which the cover 414 is mounted on the case body 412 , the case 410 can be mounted and detached from the movable cylinder 290 through the insertion hole 294 . In addition, in the case body 412 is mounted on the movable cylinder 290, the outer peripheral flange 418 is fitted between the engaging portion 314 of the case holding portion 312 and the vertical direction of the peripheral wall 292 at the same time, The unevenness formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall 416 is correlated with the unevenness formed on the locking portion 314 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 26 , by pulling out the case cover 414 from the case body 412 through the insertion hole 294 , the microneedle 216 is exposed to the outside.

In addition, the applicator 210 equipped with the case body 412 having the microneedle 216 is pressed against the patient's skin at the bottom of FIGS. 27 and 28 where the microneedle 216 is exposed. That is, in a state where the lower end of the cylinder wall 416 of the case body 412 is in contact with the patient's skin, the housing 212 is pressed downward to displace the housing 212 and the case body 412 to approach each other. In addition, the illustration of the pressure rod 272, the pressure spring 288, and the spring support part 246 positioned inside the puncture spring 214 in FIGS. 28 and 31 to be described later is omitted.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 29 to 31 , the movable cylinder 290 moves toward the housing 212 side (upper side). That is, by moving the movable cylinder 290 toward the housing 212 , substantially the entire circumferential wall 292 of the movable cylinder 290 is accommodated in the housing 212 while the pressing spring 318 is compressively deformed. The movable cylinder 290 moves into the housing 212 by the guide action of the guide protrusion 234 of the housing 212 and the guide recess 304 of the movable cylinder 290 so that the movable cylinder 290 moves into the housing ( 212) in the vertical direction.

In addition, in the state before use shown in FIG. 19 and the like, the safety mechanism 408 is constituted by the engaging protrusion 330 of the puncture button 322 and the protruding contact portion 298 of the movable cylinder 290 contact each other to form the puncture button 322 . ) became impossible, but the movable cylinder 290 moves upwards of the housing 212 (moves toward the housing 212 side), so that the contact between the engaging protrusion 330 and the protruding contact 298 is released, and the coupling The projection 330 is moved to the contact avoidance area 302 located below the protruding contact portion 298 . Accordingly, the safety mechanism 408 is released, so that the puncture button 322 can be pushed in through the hole 236 for the puncture button of the housing 212 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 31 , in the ready-to-puncture state in which the movable cylinder 290 enters the housing 212 , the pressing portion 308 installed in the spring receiving portion 306 of the movable cylinder 290 locks the lever 324 . ) enters the opening groove 348 installed in the wall 336c, and the inclined surface 310 formed in the pressing part 308 and the inclined surface 350 formed in the opening groove 348 face each other in the front-rear direction spaced apart from each other. watching.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, the microneedle 216 is punctured by pressing and manipulating the puncture button 322 in the applicator 210 that is ready for puncture. In addition, FIGS. 32 and 33 show a state in which the pressure of the puncture button 322 is released after the microneedle 216 is punctured. That is, in the state shown in FIGS. 29 to 31 , the puncture button 322 and the lock lever 324 located inside the puncture button 322 are moved backward while accompanying the compression deformation of the spring 386 for the through button. , the locking portion 342 by the through window 268 is released, and the puncture rod 218 moves downward according to the elastic restoring force of the puncture spring 214 .

In addition, according to the movement of the lock lever 324 according to the press-fit operation of the puncture button 322 in this embodiment, the inclined surface 310 of the pressing part 308 and the opening of the lock lever 324 in the movable cylinder 290 The inclined surfaces 350 of the grooves 348 come into contact with each other. By adopting such a contact structure, the pressure of the puncture button 322 is released and the applicator 210 is separated from the skin, and the movable cylinder 290 by the elastic restoring force of the puncture button spring 386 and the push spring 318 . ) and when the lock lever 324 is moved to the initial position, the initial position movement of these two members 290 and 324 can be stably realized.

In this press-in operation of the puncture button 322, the lower part of the puncture rod 218 passes through the interior of the case body 412, and the bottom wall 262 of the puncture rod 218 attaches the microneedle 216 to the housing 212. At the same time as protruding downward, the microneedle 216 is punctured by pressing the microneedle 216 to the skin together with the adhesive sheet 422 . In addition, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33 by releasing the pressure of the puncture button 322 in the press-in operation of the puncture button 322, the lock lever 324 is closed by the elastic restoring force of the spring 386 for the puncture button. will return to the initial position. In addition, as the puncture rod 218 moves downward, the contact between the wall 264b of the puncture rod 218 and the coupling portion 360 of the cylinder locking device 352 is also released, so that by the elastic restoring force of the locking spring 388, the cylinder The locking device 352 returns to its initial position, which causes the window portion 229 of the outer housing 220 to change the color of the rear portion of the top surface of the bend 368 (colorless (white) in this embodiment). admitted

In addition, by pushing the puncture button 322 in this way to release the engaging portion 342 by the through window 268, the puncture rod 218 moves downward by the elastic restoring force of the puncture spring 214 to move the microneedle. (216) is momentarily punctured into the skin. Here, the following mechanism can be employed to realize the puncture depth of the microneedle 216 to the skin and to stabilize the puncture state.

In this embodiment, by manipulating the puncture button 322, puncturing the microneedle 216 using the restoring force of the puncture spring 214, and then pressing the pressure button 372 to operate, the housing ( 212), the additional external force in the protruding direction (downward) is applied, so that the microneedle 216 is more punctured to the skin and the puncture state is maintained more stably. That is, as shown in FIG. 34 before the press-in operation of the pressure button 372, the locking protrusion 284 of the pressure rod 272 and the locking projection 380 of the pressure button 372 come into contact with the movement locking device 391 is configured to prevent downward movement of the pressing rod 272 according to the elastic force of the pressing spring 288 . Here, by moving the pressing button 372 backward, the contact between the locking protrusion 284 and the locking protrusion 380 is released, and as shown in FIG. 35 , it is pressed according to the elastic restoration deformation of the pressing spring 288 . The rod 272 is moved downward. Accordingly, the amount of compression of the puncture spring 214 supported between the pressing rod 272 and the puncture rod 218 is increased, and the elastic restoring force of the pressing spring 288 is increased through the puncture spring 214 to the puncture rod 218 and the micro The additional pushing the needle 216 to the skin acts as an external force, so that the microneedle 216 is maintained in a state punctured into the skin.

That is, the restoring force of the pressing spring 288, which was previously compressed, is applied to the puncture spring 214 as an additional external force through the pressing rod 272, so that the additional external force is further applied to the microneedle 216 through the puncture spring 214. become completely crazy about Therefore, in this embodiment, the buffering means for bufferingly applying the additional external force to the microneedle 216 is composed of the puncture spring 214, and at the same time, the buffering external force applying device for applying the buffering external force is the pressing spring 288 and the pressing and a rod 272 . In particular, in this embodiment, the puncture spring 214 also functions as a biasing means for pressing the microneedle 216, and the buffer means is configured as a biasing means. In addition, in the present embodiment, the additional external force generating member for generating the additional external force is composed of a pressing spring 288, and the additional external force generated by maintaining the corresponding pressing spring 288 in a compressed state is applied to the pressing rod ( 272) through the puncture spring 214 and the microneedle 216.

The microneedle 216 puncture state on the skin is achieved when the user puts the applicator 210 on the skin. That is, the user presses the applicator 210 against the skin and continuously applies an additional external force by the pressure spring 288 to the microneedle 216 in the puncture state by the puncture spring 214, so that the microneedle 216 is Since not only the puncture is performed at a predetermined depth (for example, further to the root), but also the puncture state of the microneedle 216 to the skin is continuously maintained over a predetermined time, the transdermal administration of the drug contained in the microneedle 216 can be realized more reliably. In addition, the time for pressing the microneedle 216 to the skin is not limited at all, but after a predetermined time has elapsed, the user separates the applicator 210 from the skin. In this embodiment, even after removing the applicator 210, the microneedle 216 is attached to the skin with the adhesive sheet 422, so that the puncture state can be maintained on the skin.

In addition, Figure 35 shows a state in which the pressing button 372 is returned to the initial position by the elastic restoring force of the pressing button spring 390 by releasing the pressing of the pressing button 372 after the pressing rod 272 moves downward. is shown In the locking state, the locking protrusion 284 of the pressure rod 272 comes into contact with the locking protrusion 380 of the pressure button 372 from below, so that the upward movement of the pressure rod 272 is also prevented and the microneedle 216 ), the state of puncture on the skin is more stable.

In addition, when the pressing button 372 is pushed and operated before the pressing operation of the puncture button 322, the puncture rod 218 is caught by the lock lever 324 and is held in the housing 212, so the pressing rod 272 is in contact with the puncture rod 218 and its downward movement is limited. That is, in the present embodiment, the press-in operation of the press button 372 is limited before the press-in operation of the puncture button 322 . In other words, the downward movement of the pressure rod 272 is permitted (the movement lock 391 is released) by pressing the pressure button 372 by pressing the puncture button 322 .

As described above, the applicator 210 having the above structure maintains the puncture state of the microneedle 216 on the skin continuously over a predetermined time, so the transdermal administration of the drug contained in the microneedle 216 is can be achieved more reliably. In particular, after the puncture of the microneedle 216, an additional external force is applied to the microneedle 216 and pushed into the skin, but this additional external force is applied to the microneedle 216 (puncture rod 218) with the puncture spring 214 through the full blown Therefore, the impact load on the microneedle 216 is prevented from being influenced, and the fear that the patient feels pain can be effectively reduced.

In particular, in this embodiment, since both the biasing means for deflecting the microneedle 216 and the buffering means for buffering the additional external force on the microneedle 216 are composed of the same puncture spring 214, the structure is simplified or configured. The number of elements is reduced. In addition, the puncture force of the microneedle 216 by the puncture spring 214 and the external force added by the pressing spring 288 are set separately by setting the spring constant or compression ratio of the puncture spring 214 and the pressing spring 288, respectively. Each can be appropriately adjusted.

In addition, in this embodiment, the compression spring 288 of the additional external force generating member that generates the additional external force of the microneedle 216 is provided, so that according to the press-in operation of the press button 372 , even after the press button 372 is forcibly released, the microneedle 216 is provided. Since the state of pressing against the needle 216 is maintained, for example, troublesome operation such as applying an external force by the attractive force of an additional external force between the housing 212 and the microneedle 216 is avoided, and good operability can be exhibited. .

In addition, in this embodiment, a movement locking device 391 for preventing the movement of the pressure rod 272 is provided, and the pressure rod 272 is prevented from moving unintentionally. In particular, in this embodiment, the pressure rod 272 is prevented from moving according to the movement locking device 391 before the puncture button 322 is pressed in, and the pressure rod 272 is moved before the microneedle 216 is punctured into the skin. is prevented from doing

Also, in this embodiment, since the movable cylinder 290 is prevented from moving in the housing 212 before the puncture rod 218 is pushed into the housing 212, for example, the puncture rod 218 is moved into the housing 212. ) before putting the microneedle 216 (case 410) in the movable cylinder 290, the microneedle 216 puncture error caused by pressing the applicator 210 to the skin in that state can be stably prevented. can

Next, Figure 36 shows the fourth embodiment of the present invention in which the microneedle applicator (hereinafter the applicator) 440 is in a puncture preparation state (the state in which the puncture rod 218 and the movable cylinder 290 are pressed toward the housing 442) In FIG. 37 , the applicator 440 is shown with the outer housing 444 and the cylinder locking device 352 omitted. The applicator 440 of this embodiment applies an additional external force to the punctured microneedle 216 compared to the applicator 210 of the third embodiment, and the mechanism for pushing the microneedle 216 to the skin is different. That is, the apparatus for mounting the case 410 holding the microneedle 216 on the applicator 440 and puncturing the microneedle 216 into the skin is approximately the same as the third embodiment, and in the following description, the Members and parts that are substantially the same as in the example are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Since the outer housing 444 of this embodiment has a structure substantially similar to that of the outer housing 220 in the third embodiment, a detailed description is omitted, but unlike the outer housing 220 in the third embodiment, pressurized The hole 238 for the button is not provided, but only the hole 236 for the puncture button is provided in the main wall 226.

On the other hand, the inner housing 446 of this embodiment has a substantially cylindrical bottom, as in the third embodiment, and a hole for a pressure boss penetrating in the vertical direction in the center of the lid 240 corresponding to the upper and lower wall. (448) is formed. In addition, a pressure boss member 450 having a cylindrical bottom in an approximately reverse direction is disposed inside the inner housing 446 , and the pressure boss body 452 having a cylindrical shape in the pressure boss member 450 is a lid 240 . It protrudes upward through the hole 448 for the pressurizing boss in the center. In addition, a flange-shaped portion 454 protruding from the outer circumferential side is provided at the lower end of the pressing boss body 452 in the pressing boss member 450 . In addition, the outer diameter of the flange-shaped portion 454 is larger than the inner diameter of the hole 448 for the pressure boss, and the pressure boss member 450 is prevented from escaping to the outside through the hole 448 for the pressure boss.

In addition, a notch-shaped opening groove 456 that is opened to the outer periphery and extends in the vertical direction is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flange-shaped portion 454, and in this embodiment, both sides in the first radial direction (lower right in FIG. 37 and A pair of opening grooves 456 and 456 are formed in the upper left side). In addition, an inclined surface 458 inclined toward the front side is formed on the upper end of the inner surface of the front side of the opening groove 456 .

And a puncture spring 214 is disposed between the pressing boss member 450 and the puncture rod 218 and the vertical direction inside the inner housing 446 . In addition, in the pressing boss member 450 , the inner diameter dimension of the flange-shaped portion 454 is larger with respect to the inner diameter dimension of the pressing boss body 452 , and the inner peripheral surface of the pressing boss body 452 and the flange-shaped portion 454 are larger. Between the inner circumferential surfaces, an annular stepped surface 460 (see FIG. 39 and the like) extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis (a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction) is formed. And the upper end of the puncture spring 214 is fixed to the step surface 460 of the pressing boss member 450 , while the lower end of the puncture spring 214 is fixed to the spring support 271 of the puncture rod 218 . . Accordingly, as will be described later, the puncture rod 218 is biased downward by pressing the pressing boss member 450 from above.

In addition, the lock lever 462 of this embodiment has a structure substantially similar to that of the lock lever 324 of the third embodiment, and there is a retaining part protruding upward from the wall 336c opposite to the left and right from the main wall 334 . At the same time that the 464 is installed, a locking projection 466 protrudes inward from the inner surface of the upper end of the holding part 464 . In particular, in this embodiment, the lower end surface of the locking projection 466 is an inclined curved surface 468 (refer to FIG. 38) in which the vertical dimension of the locking projection 466 becomes smaller toward the front. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the puncture button 322 and the cylinder locking device 352 have substantially the same structure as those of the above embodiment. Above all, in the cylinder locking device 352 of this embodiment, the locking portion 366 protrudes upward from each of the left and right pair of walls 356c of the main wall 354 to the housing 442 of the cylinder locking device 352 . When mounted to, for example, the inner housing 446 .

And, also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 38, the puncture button 322, the lock lever 462 and the cylinder through the spring 386 and the lock spring 388 for the puncture button with respect to the outer housing 444. At the same time as the locking device 352 is assembled, the inner housing 446, the pressure boss member 450, the pressing springs 318 and 318, the movable cylinder 290, the puncture spring 214, and the puncture rod 218 are assembled. By mounting the cap 392 and the cover 394 as necessary, the applicator 440 of this embodiment is configured.

Here, in particular, as shown in FIG. 37, in the state before the puncture button 322 is pressed and penetrated through the microneedle 216, the locking protrusion protruding inward from the holding part 464 of the lock lever 462 ( A boss member 450 that is pressed against the interior of the inner housing 446 is protruded through a notch 256 installed in the wall 250c constituting the inner housing 446 466 . The flange-shaped portion 454 of the lock lever 462 is caught in contact with the locking protrusion 466 in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the state before penetrating the microneedle 216 by pressing the puncture button 322, the pressure boss member 450 through the mutual contact of the flange-shaped portion 454 and the locking protrusion 466. Downward movement is prevented. That is, in the present embodiment, the operation locking device 470 for preventing the operation (movement) of the pressing boss member 450, which is an additional external force operation member, which will be described later, includes a flange-shaped portion 454 and a locking protrusion 466 . do.

Even in the applicator 440 of the present embodiment having the structure as described above, the puncture button 322 is pressed and operated, so that the puncture operation of the microneedle 216 is realized as shown in FIGS. 30 and 40 . That is, as the puncture button 322 is pressed and operated, the lock lever 462 is pushed rearward with compression deformation of the spring 386 for the puncture button, and the puncture rod ( 342 ) in the locking part 342 of the lock lever 462 . The locking of the through window 268 of the 218 is released, and the puncture rod 218 moves downward according to the elastic force of the puncture spring 214 and the microneedle 216 is punctured into the skin. And in this way, the lock lever 462 moves backward so that the locking protrusion 466 of the lock lever 462 enters the opening groove 456 formed in the flange-shaped portion 454 of the pressing boss member 450 to enter the flange-shaped portion ( 454) is released. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the operation locking device 470 that blocks the operation (movement) of the pressing boss member 450 is releasable according to the pressing operation of the puncture button 322 .

Through this, as shown in FIG. 41 , the pressing boss member 450 can be pushed downward (in the housing 442 ). As a result, the puncture spring 214 is compressed between the pressing boss member 450 and the puncture rod 218, and the microneedle 216 with the puncture rod 218 pressed downward by its elastic restoring force is more reliably secured. punctured into the skin That is, by pushing the pressure boss member 450 downward after the microneedle 216 is punctured into the skin, the additional external force is buffered and continuously applied to the microneedle 216 through the puncture spring 214 as a buffering means. Therefore, even in this embodiment, the same effect as that in the third embodiment can be exhibited. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the additional external force operation member that applies the additional external force to the external force by manipulation from the outside is configured to include the pressing boss member 450 . And a buffer external force adding mechanism for adding a buffer external force is configured to include the pressing boss member 450 as an additional external force operation member.

In particular, in the present embodiment, only while pushing the pressing boss member 450 downward, an additional external force is applied to the microneedle 216 so that the microneedle 216 is pressed against the skin. That is, the user can easily adjust the time according to the drug using the additional external force applied to the microneedle 216 .

Next, Figure 42 is a micro-needle applicator (hereinafter, applicator) 480 as a fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in a storage state before use. Also in the applicator 480, compared to the applicators 210 and 440 of the third and fourth embodiments, an additional external force is applied to the punctured microneedle 216, and the mechanism for pushing the microneedle 216 into the skin is different. That is, the apparatus for mounting the case 410 for holding the microneedle 216 on the applicator 480 and puncturing the microneedle 216 into the skin is approximately the same as the third and fourth embodiments, and in the following description , Substantially the same members and parts as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

Here, in the present embodiment, a substantially circular circular concave portion 484 opened upward is formed in the central portion of the upper and lower wall 224 of the outer housing 482 , and at the same time, the center of the bottom wall of the circular concave portion 484 . A through hole 228 is formed in the portion. And the lid part 240 of the inner housing 486 is inserted and fixed into the through hole 228, so that the outer housing 482 and the inner housing 486 are fixed to each other, thereby forming the housing 488 of this embodiment. . In addition, a hole 448 for a pressing boss penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the central portion of the lid part 240 .

In addition, the pressing boss member 490 is inserted into the inner housing 486 as an additional external force manipulation member from above. The pressing boss member 490 of this embodiment has a rod-shaped portion 492 extending in the vertical direction, and at the same time has a step-shaped portion 494 in the middle portion of the rod-shaped portion 492 in the vertical direction. The upper portion of the feature 494 has a larger diameter than the lower portion. In addition, the upper portion of the rod-shaped portion 492 is provided with a substantially circular pressing operation portion 496 that spreads toward the outer periphery, and at the same time, the lower portion of the rod-shaped portion 492 is provided with a coupling portion 498 protruding toward the outer periphery. The upper surface 496a of the pressing operation part 496 is an operation surface that is directly operated from the outside when an external force is applied to the microneedle 216, as will be described later.

On the other hand, the inner housing 486, the puncture rod 500 is inserted from the bottom. The puncture rod 500 has a tubular shape 260 and a bottom wall 262 as in the third and fourth embodiments, but at the center of the bottom wall 262 is a substantially cylindrical spring support protruding in the cylindrical part 260 . 502 is installed At the same time, the upper portion of the corresponding spring support 502 is provided with a locking part 504 protruding inward.

The rod-shaped portion 492 of the pressing boss member 490 having the structure as described above is inserted from above with respect to the inner housing 486 and extended downward, while the pressing operation portion 496 of the pressing boss member 490 is is located within the circular recess 484 of the outer housing 482 . On the other hand, as the puncture rod 500 is inserted from below with respect to the inner housing 486, the cylindrical portion 260 of the puncture rod 500 is positioned on the outer peripheral side of the pressing boss member 490, and at the same time, the rod-shaped portion ( The lower portion of the 492 is inserted into the spring support 502 of the puncture rod 500 so that the engaging portion 498 and the engaging portion 504 are coupled. Accordingly, the pressure boss member 490 and the puncture rod 500 cannot be escaping and can move relative to each other in the vertical direction.

Here, inside the inner housing 486 , a puncture spring 214 is disposed extrapolated to the rod shape 492 of the pressure boss member 490 , and the upper portion of the puncture spring 214 is disposed in the inner housing 486 . ) is fixed to the inner surface of the lid portion 240 , and the lower end of the puncture spring 214 is extrapolated to the spring support 502 of the puncture rod 500 and fixed to the bottom wall 262 . In addition, in the portion of the rod-shaped portion 492 with a smaller diameter lower than the step-shaped portion 494 , a pressing spring 506 is extrapolated as a buffer means, so that the upper end of the pressing spring 506 is the rod-shaped portion 492 . The lower portion of the pressure spring 506 is fixed to the spring support 502 of the puncture rod 500 while being fixed to the stepped portion 494 .

That is, as shown in FIG. 43 , the puncture button 322 , the lock lever 324 and the cylinder locking device 352 are connected to the housing 488 including the outer housing 482 and the inner housing 486 , the puncture button It is assembled through a spring 386 and a lock spring 388 for use. In addition, with respect to the housing 488, the pressing boss member 490 and the puncture rod 500 are assembled in the vertical direction through the through spring 214 and the pressing spring 506 at the same time as the movable cylinder 290 is the pressing spring ( 318, 318) assembled from the bottom.

Here, in the storage state before use shown in FIG. 42 , the puncture spring 214 and the pressure spring 506 are of approximately natural length, and the lower part of the puncture rod 500 protrudes from the housing 488 to the movable cylinder ( 290) is located in On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in the storage state shown in FIG. 42 , the pressing operation part 496 located at the upper end of the pressing boss member 490 is in contact with the bottom of the circular concave part 484 of the outer housing 482, so that the external The upper surface 496a of the pressing operation portion 496, which is the operation surface from the , is set at a position retracted from the surface of the housing 488 (eg, the upper surface of the upper and lower wall 224 of the outer housing 482). . And, in the present embodiment, the cap 392 covering the lower end of the puncture rod 500 protruding from the housing 488 is mounted on the movable cylinder 290, while the movable cylinder 290 and the cap 392 are mounted on the movable cylinder 290 and the cap 392. A cover 394 is mounted to cover the lower opening of the housing 488 (outer housing 482).

To use the applicator 480 having the above structure, first, as shown in FIG. 44, after separating the cover 394 and the cap 392, the puncture rod 500 is inserted into the housing 488 (upward). ) push in. Accordingly, while the puncture spring 214 is compressed, the locking part 342 of the lock lever 324 is caught on the through window 268 of the puncture rod 500 . Here, since the pressing boss member 490 is positioned on the puncture rod 500 through the pressing spring 506 , the pressing boss member 490 is also moved upward along with the upward movement of the puncture rod 500 . In this state, the upper surface 496a of the pressing operation unit 496 of the pressing boss member 490 is approximately the same as the surface of the housing 488 (eg, the upper surface of the upper and lower walls 224 of the outer housing 482). position, or somewhat above it.

And by pushing the puncture rod 500 into the housing 488 in this way, the movable cylinder 290 into the housing 488 (upward) movement is allowed. As shown in FIG. 45 , the microneedle 216 (case 410) is mounted on the movable cylinder 290 in the hanging state and the puncture button 322 is pressed and punctured according to the elastic restoring force of the puncture spring 214. The rod 500 moves downward so that the microneedle 216 is punctured into the skin. In addition, the puncture rod 500 and the pressing boss member 490 are coupled to the engaging portion 504 and the coupling portion 498 , and as the puncture rod 500 moves downward, the pressing boss member 490 is also coupled with the puncture rod 500 . Since it moves downward, in the puncture state of the microneedle 216 , the pressing operation part 496 of the pressing boss member 490 enters the circular recessed part 484 , and the bottom surface of the pressing operation part 496 is the circular recessed part 484 . They face each other in the vertical direction at a predetermined distance from the bottom of the .

In addition, in this microneedle 216 puncture state, as shown in FIG. 46 , by directly pushing the upper surface (working area) 496a of the pressing operation unit 496 by hand, the step difference of the pressing boss member 490 is A pressure spring 506 located between the feature 494 and the spring support 502 of the puncture rod 500 is compressed. And the puncture rod 500 is pressed downward by the elastic restoring action of the pressing spring 506, so that the microneedle 216 in the puncture state is further pushed into the skin. Thereby, transdermal drug administration by the microneedle 216 is more reliably achieved. In particular, even in this embodiment, since the additional external force to the microneedle 216 is buffered through the pressing spring 506 as a buffering means, the fear that the patient feels pain can be reduced. In addition, since an additional external force is continuously applied to the microneedle 216 while performing the press-fitting operation on the pressing boss member 490, the applicator 480 of this embodiment can exhibit the same effect as the third embodiment. have. In particular, in this embodiment, the additional external force manipulation member that applies an additional external force by manipulation from the outside is constituted by the pressing boss member 490, and includes the corresponding additional external force manipulation member (the pressing boss member 490). A buffering external force adding mechanism for adding a buffering external force is configured.

In addition, in this embodiment, the biasing means for pressing the microneedle 216 (puncture rod 218) downward by being compressed is constituted by the puncture spring 214, and at the same time, the additional external force to the microneedle 216 is buffered. The shock absorber is constituted by the pressing spring 506, that is, the biasing means and the damping means are constituted by different members. Therefore, for example, the spring force (spring constant) of the biasing means (puncture spring 214) and the spring force (spring constant) of the buffering means (pressurizing spring 506) can be set separately, so the design freedom of the applicator 480 is can promote the improvement of

In addition, in this embodiment, not only the storage state of the applicator 480 shown in FIG. 42 but also the microneedle 216 puncture state shown in FIG. The upper surface 496a) is set at a position that is more inward than the surface of the housing 488 (the upper surface of the outer housing 482). Therefore, in the storage state of the applicator 480 as well as the microneedle 216 puncture state, the possibility that the pressing boss member 490, which is an additional external force manipulation member, is accidentally pressed can be reduced. Further, in this embodiment, although the operation locking device 470 as in the fourth embodiment is not provided, it is possible to prevent the operation of the additional external force operation member (pressurizing boss member) before pressing the puncture button.

Next, Figure 47 shows a microneedle applicator 510 as a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

(full configuration)

47 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the microneedle applicator 510 according to the sixth embodiment. 48 is an exploded perspective view of the microneedle applicator 510 .

The microneedle applicator 510 is a supply device that applies microneedles to the skin, and pressurizes a patch having a microneedle to a target site, such as the epidermis of the skin, and punctures the microneedle into the epidermis of the skin to transport the drug into the body, or blood It is a device for taking samples.

As shown in FIG. 47 , the microneedle applicator 510 mainly consists of a body 512 and a cover 514 . As shown in FIG. 48, the main body 512 has an approximately octagonal shape in cross section, a housing 516 that is a tubular member with a bottom closed at the top of the head and open at the bottom, and is accommodated in the housing 516. It is composed of a plurality of members. The cover 514 has a substantially octagonal cross-section, and is a cylindrical member with an upper end open and a lower end closed. The inside of the cover 514 is an approximately octagonal hollow part according to the outer shape of the lower end of the housing 516 and is formed to be coupled to the lower end of the housing 516 . In the description, the upper and lower directions refer to the upper and lower directions in the drawing and do not necessarily coincide with the upper and lower directions in reality. As will be described later, when the microneedle applicator 510 is used, the head of the housing 516 may be turned down to reverse upside down.

Inside the housing 516, a puncture rod 518, which is a member for pressing the patch 574 to the skin by colliding with a patch 574 having a microneedle, which will be described later, is movably disposed. The puncture rod 518 is a cylindrical member with an upper end open and a lower end closed. The puncture rod 518 is accommodated in the hollow of the cylindrical puncture case 520 with the upper end closed and the lower end open. The upper end of the puncture case 520 is fixed by fitting into a positioning unit installed on the inner surface of the upper end of the housing 516 . A puncture spring 522 is mounted between the puncture rod 518 and the puncture case 520 . The puncture spring 522 is accommodated inside the hollow of the puncture rod 518, and the upper end of the puncture spring 522 is a support installed at the upper end of the hollow interior of the puncture case 520. The lower end of the puncture spring 522 is the puncture rod Each of the supports provided at the lower end of the hollow interior of the 518 is supported. The puncture spring 522 compressed by press-fitting the puncture rod 518 into the housing 516 protrudes the puncture rod 518 from the housing 516 (hereinafter referred to as the puncture direction, as shown below in the drawing). Here, the patch 574 corresponds to the microneedle support and the puncture spring 522 corresponds to the biasing means. The puncture direction corresponds to the first direction. The direction in which the puncture rod 518 is pressed is The direction is opposite to the direction and corresponds to a second direction opposite to the first direction.

When the cover 514 is mounted on the body 512 and the microneedle applicator 510 is accommodated, a cylindrical cap 524 is placed at the bottom of the cover 514 so that the top is open, and the hollow inside of the cap 524 is The cover 514 is mounted to cover the lower end of the puncture rod 518 . The cap 524 may be used as an auxiliary tool for a user who has difficulty in manipulating the puncture rod 518 with a finger when in use, and is disposed on the device surface with the bottom facing up, and the puncture rod 518 is placed on the bottom of the cap 524. Press to push the puncture rod 518 to the housing 516 side.

A button 526 cylinder locking device 528, a lock lever 530, and button springs 532a and 532b are disposed on the outer diameter side of the puncture case 520 inside the housing 516.

The button 526 is a member that is a trigger that fires the puncture rod 518 . The button 526 is mounted so that the pressing part 534 is exposed to the outside through the opening 536 installed on the side surface of the housing 516 . On the inner diameter side of the pressing portion 534 of the button 526, two protrusions 538 and 538 protruding toward the inner diameter are provided. The protrusions 538 and 538 are plate-shaped members having surfaces parallel to the vertical direction, and the cross-section on the inner diameter side is formed as a surface with a lower side parallel to the vertical direction and a surface with an upper side cut out in the outer direction. In addition, a flange 540 extending laterally in the pressing direction is formed over the entire circumference of the pressing portion 534 at the end of the pressing portion 534 on the inner diameter side. The protrusions 538 and 538 are formed to protrude from the end face of the inner diameter side of the flange 540 .

The cylinder locking device 528 is a substantially rectangular rim-shaped member. In the cylinder locking device 528, in a state in which the puncture rod 518 is not pressed, the upper end of the pressing supports 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544 described later and the regulating portions 542a and 542b contact the movable cylinder 544. ) is a member that regulates the movement in the pushing direction. A button spring 532a is interposed between the outer surface of the cylinder locking device 528 on the opposite side to the button 526 and the inner surface of the housing 516, and biasing the cylinder locking device 528 to the button 526 side. .

The lock lever 530 is a substantially rectangular frame-shaped member disposed below the cylinder locking device 528 . A button spring 532b is interposed between the outer surface of the lock lever 530 opposite to the button 526 and the inner surface of the housing 516 , and biases the lock lever 530 toward the button 526 . The protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 are arranged to pass through the slits 546a and 546b of the lock lever 530 , and the cross section on the inner diameter side of the flange 540 of the button 526 is the cylinder locking device 528 . It faces the pressurized surface 548 . When the pressing part 534 of the button 526 is pressed, the end face on the inner diameter side of the flange 540 of the button 526 contacts the pressurized surface 548 of the cylinder locking device 528 and presses it, and the lock lever ( 530 is pushed against the elastic force of the button spring 532b.

A movable cylinder 544 is also disposed on the outside of the puncture case 520 inside the housing 516 . The movable cylinder 544 is a cylindrical member having an approximately octagonal cross section. The movable cylinder 544 has a plate-shaped base 550 bent so as to be convex on the outer periphery side extending upwardly on the inner diameter side. In addition, plate-shaped pressure supports 552 and 554 having a surface orthogonal to the pressing direction of the button 526 extend from the upper end of the edge of the base 550 in the circumferential direction. The lower end of the pressure support (552, 554) is formed with an inclined surface inclined opposite to the button (526). Press springs 556a and 556b are interposed between the movable cylinder 544 ) and the housing 516 , and press the movable cylinder 544 in a direction away from the housing 516 . Here, the movable cylinder 544 corresponds to the button regulating means.

The cover 514 housing 516, the puncture rod 518, the puncture case 520, the cap 524, the button 526, the cylinder lock 528, and the lock lever 530 are, for example, made of PET or the like. It may be formed of a resin and a metal, but is not limited thereto.

(How to use)

49(a) to (f) shows each state when the body 512 of the microneedle applicator 510 is used after the cover 514 is removed. Figures 50 (a) to (c) show the body 512 of the microneedle applicator 510 in the A-A direction cross-section (refer to Figure 52 (a)).

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 50, a method of using the microneedle applicator 510 according to FIG. 49 will be described.

Figure 49 (a) shows a state in which the main body 512 is supported so that the puncture rod 518 faces upward. It is preferable to mount the top of the housing 516 on the surface to stabilize the housing 516 . In the state shown in Fig. 49(a), the puncture rod 518 is pushed in the direction of the arrow A (the opposite side to the puncture direction in the housing 516). Figure 50 (a) shows the microneedle applicator 510 in a state in which the puncture rod 518 is not mounted. In the state shown in FIG. 50(a), the puncture rod 518) is in the puncture direction with respect to the housing 516, and the position of the puncture rod 518 with respect to the housing 516 in FIG. 50(a) is different. It corresponds to position 1.

As shown in FIG. 50( a ), an opening 558 is formed in the side wall opposite to the button 526 of the puncture rod 518 . At this time, the cylinder locking device 528 and the locking lever 530 are biased toward the button 526 by the button springs 532a and 532b, respectively. Accordingly, the hook 560 formed by protruding from the inner surface of the wall opposite to the button 526 of the cylinder locking device 528 toward the button 526, and the inner surface of the lock lever 530 on the opposite side to the button 526 A hook 562 protruding from the button 526 is positioned on the movement path in the pressing direction of the puncture rod 518 .

In addition, in the state shown in Fig. 50 (a), the upper ends of the pressure supports 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544 are in contact with the regulating portions 542a and 542b of the cylinder locking device 528, and the movement in the pushing direction is regulated And when the button 526 is pressed in this state, the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 come into contact with the opposing pressing supports 552 and 554 to regulate the action of the lock lever 530 of the button 526 . At this time, the position of the movable cylinder 544 corresponds to the third position.

As shown in Fig. 49 (b), in a state in which the puncture rod 518 is pushed in, the case 566 including the retainer 564 is moved between the retainer supports 568 and 570 provided at the end of the movable cylinder 544 in the puncture direction. Insert in the direction of arrow B. In the retainer 564, a flange 572 (see Fig. 50(c)) protruding on the inner diameter side at a position retracted from the opening in the puncture direction of the retainer 564 is formed in the circumferential direction, and a patch 574 having a microneedle is formed. ) is maintained by bonding the periphery to the end face of the flange 572, or the like. A retainer 564 is stored in the case 566 to prevent the user from touching the microneedle. Figure 50 (b) shows a state in which the puncture rod 518 is pushed into place against the elastic force of the puncture spring 522 . Here, the position where the puncture rod 518 shown in Fig. 50(b) is pushed into the housing 516 corresponds to the second position.

At this time, since the hook 560 of the cylinder locking device 528 interferes with the cylindrical wall of the puncture rod 518 and is excluded from the movement path in the pressing direction of the puncture rod 518, the cylinder locking device 528 is the button 526 ) and move in the opposite direction. The regulating parts 542a and 542b are in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lock lever 530 , and the cylinder locking device 528 moves to the opposite side to the button 526 to control the regulating parts 542a and 542b of the cylinder locking device 528 . It also moves to the opposite side to the button 526 while in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lock lever 530 . That is, the regulating portions 542a and 542b act as guides to prevent movement in a direction different from the movement direction according to the pressing of the button 526 of the cylinder locking device 528 .

Since the regulating portions 542a and 542b move in the contact positions with the pressure bearings 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544, movement in the pushing direction of the movable cylinder 544 is permitted. At this time, since the opening 558 of the puncture rod 518 is at a position corresponding to the hook 562 of the lock lever 530 , the hook 562 pressed by the button spring 532b engages the opening 558 . Then, movement in the puncture direction of the puncture rod 518 attached to the puncture spring 522 is regulated. Here, the lock lever 530 and the button spring 532b correspond to the latch means.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 51, the cylinder locking device 528 is provided with locking parts 578 and 580 extending from the main body 576 toward the head of the housing 516, and the upper surface of the locking part 580 is It has two regions 582a and 582b of different colors. At a position corresponding to the region 582a or 582b, a window portion 584 (see Fig. 52(a)) through which the inside of the housing 516 is visible is formed. The position of the cylinder lock 528 when the puncture rod 518 is not depressed is that of the cylinder lock 528 when the area 582b is visible in the window 584 and the puncture rod 518 is pushed into place. The location is such that the area 582a is visible in the window 584 . If the region 582a is formed in red, the color visible on the window portion 584 changes to red, so that the user can visually recognize that the puncture rod 518 has been pushed into place.

When the case 566 is inserted up to the state shown in Fig. 49(c), the retainer 564 comes into contact with the protrusion 586 formed at the end of the movable cylinder 544 in the puncture direction to further restrict movement in the direction of the arrow B. And in this state, the retainer 564 is supported by the retainer supports 568 and 570 on both sides in the radial direction.

As shown in Fig. 49(d), with the retainer 564 supported, the case 566 is taken out in the direction opposite to the arrow B. Due to this, only the retainer 564 is mounted on the movable cylinder 544 puncture direction end. At this time, the patch 574 is maintained with the microneedle against the opening of the retainer 564 .

49(e), the housing 516 is supported in a state in which the opening of the retainer 564 is brought into contact with the site where the patch 574 of the skin 588 is to be applied. Then, the housing 516 is pressed in the direction of the arrow C. Then, as shown in FIG. 49(f), the movable cylinder 544 is pushed into the housing 516. As shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 50(c), when the movable cylinder 544 is inserted into place, the end of the movable cylinder 544 on the opposite side to the puncture direction contacts the housing 516, and further movement is restricted. The position of the movable cylinder 544 with respect to the housing 516 shown in Fig. 50(c) corresponds to the fourth position.

In the state shown in Fig. 50 (b), the pressure supports 552 and 554 facing the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 are in the state shown in Fig. 50 (c) in the direction opposite to the puncture direction according to the press-fitting of the movable cylinder 544. Move. At this time, since there is no member regulating the pressing of the button 526 in the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526, the pressing of the button 526 is allowed. In the state shown in Fig. 49(f), when the button 526 is pressed in the direction of the arrow D orthogonal to the puncture direction, in the state shown in Fig. 50(c), the protrusions 538 and 538 of the pressed button 526 are this lock lever. The end face of the inner diameter side of the flange 540 of the button 526 through the slits 546a and 546b of the 530 comes into contact with the pressurized surface 548 of the lock lever 530 to push the lock lever 530 into the button. It moves against the elastic force of the spring 532b. Then, the engagement between the opening 558 of the puncture rod 518 and the hook 562 is released.

Accordingly, movement of the puncture rod 518 in the puncture direction is permitted, and the puncture rod 518 attached to the puncture spring 522 protrudes in the puncture direction. The puncture-direction end face 590 of the puncture rod 518 impinges on the opposite puncture-direction face of the patch 574 held in the retainer 564 . As the puncture rod 518 moves again in the puncture direction, the patch 574 detaches from the retainer 564 and is pressed against the skin 588, and the microneedle installed on the puncture direction surface of the patch 574 is applied to the epidermis of the skin 588. to be heavenly Here, the button 526 is configured to be pressed in a direction orthogonal to the puncture direction, but the direction is not limited as long as it intersects the puncture direction.

(Anti-Slip Means)

Figure 52 (a) is a view showing the AA direction when looking at the main body 512 of the microneedle applicator 510 from the parietal part, Figure 52 (b) is the body of the micro needle applicator 510 equipped with a retainer 564 ( 512 , and FIGS. 52 ( c ) and 52 ( d ) are enlarged views of a portion surrounded by a circle in FIG. 52 ( b ).

Figure 52 (b) is, as shown in Figure 52 (a), the body 512 of the microneedle applicator 510 is cut along the central axis of the housing 516 at the AA plane passing through the center of the button 526 inside represents the structure. 52(c) shows an enlarged portion of the circled portion of FIG. 52(b) in a state in which the button 526 is not pressed. And, Fig. 52 (d) shows an enlarged portion of the circled portion of Fig. 52 (b) in a state in which the button 526 is pressed.

52 (b), the inner diameter side of the base 550 of the movable cylinder 544 extends from the inner surface of the head of the housing 516 in the axial direction to the end 592 of the puncture case 520 A wall 594 is disposed. Like the base 550 of the movable cylinder 544, the wall 594 is formed in a bent plate shape so as to be convex on the outer peripheral side. In addition, the wall 594 is a surface 596 extending in the puncture direction from the inner surface of the head of the housing 516 and the stepped surface 598 and a surface extending further in the puncture direction from the inner diameter side of the stepped surface 598 . (600). The face 596 and face 600 of the wall 594 are positioned with the face 596 on the outer diameter side and the face 600 on the inner diameter side through the stepped face 598 . The stepped surface 598 is a surface that is substantially orthogonal to the puncture direction and extends in the circumferential direction about the axis (front and rear in the direction orthogonal to the paper in Fig. 52(b)).

Further, the stepped surface 598 is formed at a position substantially corresponding to the upper end 550a of the base 550 of the movable cylinder 544 in a state in which the movable cylinder 544 shown in Fig. 52(b) is not pushed in. . A width in a direction orthogonal to the puncture direction of the wall 594 (a direction orthogonal to the drawing in FIG. 52( b )) is equal to or smaller than the width in the same direction of the base 550 . Thus, when the movable cylinder 544 is depressed and the pressure feet 552 and 554 move to a position that does not oppose the protrusion 538 of the button 526, the protrusion 538 does not interfere with the wall 594, the button The pressing operation of 526 is not disturbed.

In the state in which the button 526 is not pressed, the inner diameter side surface 550b of the base 550 of the movable cylinder 544 is on the outer diameter side than the surface 596 of the wall 594, as shown in Fig. 52(c). located in Accordingly, when the movable cylinder 544 is pushed in without pressing the button 526 , the upper end 550a of the base 550 does not interfere with the stepped surface 598 . At this time, the inner diameter side surface 550b of the base 550 of the movable cylinder 544 separates the outer diameter side of the surface 596 of the wall 594 from the surface 596 or slides with the surface 596 in the opposite direction to the puncture The pressing of the movable cylinder 544 is allowed by moving to .

In the state in which the button 526 is pressed, as shown in Fig. 52(d), the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 come into contact with the pressure supports 552 and 554 and press-fit them to the base 550. move to the inner diameter side. At this time, the inner diameter side surface 550b of the base 550 moves toward the inner diameter side than the surface 596 of the wall 594 and contacts the surface 600 . Therefore, when the movable cylinder 544 is moved in the opposite direction to the puncture in this state, the step surface 598 and the upper end 550a of the base 550 come into contact, and the movement of the movable cylinder 544 in the opposite direction to the puncture direction is restricted. do. That is, even if it tries to push in the movable cylinder 544 in the state which pushed the button 526, the movable cylinder 544 cannot be pushed in. Here, the step surface 598 (regulating surface) corresponds to the movement regulating means, the contact surface and the slide preventing means.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the user presses the button 526 before pressing the movable cylinder 544, the press-fitting of the movable cylinder 544 is regulated, so the movable cylinder 544 while the user presses the button 526. It is possible to prevent sliding between the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 and the pressing accommodating portions 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544, which may occur by pressing . Therefore, while ensuring safety, the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 and the pressure supports 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544 are worn, or the button 526 or the movable cylinder 544 and other members are deformed. There is no smooth operation of the microneedle applicator 510 is possible.

Next, FIG. 53 shows a body 604 of a microneedle applicator 602 as a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

(Anti-Slip Means)

Hereinafter, the microneedle applicator 602 according to the seventh embodiment will be described. For the configuration common to the microneedle applicator 510, a detailed description thereof will be omitted using the same reference numerals. 53 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the main body 604 of the microneedle applicator 602 in a state in which the retainer 564 is mounted.

The microneedle applicator 602 has a cover 606 installed on the outside of the pressing part 534 of the button 526 . The cover 606 has a plate-shaped main portion 608 having an area covering the front surface of the pressing portion 534 of the button 526 . At both edges of the main part 608 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, connecting portions 610 and 610 that are bent toward the housing 516 at a position beyond the opening 536 are provided. Leg parts 612 and 612 extend in the puncture direction from the edge of the housing 516 side of the connection parts 610 and 610 . The puncture direction ends of the legs 612 and 612 are connected by a connecting portion 614 extending in a direction orthogonal to the puncture direction. An opening 616 adjacent to the main part 608 in the puncture direction of the main part 608 is formed in the cover 606 by the main part 608, the leg parts 612 and 612, and the connecting part 614. And a coupling portion 618 extending toward the inner diameter is provided in the central portion of the connection portion 614 in a direction orthogonal to the puncture direction.

A slit 620 penetrating from the inside of the housing 516 to the outside is formed below the opening 536 of the housing 516 in the puncture direction. The coupling portion 618 of the cover 606 extends to the inside of the housing 516 through the slit 620 , and is coupled to the support 622 of the movable cylinder 544 . At both edges of the cover 606 in a direction perpendicular to the puncture direction, flanges 624 and 624 respectively protruding in a direction perpendicular to the puncture direction from the connecting portions 610 and 610 to the leg portions 612 and 612 are installed. do. Guides 626 and 628 extending in the axial direction are provided on both sides of the housing 516 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the opening 536 . Grooves 626a and 628a are formed along the axial direction in the side surfaces of the openings 536 of the guides 626 and 628 . Flanges 624 and 624 of cover 606 are associated with grooves 626a and 628a, respectively. As will be described later, when the movable cylinder 544 moves in a direction opposite to the puncture direction, the flanges 624 and 624 are guided by the guides 626 and 628 in relation to the grooves 626a and 628a.

And, since the movable cylinder 544 is pushed in, the coupling part 618 of the cover 606 is connected to the movable cylinder 544 support part 622, so that it interlocks with the movable cylinder 544 in the puncture direction and the opposite direction. Move. Accordingly, the main part 608 of the cover 606 on the outside of the pressing part 534 of the button 526 moves in a direction opposite to the puncture direction. Accordingly, the portion covering the outside by the main portion 608 among the pressing portions 534 of the button 526 decreases, and the portion exposed at the opening 616 increases. Then, when the movable cylinder 544 is pushed into position, the front surface of the pressing part 534 of the button 526 is exposed at the opening 616 .

54 (a) is a view of the microneedle applicator 602 viewed from the top of the housing 516. 54( b ) is a cross-sectional B-B view of the body 512 of the microneedle applicator 602 with the retainer 564 attached thereto.

Fig. 54(b) shows a state in which the movable cylinder 544 to which the retainer 564 is mounted is not pushed in. At this time, the main part 608 of the cover 606 is located on the outside of the pressing part 534 of the button 526, and the pressing part 534 is covered by the main part 608 over the front, and the user can use the button ( 526) cannot be rolled up or pressurized.

Fig. 55 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the main body 604 of the microneedle applicator 602 in a state in which the retainer 564 is attached and the movable cylinder 544 is pushed into place. 56 is a B-B cross-sectional view of the microneedle applicator 602 with the retainer 564 mounted and the movable cylinder 544 pushed into place.

55, when the movable cylinder 544 is inserted into place, the cover 606 interlocking with the movable cylinder 544 also moves in the opposite direction to the puncture direction. When the movable cylinder 544 is pushed into place, the main part 608 of the cover 606 is located in the opposite direction to the puncture direction of the pressing part 534 of the button 526, and the connecting part 614 is the button ( Located in the puncture direction of the pressing portion 534 of the 526 , the front surface of the pressing portion 534 is exposed through the opening 616 . Here, the cover 606 corresponds to the anti-slip means.

As such, the user can press the button 526 by moving the main portion 608 of the cover 606 from the position covering the pressing portion 534 of the button 526 to the position opposite to the puncture direction. That is, in the step of pushing the movable cylinder 544 into place, the user cannot press the button 526 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the slide of the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 and the pressure supports 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544, which may occur by pushing the movable cylinder 544 while pressing the button 526. can Therefore, while ensuring safety, the protrusions 538 and 538 of the button 526 and the pressure supports 552 and 554 of the movable cylinder 544 are worn, or the button 526 or the movable cylinder 544 and other members are deformed. Smooth operation of the microneedle applicator 602 is possible without any work.

As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, this invention is not interpreted limitedly by the specific description in these Example, It can implement in the form which added various changes, correction, improvement, etc. according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

For example, in the above embodiment, a solid needle is employed in the microneedles 12 and 216 and a drug administered to the solid needle is contained, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The microneedle may adopt a structure in which the drug is administered through the lumen of the hollow needle punctured in a reservoir that holds the drug separately from the hollow needle having a lumen as in Patent Document 1, for example, and the shape of the puncture needle And the structure, number, etc. are not limited. In addition, the microneedle can be used not only for administration (transportation) of drugs, but also for blood collection.

Also, the mechanism for limiting movement by contacting the movable cylinders 72, 290, 544 prior to placing the puncture rods 14, 218, 518 into the housings 16, 212, 442, 488, 516 side is the exemplary cylinder locking device. It is not limited to (130, 352, 528), and each kind of releasable locking structure such as coupling using a rotatable hook and magnetic force can be appropriately employed.

In addition, the bias of the puncture rod, the movable cylinder, the lock lever, the lock member (cylinder locking device), the puncture button (button), the pressing rod, and the pressing button is limited to the spring as in the above embodiment, instead of rubber and elastomer, etc. It can be achieved by other magnets of the elastic body of That is, for example, a spring is employed as the biasing means, and an elastic body other than a spring may be employed as the buffering means in the third to fifth embodiments, and an elastic body other than the spring is employed as the biasing means, and a spring is used as the buffering means. This can be employed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the covers 152, 394, 514 are substantially cup-shaped, and cover the puncture rods 14, 218, 518 and the movable cylinders 72, 290, 544 in the stored state, but for example, At least a part of the movable cylinder may be covered in a substantially annular shape in plan view. However, such a cover is not essential.

Further, in the third embodiment, the puncture spring 214 is disposed in series in the vertical direction with the pressing spring 288 and the pressing rod 272 interposed therebetween, and in the fifth embodiment, the puncture spring 214 is provided. Although the pressure spring 506 is arranged in parallel on the inner peripheral side of the, it is not limited to this example. That is, when the puncture spring and the pressing spring are arranged in series as in the third embodiment, the restoring force of the pressing spring is applied to the puncture spring through the pressing rod, and the puncture spring and the pressing spring must be arranged in the vertical direction. there is no In addition, when the puncture spring and the pressure spring are arranged in parallel as in the fifth embodiment, the lower end of the puncture spring and the lower end of the pressure spring are fixed to the puncture rod, so that the puncture spring and the pressure spring operate independently of each other. , it is not necessarily placed in an internally and externally inserted state.

10: microneedle applicator 12: microneedle
14: needle rod 16: housing
18: outer housing 20: inner housing
22: upper and lower wall 24: (outer housing) main wall
26: through hole 28: locking part
30a, 30b: support wall 32: guide projection
34: cutout 36: fitting hole
38: opening 40: jamming ball
42: spring support 44 (inner housing) peripheral wall
46a, 46b, 46c: wall 48: groove
50,52: notch 54: collar
56: cylindrical portion 58: bottom wall
60a, 60b, 60c: wall 62: guide barbed wire
64: through window 66: positioning protrusion
68: spring support 70: puncture spring
72: movable cylinder 74: (of the movable cylinder) main wall
76: insertion hole 78: contact plate
80: protruding contact 81: inclined surface
82: contact avoidance area 84: guide recess
86: spring receiving part 88: pressing part
90: inclined surface 92: case holding part
94: stopper 96: stopper
98: press spring 100: spring holding part
102: puncture button 104: lock lever
106: button body 108: awning portion
110: coupling protrusion 112: inclined surface
114: main walls 116a, 116b, 116c: walls
118: through hole 120: spring support
122: engaging portion 124: inclined curved surface
125: flat surface 126: opening groove
128: inclined plane 130: cylinder lock member
132: main wall 134a, 134b, 134c: wall
136: spring support 138: coupling portion
140: inclined curved surface 142: contact protrusion
144: spring for button 146: locking spring
148: movement limiting means 150: safety mechanism
152: cover 154: bottom wall
156: main wall 158: release means
160: case 162: case body
164: case cover 166: cylindrical wall
168: outer flange 170: inner flange
172: adhesive sheet 174: needle body
176: base 178: cover
180: connection 190: (micro-needle) applicator
192: cap 194: bottom wall
196: main wall 198: awning part
200: movement limiting means 210: (micro-needle) applicator
212: housing 214: puncture spring (bias means)
216 microneedle 218: needle rod
220: outer housing 222: inner housing
224: upper and lower wall 226: main wall
228: through hole 229: window part
230: stopping portion 232a, 232b: support wall
234: guide protrusion 236: hole for puncture button
238 hole for pressing button 240: lid part
242: locking hole 246: spring support
248: main wall 250a, 250b, 250c: wall
252: guide recess 254, 256: notch
258: color part 260: cylindrical part
262: bottom wall 264a, 264b, 264c: wall
266: guide barbed wire 268: through window
270: position protrusion 271: spring support
272: pressure rod (pressure transmission member)
274: cylindrical portion 276: bottom plate
278: outer tube 280: spring support
282: thick wall 284: locking projection
286: inclined surface 288: pressure spring (bias generating member)
290: movable cylinder
292: main wall 294: entrance
296: contact plate 298: protruding contact portion
300: slope 302: contact avoidance area
304: guide recess 306: spring receiving part
308: pressing part 310: inclined surface
312: case holding part 314: engaging part
316: stopper 318: press spring
320: spring holding part 322: puncture button
324: lock lever 326: puncture button body
328: awning 330: coupling protrusion
332: slope 334: main wall
336a, 336b, 336c: wall 338: through hole
340: spring support 342: engaging portion
344: inclined curved surface 346: flat surface
348: opening groove 350: inclined surface
352: cylinder locking device 354: main wall
356a, 356b, 356c: wall 358: spring support
360: coupling portion 362: inclined curved surface
364: contact protrusion 366: catch portion
368: bent part 370: colored part
372: press button 374: main wall
376a: push button body 376b, 376c: wall
378: holding part 380: locking projection
382: inclined curved surface 384: spring support
386: puncture button spring 388: lock spring
390: spring for pressure button
391: movement lock
392: cap 394: cover
396: bottom wall 398: main wall
400: awning 402: bottom wall
404: main wall 406: movement restriction means
408: safety mechanism 410: case
412: case body 414: case cover
416: cylindrical wall 418: peripheral flange
420: inner flange 422: adhesive sheet
424: needle body 426: base
428: cover 430: connection part
440: (micro-needle) applicator
442: housing 444: outer housing
446: inner housing 448: hole for pressure boss
450: pressure boss member (bias operation member)
452: pressurized boss body
454: flange shape 456: opening groove
458: inclined surface 460: stepped surface
462: lock lever 464: holding part
466: locking projection 468: inclined curved surface
470: operation lock 480: micro-needle applicator
482: outer housing 484: circular recess
486: inner housing 488: housing
490 Pressure boss member (bias operation member)
492: rod feature
494: step shape portion 496: pressure operation unit
496a: upper surface 498: coupling part
500: needle rod 502: spring support
504: locking part 506: pressure spring (buffering means)
510: micro needle applicator
512: body 514 cover
516: housing 518: puncture rod
520: puncture case 522: puncture spring
524: cap 526: button
528: cylinder lock 530: lock lever
532a, 532b: button spring
534: pressurized part
536: opening 538: protrusion
540: awning part 542a, 542b: regulatory part
544: movable cylinders 546a, 546b: slit
548: pressurized surface 550: base
550a: upper part 550b: side
552,554: pressure bearing 556a, 556b: pressing spring
558: opening 560,562: hook
564: retainer 566: case
568,570: retainer support
572: flange 574: patch
576: body 578,580: locking part
582a, 582b: area 584: window
586: projection 588: skin
590: cross section 592: end
594: wall 596: cotton
598: step surface 600: surface
602: micro needle applicator
604: body 606: cover
608: housewife 610: connection part
612: leg portion 614: connection portion
616: opening 618: coupling portion
620: slit 622: support
624: flange 626: guide
626a: Home 628: Guide
628a: home

Claims (20)

In the microneedle applicator capable of puncturing a microneedle by pushing the puncturing rod into the housing and simultaneously moving the movable cylinder toward the housing, the microneedle applicator comprising:
movement limiting means for preventing the movable cylinder from moving toward the housing; and
The microneedle applicator according to claim 1, wherein the puncture rod has a release means for releasing a movement limiting measure according to a press-fitting operation into the housing and allowing the movable cylinder to move toward the housing. The movement limiting means according to claim 1, wherein the movement limiting means is constituted by a locking member that contacts the movable cylinder and prevents movement of the movable cylinder toward the housing,
In the release means, the microneedle applicator, characterized in that the contact between the locking member and the movable cylinder is released by the puncture rod being press-fitted into the housing. According to claim 2, 　The locking member is disposed to be movable in a direction crossing the press-fitting direction of the puncture rod, and by the movement of the locking member, the movement is prevented by contact with the movable cylinder and movement by contact release. Microneedle applicator, characterized in that the acceptance of is realized by selection. The microneedle applicator according to claim 1, wherein the movement limiting means is configured by a cap covering the puncture rod from the outside, and the releasing means is configured by a separation structure of the cap. 5. The microneedle applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the movement limiting means comprises a cover covering at least a part of the movable cylinder. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the microneedle is mountable to the movable cylinder, and at the same time, a detachable cap covering the puncture rod from the outside is mounted to the housing so that the microneedle cannot be mounted to the movable cylinder. Microneedle applicator, characterized in that. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a safety mechanism for disabling the puncture button for puncturing the microneedle is installed, and at the same time, the safety mechanism is released by moving the movable cylinder toward the housing. Features a microneedle applicator. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The microneedle is protruded from the housing by the biasing means, and a buffering external force adding mechanism is provided that continuously applies an additional external force through the buffering means to the microneedle protruding from the housing by the biasing means microneedle applicator. According to claim 8, 　The buffer external force applying device is provided with an additional external force generating member to generate the additional external force, the additional external force generated by the additional external force generating member is applied to the microneedle through the buffer means microneedle applicator. The method according to claim 9, wherein the additional external force generating member is configured as a compression spring member for generating the additional external force by being maintained in a compressed state, and the additional external force of the compression spring member is applied to the buffer means through the pressing force transmitting member At the same time, a microneedle applicator, characterized in that a movement locking device for preventing the movement of the pressing force transmitting member is releasably installed. According to claim 8, 　The buffer external force applying device is provided with an additional external force operating member for applying the additional external force by external manipulation, the additional external force exerted by the additional external force operating member is applied to the microneedle through the buffer means. A microneedle applicator, characterized in that it has an impact. The microneedle applicator according to claim 11, wherein an operation locking device for preventing operation of the additional external force operation member is releasably installed. The microneedle applicator according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the operating surface on the outside of the additional external force operation member is set at a position retracted from the surface of the housing in the storage state at least before puncture. 14. The microneedle applicator according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the buffer means is constituted by an elastic member different from the bias means. 14. The microneedle applicator according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the buffer means is configured as the bias means. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
The puncture rod is arranged to move in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the housing,
a biasing means for pressing the puncture rod in the first direction;
In a first position positioned in the first direction with respect to the housing, the puncture rod is moved in the second direction against the force by the biasing means, and positioned in the second direction from the first position with respect to the housing. latch means;
a button acting on the latch means to release the holding of the puncture rod by being pressed in a direction crossing the first direction; and
and a press receiving portion which, when in a third position relative to the housing, contacts the button pressed between the button and the latch means, thereby regulating the action of the button on the latch means; When moving from the position 3 to the fourth position located in the second direction, the push receiving portion moves in the second direction between the button and the latch means to allow the button to act on the latch means regulatory means;
A microneedle applicator comprising an anti-slip means for preventing sliding between the button and the button regulating means. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the sliding preventing means has movement regulating means for regulating the movement of the button regulating means from the third position to the fourth position in a state pressed by the button. microneedle applicator. The method according to claim 17, wherein the movement regulating means has a contact surface for regulating movement at a fourth position of the button regulating means by contacting the button regulating means moving in the second direction in a state pressed by the button. Features a microneedle applicator. The microneedle applicator according to claim 18, wherein the contact surface is a stepped surface installed on a wall disposed on the opposite side to the button with respect to the button regulating means. The cover according to claim 16, wherein the slide preventing means covers the pressing part of the button when the button regulating means is in the third position, and exposing the pressing part of the button when the button regulating means is in the fourth position. Microneedle applicator, characterized in that.

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