HK1131024A - Lancet assembly - Google Patents

Description

Lancet assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lancet assembly including a lancet and a lancet case for housing the lancet, an injector used in combination with the lancet assembly, and a pricking device including the lancet assembly and the injector. Such devices are used for the purpose of collecting body fluids, for example blood, and for piercing a predetermined part of the body with a sharp piercing member, for example a needle.

Background

In order to measure the blood glucose level of a diabetic patient, a small amount of blood is collected, and various puncture devices are used for this purpose. Such a device is constituted by a lancet having a pricking member (for example, a metal needle) for pricking a predetermined part of a body and an emitter, and is used by: such a lancet is incorporated into an injector that injects the lancet with the distal end portion of the pricking member exposed toward a predetermined portion, and the lancet is injected toward the predetermined portion by the action of the spring compressed in the injector.

When blood is collected using such a pricking device, special attention is required for handling the used lancet. In the lancet after the pricking, generally, the distal end portion of the pricking member is exposed from the lancet body in a state where a small amount of blood of the subject adheres thereto. For example, when a person other than the person who is the subject, for example, a nurse who performs blood collection, touches the distal end portion by mistake, the distal end portion punctures the body and blood enters the body from the wound, and as a result, the person may be infected with an infectious disease.

In a known pricking device, it is not always sufficiently studied to handle a lancet after pricking, and for example, a technique has been proposed in which a cap is attached to a distal end portion of a pricking member exposed after pricking (see patent document 1 described later). In this device, the lancet with the tip portion exposed needs to be handled with great care in order to cover the cap, and the above-mentioned risk is not sufficiently eliminated in this layer.

Therefore, in the pricking device, handling of the lancets after pricking is very important, and there is a demand for a pricking device capable of handling the lancets after reaching a safer state after pricking.

Patent document 1: U.S. patent specification No. 5385571

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a puncture device comprising: after the pricking, the lancet is not removed from the injector in a state where the front end portion of the pricking member still protrudes from the lancet body, but is removed from the injector in a state where the protruding front end portion is as isolated as possible from the surroundings thereof.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a lancet assembly comprising a lancet and a lancet case that houses a part of the lancet,

the lancet comprises a lancet body, a lancet cover and a metal pricking member,

the lancet case is provided with: a housing having a front opening and a rear opening; and a pair of wing parts located at the side of the shell,

in the lancet, a pricking member is present in the lancet body and the lancet cover so as to cross the lancet body and the lancet cover, a tip portion of the pricking member is surrounded by the lancet cover,

the lancet body has a protrusion and a stopper located at the rear thereof,

each wing part of the lancet case has a front end part and a rear end part and an abutting part positioned therebetween, the front end part is integrally connected with the case, the rear end part can be embedded into the side of the case,

when the rear end portion of the wing portion is not fitted into the side of the housing, the rear end portion of the wing portion is located outside the housing, and as a result, the wing portion is in a state of protruding obliquely rearward from the side of the housing,

when the rear end portion of the wing portion is fitted into the side of the housing, the wing portion is disposed along the side of the housing (as a result, the rear side of the abutting portion can come into contact with the front side of the protruding portion of the lancet body, thereby restricting the forward movement of the protruding portion). In such a lancet assembly, the lancet is preferably a resin molded article (a product obtained by, for example, injection molding a resin).

In one embodiment, the lancet assembly of the present invention is configured such that the lancet cover and the lancet body are integrally joined to each other through a weakened portion,

the rear portion of the lancet cover located forward of the weakened portion, and the front portion of the lancet body located rearward of the weakened portion are located as the portions within the lancet housing.

In the lancet assembly of the present invention, in another aspect, the lancet cover and the lancet body may be separate members, and in this case, the rear portion of the lancet cover and the front portion of the lancet body are located in the lancet case as the parts. In one embodiment, the lancet cover and the lancet body may be substantially adjacent to each other without separating these members, or in another embodiment, these members may be separated and the pricking member may be partially exposed.

Further, the rear end portion of the wing portion fitted to the side of the housing is elastically restored to the state not fitted to the side of the housing by applying an outward force to the rear end portion. That is, the wing portions are substantially spread outward.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a launcher in which the lancet assembly of the present invention described above and in detail below is loaded, and which emits a lancet body exposing a distal end portion of a pricking member,

the transmitter has in its interior: a push rod for launching a lancet body having a pricking member exposed at a distal end portion thereof; and a member (i.e., a wing spreading member) spreading the wing part outward.

When the lancet assembly of the present invention is used as the pricking device of the present invention in combination with the injector of the present invention, there can be provided a pricking device comprising: the lancet assembly is inserted into the launcher and loaded, and the lancet cover is removed by twisting off, thereby completing the preparation for puncturing. After the pricking, the distal end portion of the pricking member is still in a state of protruding from the lancet body, but is removed from the emitter in a state of being substantially isolated from the surroundings thereof in the lancet case. The term "substantially isolated from the surroundings" means that the exposed distal end portion of the pricking member is located in the lancet case at a position sufficiently distant from the distal end opening of the case after the pricking operation, and that the distal end portion is not touched by a person who usually takes blood during the usual pricking operation.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a lancet assembly of the present invention in a schematic perspective view.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the front half of the lancet case is cut off (the wing is closed) in order to explain the structure of the lancet assembly of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a lancet constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a lancet case constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows in schematic perspective view a launcher loaded with a lancet assembly.

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the transmitter in a state in which the lancet assembly is loaded.

Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a lancet case constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention viewed obliquely from the rear (with the wing open).

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a lancet case constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention as viewed obliquely from the rear (with the wing closed).

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the front half of the lancet case is cut off (the wing is opened) in order to explain the structure of the lancet assembly of the present invention.

Fig. 10 shows another embodiment of the lancet of the present invention in a schematic perspective view.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where a half casing on the front side of the casing of the launcher is removed, and the lancet assembly is inserted so that the lancet body abuts against the tip of the push rod in order to load the lancet assembly into the launcher.

Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the front half of the lancet case, the ejector, the cylinder, and the like is cut away (the same state as fig. 11), and the lancet assembly is inserted so that the lancet body abuts against the front end portion of the plunger in order to load the lancet assembly into the launcher.

Fig. 13 shows the push rod in a schematic perspective view.

Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing the state in which the rear end portion of the lancet body is held by the push rod, similarly to fig. 11.

Fig. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing the state in which the rear end portion of the lancet body is held by the push rod, similarly to fig. 12.

Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view similar to fig. 11 showing how the push rod is maximally pressed to spread the wings of the lancet case.

Fig. 17 is a schematic perspective view similar to fig. 12 showing how the push rod is maximally pressed to spread the wings of the lancet case.

Fig. 18 is a schematic perspective view showing a state after the lancet is loaded (a ready-to-fire state) in the same manner as fig. 11.

Fig. 19 is a schematic perspective view showing a state after the lancet is loaded (a ready-to-fire state) in the same manner as fig. 12.

Fig. 20 shows in a schematic perspective view a half-shell of the shell constituting the emitter.

Fig. 21 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the lancet cover is screwed off, similarly to fig. 12.

Fig. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a state when the trigger button is pushed, similarly to fig. 12.

Fig. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the puncture member punctures a predetermined site, similarly to fig. 11.

Fig. 24 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the puncturing member punctures a predetermined site, similarly to fig. 12.

Fig. 25 is a schematic perspective view showing the puncture member retreating after puncturing a predetermined site, similarly to fig. 11.

Fig. 26 is a schematic perspective view showing the puncture member retreating after puncturing a predetermined site, similarly to fig. 12.

Fig. 27 is a schematic perspective view showing the state when the lancet assembly starts to be discharged after the completion of pricking, as in fig. 11.

Fig. 28 is a schematic perspective view showing the state when the lancet assembly starts to be discharged after the completion of pricking, as in fig. 12.

Fig. 29 is a schematic perspective view showing the state in which the stopper flies out during the ejection of the lancet assembly, as in fig. 11.

Fig. 30 is a schematic perspective view showing the state in which the stopper flies out during the ejection of the lancet assembly, as in fig. 12.

Fig. 31 is a schematic perspective view showing the state of the lancet body separated from the plunger during the discharge of the lancet assembly, as in fig. 11.

Fig. 32 is a schematic perspective view similar to fig. 12, showing a state in which the lancet body is separated from the plunger during the discharge of the lancet assembly.

Fig. 33 is a schematic perspective view showing the completion of the discharge of the lancet assembly in the same manner as fig. 11.

Fig. 34 is a schematic perspective view showing the completion of the ejection of the lancet assembly in the same manner as fig. 12.

Fig. 35 shows the ejector in a schematic perspective view.

Fig. 36 shows the ejected lancet assembly in a schematic perspective view with the proximal side of the lancet case cut.

Fig. 37 is a schematic perspective view showing the ring member and the collision member.

Fig. 38 shows the rotation restricting member in a schematic perspective view.

Wherein the reference numbers are as follows:

100. 100.

A front end opening portion, a 107.. rear end opening portion, a 108.. rear end portion, a 110.. front end portion,

a boss portion, 114.. a housing, 116.. a wing portion, 117.. a rear end opening portion defining wall,

118.. a front end portion, 119.. a wall edge, 120.. a rear end portion, 121.. a slit portion,

an abutment, 124.. an inclined face, 126.. a face of the rear, 127.. a wing receiving space,

a 128.. side, 129.. projection, 130.. rear end face, 131.. recess,

a rear end wall, 133.. a thin-walled portion, 135.. a groove, 140.. a rail, 200.. a lancet,

a rear end portion, 204.. a lancet body, 206.. a lancet cover, 207.. a top,

208.. weakened portion, 209.. protrusion, 210.. piercing member, 212.. protrusion,

a stopper, 215.

A convex portion, 219.. narrow form portion, 221.. rear aspect, 222.. protruding portion,

a ramp surface, 231.. a front side surface, 300.. a transmitter, 301.. a flat plate-shaped portion,

a front end opening portion, 303.. a protrusion, 304.. a protruding portion,

306. an emitter half casing, 309.

A front end portion, 315.

A protrusion, 325.. a front side, 326.. a rotation axis, 327.. a rear bevel,

328.. a trigger lever, 330.. a shoulder, 340.. a wedge member, 341.. a nose,

a slope, 344.. a front bulkhead, 345.. an opening, 346.. a protrusion,

347.

351.. base plate, 352.. pusher, 354.. operating button, 355.. slot,

a working portion, 357.. a return spring, 358.. a rear spacer,

a penetration depth adjusting cylinder 361. the ring component 362. the rear end part of the push rod,

an opening, 365.. a collision member, 366.. a knob,

367. 367 '. cndot. impact site, 371 ', 373 '. cndot. ladder,

380.. a rotation limiting member, 384.. a first cartridge portion,

a second barrel portion, 388.

Detailed Description

The lancet assembly of the present invention, the lancet and the lancet case constituting the same, the injector used in combination with the lancet assembly of the present invention, and the pricking device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the present specification, terms such as "front" and "rear" are used to indicate a direction or a positional relationship. The term "front" is used when referring to a certain point (or a member, an element, or the like) which can be understood from the context, and when referring to a direction in which the puncture member moves to puncture a predetermined site, that is, a puncture direction, from the point, and when referring to a direction opposite thereto, it is used. In the description, terms such as "inside" and "outside" are also used when indicating a direction or a positional relationship. The term "inside" is used when indicating a direction toward the puncture member and "outside" is used when indicating a direction opposite thereto, with reference to a certain point (or a member, an element, or the like) which can be understood from the context.

The lancet assembly 100 of the present invention is shown in a schematic perspective view in fig. 1. Lancet assembly 100 is comprised of lancet housing 102 and lancet 200 with a portion housed therein. In order to explain the structure of the lancet assembly, fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the state in which the front half of the lancet case 102 is cut. These figures show a state in which the lancet 200 is incorporated in the lancet case 102 and completed as an assembly. The assembly in the illustrated state can be inserted into a transmitter and loaded as described later, and it is generally preferable to sell the assembly 100 in the state shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic perspective views of the lancet 200 and the lancet case 102 constituting the lancet assembly shown in fig. 1 and 2, respectively. Fig. 4 is different from the lancet case shown in fig. 1 and 2 in that the wing 116 of the lancet case is shown in an outwardly spread state.

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the transmitter 300 loaded with the lancet assembly, and fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the transmitter 300 loaded with the lancet assembly. The transmitter 300 houses, in the interior space of the casing 309 defined by the transmitter half-casings 306 and 308, as described in detail below: most of the mechanisms include a mechanism for loading the lancet assembly and preparing for launching the lancet body, a mechanism for launching the lancet body with the tip of the pricking member exposed, and a mechanism for discharging the lancet assembly having the lancet body with the tip exposed in a safe state after the launching. A trigger button 350, a discharge button 354, and a depth adjustment knob 366, which will be described later, are present on the outside of the housing 309.

Priming of the lancet assembly 100 into the emitter 300 is performed by: from the front end opening 302 of the launcher toward the inside (i.e., the rear), the rear end 108 of the lancet housing 102 is first inserted, and thereafter a considerable portion of the lancet housing 102 is inserted. The lancet case 102 has a convex portion (or a protrusion) 112 provided on the rear outer side of the front end portion 110, and when the convex portion 112 passes over a protrusion 304 provided on the wall defining the front end opening 302 of the launcher, the loading of the lancet assembly into the launcher is completed.

Fig. 6 shows a state after the loading is completed, in which the rear end portion 120 of the wing 116 of the lancet case 102 is in a state of being spread by being brought into contact with the wing spreading member 342 (see fig. 20) (the state shown in fig. 4). At this time, as will be described later, the action portion 356 (see fig. 35) of the ejector 312 preferably abuts against the rear end portion of the lancet case.

The lancet 200 constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention, which is shown in a perspective view in fig. 3, includes a lancet body 204 and a lancet cap 206 which are integrally joined to each other by a weakened portion 208. In the lancet 200, the pricking member 210 (not shown in fig. 3, but only the distal end portion thereof is shown in fig. 36) extends through and across the lancet body 204 and the lancet cover 206, and the distal end portion of the pricking member 210 is surrounded by the lancet cover 206. Such a lancet 200 is preferably a resin molded article inserted into the pricking member 210. The lancet body 204 has a protrusion 212 on its outside. The projections 212 are preferably present in pairs opposing each other across the piercing member. The lancet includes a lancet body 204 and a lancet cap 206, and the basic form of the lancet is known in which these are integrally joined by a weakened portion 208.

The protrusion 212 of the lancet body may be present at a part of the periphery of the lancet body, and preferably is present at the periphery of the pricking member so as to face the pricking member (for example, at the upper and lower sides of the pricking member as shown in fig. 3). The protrusion 212 can restrict forward movement of the lancet body in the lancet case by abutting against the abutting portion 122 of the wing 116 in a state where the wing 116 is fitted into the upper and lower side surfaces of the case 114 (in the state shown in fig. 2), as will be described later. When the lancet is retracted in the lancet case, the protrusion 212 abuts against the inside of the wall defining the rear end opening 107, and further backward movement is not possible.

In another aspect, the protrusion 212 of the lancet body 204 may be provided as a plurality of separate protrusion members along substantially the entire circumference of the lancet body as shown in fig. 3, and in this case, it is not necessary that all of the protrusion members have the function of restricting the forward and rearward movements as described above. For example, as described above, the upper and lower protruding members of the lancet body restrict the movement, and the right and left protruding members 215 have other functions. Specifically, the projecting member which does not directly come into contact with the contact portion of the wing, particularly the projecting member 215 which faces the inside of the side surface of the housing where the wing is not present, may be configured to be fitted into a groove 135 (see fig. 4) extending in the pricking direction provided inside the housing and guided, thereby stabilizing the forward and backward movement of the lancet body at the time of lancet launching.

The protrusion provided on the lancet body is required for the protrusion member that regulates the movement of the lancet body, and the protrusion member that guides the movement of the lancet and stabilizes the movement is preferably present, but may not necessarily be present.

In the case where the protruding portions are constituted by protruding members having different functions as described above, all the protruding members constituting the protruding portions do not necessarily need to be present around the same portion of the lancet body in the pricking direction. For example, the protrusion member having a function of restricting the movement of the lancet may be present at any appropriate position of the lancet body as long as it is present in front of the stopper 213. For example, the projection member may be provided at a position (e.g., the position of the projection member 230 provided in fig. 10) further forward than the position shown in fig. 3. In this case, the minimum length of the lancet body that can protrude outward from the rear end of the lancet case can be further increased in the state of the lancet assembly. In this case, the other protrusion member 215 having the function of guiding the movement of the lancet may be disposed at another position (for example, the position of the protrusion member 215 in fig. 10, or a position further rearward than the position).

Hereinafter, in the present specification, when simply referring to the protrusion of the lancet body, the term "protrusion of the lancet body" is used as a protrusion member having a movement prevention function.

As described above, although the protrusion 212 of the lancet body restricts the forward and backward movement of the lancet body in the lancet case, the protrusion of the lancet body may be formed of protrusion members that are present in 2 different portions of the lancet body separated in the pricking direction (i.e., separated forward and backward). In this case, these protruding members need to be present further forward than the stopper 213.

Fig. 10 shows a lancet of this type in the same manner as fig. 3. In fig. 10, the protrusion 212 provided on the lancet body is different from the lancet shown in fig. 3 in that it is composed of a pair 230 of the front protrusion member and the rear protrusion member separated by 2 points in the pricking direction, and a pair 232 of the front protrusion member and the rear protrusion member. In fig. 10, the projecting member 215 having the guide function is provided in a single form (in fig. 3, the form of 2 projecting members 215 divided vertically). In the illustrated embodiment, the front pair 230 abuts against the abutting portion 122 of the wing 116 to restrict forward movement of the lancet body, and the rear pair 232 abuts against the inside of the wall defining the rear end opening of the housing to restrict rearward movement of the lancet body.

The shape of the protrusion 212 of the lancet body is not particularly limited as long as the movement can be restricted. Thus, various forms (for example, a single form of a nail, a bar, or a ridge) or a combination of these various forms are also possible. Also, as will be described in detail later, the wings 116 are embedded in the side surfaces of the housing. In the case of such fitting, there is a possibility that the wing portion presses the protruding portion for some reason (for example, a case where the height of the protruding portion is slightly too large due to dimensional variation in manufacturing, or the like, and the fitted wing portion abuts against the top portion of the abutting portion). The protrusion may be configured (i.e., flexible) such that the protrusion height of the protrusion (i.e., the distance from the surface of the lancet body to the top of the protrusion) is reduced by the pressing of the wing portion. For example, the stopper 213 may be in the form of a claw or a fin, as will be described later. However, in this case, the protrusion direction of the claw or the like, that is, the front end of the protrusion portion protrudes obliquely forward from the lancet body is preferable. In another embodiment, the protrusion, particularly the protrusion member located on the front side, may be in a form extending from the lancet body in an L-shape as shown in the drawing, like the protrusion member 230 of fig. 10. In this case, the front end of the L-shape faces forward as shown in the figure. The shape of the rear protruding member 232 may be the same as that of the front protruding member, but as shown in the figure, it is preferably a rod or ridge having no flexibility as compared with the shape of a claw, L, fin.

The rear end portion 202 of the lancet body 204 is configured to be fitted into a front end portion of a plunger 310 of a lancet launcher for launching a lancet as described later, and the rear end portion 202 has a projection, preferably a projection 218 in the form of a circumferential flange, on the outer side thereof, and the projection is fitted into a complementary recess 316 provided on the inner side of a front end portion 314 (specifically, a leg portion to be described later) of the plunger 310 of the launcher. Instead of such a convex portion and a concave portion, a concave portion may be used at the rear end portion of the lancet body and a convex portion may be used at the front end portion of the plunger.

The lancet body 204 further has a surface 221 facing the front surface of the protrusion 218. The rear surface 221 is in a state of abutting and closely contacting a support surface (or a seat surface) 315 provided at the front end of the rear end 202 of the lancet body in a state of being gripped by the push rod 310.

The lancet body 204 has a pair of stoppers 213 at the rear of the protrusion 212. The stopper has the following functions: after being moved outward from rear end opening 107 of case 114, stopper 213 is prevented from entering lancet case 102 through rear end opening 117 of case 114. That is, the movement of the lancet body 204 passing through the rear end opening 107 of the case 114 is allowed only in one direction (i.e., rearward movement), and the stopper 213 can be moved outside the lancet case through the rear end opening, but cannot enter the lancet case from the outside to the inside. Thereby restricting the movement of the lancet body in the other direction (i.e., forward movement).

The stopper 213 is in the form of a projection extending obliquely forward/outward from the lancet body 204, preferably in the form of a claw or a fin, and preferably in a pair on both sides thereof with a piercing member interposed therebetween. In another embodiment, the protrusion member 230 may have an L-shape. The stopper of this form is designed to function as follows: the portion of the lancet body having the stopper can move from the inside of the lancet case rearward through the rear end opening 107 to the outside, but even if it is desired to move forward from the outside of the lancet case through the rear end opening after once passing through and moving outward, the front end portion of the stopper 213 abuts against the outside of the wall defining the rear end opening 107 of the case, and when it is desired to move forward in this state and apply a forward force to the lancet body, the stopper is further spread outward, and therefore the stopper cannot enter the inside of the lancet case. Thus, the stopper functions as a stopper for only one direction. Such a stopper can function more effectively by making the lancet of resin and utilizing its elasticity.

For example, as will be described later, when the lancet assembly is ejected from the injector after use, the forward movement of the lancet body can be restricted by moving the lancet housing forward relative to the lancet body and moving the stopper outward from the rear end opening of the housing, and then the stopper of the lancet body cannot enter the lancet housing. Since the lancet body cannot be moved forward in this manner, the lancet assembly once used cannot be reused for pricking.

In a preferred embodiment, the lancet cover 206 has a protrusion 216 protruding outward, and preferably has a protrusion 216 extending substantially entirely around a predetermined portion in the pricking direction of the lancet cover. In another embodiment, the lancet cover may have protrusions at 2 locations (for example, at the upper and lower sides of the lancet cover) or at more locations that face each other with the pricking member interposed therebetween. The outer contour of this projection is larger than the inner contour of the front end opening of the case, and as a result, the projection 216 cannot enter the space inside the lancet case 102 from the front end opening 106. Therefore, when the lancet is inserted into the lancet case to form the lancet assembly, the protrusion abuts against the front end of the lancet case, and the lancet can be prevented from moving further rearward with respect to the lancet case.

The front part 214 of the lancet cap 206 of the lancet constitutes a handle part for grasping when the weakened part 208 (if present) is broken, and a protrusion 216 is provided behind the handle part. The protrusion 216 is preferably a flange-like peripheral portion of the lancet cover or an extension in the form of a lateral rod or ridge as shown in the figure, and abuts against a wall surface defining the front end opening 106 of the case 114 so that the lancet 200 cannot move further rearward with respect to the lancet case 102. The handle portion 214 may be used to apply a force when the lancet assembly is loaded into the launcher 300 and retracted into the front end opening of the launcher in order to be grasped with the fingertips. To this end, the front portion 214 may be flat as shown.

The lancet cover preferably has a fitting portion 217 on the rear side of the protrusion 216. The fitting portion is a protruding portion located around the lancet cover, and the outermost portion of the contour (the cross section perpendicular to the pricking direction) has a shape of being fitted into the front end opening 106 of the housing. Therefore, when the lancet cap is inserted into the lancet case, the fitting portion is fitted into the lancet case, and the protrusion 216 of the lancet cap is present on the front side of the front end opening 106 of the case.

When such a fitting portion is present, it is convenient to temporarily fix the lancet cover without unnecessarily moving in the lancet case when the fitting portion is fitted into the lancet cover when the lancet assembly is assembled by inserting the lancet cover into the lancet case. The form and number of the fitting portions are not particularly limited as long as the fitting portions can be fitted into the front end opening of the case to temporarily fix the lancet.

The fitting portion is preferably formed so as to be narrowed rearward. As a result, the fitting portion located on the rear side of the protrusion has at least one surface (i.e., a slope surface) inclined toward the rear, preferably toward the puncture member. When the slope surface is rotated around the puncture member, the surface moves so as to ride up the side of the wall defining the distal end opening of the housing. Accordingly, when the lancet cap is rotated (i.e., twisted) relative to the lancet housing about the extending direction of the pricking member, the lancet cap moves forward relative to the lancet housing. Since both the rotating and pulling forces act on the weakened portion by this movement, the breakage of the weakened portion can be promoted. Therefore, it is preferable that the slope surface is formed to contact with the side of the wall defining the distal end opening of the housing when the lancet cover rotates around the pricking direction.

As shown in fig. 3, the fitting portion 217 has a shape portion 219 that is narrowed toward the rear, and as a result, the fitting portion located on the rear side of the protrusion has at least one slope 223 that is inclined toward the puncturing member toward the rear. When the lancet cover 206 is rotated relative to the lancet body 204 and further relative to the lancet case 102 (and thus the slope is rotated around the pricking member) in order to break the weakened portion, the slope 223 moves so as to ride up the edge 119 of the wall defining the front end opening of the case. Thus, when the twist is performed, the lancet cover moves forward relative to the lancet housing.

The fitting portion located on the rear side of the projection 216 may be an extension portion located behind the projection (and thus integrated with the projection) as shown in the drawing, or may be an independent portion separated from the projection by a space. In the case of the narrowed form, the entire or a part of the fitting portion may be narrowed as described above. In the lancet of the present invention shown in fig. 3, there are 2 fitting portions 217 (upper and lower sides of the rear side of the protrusion portion of the lancet cover in the illustrated embodiment) having a narrowed portion (portion 219) in contact with the rear side of the protrusion portion 216, and a fitting portion 217' in the form of a normal protrusion portion is auxiliarily positioned therebetween. In the narrowing form portion of the fitting portion, a surface facing the inner surface of the lancet case is preferably formed as a slope 223.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fitting portion of the lancet cover is fitted into the front end opening of the housing by press fitting, and it is preferable that the protrusion of the lancet cover is held in abutment with the front end opening of the housing in a state of the lancet assembly. In this case, when the fitting portion has a partially narrowed portion, the slope is defined to help the fitting portion of the lancet cover and the front end opening of the housing to be smoothly press-fitted.

By the presence of the fitting portion thus fitted, when the lancet assembly is assembled, the lancet is temporarily fixed in the lancet case in the state shown in fig. 1 or 2. This result is very convenient in that the lancet cover is difficult to be unscrewed (not absolutely impossible) in this state, and that the safety is excellent without causing erroneous use and erroneous puncture.

In the lancet 200, the lancet body 204 and the lancet cover 206 are coupled to each other as follows: the weakened portions 208 are broken by applying a force in such a manner that they rotate in opposite directions about the direction of extension of the pricking member 210, or by a force acting in such a manner that they are relatively apart along the direction of extension of the pricking member, so that when the lancet cover 206 is then moved away from the lancet body 204, the front end portion of the pricking member 210 is exposed from the lancet body.

In the illustrated embodiment, the casing 114 of the lancet case 102 is, for example, a rectangular cylinder as a whole, and the lancet assembly 100 can be assembled by inserting the rear end portion 202 of the lancet 200 rearward from the front end opening 106 of the casing. The lancet case 102 has openings 106 and 107 at both ends of a case 114 constituting the case, and a predetermined portion to be punctured (for example, a fingertip) is brought into contact with the front end opening 106 at the time of puncturing.

The lancet case 102 constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention includes a case 114 and a wing 116 on the side surface thereof. As is apparent from the above and the following description, the wing portions 116 are rectangular members extending obliquely rearward from the side of the case, may be referred to as arm members, and preferably are provided in pairs on the opposing side surfaces of the lancet case. Each wing 116 has an abutment portion 122 projecting inward between its front end 118 and rear end 120. The front end portion 118 is integrally coupled to the housing 114, and the rear end portion 120 is in a free state of being separated from the housing to the outside, that is, a state of opening the wing portion 116. After the lancet case 102 is manufactured by molding, the wing 116 is slightly opened to the side of the case as shown in fig. 4. That is, the wing portions 116 of the lancet case are in an outwardly spread state unless a force is applied from the outside.

The lancet case is preferably a resin molded article. When a force is applied from the outside to form a state in which the rear end portions of the wing portions are fitted into the lateral side of the housing as shown in fig. 1, the wing portions are elastically deformed from a state in which they are expanded outward to a state in which they are arranged along the lateral side of the housing. The housing has a space 127 on a side thereof for accommodating the wing portion. The dimensions of the space are preferably such that the wing 116 can be housed substantially entirely, and the outer side surface of the wing 116 and the lancet body form substantially a single side surface of the lancet housing (i.e., the wing forms a part of such a side surface as shown in fig. 1), that is, the wing does not substantially protrude from the side surface of the lancet housing as shown in fig. 1. In particular, it is preferable that the casing has a space on the side for just receiving the wing portion, and in this case, the inserted wing portion is integrated with the casing to define the side surface of the lancet case. Furthermore, as can be seen in the figures, such space constitutes a part of the space within the lancet housing.

In the case where the wing portions are arranged along the side of the housing as shown in fig. 1, it is preferable that the wing portions are fitted into the side of the housing by applying a force to, for example, the rear end portions of the wing portions against a force (elastic force derived from resin) with which the wing portions are intended to be spread outward. Such a force acting on the rear end portion of the wing portion is generated, for example, by a frictional force generated between the rear end portion of the wing portion and the housing (for example, by press-fitting the rear end portion to the side of the housing), or by fitting the rear end portion of the wing portion into a recess portion provided in a space portion on the side of the housing (for example, snap-fitting the rear end portion to the recess portion of the housing). Thus, when such force is removed from the state in which such force is applied, the wing portions are restored to the state in which the wing portions are spread outward, that is, the original shape, that is, are elastically changed toward the original shape. Fig. 7 and 8 schematically show a state in which the wing 116 is separated from the housing 114 (i.e., a state in which the wing 116 is open) and a state in which the wing 116 is fitted to the side of the housing 114 (i.e., a state in which the wing 116 is closed) as viewed from the obliquely rear side of the housing.

The insertion of the wings 116 into the receiving spaces 127 is preferably accomplished with a press-fit or snap-fit of the whole or a portion of the wings, such as the rear end 120. In the latter case, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, it is preferable that the wing portion 116 has a protruding portion 129 on a side thereof, and the housing space 127 has a concave portion 131 as a space portion into which such a protruding portion is fitted on a side thereof. The protruding portion 129 preferably has a shape gradually widening rearward, and particularly preferably has a delta wing shape as shown in the figure. In this case, the reliability of the fitting of the wing portion to the side of the housing is improved. In particular, in the case of the triangular wing portion, the rear end portion of the wing portion can be easily fitted to the side of the housing, and the outward force applied to the rear end portion to return the wing portion to the original shape from the fitted state can be made smaller, which is very convenient.

In the lancet case shown in the drawings, the rear end portion of the wing has a large width, and the front width is slightly smaller than the rear end portion. As a result, small slits 121 are formed between the wing portions and the housing on both sides (see fig. 8). In this embodiment, the outer surface of the wing 116 and the side surface (side surface having the wing) of the housing 114 substantially define a single surface (slightly curved surface).

In fig. 9, the lancet assembly of the present invention with the wing 116 opened is shown in the same manner as in fig. 2. As can be understood from the figure, in this state, the protrusion 212 of the lancet body can move forward without coming into contact with the abutting portion 122 of the wing 116.

As described above, in a state where the wing portions 116 are fitted into the housing space 127 and arranged along the side of the housing, the wing portions are in an elastically deformed state, and strictly speaking, there is a possibility that the wing portions are slightly bent. In order to reduce such bending as much as possible, it is preferable that the wall portion constituting the housing at the distal end portion of the wing portion is made thinner than the other portions, and in addition, it is more preferable that the wall portion is made thinner than the thickness of the wing portion. By providing such a thin portion in the case, when the rear end portion of the wing portion is fitted to the side of the case, the wing portion is not substantially bent, and the entire portion can be substantially arranged along the side of the case. For example, it is preferable that a wall portion of the lancet case that constitutes the front of the distal end portion 118 of the wing portion 116 is a thin portion 133 as shown in fig. 9. In the illustrated embodiment, the thin portion 133 is formed from the distal end portion 118 of the wing portion 118 to the distal end opening portion 106.

In order to insert the wing part into the side of the housing, the design may be: instead of applying force to the rear end portion of the wing portion as described above, or in addition to applying force to another portion of the wing portion, for example, a portion located forward of the rear end portion, in another aspect, the following may be applied: such a force acts on the wing portion substantially as a whole. In other words, such a force acts on at least a portion of the wing.

The lancet case 102 preferably has a groove 135 on the inner side surface of the case 114 (the side surface where the wing does not exist), and the protrusion member 215 of the lancet body is guided along the groove. As described above, the lancet body 204 may have 2 kinds of protruding members 212 and 215, which may be located at the same position or different positions along the extending direction of the pricking member. The former embodiment is shown in fig. 3, and in this case, the projecting member is present substantially entirely around the lancet body. The mode shown in fig. 10 is the latter mode, in which the projecting member 230 and the projecting member 215 are in a front-rear relationship, and the projecting portion 212 for restricting movement arranges the projecting member 230 and the projecting member 232 in a front-rear relationship.

In the case of configuring the lancet case as described above, it is preferable to integrally form the case body and the wing portion by a molding method (particularly, injection molding) using a resin material (for example, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polystyrene resin, POM (polyacetal resin), nylon resin, ABS resin, polycarbonate resin, vinyl chloride resin, elastic resin, silicone, rubber-based resin, PBT (polybutylene terephthalate resin), polyester copolymer resin, or the like). In addition, the pricking member is usually made of metal, for example, stainless steel, and the other parts can be made of the same resin as the lancet case, and it is usually preferable to manufacture the pricking member by injection molding.

The lancet assembly including the lancet and the lancet case as described above is loaded into the injector and punctures a predetermined portion. In the lancet assembly 100 assembled as shown in fig. 1 or 2 (i.e., with the wing closed), the lancet 200 is not pulled out from the front end opening 106 of the case 114 even if a forward force is applied to the lancet 200 due to the action between the protrusion 212 of the lancet body and the abutting portion 122 of the wing 116, and is not pulled out from the rear end opening 107 even if a backward force is applied to the lancet 200 due to the action between the wall 117 defining the rear end opening 107 and the protrusion 212.

In the case of the lancet shown in fig. 10, the portion that prevents the lancet from being pulled out from the front end opening 106 is a protrusion member 230, and the portion that prevents the lancet from being pulled out from the rear end opening 107 is a protrusion member 232. These protruding members 230 and 232 constitute the protruding portion 212. Therefore, in the lancet of fig. 10 with the wing 116 closed, the protrusion can restrict the forward and backward movement of the lancet body 204 in the lancet case 102, as in the lancet shown in fig. 3.

In the lancet assembly of the present invention, in a state where the lancet is inserted into the lancet case, the weakened portion is positioned in the lancet case, and the protruding portion of the lancet body is positioned between the abutting portion of the wing portion of the lancet case and the rear end opening of the case,

(a) a part (rear part) of the lancet cover and a part (front part) of the lancet body are housed in the lancet case (i.e., a part of the lancet is housed);

(b) in a state where the wing portion of the lancet case is fitted into the side of the case, the protrusion of the lancet body can move back and forth between the abutting portion of the wing portion and the rear end opening of the case, but cannot move further forward due to abutment with the abutting portion, and cannot move further backward due to abutment with a wall defining the rear end opening of the case (see fig. 2); in addition, the first and second substrates are,

(c) in a state where the wing portions of the lancet case are spread outward from the side of the case, the protruding portion of the case can move forward of the abutting portion without abutting against the abutting portion of the wing portions (see fig. 9).

When the lancet assembly 100 assembled as shown in fig. 1 or 2 is inserted from the front end opening 302 of the injector 300 shown in fig. 5 and the protrusion 112 of the lancet case passes over the protrusion 304 located immediately behind the front end opening of the injector, the state shown in fig. 6 is established, and the lancet case and the injector are engaged or fitted with each other, and the loading of the lancet assembly is completed in this state. Instead of the protrusion 304, a recess into which the protrusion 112 is fitted may be provided inside the front end opening of the emitter. That is, in the lancet case and the injector, the loading state is ensured by the 2 elements (for example, the protrusion of the lancet case and the recess of the injector) that are engaged or fitted with each other in this manner.

When the lancet assembly in which the rear end portions of the wings are fitted to the side of the housing and the whole of the wings are arranged along the side of the housing is inserted and loaded from the front end opening of the emitter, the force acting on the rear end portions of the wings is released by a member (that is, a wing expanding member, such as a wedge member) provided inside the emitter and expanding the wings outward, and the wings are deformed into the original outward-expanded shape. Such an expanding member may act on the portion in front of the wing portion, in addition to the rear end portion of the wing portion.

By loading the lancet assembly of the present invention into the launcher combined therewith, the lancet is held by the plunger of the launcher, and thereafter, the relationship between the plunger and the trigger lever becomes "a state in which the trigger lever can hold the plunger", and thereafter, the wings are unfolded outward as described above from a state of being fitted into the side of the housing, which corresponds to a dischargeable state (a state in which the lancet can be launched (i.e., fired), a so-called cocked state). The process of changing to the transmittable state in this manner will be described in detail below.

Fig. 11 and 12 are perspective views of the lancet assembly 100 inserted from the front end opening of the injector 300 in the middle of the lancet assembly 100 for loading the lancet assembly 100. In the illustrated embodiment, a lancet assembly using a lancet shown in fig. 10 is shown as an example. In order to make it easier to understand the relationship between the lancet assembly 100 and the emitter 300 and the interior of the emitter, fig. 11 shows the emitter with the front half casing 308 removed. In order to know the state of the lancet 200 in the lancet case 102 and the state of the plunger 310 for ejecting the lancet (an enlarged view is shown in fig. 13), fig. 12 shows a state in which the front half of the lancet case 102 is cut, a state in which the front half of the ejector 312 described below is cut, and a state in which the front half of the pricking depth adjusting cylinder 360, the cylinder rotation restricting portion 380, and the cap knob 366 described below are also removed so that the pricking depth adjusting mechanism described below can be easily understood.

In fig. 11 and 12, the lancet assembly 100 (the state of fig. 1) showing the state where the wing 116 is closed is inserted from the front end opening 302 of the launcher 300, and the rear end portion 202 of the lancet body moves toward the front end portion 314 of the plunger 310 in the launcher, and the rear end portion 202 abuts against the supporting surface 315 of the front end portion 314. Thereafter, when the rear end portion 202 is further retracted, the leg portions 320 and 322 (in the vertical direction in the illustrated embodiment) constituting the front end portion 314 of the push rod are opened.

As shown in fig. 13, the push rod 310 is configured to have a first leg 320 and a second leg 322 so that the tip end thereof is branched into 2 pieces and a small gap 318 is defined therebetween. The push rod is, for example, a molded article of a plastic material, and as a result, the first leg portion and the second leg portion are elastically deformable. For example, when a force is applied to the legs outwardly as indicated by the arrows, the legs spread outwardly, widening toward the opening of the gap 318.

Thus, when the lancet assembly 100 shown in fig. 1 is inserted into the launcher 300, as shown in fig. 12, the rear end portion 202 of the lancet body 204 abuts against the seat surface 315 of the front end portion 314 of the plunger. Thereafter, when the lancet assembly is inserted, the rear end 202 of the lancet body 204 applies a force that presses the seating surface 315 rearward. Since the seat surface 315 is inclined, this force also acts in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 13, and as a result, the leg portions 320 and 322 are elastically spread outward.

When the rear end 202 of the lancet body 204 is expanded in this manner, the protrusion 218 of the rear end 202 of the lancet body 204 can be fitted into the recess 316, the outwardly expanded leg portion is slightly restored to the original shape, and the rear end 202 is held by the push rod, that is, the rear end 202 is tightly fitted into the gap 318 between the leg portions 320 and 322. At this time, the surface 221 facing the front side of the protrusion 218 of the lancet body comes into contact with and is in close contact with a support surface (or a seat surface) 315 provided at the front end of the plunger 310.

Fig. 14 and 15 schematically show the state in which the rear end 202 of the lancet body is gripped by the push rod, in the same manner as in fig. 11 and 12. As can be seen from fig. 15, the inclined surface 221 of the lancet body 204 facing the front side of the protrusion 218 abuts against the seat surface 315 at the front end of the plunger 310. The push rod 310 has a launch spring S1 (see fig. 21, for example) disposed around the push rod 310 between the protrusion 324 provided at the middle portion thereof and the rear partition plate 358 (or a portion thereof near the front side as shown).

The gripping of the rear end portion of the lancet by the front end portion of the plunger is preferably performed by: the rear end portion of the lancet can be inserted into the front end portion of the plunger with a force that is less than the force required to substantially start the compression of the firing spring S1. Specifically, it can be implemented by a design in which: as described above, the front end portion of the plunger is constituted by a plurality of leg portions, and when a force is further applied after the rear end portion of the lancet is abutted against the front end of the leg portion, the leg portion is easily opened, and the convex portion of the rear end portion of the lancet is fitted into the concave portion formed inside the opened leg portion, and thereafter, the opened leg portion is closed by the elasticity of the leg portion. The elasticity of the leg portion can be easily obtained by forming the push rod with resin.

As described above, after the rear end portion 202 of the lancet body is gripped, the lancet assembly 100 is further retracted. Thus, the rear end 202 of the lancet body abutting the front end 314 of the push rod retracts the push rod to compress the launching spring S1. At this time, the protrusion 324 of the push rod gradually retreats, and at the lower edge of the trigger lever 328 which is pivotally supported by the shaft 326 and which applies a downward force (as indicated by an arrow in fig. 15) to the rear side of the shaft 326, a force is applied so as to gradually raise the trigger lever against the downward force.

Thereafter, immediately after the gradually receding protrusion 324 passes under the shoulder (corner portion) 330 located at the rear end of the trigger lever, the shoulder 330 of the trigger lever abruptly moves downward. At the time of such downward movement, the front side of the protrusion 324 is in a state of being in contact with or substantially in contact with the rear side of the shoulder 330, and if the insertion of the lancet assembly is stopped (i.e., the retraction of the push rod is stopped) at this time, the protrusion 324 of the push rod can be in a state of being caught or abutted by the shoulder 330 of the trigger lever in a state in which a forward force is exerted by the compressed launching spring S1.

Therefore, the state in which the rear end of the trigger lever is just moved downward in this way can be referred to as "a state in which the trigger lever can lock the push rod". Preferably, the lancet assembly and the injector are designed such that, when the lancet assembly of the present invention is loaded, the insertion of the lancet assembly is further additionally continued (i.e., the plunger is further additionally retracted) after the state is reached, and the wing 116 in the closed state is opened. The portion that opens the wings 116 like this is a wing spreading member 342 provided inside the emitter. The state in which the wing portion 116 is thus opened is schematically shown in fig. 16 and 17, as in fig. 11 and 12.

Furthermore, it is preferably designed such that the push rod does not further retreat when the wings 116 are opened. For example, as can be understood from fig. 17, it is sufficient if: the collision member 365 provided at the rear end portion of the push rod abuts against the rear inner wall of the piercing depth adjusting knob (or adjuster) 366 fitted over the cylinder 360 surrounding the rear end portion of the push rod and cannot be further retracted.

In this state, when the force applied to the lancet assembly is removed, that is, when the force necessary for releasing the additional insertion is removed, the compressed launching spring S1 slightly expands and the plunger slightly moves forward, and as a result, the protrusion 324 of the plunger abuts against the rear end 330 of the trigger lever and is locked. At this point, the "launchable" condition is reached, and the loading of the lancet assembly into the launcher is terminated. That is, in this state, when the locked state is released, the push rod can move forward at once by the action of the striking spring S1. This state is a state in which the lancet can be fired, and is schematically shown in fig. 18 and 19 as in fig. 11 and 12.

If fig. 19 is compared with fig. 17, the collision member 365 provided at the rear end portion of the push rod abuts against the rear inner wall of the knob 366 in fig. 17, and slightly moves forward in fig. 19, and the protrusion 324 of the push rod also moves forward in the same manner. In the "dischargeable state", as is apparent from fig. 18, the fitting portion 217 designed to be the lancet cover preferably projects from the distal end opening 106 of the housing 114 so as to be positioned forward from the distal end opening of the housing. When the fitting portion 217 has the narrowed shape portion 219 as shown in fig. 3, at least a part thereof preferably flies out, and when such a narrowed shape portion is not present, substantially the entire fitting portion 217 preferably flies out (that is, is no longer in a fitted state).

Since the lancet case 102 is in a state of being fitted and attached to the emitter by the projection 112 and the projection 304 of the emitter 300 (and thus the lancet case and the emitter are fixed to each other), the lancet held by the plunger is slightly moved forward by a slight forward movement of the plunger. Preferably, the fitting portion flies out as described above due to the movement.

In either of the above embodiments, it is preferable that at least a part of the fitting portion of the lancet cover is positioned further forward than the front end opening of the housing when the housing reaches the dischargeable state, and as a result, the function of the fitting portion for preventing the lancet cover from rotating with respect to the lancet body is substantially lost, and the housing can rotate.

Preferably, in a state where the projection 324 is locked by the shoulder 330 located at the rear end of the lancet lever, the gap 318 of the front end 314 of the push rod 310 is not expanded, that is, the legs 320 and 322 are not deformed so as to spread outward. In order to prevent such spreading, it is preferable that the tip end portion 314 of the push rod is positioned in an opening 345 of a front partition 344 provided in the housing in a state where the protrusion 324 abuts against the rear end 330 of the trigger lever as shown in fig. 19, and a wall defining the opening 345 just surrounds the tip end portion 314 of the push rod 310 so that the tip end portion 314 does not spread in the vertical direction. Further, as shown in fig. 12, in a state before the tip portion 314 of the push rod grips the lancet body 202, the tip portion 314 is positioned further forward than the front partition plate 344, and therefore, can be easily spread (and gripped).

In the illustrated embodiment, the flat plate portion 301 extends rearward and is elongated from an upper edge of an end surface of the shoulder portion 330 located at the rear end of the trigger lever. The flat plate-like portion 301 is biased inward between the projection 303 supporting it and the shaft 326, and biased outward further forward than the shaft 326. As a result, as described above, an inward force is always applied to the rear end of the trigger lever, and the "state in which the trigger lever can lock the push rod" and the "dischargeable state" can be achieved. As described later, when the push button 350 is pushed inward to fire the lancet, the flat plate portion 301 is urged to elastically deform by pressing the projection 303 in the case, and the push button is pushed back by this deformation.

The above description relates to the mode in which the rear wing 116 is opened when the "state in which the trigger lever can lock the push rod" is reached, but in another mode, the following design may be adopted: the wing 116 is opened before the state where the trigger lever can lock the push rod is changed, and the wing is opened after the state where the trigger lever can lock the push rod is reached.

In another aspect, it is also preferable that the lancet assembly is attached to the launcher in a state where the push rod is further slightly retracted after the "state where the trigger lever can lock the push rod" is reached, and as a result, at least a part of the fitting portion of the lancet cover is projected from the front end opening portion of the housing in the "dischargeable state".

In addition, in another embodiment, the following may be designed: the wing 116 is opened before the "state in which the trigger lever can lock the push rod" is reached, and the wing is opened substantially simultaneously with the time when the "state in which the trigger lever can lock the push rod" is reached. Such various ways can be implemented, for example, by moving the position of the wing spreading member 342 within the emitter forward or backward along the puncturing direction. In other ways, this can also be done by changing the length of the wings.

That is, in this aspect, when the lancet assembly is inserted into the injector from the front end opening of the injector, the rear end portion of the lancet abuts against the front end portion of the plunger, and thereafter, when the lancet assembly is further inserted, the rear end portion of the lancet is held by the front end portion of the plunger, and thereafter, the injector spring is compressed by the retraction of the plunger, and the rear end of the trigger lever (or the shoulder portion of the rear portion of the trigger lever) configured to be urged inward (that is, toward the plunger side) is moved outward by the projection of the plunger, and thereafter, at the moment when the rear end (or the shoulder portion) of the trigger lever is further retracted beyond the rear end (or the shoulder portion), the rear end of the trigger lever is returned inward (the plunger does not further retract), and as a result, the projection (for example, in the form of a flange) is caught or abuts against the rear end (or the shoulder portion) of the trigger lever (after this state) while the spring is still compressed, not retreating further, preferably not retreating further), and at substantially the same time, the expansion of the wing portion is finished.

In this case, when the rear end of the trigger lever is returned inward, the trigger lever is in a "state in which the trigger lever can engage the plunger", and the wing is completely unfolded outward at the same time, so that further retraction of the rear end of the lancet is not required. Thus, in this mode, the "dischargeable state" is achieved simultaneously with the return of the rear end of the trigger lever inward.

In another aspect, it is preferable that at least a part of the fitting portion of the lancet cover is projected from the front end opening of the housing when the "dischargeable state", that is, the "state in which the trigger lever can lock the push rod" is reached.

In either mode, the wing of the lancet assembly is in a spread state when the lancet assembly is in the dischargeable state. As a result, the abutting portion 122 on the inner side of the wing portion 116 does not hinder the forward movement of the protrusion 212 of the lancet body. That is, the lancet body is released from the restriction of the forward movement of the lancet body, and is in a free state. After reaching the "dischargeable state" as described above, when the "dischargeable state", i.e., the stuck or abutting state, is released by moving the rear end (or shoulder) of the trigger lever outward, the discharge spring S1 in the compressed state expands all at once. By this extension, the distal end portion of the pricking member is exposed, and the lancet body which is in the free state as described above is launched to prick a predetermined site. On the contrary, before the dischargeable state is reached, the extension of the wing portion of the lancet assembly is not completed, and therefore the abutting portion 122 on the inner side of the wing portion 116 hinders the forward movement of the protrusion 212 of the lancet body.

In the end-of-prime state of lancet assembly 100 into emitter 300 shown in fig. 18 and 19, it is particularly noted that wings 116 on both sides of lancet housing 102 become flared. The wing is spread outward like this because the wing spreading member 340 is provided inside the emitter. The wing extension member spreads (or opens) the wing in a state where the rear end portion of the wing is fitted into the casing of the lancet case, and restores the fitted wing to its original shape. The wing-expanding member may have any suitable form as long as it can expand the wing in this manner. In one embodiment, the wing extension member is a member defining a linear, preferably planar slope extending obliquely with respect to the rear end portion of the wing that retreats during loading of the lancet assembly.

In one specific aspect, the wing spreading members are spaced apart from each other and have a shape with a narrow tip (a shape with a narrowing width toward the front), and the pair of wedge members located inside the emitter is preferably a pair of wedge members defining a slope surface: the front end portion as the front end can enter the inside of the rear end portion of the wing portion fitted to the side of the lancet case, and is inclined inward toward the front of the emitter. When the lancet assembly is inserted backward from the front end opening of the launcher, the front end portion of the rear end portion of each wing portion of the lancet case rides up the front end portion of the slope of the wedge portion, and thereafter, when the lancet assembly is continuously inserted, the rear end portion of the wing portion slides on the slope, and as a result, the force for holding the state in which the wing portion is fitted along the case is released, and the wing portion is spread outward, so that the state is not held. Instead of the wedge member, a flat plate may be disposed obliquely so as to define the same slope surface.

In the illustrated embodiment, the wing expansion member 340 is a member having the following functions: acting on at least the rear end portion (preferably only the rear end portion) of the wing 116, and in particular, applying an outward force to such rear end portion of the wing, thereby spreading the wing apart. More specifically, the wing spreading members may be a pair of wedge members 340. The wedge members 340 are separated from each other and have a shape with a narrow tip (i.e., a pointed front), and as a result, define a slope 342 inclined toward the front of the emitter.

When the wedge-shaped wing spreading member is provided in this manner, the wing can be automatically spread by merely inserting the lancet assembly rearward, which is very convenient. Then, in the state where the wing portions are spread as described above, the loading of the lancet assembly is completed. Therefore, it is preferable that the above-described "2 elements engaged or fitted with each other" be used to fit the lancet assembly into the transmitter in a predetermined manner in a state where the wing portions are spread.

As can be seen from the schematic perspective view of the emitter half casing 306 shown in fig. 20, the wedge member 340 is provided on the half casing 308. Immediately before the loading of the lancet assembly 100 into the emitter 300 is complete, the front end 341 of the wedge member 340 enters inside the rear end 120 of the closed wing 116 of the lancet housing 102. Thereafter, when the lancet assembly is further retracted, the rear end portion of the wing 116 rides up the slope 342 of the wedge member 340 and slides up, and as a result, the wing 116 is spread outward. When the wedge-shaped member is provided in this manner, the wing 116 can be automatically spread by simply inserting the lancet assembly rearward and loading it, which is very convenient.

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the lancet assembly 100 when the wing 116 is unfolded in this manner. In fig. 9, the front side of the lancet case 102 is shown in a state where the front side is cut off so that the appearance of the lancet inside can be known. It can be easily understood that by unfolding the wing portions 116 to the outside, the position of the abutting portion 122 is shifted to the outside as compared with when not unfolded (for example, the state shown in fig. 2). As a result, the abutting portion 122 cannot function as an abutting portion. Therefore, in the state of fig. 21 where the lancet cover described later is removed, when the lancet is intended to move forward, the protrusion 212 of the lancet body 204 does not abut against the abutting portion 122, and the forward movement of the lancet is not hindered.

Generally, the puncture operation of the predetermined site is then performed by: the lancet cover is twisted off (the weakened portion is broken) to expose the front end portion of the pricking member, and then the trigger lever is triggered to extend the launching spring, so that the push rod moves forward at a stroke, and the lancet body with the exposed front end portion is launched forward. At this time, the protrusion of the lancet body passes between the pair of abutting portions 122 of the wing portion and moves further forward. After the pricking, the lancet body immediately moves rearward, the protruding portion of the lancet body is stationary at a position rearward of the abutting portion of the wing portion, and the pricking operation is terminated. These processes are explained in more detail.

After the loading of the lancet assembly 100 into the emitter 300 is completed as described above, the lancet cap 206 is removed. In the "dischargeable state", it is preferable that at least a part of the fitting portion 217 is moved forward from the front end opening of the housing as described above, and the weakened portion is broken by pulling the lancet body 204 and the lancet cover 206 relatively away from each other in the extending direction of the pricking member (as indicated by an arrow in fig. 19) in the opposite direction, or alternatively, by pulling them relatively away from each other in the extending direction of the pricking member, and thereafter, when the lancet cover 206 is moved away from the lancet body 204, the front end portion of the pricking member 210 is exposed from the lancet body 204 in the lancet case, as shown in fig. 21, similarly to fig. 12. In this manner, the lancet cover functions as a cover for covering the distal end portion of the pricking member in advance. In addition, when the lancet does not have the weakened portion, it is needless to say that the distal end portion of the pricking member can be exposed by, for example, pulling the lancet cap forward relative to the emitter (or pulling the lancet cap while twisting).

In a preferred embodiment, the weakened portion of the lancet is broken by rotating (so-called twisting) the lancet cap and the lancet body in opposite directions with respect to each other about the extending direction of the pricking member. That is, the weakened portion 208 is provided to an extent that enables its destruction as described above. For example, the kind of material resin constituting it and/or the thickness of the weakened portion are appropriately selected in such a manner that its breakage as described above becomes possible. When the lancet cover is separated from the lancet body after the weakened portion is broken in this manner, the distal end portion of the pricking member is exposed from the lancet body.

In order to substantially ensure the rotation around the extending direction of the pricking member when the pricking member is twisted as described above, in a preferred embodiment, one of the end face of the distal end portion of the lancet body and the end face of the rear end portion of the lancet cover facing the end face of the distal end portion of the lancet body has a projection, and the topmost portion of the projection defines an imaginary plane extending perpendicularly to the extending direction of the pricking element, and the other end face defines a plane extending perpendicularly to the extending direction of the pricking element. In the illustrated embodiment (see fig. 3, for example), the rear end surface of the lancet cover includes a protrusion 209 having a topmost portion 207, and the end surface of the lancet body facing the protrusion defines a plane.

Here, the "imaginary plane" is not a plane actually existing, but refers to a single imaginary plane that is tangent to the topmost part of the protrusion and that is placed thereon (or includes it). Mathematically by specifying 3 points that are not on the same line, 1 plane can be specified that contains them. Accordingly, in the lancet of the present invention, the imaginary plane defined by the top of at least 3 protrusions is perpendicular to the extending direction of the pricking element.

In the lancet case 102, it is preferable that the lancet body 204 has a cross-sectional shape that is not rotatable in the lancet case and the rear portion of the lancet cover 206 located in the lancet case has a cross-sectional shape that is rotatable in the lancet case so that it is easier to apply a force to the lancet cover and the lancet body in the opposite direction to each other around the extending direction to twist off the lancet cover 206. For example, when the section of the lancet case accommodating the front portion of the lancet body and the rear portion of the lancet cover is a rectangular section, the front section of the lancet body may be a rectangular section that cannot be rotated in the section, and the rear portion of the lancet cover may be a circular section.

More specifically, the lancet body and the lancet case have the following shapes in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the pricking member: at least a part of a wall surface defining an internal space of the lancet case is present inside an outermost periphery of a trajectory of an outline of the lancet body formed when the lancet body is rotated around the extending direction of the pricking member.

In this case, the lancet case is preferably not axisymmetric about the extending direction of the pricking member. In other words, at least a part of the lancet body is configured to be non-rotatable in the extending direction of the pricking member in the lancet case. For example, it is designed that: a part of the lancet body, preferably a part close to the lancet cover, that is, a front part of the lancet body has an oblong cross section (or a rectangular cross section) and a part of the lancet case has a cross section (a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the pricking member) having a shape (for example, another rectangular shape surrounding the oblong cross section or another oblong shape located outside the oblong cross section) circumscribing the cross section or surrounding the cross section with some gap therebetween.

In contrast, it is preferable that a part of the lancet cover, preferably a part close to the lancet body, that is, a rear part of the lancet cover be designed so as to be rotatable in the lancet case about the extending direction of the pricking member. Specifically, a part of the lancet case is made to have a form in which: an inner wall surface defining an internal space of the lancet case is present outside an outermost periphery of a trajectory of an outline of the part of the lancet cover formed when the lancet cover is rotated around the extending direction of the pricking member. In this case, it is preferable that the part of the lancet cover is formed in an axisymmetric form (for example, a columnar form) or a prismatic form with the extending direction of the pricking member as an axis so that the part of the lancet cover can rotate in the space inside the lancet case. More specifically, the part of the lancet cover is formed into a cylindrical or polygonal columnar shape, and the part of the lancet case is formed into a shape that can rotate inside (for example, a cylinder surrounded by the cylindrical or polygonal columnar shape or another cylindrical shape) in such a cylindrical or polygonal columnar shape.

The space in the housing preferably does not change greatly in cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extending direction of the puncture member, and more preferably does not change substantially. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the space inside the lancet case is a rectangular shape. In this case, for example, the section of the lancet body is formed in another shape (for example, a rectangular shape such as a rectangle or a square, an oval shape, or the like) which is not rotatable inside the rectangular shape, and the section of the rear portion of the lancet cover is formed in a circular section which is rotatable inside the rectangular shape.

The lancet having such a lancet body, lancet cover and weakened portion therebetween is preferably manufactured by a method of molding the pricking member with a resin material in an inserted state (so-called insert molding method) as described above. The method is advantageous in that: a lancet in which a lancet body and a lancet cover are integrally joined by a weakened portion and a pricking member extends across these parts can be easily manufactured in a large amount. The weakened portion is preferably formed by thinning the thickness of a portion constituting the weakened portion in the resin layer covering the piercing member, for example, by forming a notch. In another preferred embodiment, the weakened portion can be formed by forming a resin layer that substantially covers the entire piercing member and then forming a score (between the lancet body and the lancet cover) in the resin layer that does not reach the piercing member. The lancet having no weakened portion is also preferably manufactured by the insert molding method.

As described above, the shoulder 330 of the trigger lever is locked with the protrusion 324 of the push rod, thereby holding the firing spring in a compressed state. Accordingly, in the state shown in fig. 21, a portion to be punctured, for example, a fingertip is brought into contact with the front end opening 106 of the housing 114, and then the trigger lever 328, specifically, the shoulder 330 thereof is released from the locked state, whereby the compressed launch spring S1 is instantaneously expanded, and as a result, the push rod 310 is moved forward, whereby the lancet body 204 exposed to the front end portion of the puncturing member 210 is instantaneously moved forward, and flies out of the front end opening 106 of the housing 114, and punctures a predetermined portion in contact therewith.

The locked state can be released by pushing a push button 350 provided at the distal end of the trigger lever inward. Preferably, the trigger lever is rotatable about a rotation shaft 326, and a flat plate portion 301 extending from an outer edge of a rear end is provided, and when no external force is applied in particular, an outward force is applied from the push button and the shaft of the trigger lever to a front portion, and on the contrary, an inward force is applied from the shaft of the trigger lever to a rear portion. The state in which the push button 350 is pushed in this way is schematically shown in fig. 22, as in fig. 12.

In the state shown in fig. 22, the rear end 330 of the trigger lever moves upward, and as a result, the locking relationship between the rear end 330 of the push rod and the protrusion 324 of the push rod is released. Accordingly, the launching spring S1 held in a compressed state can be expanded all at once, and the push rod 310 and, in turn, the lancet body 204 exposed at the distal end portion of the pricking member 210 can be rapidly moved forward.

Fig. 23 and 24 schematically illustrate the state at the moment when the distal end portion of puncturing member 210 flies out from distal end opening 106 of case 114, as in fig. 11 and 12. As is apparent from fig. 9 and 24, since the wing 116 is held in the outwardly spread state by the wedge member 340, the protrusion 212 of the lancet body 204 is further moved forward inside the abutting portion 122 without being stopped by the abutment.

Further, a return spring S2 is disposed between the protrusion 324 of the plunger 310 and the front partition 344 provided inside the housing. As can be seen by comparing fig. 22 and 24, the spring S2 is compressed as the plunger 310 is moved forward by the lancet. As a result, at the moment when the distal end portion of the puncturing member 210 protrudes from the distal end opening 106 of the housing 114 and the puncturing is completed, or slightly before or slightly after the distal end portion, the state is sufficiently compressed, and thereafter, the shape is expanded toward the original shape. Thus, after the pricking operation is completed, the lancet body 204 is retracted.

Fig. 24 and 26 schematically show the state in which the lancet body 204 is retracted from the state of fig. 23 and 24, in the same manner as fig. 11 and 12. In the state of fig. 25, the protrusion 324 of the plunger is retracted by the expansion of the return spring S2, and goes over the small protrusion 346 provided on the inner edge of the trigger lever and is fitted into the recess 348 formed thereafter. By providing the projection 346 and the recess 348 in this manner, the gas force of the plunger that moves backward is relieved, and even if the return spring S2 vibrates to contract after expanding, the projection 324 of the plunger does not move forward beyond the projection 346 of the trigger lever, and as a result, the possibility of the second puncture being possible is reduced.

Further, the projection 346 located in front of the recess is configured as follows: in a state where the protrusion 324 of the plunger is fitted into the recess 348 provided on the inner edge of the trigger lever (the edge on the opposite side to the side where the push button 350 is provided in the illustrated embodiment) and engaged as described above, even if a forward force is applied to the plunger 310, the engaged state is not released. Specifically, a rear side surface 347 (see fig. 22) of the predetermined projection 346 extends in a direction perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the puncturing direction, and a front side surface 349 (see fig. 23) of the predetermined projection 346 defines a slope surface extending in a direction inclined with respect to the puncturing direction. As shown in fig. 23, when the trigger button 350 is pushed as indicated by an arrow to fire the lancet, the trigger lever rotates about the shaft 326, and the projection 346 moves upward as indicated by the arrow.

As a result, the projection 346 is not positioned on the guide rail where the projection 324 of the pusher moves forward, and does not hinder the forward movement of the pusher. Thereafter, when the force applied to the trigger button 350 is released, the trigger lever is restored to the original state.

In the case of using such a trigger lever, when the lancet assembly is ejected from the injector as described later, a forward force is applied to the lancet housing 102 by the ejector, and even when this force finally acts on the plunger, the engagement relationship between the protrusion 324 of the plunger and the protrusion 346 of the trigger lever is maintained, or the engagement relationship between the protrusion 324 of the plunger and the recess 348 of the trigger lever is maintained. In order to ensure this relationship, as shown in fig. 13, the front side 325 of the protrusion 324 of the plunger extends at an angle perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the moving direction of the plunger, and the rear side 327 extends obliquely to form a slope.

The structure may be such that: by combining the vertical front side surface and the inclined rear side surface defining the protrusion 324 of the plunger with the inclined front side surface and the vertical rear side surface defining the protrusion 346 positioned inside the trigger lever as described above, the protrusion 324 of the plunger can easily move backward beyond the protrusion 324 of the trigger lever, but once the protrusion 324 of the plunger passes, the protrusion 324 of the plunger cannot easily move forward beyond the protrusion 346 of the trigger lever. In practice, at least one of the protrusion and the projection needs to be substantially deformed or broken in order to pass.

Accordingly, one aspect of the transmitter of the present invention is configured as follows: the trigger lever has a convex portion or a concave portion on the inner side thereof and further forward than the rear end (or shoulder portion) thereof, and the protrusion of the plunger abuts against the rear side of the convex portion of the trigger lever or is fitted into the concave portion before the lancet assembly is loaded and after the lancet is fired. In another aspect, the trigger lever may have both a convex portion and a concave portion adjacent to each other as shown in the drawing, and in this case, the protrusion of the push rod may be fitted into the concave portion while abutting against the convex portion. In addition, in the state where the push rod is fitted in this manner, it is necessary to configure such that even if a force for moving the push rod forward acts on the push rod, the push rod cannot be moved against the force, but when a force for moving the push rod backward acts (for example, when the lancet assembly is loaded), the force does not hinder the push rod. Therefore, as shown in the drawing, it is preferable that both the front side surface of the predetermined convex portion and the rear side surface of the predetermined concave portion define a slope extending obliquely rearward from the trigger lever.

The state shown in fig. 25 and 26 is a state in which the pricking operation is completed, and thereafter, the used lancet assembly is discharged from the launcher, and thereafter, it is necessary to dispose of it appropriately. When the used lancet assembly is ejected, the protruding portion 212 of the case is restrained between the abutting portion 122 of the wing and the rear end opening 107 of the case by applying an inward force to the flared wing 116 in a state in which the protruding portion 212 of the lancet body is positioned rearward of the abutting portion 122 of the wing 116, thereby closing the wing and disposing the wing along the side of the case. Thus, in this state, the protrusion 212 of the lancet body can move again only between the abutting portion 122 and the rear end opening 107 of the housing. By designing the housing and the lancet body in advance such that the pricking member 210 with the exposed distal end portion is located sufficiently behind the distal end opening 106 of the housing in a state where the protrusion 212 of the lancet body abuts against the abutting portion 122 of the wing portion, the lancet assembly after pricking with the wing portion closed can be handled safely without any inadvertent contact from the distal end opening of the housing with the distal end portion of the pricking member.

In a preferred embodiment, the abutting portion of the wing portion is in the form of a protruding portion (e.g., a protrusion) provided between the front end portion and the rear end portion of the wing portion. In this aspect, when the wing portion is disposed along the side of the case after the lancet is inserted into the lancet case and the lancet body is moved rearward relative to the lancet case and the protruding portion of the lancet body is moved rearward of the abutting portion, the rear side of the abutting portion of the wing portion can abut against the front side of the protruding portion of the lancet body, and forward movement can be restricted.

In another preferred embodiment, the abutting portion of the wing portion is a stepped portion (or a shoulder portion) provided between the front end portion and the rear end portion of the wing portion, as shown in the drawing, and more specifically, an inner wall of the wing portion is defined as a step portion h (see fig. 4). In this aspect, when the lancet is inserted into the lancet case, the body is moved rearward relative to the lancet case, and the protruding portion of the body is moved rearward of the abutting portion, and then the wing portion is disposed along the side of the case, the rear side of the abutting portion of the wing portion is a surface having a predetermined step height, and this surface can abut against the front side of the protruding portion of the body, and the forward movement can be restricted.

The ejection of the spent lancet assembly from the emitter is performed according to the following steps: first, in the state shown in fig. 25 and 26, the lancet case 102 is moved forward relative to the lancet body 204, and the stopper 213 is moved outward from the rear end opening 107 of the case. Then, the rear end 202 of the gripped lancet body is released from the push rod 310. Thereafter, the lancet assembly including the lancet body and the lancet case is ejected from the distal end opening of the injector with the wing closed.

The stopper 213 is provided on the lancet body to prevent the used lancet assembly from being reused by mistake. As can be understood from the above description of the stopper, when the pricking operation is completed and the wing is closed, the lancet case is moved forward relative to the lancet body, and once the stopper of the lancet body is moved outward from the rear end opening 107 of the case, the lancet cannot be inserted into the lancet case again.

Preferably, the inward force that closes the wing is designed so as to be automatically applied when the lancet assembly after the pricking is ejected from the launcher, and as a result, the risk of the tip portion of the pricking member in the ejected lancet assembly is substantially eliminated. Preferably, as described later, the force is applied so that the wing is closed by a wall defining the distal end opening when the wing passes through the distal end opening of the transmitter. For example, by making the distance between the contours of the distal opening portion, particularly the partial regions (2 opposing portions) of such contours where the wing portions are closest to each other at the time of discharge, substantially the same as or slightly larger than the distance between the outer sides of the pair of wing portions, the opening portion applies an inward force to the wing portions when passing through the distal opening portion, and as a result, the wing portions can be closed.

In one embodiment, the ejector preferably further includes an ejector capable of applying a forward force to the inserted lancet housing. By moving the ejector forward, a force can be applied to the rear end portion of the lancet case 102 (for example, in a state where the projection 112 disposed on the rear side of the outer side of the front end portion of the lancet case is fitted over the projection 304 disposed on the rear side of the front end opening of the emitter).

Fig. 27 to 34 sequentially and schematically show a process of ejecting the lancet assembly having completed the pricking from the ejector. Fig. 27 and 28 schematically show a state where the ejector 312 starts to eject the lancet case 102, as in fig. 11 and 12. This ejector is schematically shown in a perspective view in fig. 35. The ejector 312 has a base plate 351 and an ejector 352, and is disposed on the lower side of the emitter housing 309. The base plate 351 can be moved forward inside the transmitter 300 by sliding the operation button 354 provided on the lower side of the base plate 351 from the outside of the transmitter in the direction of the arrow. For example, the guide groove 355 (see fig. 20) may be provided on the inner side of the transmitter housing, and the guide rail movable in the groove may be provided on the outer side of the base plate. In another embodiment, as shown in the drawing, the side edge 353 of the base plate 351 functions as a guide rail and is slidably fitted in the groove 355.

The ejector 352 is configured as follows: at the end of priming of the lancet assembly 100 into the emitter 300, the front end portion 356 abuts or substantially abuts the rear end portion 108 of the lancet housing 102. This front end portion 356 serves as an action portion that applies a forward force to the rear end portion of the lancet case to press it. The ejector thus configured is illustrated in fig. 18. In another manner, front end portion 356 can be separated from rear end portion 108 of lancet housing 102 at the point when priming of lancet assembly 100 into emitter 300 is complete. And is constituted as follows: the ejector 352 can push the rear end portion 108 of the case 114 of the lancet case 102 forward, preferably the opposing side surfaces, and more preferably only the rear end surfaces of the side surfaces where no wing portion exists.

When the lancet body is held by the plunger after pricking, when the force is applied to the rear end portion of the lancet case as described above, the protrusion 112 disposed rearward outside the front end portion of the lancet case, which is fitted over the protrusion 304 of the front end opening of the launcher, moves over the protrusion 304 of the front end opening of the launcher, whereby the lancet case 102 moves forward relative to the plunger 310 and further relative to the lancet body 204 held by the plunger.

That is, after the pricking is completed and the state shown in fig. 25 and 26 is achieved, the push button 354 of the ejector is slid forward, and the rear end portion 108 of the lancet case 102 is pushed forward by the ejector 356. When the force pushing forward exceeds a threshold value of the force with which the protrusion 112 of the lancet housing can pass the protrusion 304 inside the front end opening 302 of the launcher 300, the lancet housing 102 moves forward.

As described above, the push rod is prevented from moving forward by the protrusion 346 and the recess 348 of the trigger lever. Therefore, the force applied by the ejector is first used for the forward movement of the lancet housing 102. At this time, the wing 116 is away from the wing extension member 340, and the lancet case passes through the front end opening of the emitter, so that the wing 116 is sequentially fitted to the side of the lancet case as the front end portion 118 and the subsequent portion of the wing pass through the outlet opening 106.

Thereafter, when the ejector is further slid forward, the stopper 213 (specifically, the root portion thereof) of the lancet body abuts against the inner side of the wall defining the rear end opening 107 of the housing. Thereafter, when a force is further applied, the wall defining the rear end opening 107 of the housing goes over the stopper 213 due to the shape of the stopper 213 and its elasticity. That is, the stopper 213 flies out from the rear end opening 107.

Fig. 29 and 30 show the state in which the stopper 213 is projected outward in the same manner as in fig. 11 and 12. As shown in fig. 30, stopper 213 is present adjacent to the right side of wall 217 defining rear end opening 107 of case 114.

When the lancet case 102 is moved forward in this way, the respective wing extension members 342 do not act on the rear end portions 120 of the wings 116, and thereafter, the stoppers 213 of the lancet body are moved outward from the rear end opening 107 of the case 114, and further, when the lancet case 102 is gradually moved out through the emitter front end opening, the wings 116 are automatically fitted to the sides of the lancet case in order from the front portion thereof by the contour of the front end opening 302.

In order to fit the lancet into the casing, it is necessary that at least the contour of the wall portion of the lancet case where the wing portion passes through the inside of the contour of the wall of the front end opening of the injector corresponds to the contour of the side surface of the lancet case where the wing portion is fitted into the side of the casing. That is, the wall portion of the emitter facing the wing portions that pass through is shaped so as to contact the wing portions of the lancet case that has been removed and apply an inward force. Such wall portions are thus complementary to the sides of the lancet housing in the closed state of the wings. Of course, the distance between the opposing wall portions is substantially equal to the distance between the opposing sides of the lancet housing in the wing-closed state.

As a result, the flared wing is not hindered by the wing spreading member, and the wing is fitted into the side of the housing by applying an inward force to the wing by the front end opening of the injector, and thereafter, the lancet assembly inserted into the injector is ejected from the injector in a state where the wing is fitted into the side by the ejector.

Thereafter, when the ejector is slid further forward, the wall 117 defining the rear end opening 107 of the housing 114 abuts against the protruding portion 212 located forward of the stopper 213. The protruding portion is harder than the stopper 213 and does not have flexibility as in the stopper 212. Therefore, the wall defining the rear end opening 107 cannot pass over the protrusion 212, that is, the protrusion 212 cannot be moved out of the lancet case unlike the stopper 213. Fig. 29 and 30 also show a state in which the projecting portion 212 of the lancet body abuts against the wall 217 defining the rear end opening 107.

In the illustrated embodiment, since the distance between the stopper 213 and the protruding portion 212 is small, the stopper 213 is substantially simultaneously thrown outward and abuts against the wall 217 defining the rear end opening of the protruding portion 212.

As can be understood from fig. 30, when the protrusion 324 of the push rod is engaged with (or abuts against) and/or fitted into the protrusion 346 and/or the recess 348 located on the lower side of the trigger lever, the front partition 344 is located at the rear end portions (in the illustrated embodiment) of the leg portions 320 and 322 of the push rod or behind the leg portions, and as a result, the front partition 344 does not prevent the front end portions of the leg portions from being elastically expanded. When both the convex portion and the concave portion are present, they are preferably adjacent to each other as shown in the figure.

In this state, when a force is applied to slide the ejector further forward, the push rod cannot move forward due to the above-described fitting, but a forward force is transmitted to the protrusion 218 of the lancet body held by the legs 320 and 322 of the push rod 310, that is, clamped, and as a result, the front side surface 231 of the protrusion 218 of the lancet body inclined forward and inward presses and spreads the legs due to its shape. When this forward force exceeds a certain threshold, the legs resiliently spread outwardly, thereby releasing the held protrusion 218 and the rear end 202 of the lancet body 204. Fig. 31 and 32 show the state in which the push rod just releases the projection 218 located at the rear end 202 of the lancet body, as in fig. 11 and 12.

Thereafter, when the pusher is further slid forward, the lancet case including the lancet body separated from the push rod is ejected outward from the front end opening of the ejector. Fig. 33 and 34 show the state of the discharge in this manner, similarly to fig. 11 and 12. As described above, the wing is fitted into the side of the lancet case when the lancet case passes through the front end opening of the emitter, but substantially only the rear end portion of the wing is fitted into the side of the lancet case, and as a result, when the whole of the wing is fitted (for example, when the rear end portion has a triangular wing portion as shown in the drawing), the rear end portion of the lancet case is fitted into the side when the rear end portion passes through the front end opening of the emitter. Also, a return spring 357 is preferably provided between the ejector and the lancet holder as shown in the figure, and when the finger is released from the button 354 after the state of fig. 34, the ejector returns to the original position.

When the lancet case 102 is moved forward in this manner, the rear end portion 120 of the wing 116 is separated from the wedge member 340, and the wing 116 is elastically deformed to be positioned on the side of the lancet case. That is, the lancet assembly 100' of fig. 34 is shown in the state shown in fig. 36 or the state shown in fig. 2 (in which the distal end portion of the pricking member 210 is exposed). It can be easily understood that in this state, the abutting portion 122 provided on the inner side of the wing portion 116 again functions as an abutting portion. That is, in the embodiment shown in fig. 36, the projecting member 230 of the lancet body 204 cannot move forward beyond the abutting portion 122 in the lancet case, and the projecting member 232 abuts against the wall 117 of the rear end opening 107 of the predetermined case 114 and cannot move further backward. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the protrusion 212 of the lancet body 204 cannot move forward beyond the abutting portion 122 in the lancet case, and further cannot move backward by abutting against the wall of the rear end opening 107 of the predetermined case 114.

Accordingly, the forward movement of the lancet body 204 with the distal end portion of the pricking member 210 exposed is prevented by the abutting portion 122, and therefore the distal end portion of the pricking member can only move forward to a position sufficiently inward of the distal end opening 106 of the housing 114. Of course, the protruding portion 212 or the protruding member 232 of the lancet body 204 cannot be moved rearward from the rear end opening 107 of the housing 114. When the lancet case 102 is moved forward and the wing 116 is fitted into the lancet case, the lancet body is held in the lancet case 102 in a state where the protruding front end portion of the pricking member is located sufficiently behind the front end opening 106.

As can be readily understood from fig. 36, it can be designed such that: by appropriately selecting the dimensions of the lancet case and the lancet body, the foremost end portion of the pricking member 210 is sufficiently separated from the front end opening 106 of the case 114 even when the lancet body 204 moves to the forefront in the lancet case 102. Therefore, when the lancet case 102 in the state shown in fig. 36 is handled, the risk associated with the exposed distal end portion of the pricking member is significantly reduced.

Preferably, the lancet case and the lancet body have a mechanism for making the movement of the lancet body 204 inside the lancet case 102 smooth at the time of pricking. The mechanism may be, for example, the above-described protrusion member 215 of the lancet body, and the inside of the side surface of the lancet case 102 has a pair of rails 140 that define the groove 135 so as to sandwich the protrusion. By combining such a protrusion with the rail, a guide mechanism can be configured to smoothly move the lancet body 204 inside the lancet case 102.

The lancet assembly and the injector of the present invention described above are preferably formed of resin in addition to the pricking member and the spring, and particularly preferably formed of a molded resin, and the elasticity of the resin is suitable for the function of the wing portion, the function of the stopper, the function of the leg portion of the plunger, the fitting of the lancet assembly into the injector (for example, the relationship between the protrusion 12 of the lancet case and the protrusion 304 of the front end opening 302 of the injector) and the like, in addition to the ease of manufacture.

The emitter preferably has a function of being able to adjust the penetration depth. Therefore, the emitter of the invention is provided with a cylinder for adjusting the puncture depth at the rear side of the rear clapboard of the emitter cover and adjacent to the rear clapboard,

the push rod extends and ends in the cylinder body, the cylinder body can rotate around the push rod,

the barrel has a ring member fixed to the inside of the front end thereof and rotatable around the push rod, the length of the ring member in the puncture direction changes along the circumferential direction thereof, preferably continuously or stepwise,

the rear end of the push rod has a collision member that collides with the rear end face thereof at a part in the circumferential direction of the annular member,

when the push rod moves forward during puncturing, the collision component at the rear end of the push rod collides with a part of the rear end surface of the annular component in the cylinder body, so that the push rod cannot move forward further,

by rotating the cylindrical body to rotate the annular member around the plunger, the portion of the rear end surface of the annular member, which is an object with which the collision member at the rear end portion of the plunger collides, can be changed to another portion, and thereby the position of the rearmost end of the plunger in the puncture direction when the rear end of the plunger collides with the portion of the rear end surface of the annular member changes.

When the position of the rearmost end of the push rod in the puncture direction is changed in this manner, the length of the push rod located rearward of the rear partition plate is changed. Since the length of the plunger itself is constant, the change in the position of the rearmost end of the plunger changes the length of the plunger located further forward than the rear spacer, and further changes the length from the rear spacer to the tip of the pricking member protruding from the lancet body gripped by the plunger. On the other hand, since the distance between the rear partition and the front end opening of the housing is constant, the length of the front end portion of the puncture member projected from the front end opening of the housing is changed, and the puncture depth is changed.

In order to easily rotate the cylindrical body from the outside of the transmitter, it is preferable to provide a cap-shaped knob that can be fitted around the cylindrical body, and by rotating the knob, the part of the rear end surface of the annular member that the collision member collides against can be selected.

Referring to the drawings showing the above-described transmitter, for example, referring to fig. 34, in one embodiment of the transmitter of the present invention, a penetration depth adjusting cylinder 360 is provided on the rear side of the rear partition 358 of the transmitter housing so as to be adjacent thereto. A penetration depth adjusting ring member 361 having an opening 363 is disposed (preferably, integrally connected) inside the front end of the cylinder 360, a rear end 362 of the push rod extends through the opening 363, and a collision member 365 is attached to the rear end of the push rod. Thus, the annular member 361 can rotate around the push rod 310. Specifically, the cylindrical body 360 and the annular member 361 rotate around the push rod by rotating a cap-shaped knob as a knob 366 fitted to the rear of the cylindrical body 360.

In fig. 37, a push rod (shown by a broken line only in the extending direction) is omitted and a ring member 361 located around the push rod and a collision member 365 arranged at the rear end of the push rod are schematically shown in a perspective view. The length (a) of the annular member 361 in the puncture direction changes continuously or stepwise along the circumferential direction thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the length in the puncture direction is changed stepwise, for example, to a1, a2, and a 3. The collision member 365 has collision portions 367 and 367' in the upper and lower directions, and when the plunger moves forward by firing the lancet, the collision member 365 moves in the pricking direction as indicated by an arrow and collides with the annular member 361.

For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 37, when the plunger moves forward, the collision portion 367 collides with the step 371 having the length a1 in the puncturing direction, and the collision portion 367 'collides with the step 371' having the length a1 in the puncturing direction. That is, the collision portion of the collision member collides with one of the steps constituting a part of the rear end surface of the annular member. In this state, when the knob 366 is slightly rotated rightward (as viewed from the left side of the drawing) as indicated by the arrow shown in the drawing, the upper collision portion 367 moves forward, and the lower collision portion 367' moves toward the opposite side.

As a result, the collision region 367 collides with the step 373 having a length in the piercing direction a2, and the collision region 367 'collides with the step 373' having a length in the piercing direction a 2. It can be easily understood that the distance that the plunger can move forward, that is, the puncture depth, changes depending on the length of the annular member in the puncture direction with which the collision site collides, for example, the length of the step 371 and the step 373 in the puncture direction. By thus causing the collision portion to collide with another portion of the rear end surface of the annular member having a different length in the puncture direction, the puncture depth can be adjusted.

Further, when at least one of the collision member 365 and the annular member 361 is formed of a material having high elasticity, for example, silicone or urethane, and has a collision damping property, it is preferable to reduce the impact at the time of collision thereof, and as a result, to reduce the impact felt by the user at the time of puncturing.

For example, as can be readily understood from the state of the launcher after puncturing shown in fig. 26, when the cylindrical body 360 and the annular member 361 are integrally coupled, the annular member moves rearward to abut against the collision member 365 by pulling the cylindrical body rearward, and then, when the cylindrical body is further pulled rearward, the push rod moves rearward, so that the protrusion 324 of the push rod 310 moves rearward, and the launcher can be launched.

Therefore, when the pricking operation is once performed and the pricking operation is not sufficient for some reason (for example, when the lancet is fired before the finger tip is brought into contact with the front end of the lancet case), the barrel 360 (and hence the knob 366) can be pulled back to be in the ejectable state again as long as the lancet assembly is loaded, that is, the lancet assembly is restored to the state shown in fig. 26. In this way, proper puncture can be attempted.

Accordingly, the transmitter of the present invention is preferably configured such that: the push rod is moved backward by pulling the cylinder backward relative to the launcher housing, thereby forming a launchable state. Specifically, in the launcher in the puncture completed state, the plunger is moved rearward by pulling the cylinder rearward, and the protrusion passes through the rear end 330 of the trigger lever. At the moment of passing the rear end, the trigger lever moves inward, and the lancet can be fired again.

When the cylinder is pulled back in order to retract the cylinder as described above, a force that slightly rotates the cylinder is also applied, and as a result, the cylinder may be unintentionally rotated in the puncturing direction and set to an unexpectedly different puncturing depth. In order to prevent such unintended change in the penetration depth, the cylinder preferably has a rotation restricting portion in front of the rear partition. Preferably, the rotation restricting portion extends forward from the cylindrical body through the rear partition plate, and has a first cylindrical portion located forward of the rear partition plate and a second cylindrical portion located forward thereof, the push rod extends through the rotation restricting portion of the cylindrical body and extends in the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body is movable in the longitudinal direction of the push rod integrally with the rotation restricting portion of the cylindrical body, the first cylindrical portion is rotatable in the opening portion of the rear partition plate, and the second cylindrical portion is non-rotatable.

Such a rotation restricting portion can be formed by fitting a rotation restricting member 380 shown in a schematic perspective view in fig. 38 into a connecting portion 382 extending forward from the cylindrical body. The rotation restricting member 380 includes a first tube 384 rotatable inside an opening defined by the rear partition plate and a second tube 386 located in front of the first tube 384. In one embodiment, the first tube portion and the second tube portion are integral as shown. The push rod extends through the barrels and within the barrels.

For example, the second cylindrical portion has a contour shape of a regular polygon, the opening is a regular polygon circumscribed with the regular polygon or surrounded by surrounding the regular polygon with a certain gap therebetween, and the first cylindrical portion has a cross-sectional shape (for example, a circular, elliptical, or regular polygon cross-section) rotatable inside the regular polygon as the opening.

In the illustrated embodiment, the second tube portion 386 has a regular decagon contour shape (however, the corner portion is chamfered. the chamfered portion is denoted by 388), the opening portion of the rear partition is a regular decagon circumscribing the regular decagon or surrounding the decagon with a certain gap therebetween, and the first tube portion 384 has a circular cross section rotatable inside the regular decagon as the opening portion.

If such a rotation restricting portion is provided, the second tube portion is positioned in the opening portion of the rear partition plate when the tube is moved or pulled rearward relative to the launcher for reloading the launcher, and the tube can be prevented from being rotated unintentionally. The piercing direction length L of the first tubular portion is at least substantially the same as, and preferably substantially the same as or slightly greater than, the thickness of the rear partition. The length of the second tube portion is not particularly limited.

Preferably, when the cylindrical body is pulled backward as described above, the spring is compressed, and the cylindrical body is automatically returned to the original position by the action of the spring which is compressed when the pulling force is released. Specifically, such a spring may be disposed around the outer side of the cylindrical rotation restricting portion in front of the rear partition plate. More specifically, for example, a flange portion may be provided at the front end of the second tube portion, and the return spring S3 may be disposed between the flange portion and the rear partition plate.

The present invention also provides a lancet and a lancet case constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention, a kit of a lancet and a lancet case constituting the lancet assembly of the present invention, a pricking device including the lancet assembly of the present invention and the injector of the present invention, and a kit of a pricking device including the lancet assembly of the present invention and the injector of the present invention.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The lancet, the lancet case, and the lancet assembly and the injector formed by the lancet and the lancet case can provide safer and simpler equipment.

Claims (37)

1. A lancet assembly comprising a lancet and a lancet case for housing a part of the lancet,

the lancet comprises a lancet body, a lancet cover and a metal pricking member,

the lancet case is provided with: a housing having a front opening and a rear opening; and a pair of wing parts located at the side of the shell,

in the lancet, a pricking member is present in the lancet body and the lancet cover so as to cross the lancet body and the lancet cover, a tip portion of the pricking member is surrounded by the lancet cover,

the lancet body has a protrusion and a stopper located at the rear thereof,

each wing part of the lancet case has a front end part and a rear end part and an abutting part positioned therebetween, the front end part is integrally connected with the case, the rear end part can be embedded into the side of the case,

when the rear end portion of the wing portion is not fitted into the side of the housing, the rear end portion is located outside the housing, and as a result, the wing portion is in a state of protruding obliquely rearward from the side of the housing,

when the rear end portion of the wing portion is fitted into the side of the housing, the wing portion is disposed along the side of the housing.

2. The lancet assembly of claim 1, wherein the lancet cover and the lancet body are integrally joined by a weakened portion, and a rear portion of the lancet cover located forward of the weakened portion, and a front portion of the lancet body located rearward of the weakened portion are located within the lancet housing.

3. The lancet assembly of claim 1, wherein the lancet cover and the lancet body are formed as separate members, and wherein a rear portion of the lancet cover and a front portion of the lancet body are located within the lancet housing.

4. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusion of the lancet body is composed of 2 protrusion members separated from each other in the front-rear direction.

5. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lancet cover has a protrusion (216) protruding outward, and a fitting portion (217) that can be fitted into the front end opening of the housing is provided on the rear side of the protrusion.

6. The lancet assembly of claim 4, wherein the rear side of the mating portion has a portion that narrows toward the rear.

7. The lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the abutting portion of the wing portion is in the form of a step or a protrusion.

8. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the stopper of the lancet body is in the form of a claw or a fin extending obliquely forward/outward from the lancet body.

9. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lancet case has a recess on a side thereof for receiving the wing, and a rear end portion of the wing is fitted into a space provided on the side of the lancet case by press fitting or snap fitting.

10. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the rear end of the wing has a triangular wing shape gradually spreading outward toward the rear.

11. The lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the wall portions forming the housing forward of the wings are thinner than other wall portions of the housing.

12. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein one of the end surface of the front end of the lancet body and the end surface of the rear end of the lancet cover facing the end surface has a protrusion, the topmost portion of the protrusion defines an imaginary plane extending perpendicularly to the extending direction of the pricking element, and the other end surface defines a plane extending perpendicularly to the extending direction of the pricking element.

13. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein when the lancet body is inserted from the front end opening of the lancet case and moved rearward inside the lancet case, the protrusion of the lancet body abuts against a wall defining the rear end opening of the case.

14. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the lancet case has a convex portion on the outer side thereof, the convex portion being fitted over a convex portion provided on the inner side of the front end opening of the launcher; or a convex part fitted into a concave part provided inside the front end opening part of the emitter.

15. The lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the lancet case is formed by injection molding using a resin, and as a result, the front end of the stopper portion is integrally joined to the housing.

16. The lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the housing has a rear end portion that can be fitted into the front end portion of the plunger of the launcher for launching the lancet, and the rear end portion has a protrusion or recess on the outside thereof that fits into a complementary recess or protrusion provided on the inside of the front end portion of the plunger of the launcher.

17. A launcher which loads the lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 16 and launches a lancet body in which a distal end portion of a pricking member is exposed,

the transmitter has in its interior: a push rod for launching a lancet body having a piercing member with an exposed tip portion, and a wing portion expanding member,

the lancet assembly with the wing fitted to the side of the housing is inserted from the front end opening of the launcher, the rear end portion of the lancet body is retracted and abutted against the front end portion of the plunger, and then, when the lancet body is further retracted, the rear end portion of the lancet body is fitted into the front end portion of the plunger and held, and then, when the lancet body is further retracted, the trigger lever is in a state capable of holding the plunger, and then, when the lancet body is further retracted, the wing is unfolded outward by the wing expanding member, and then, when the force for retracting the lancet body is released, the loading of the lancet assembly is completed.

18. A launcher which loads the lancet assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 16 and launches a lancet body in which a distal end portion of a pricking member is exposed,

the transmitter has in its interior: a push rod for launching a lancet body having a piercing member with an exposed tip portion, and a wing portion expanding member,

the lancet assembly in which the wing is fitted into the side of the housing is inserted from the front end opening of the launcher, the rear end portion of the lancet body is retracted and abutted against the front end portion of the plunger, and thereafter, when the lancet body is further retracted, the rear end portion of the lancet body is fitted into the front end portion of the plunger and held, and thereafter, when the lancet body is further retracted, the trigger lever is in a state capable of holding the plunger, and the wing is extended outward by the wing extension member, and in this state, when the force for retracting the lancet body is released, the lancet assembly is in an ejectable state, and loading of the lancet assembly is completed.

19. The launcher according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the wing spreading member is a pair of members forming a ramp.

20. The emitter of claim 19, wherein the pair of members forming the ramp are a pair of wedge-shaped members separated from each other and having a shape with a pointed front end.

21. The launcher according to any one of claims 17 to 20, further comprising an ejector capable of applying a forward force to the lancet housing of the loaded lancet assembly.

22. The launcher according to claim 21, wherein the ejector has a force application portion that applies a forward force against the rear end of the lancet housing of the primed lancet assembly.

23. The launcher according to claim 22, wherein the action portion of the ejector abuts against a rear end portion of the side of the lancet housing adjacent to the side where the wing is present.

24. The launcher according to any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein the ejector has a launch spring disposed around the push rod between a protrusion provided around a middle portion thereof and a rear partition in the launcher housing,

when the rear end portion of the lancet body is gripped by the push rod and the push rod is retracted to compress the launching spring, and the protrusion of the push rod is retracted beyond the rear end of the trigger lever configured to be biased toward the push rod side, the rear end of the trigger lever moves toward the push rod side, and the trigger lever is brought into a state capable of holding the push rod.

25. The launcher according to claim 24, wherein in the launchable state, the outwardly protruding protrusion of the lancet cover is located forward from the front end opening of the housing, whereby the fitting portion located rearward of the lancet cover is located substantially entirely outside the front end opening of all of the housing.

26. The launcher according to claim 24, wherein in the launchable state, the outwardly protruding protrusion of the lancet cover is located forward from the front end opening of the housing, and a part of the narrowed portion is located rearward from the front end opening of the housing.

27. The launcher according to any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein the trigger lever has a protrusion or a recess in a lower edge thereof in front of a rear end thereof, and the protrusion of the plunger is locked before the rear end of the trigger lever for launching the lancet, and is locked in the protrusion of the trigger lever or fitted in the recess after the lancet is launched.

28. The launcher according to any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein the trigger lever has a convex portion in a lower edge thereof in front of a rear end and a concave portion adjacent thereto in a rear direction thereof, and the protrusion of the plunger is engaged before the rear end of the trigger lever for launching the lancet and is fitted into the concave portion of the trigger lever after the lancet is launched.

29. The launcher according to any one of claims 17 to 28, wherein a cylindrical body for adjusting a puncture depth is provided adjacent to a rear side of a rear partition of the launcher housing,

the push rod extends and ends in the cylinder body, the cylinder body can rotate around the push rod,

the barrel has a ring-shaped member fixed to the inner side of the front end and rotatable around the push rod, the length of the ring-shaped member in the puncture direction changes along the circumferential direction thereof,

the rear end of the push rod has a collision member that collides with the rear end face thereof at a part in the circumferential direction of the annular member,

when the push rod moves forward during puncturing, the collision member at the rear end of the push rod collides with a part of the rear end surface of the annular member in the cylinder,

the annular member is rotated around the push rod by rotating the cylindrical body, so that the rear end surface of the annular member, which is an object to be collided with by the collision member at the rear end portion of the push rod, can be changed into another part,

30. the transmitter of claim 29, wherein the annular member has a damping characteristic.

31. The launcher according to claim 29 or 30, wherein the cylinder further has a cylinder rotation restricting portion extending forward through the rear partition plate and having a first cylinder portion located forward of the rear partition plate and a second cylinder portion located forward of the first cylinder portion,

the push rod penetrates the cylinder rotation limiting part and extends in the cylinder, the cylinder and the cylinder rotation limiting part are integrated and can move along the length direction of the push rod, the first cylinder part can rotate in the opening part of the rear partition plate, and the second cylinder part cannot rotate.

32. The launcher according to claim 31, wherein the first canister portion and the second canister portion are an integral member.

33. A lancet constituting the lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 16.

34. A lancet housing constituting the lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 16.

35. A kit of lancets and lancet housings for forming a lancet assembly of any of claims 1 to 16.

36. A lancing device comprising the lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 16 and the launcher of any one of claims 17 to 32.

37. A kit of lancing apparatus comprising the lancet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 16 and the launcher of any one of claims 17 to 32.