US-20260123859-A1 - APPLICATOR AND APPLICATOR ASSEMBLY

US20260123859A1US 20260123859 A1US20260123859 A1US 20260123859A1US-20260123859-A1

Abstract

Embodiments provide an applicator and an applicator assembly. The applicator includes: a body housing in which an accommodation portion capable of accommodating a first unit is provided at one end thereof and a movement space connected to the accommodation portion is formed; a first unit carrier configured to move in the movement space; and a unit support portion provided in the accommodation portion. The unit support portion is pressed by one end of the first unit carrier as the first unit carrier moves in a direction becoming closer to the accommodation portion, and is moved from a restriction position in which at least one end thereof contacts the first unit accommodated in the accommodation portion to a release position in which at least one end thereof moves away from the first unit accommodated in the accommodation portion as the unit support portion is pressed by the first unit carrier.

Inventors

Hyun Ho CHOI
Yul Min SEONG
Kyung Chul CHAE

Assignees

I-SENS, INC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251106
Priority Date: 20241107

Claims (17)

1 . An applicator, comprising: a body housing in which an accommodation portion capable of accommodating a first unit is provided at one end thereof and a movement space connected to the accommodation portion is formed; a first unit carrier configured to move in the movement space; and a unit support portion provided in the accommodation portion, wherein the unit support portion is pressed by one end of the first unit carrier as the first unit carrier moves in a direction becoming closer to the accommodation portion, and is moved from a restriction position in which at least one end thereof contacts the first unit accommodated in the accommodation portion to a release position in which at least one end thereof moves away from the first unit accommodated in the accommodation portion as the unit support portion is pressed by the first unit carrier.
2 . The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the first unit is supported by one end of the unit support portion positioned at the restriction position so that deviation from the accommodation portion is restricted, and the deviation restriction of the first unit by the unit support portion is released as the unit support portion moves to the release position.
3 . The applicator of claim 1 , wherein a second unit, intended to be delivered to the first unit, is detachably disposed at one end of the first unit carrier, and the first unit carrier is configured to move together with the second unit from an initial position, in which the second unit is spaced apart from the first unit, toward an insertion position, in which the second unit is delivered to the first unit.
4 . The applicator of claim 3 , wherein the unit support portion is pressed by the one end of the first unit carrier which has moved to the insertion position, thereby moving from the restriction position to the release position.
5 . The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the first unit carrier moves from an initial position spaced apart from the first unit to an insertion position in which the unit support portion is pressed.
6 . The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the first unit carrier comprises: a first unit carrier body, at least a portion of which is accommodated in the movement space and which is provided to move in the movement space; an extension arm extending from a side end of the first unit carrier body and formed to extend toward the accommodation portion; and an extension arm pushing portion formed to protrude from a leading end portion of the extension arm adjacent to the accommodation portion.
7 . The applicator of claim 6 , wherein the extension arm pushing portion comprises an inclined surface configured to assist the unit support portion in moving to a position away from the accommodation portion.
8 . The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the unit support portion comprises: a support hook disposed in a support hook accommodation space formed to penetrate one end of the body housing at one side of the accommodation portion, the support hook comprising a catching portion having a shape protruding toward the accommodation portion and a pushed portion formed to protrude in a direction opposite to the catching portion; and a support hook connection portion extending from an end portion of the body housing forming the support hook accommodation space so as to be connected to the support hook and maintaining the support hook in the support hook accommodation space.
9 . The applicator of claim 8 , wherein the unit support portion is moved from the restriction position to the release position as the support hook connection portion is deformed.
10 . The applicator of claim 8 , wherein one end of the first unit is provided with a first unit housing groove formed to be recessed in a shape corresponding to the catching portion so that at least one end of the catching portion positioned at the restriction position is inserted and disposed.
11 . The applicator of claim 8 , wherein the pushed portion is provided with a pushed portion inclined surface so that the pushed portion slidingly moves, as the pushed portion is pressed in contact with one end of the first unit carrier.
12 . The applicator of claim 6 , wherein the body housing further comprises a column disposed in the body housing to partition the movement space, and a carrier slit, in which at least a portion of the extension arm is accommodated, is formed by incision in an end portion of the column along the first direction.
13 . An applicator assembly, comprising: a transmission unit intended to be delivered to a detection position on a skin; a body housing in which a transmission unit accommodation portion, capable of accommodating the transmission unit, is provided at one end thereof, and a movement space is formed along a first direction; a sensor unit carrier provided to move in the movement space; a sensor unit comprising a transcutaneous sensor member capable of detecting biometric information in a subcutaneous tissue of a human body, the sensor unit being disposed to move in the movement space together with the sensor unit carrier, and being configured to move relative to the transmission unit so as to be coupled to the transmission unit; and a transmission unit support portion provided at one side of the transmission unit accommodation portion, the transmission unit support portion being pressed by one end of the sensor unit carrier that has moved together with the sensor unit, and moved from a restriction position where at least one end thereof is in contact with the transmission unit accommodated in the transmission unit accommodation portion to a release position where at least one end thereof is spaced apart from the transmission unit.
14 . The applicator assembly of claim 13 , wherein the transmission unit support portion moves from the restriction position to the release position along a direction intersecting the first direction.
15 . An applicator assembly, comprising: a body housing in which an accommodation portion, capable of accommodating a transmission unit, is provided at one end thereof, and a movement space connected to the accommodation portion through an opening is formed therein; a sensor unit carrier provided to move in the movement space, the sensor unit carrier having a sensor unit, intended to be delivered to the transmission unit, separably fixed at one end thereof; and unit support portions disposed in pairs in a symmetrical shape on both side ends of the opening, the unit support portions having end portions in contact with the transmission unit accommodated in the accommodation portion to restrict deviation of the transmission unit from the accommodation portion, wherein a spacing width between the paired unit support portions is wider after completion of the delivery of the sensor unit to the transmission unit than before the delivery of the sensor unit to the transmission unit.
16 . The applicator assembly of claim 15 , wherein the unit support portion is integrally formed with the body housing.
17 . The applicator assembly of claim 15 , wherein the deviation restriction of the transmission unit by the unit support portion is released as the sensor unit is delivered to the transmission unit.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0157183, filed Nov. 7, 2024, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0115568, filed Aug. 20, 2025, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an applicator and an applicator assembly, and more specifically, relates to an applicator and an applicator assembly for inserting a transcutaneous sensor that detects biometric information into subcutaneous tissue. Description of the Related Art Chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus require continuous management. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by having almost no subjective symptoms in an early stage, but when diabetes mellitus progresses, characteristic symptoms such as polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, weight loss, general malaise, skin pruritus, cases in which wounds on hands and feet do not heal and last long appear, and the like. When diabetes mellitus progresses further, complications may occur which advance to visual impairment, hypertension, nephropathy, stroke, periodontal disease, muscle cramps and neuralgia, gangrene, and the like. In order to diagnose such diabetes mellitus and to manage such that progression to complications does not occur, systematic blood glucose measurement and treatment need to be performed in parallel. Patients with diabetes mellitus or persons in whom glucose levels at a reference value or more are detected in blood although progression to diabetes mellitus has not occurred, require continuous and periodic blood glucose measurement for management of diabetes mellitus or prevention of progression to diabetes mellitus. Currently, a blood sampling method in which blood is collected from a position such as a fingertip and the like, and blood glucose is measured in a unit of a single time constitutes a mainstream of blood glucose measurement methods. However, in the case of the blood sampling-type blood glucose measurement method, due to pain accompanied at the time of blood sampling, inconvenience generated therefrom, and the like, there is a limitation in continuous and periodic blood glucose measurement. Recently, in order to overcome the limitation of the blood sampling-type blood glucose measurement method, a blood glucose measurement system which measures blood glucose continuously and periodically by inserting a transcutaneous sensor into subcutaneous tissue has been developed and is being used. The blood glucose measurement system using the transcutaneous sensor is generally configured to include a wearable unit provided to be attachable to a human body including the transcutaneous sensor, an applicator which is provided to be coupled to the wearable unit in advance so as to attach the wearable unit to the human body at the same time as inserting the transcutaneous sensor into the subcutaneous tissue, and a receiving unit which processes information received from the wearable unit. Meanwhile, in terms of hygiene, infection prevention, and the like, the wearable unit is generally provided to be discarded after a single wearing, and the applicator is also generally provided to be discarded after a single firing. That is, when the transcutaneous sensor is not inserted into an accurate subcutaneous position or the wearable unit is not normally attached to the skin, the corresponding wearable unit and the applicator need to each be discarded regardless of their respective usage lifetimes. Therefore, in order to improve the convenience of use and economic efficiency of the blood glucose measurement system using the transcutaneous sensor, there is a need for an applicator which may insert the transcutaneous sensor into an accurate subcutaneous position and may also attach the wearable unit stably to the skin. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One aspect of the present invention is to provide an applicator and an applicator assembly capable of stably attaching a wearable unit to skin while inserting a transcutaneous sensor into an accurate subcutaneous position. The object of the present invention is not limited to the above description. A person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will have no difficulty in readily understanding additional objects of the present invention from the overall contents of the present specification. The present invention is defined by the independent claims. Further aspects of the present invention are outlined in the dependent claims. An applicator according to one aspect of the present invention may include: a body housing in which an accommodation portion capable of accommodating a first unit is provided at one end thereof and a movement space connected to the accommodation portion is formed; a first unit carrier moving in the movement space; and a unit support portion provided at one side of the accommodation portion. The unit s