Wire and pulley clock mechanism flow regulator

Abstract

An automatic injection device with flow regulation. The automatic injection device has an insertion needle configured to be inserted into a patient and a drug container which contains a pharmaceutical product and includes a plunger. The automatic injection device also has a fluid path which fluidly connects the drug container to the patient via an insertion device, a potential energy source, and a regulator configured to restrict release of potential energy and restrict linear movement of the plunger and pharmaceutical product into the fluid path at a proscribed pace. The regulator includes a clock escapement mechanism and a wire and pulley system including a wire coupled to at least one pulley. The potential energy source may be a spring that surrounds the drug container and may be directly coupled to the plunger and the wire such that movement of the spring and the wire is restricted over time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flow regulator for an injection device, comprising:
 a clock escapement mechanism comprising a pallet and an escape wheel gear, and further including a balance wheel,   a gearbox comprising at least one set of gears coupled to the clock escapement mechanism, and   a wire coupled to at least one pulley and further coupled to the gearbox and to a potential energy source of the injection device;   wherein the clock escapement mechanism is configured to restrict movement of the wire and restrict release of potential energy from the potential energy source over a proscribed period of time.   
     
     
         2 . The flow regulator of  claim 1 , wherein the potential energy source comprises a spring configured to move a plunger in the injection device. 
     
     
         3 . The flow regulator of  claim 1 , wherein the wire and the at least one pulley is configured to resist movement of the potential energy source and convert rotational movement of the gearbox into a linear motion. 
     
     
         4 . The flow regulator of  claim 1 , wherein the escape wheel gear is configured to restrict the release of potential energy from the potential energy source over a time interval. 
     
     
         5 . The flow regulator of  claim 2 , wherein the wire is directly coupled to the spring at a first longitudinal end of the injection device. 
     
     
         6 . The flow regulator of  claim 5 , wherein the spring pushes the plunger toward a second longitudinal end of the injection device. 
     
     
         7 . The flow regulator of  claim 6 , wherein the spring is directly connected to the plunger. 
     
     
         8 . The flow regulator of  claim 6 , wherein the clock escapement mechanism applies a counterforce to the spring to restrict release of the potential energy from the spring over the proscribed period of time. 
     
     
         9 . The flow regulator of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one set of gears is configured to move upon movement of the spring. 
     
     
         10 . The flow regulator of  claim 1 , wherein the wire and the at least one pulley are configured to resist movement generated by the potential energy source and convert rotational movement of the at least one set of gears into a linear motion. 
     
     
         11 . The flow regulator of  claim 1 , further comprising an electric circuit that measures time and controls release of the potential energy from the potential energy source over the proscribed period of time.