CPC A61M 5/31576 (2013.01) [A61M 5/3295 (2013.01)] | 17 Claims |
1. An injector for injecting an injectable substance into at least one of an epidermal tissue of a skin of a subject, a dermal tissue of the skin of the subject, a subcutaneous tissue of the subject, and a muscular tissue of the subject, the injector comprising:
an outer housing;
a control member disposed within the outer housing;
a needle head configured to support a plurality of needles;
first means in communication with the control member and configured to be driven by the control member for converting a movement of the control member into a movement of the needle head along an injection direction and toward an injecting position of the needle head;
second means configured to move the needle head in a direction having a component that is normal to the injection direction and absent movement of the outer housing relative to the skin of the subject; and
third means configured to produce an oscillatory movement of the needle head along the injection direction, the third means comprising a rotatable plate disposed in a stacked arrangement with a stationary plate, the stationary plate having a grooved surface facing the rotatable plate and defining a series of depressions and ridges, and further comprising a pair of spherical spacer elements retained within openings formed in the rotatable plate, and wherein each one of the pair of spherical spacer elements is guided over the ridges between respective adjacent pairs of depressions when the rotatable plate rotates such that a separation distance between the rotatable plate and the stationary plate varies in an oscillatory fashion over time to produce the oscillatory movement of the needle head along the injection direction.
|