SEAL BETWEEN HOUSING SHELLS

Abstract

A medical pump, preferably a peristaltic pump or a syringe pump, for conveying a medical fluid. The pump includes a housing with an upper housing shell, a lower housing shell and a front lid, and a seal between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell. The front lid is pivotably arranged on the lower housing shell.

Claims

1. A medical pump, being adapted for conveying a medical fluid, the medical pump comprising: a housing with an upper housing shell, a lower housing shell and a front lid, said front lid being pivotably arranged on the lower housing shell; and a seal being provided between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell, such that the housing is sealed against contamination and fluids.

2. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the seal is a sealing bead.

3. The medical pump according to claim 2, wherein the sealing bead is made of polyurethane.

4. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the seal is elastic during assembly and disassembly of the housing shells.

5. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a distance between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell in an assembled state, wherein the seal is placed in the distance between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell.

6. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the seal is foamed.

7. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the seal is tempered after foaming.

8. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the seal extends around the entire rim of the housing shell.

9. The medical pump according to claim 1, wherein the seal is arranged inside the housing to be non-visible from the outside.

10. A peristaltic pump or a syringe pump, being adapted for conveying a medical fluid, the peristaltic pump or syringe pump comprising: a housing with an upper housing shell, a lower housing shell and a front lid, said front lid being pivotably arranged on the lower housing shell; and a seal being provided between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell, such that the housing is sealed against contamination and fluids, wherein the seal is provided on the upper housing shell as a sealing bead.

11. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead is made of polyurethane.

12. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead is elastic during assembly and disassembly of the housing shells.

13. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a distance between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell in an assembled state, and wherein the sealing bead is placed in the distance between the upper housing shell and the lower housing shell.

14. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead is foamed.

15. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead is tempered after foaming.

16. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead extends around the entire rim of the housing shell.

17. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead is arranged inside the housing to be non-visible from the outside.

18. The peristaltic pump or syringe pump according to claim 10, wherein the sealing bead is provided on an upper edge of sidewalls of the upper housing shell.

19. A method of manufacturing a peristaltic pump or a syringe pump according to claim 10, comprising the following steps: applying the seal to exactly a first housing shell of the lower housing shell and the upper housing shell; tempering the seal; and subsequently placing the other housing shell on the first housing shell.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising the step of assembling a housing side part to the composite construction of the lower housing shell and the upper housing shell.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a peristaltic pump according to a first embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a top view of an upper housing shell of the peristaltic pump;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a syringe pump according to a second embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 5 shows an isometric view of an upper housing shell of the syringe pump; and

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a housing side part of the syringe pump.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First Embodiment

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a medical pump 1, in particular a peristaltic pump. However, the medical pump 1 may also be a syringe pump 3 or a dialysis pump. The pump 1 has a housing 2 comprising two housing shells, namely a lower housing shell 4 and an upper housing shell 6. The pump 1 has a front lid 8 that is attached to the lower housing shell 4 and can be folded down. The front lid has a display 7 and buttons 9. Medical pumps such as peristaltic pumps or syringe pumps are generally known, for example from CN 2 11 485 985 U. Therefore, a general description of the mode of operation of the pump is omitted.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the upper housing shell 6 of the peristaltic pump 1. The upper housing shell 6 is essentially a shell that is open at the top and has an approximately rectangular outline. The upper housing shell 6 has a flat lid 10 from which side walls 14 protrude. The upper housing shell 6 is slightly convex at a rear side of the upper housing shell 6. The rear side is the side on which a connector and a power supply (not shown) of the pump 1 are attached. At a front side opposite to the rear side, the upper housing shell 6 has a projection 16. The projection 16 protects the front lid 8. Inside the housing 2, components of the medical pump 1 are arranged. These are, in part, electronic components such as the power supply, a battery, an electric motor, and electrical wiring and the like (none of which are shown). These components are susceptible to fluids and contaminants. Furthermore, peristaltic pumps 1, for example, include a peristaltic system (not shown) for moving fluid in a tube. The peristaltic system and its drive are sensitive mechanical components and therefore susceptible to contaminations and particles that jam or block moving parts.

[0035] A seal 12 runs around the rim of the upper housing shell 6. I.e. the seal 12 runs around the upper rim of the side walls 14. The seal 12 runs around the entire rim. The seal 12 is a sealing bead made of an elastic plastic, preferably polyurethane. The seal 12 is applied by foaming to a housing shell, preferably the upper housing shell 6. After application of the sealing bead, the housing shell is tempered with the sealing bead. The tempering step takes place before the two housing shells are assembled. This ensures that the two housing shells can be taken apart when repairing the pump 1 without damaging the seal 12. The seal 12 is intended to be still resilient after the housing shells have been separated and is intended to seal against contaminations and fluids after reassembly.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the lower housing shell 4. The lower housing shell 4 is a flat plate with an approximately rectangular outline from which only side walls protrude on the short sides and a battery compartment in the center of the plate. Like the upper housing shell 6, the lower housing shell 4 is convex at the back of the plate, on the side of the power supply. It is shown that no seal is attached to the lower housing shell 4.

Second Embodiment

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a syringe pump 3. The syringe pump 3 is configured substantially the same as the peristaltic pump 1 of the first embodiment. The syringe pump 3 has a housing 2 with a lower housing shell 4 and an upper housing shell 6. Like the peristaltic pump 1, the syringe pump 3 has a front lid 8. In contrast to the peristaltic pump 1, the syringe pump 3 has a lateral drive head 34. The housing connection of the drive head 34 is shown below in FIG. 6.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows an upper housing shell 22 of the syringe pump 3. The upper housing shell 22 of the syringe pump 3 is similar in design to the upper housing shell 6 of the peristaltic pump 1. The upper housing shell 22 has a flat lid 24 and side walls 26 projecting from the lid 24. Components of the pump, such as a main circuit board (not shown) and the like, are arranged inside the upper housing shell 22. In the syringe pump 3, the seal 12 is also applied to a housing shell, preferably the upper housing shell 22, then tempered, and only then is the other housing shell placed on top. The seal 12 covers the entire rim of the upper housing shell 22.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows a housing side part 30 in the syringe pump 3. In a peristaltic pump 1 as in FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing 2 has only the lower housing shell 4 and the upper housing shell 6. In the syringe pump 3, the housing 2 has the lower housing shell 32, the upper housing shell 22, and a housing side part 30. The housing side part 30 is arranged on one side of the housing 2, and a drive head 34 having a holding arm 36 is inserted into the housing 2 through the housing side part 30. The drive head 34 grips a syringe and can be moved into and out of the housing 2 by the holding arm 36. The housing side part 30 is not mounted until the lower housing shell 32 and the upper housing shell 22 have already been assembled.