Heating device

Abstract

A heating device for one or more components of an extracorporeal circuit of a blood treatment device, in particular a dialyzer, an adsorber, or a filter, includes at least one reception region for the component, and at least one heating element for heating the component located in the receiver. The heating device has a plurality of layers, with at least one layer being a flexible layer or an elastically deformable layer.

Claims

1. A heating device for a component of an extracorporeal circuit of a blood treatment device, the heating device comprising: a reception region for receiving the component to be heated; a heating element for heating the component located in the reception region; a flexible layer; an elastically deformable layer; and a rigid layer, with the layers being configured such that the rigid layer is an outer side of the heating device, the elastically deformable layer is arranged between the flexible layer and the rigid layer, and the flexible layer is an inner side that contacts the component being heated.

2. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rigid layer has a Young's modulus of 700 N/mm.sup.2 or more.

3. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a compressive force at 25% compression of the elastically deformable layer is in a range from 0.01 N/mm.sup.2 to 0.7 N/mm.sup.2.

4. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the flexible layer has a maximum bending resistance with respect to a width of the flexible layer of 6.75 N/mm.sup.2/mm or less.

5. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable layer has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of at least one of the rigid layer and the flexible layer.

6. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the flexible layer has a material of construction that includes at least one of silicone, polyimide, carbon, and aluminum.

7. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable layer has a material of construction that includes at least one of rubber and foam.

8. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rigid layer has a material of construction that includes at least one of a plastic, aluminum, and a hard foam.

9. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the component received in the reception region is a dialyzer, a filter, or a tube.

10. The heating device in accordance with claim 9, wherein an outer dimension of the component corresponds to, or exceeds, an inner dimension of the reception region.

11. The heating device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heating element is arranged between two of the the flexible layer, the elastically deformable layer, and the rigid layer, or in at least one of the flexible layer, the elastically deformable layer, and the rigid layer.

12. A blood treatment device comprising a heating device in accordance with claim 1.

13. The heating device according to claim 6, wherein the flexible layer includes an aluminum film.

14. The heating device according to claim 7, wherein the elastically deformable layer includes a silicone foam.

15. The heating device according to claim 8, wherein the plastic of the rigid layer is at least one of a PP and a PET.

16. The heating device according to claim 11, wherein the heating element is arranged in the flexible layer.

17. The blood treatment device according to claim 12, wherein the device is a dialysis machine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment described in the drawing. There are shown.

(2) FIG. 1: a sectional view through a heating device in accordance with the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2: a further sectional view through a heating device in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(4) Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

(5) FIG. 1 shows by the reference numeral 10 the outer side or rear side of the heating device in accordance with the invention that is remote from the reception region A and that, for example, comprises a plate such as a metal plate or plastic in a shape of shell geometry.

(6) The reception region A preferably serves the reception of a disposable of a blood treatment device to be heated such as a filter or a dialyzer or an adsorber.

(7) An elastically deformable layer 20 that e.g. comprises a silicone foam adjoins this rigid layer 10. The layer 20 can, for example, have a thickness in the range between 5 mm and 15 mm and can preferably have a thickness of 10 mm.

(8) This layer is followed by a flexible inwardly disposed layer 30 that forms the heating element and the heated inner side of the heating device. The flexible layer 30, for example, comprises silicone having integrated heating wires or a heatable carbon film and has a smaller thermal resistance than the elastic layer 20.

(9) In addition, further flexible layers can be present for electrical insulation or mechanical surface strength.

(10) As can be seen from FIG. 1, the layers 10, 20, 30 are concentrically arranged with respect to one another in the detail shown, i.e. at the level of the reception region A.

(11) It can furthermore be seen from FIG. 1 that the thickness of the elastic layer 20 is larger than the thickness of the layer 10 and than the thickness of the layer 30.

(12) The rigid housing 10 establishes the mechanical stability of the heating device and presses the flexible element 30 indirectly via the elastically deformable component 20 toward the component located in the reception region A, such as toward a dialyzer. It is achieved by the elastic layer 20, on the one hand, and by the flexible layer 30, on the other hand, that the heating elementin the form of the flexible layer 30can adapt easily to the surface and to any irregularities located thereon such that a particularly efficient heat transfer from the heating device to the component and thus ultimately a particularly efficient heating of the blood flowing in the component can take place.

(13) FIG. 2 shows the total heating device of which a detail is shown in the region of the reception region A in FIG. 1.

(14) Reference numeral 10 characterizes the housing that has a concave section 12 in which the deformable layer 20 and the flexible layer 30 are located. The concave section is adjoined at the top and at the bottom by straight sections 14 that are formed without the layers 20, 30 and that, for example, form fastening sections by means of which the heating device can e.g. be fastened to a dialysis machine.

(15) In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the heating device represents a receiver that, for example, hold and fixes the dialyzer, nestles up to it and compensates tolerances.

(16) The heating device in accordance with the embodiment shown comprises a flexible, flat element for coupling to the dialyzer or the like and comprises an elastic, thicker layer. The flexible, flat element, that, for example, comprises silicone or polyimide or carbon or aluminum film, has a smaller thermal resistance than the elastic, deformable thicker element that can, for example, be designed as foam, e.g. as silicone foam.

(17) A rigid housing gives the heating device the sufficient mechanical stability. It can, for example, consist of PP or PET or also of a metal such as aluminum or of hard foam. It presses the deformable heating component, i.e. for example the flexible layer toward the component to be heated such as to the surface of a dialyzer, filter, etc.

(18) This component can, for example, represent a plastic housing having small thermal conductivity or a housing having high thermal conductivity such as a housing composed of a thermally conductive plastic or of other materials. The housing of the component such as the filter housing or the dialyzer housing is preferably rigid.

(19) Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the heating device is made up of a rigid element that serves the coupling to the component to be heated and of an elastic element. The rigid element, that can be formed from aluminum or plastic, for example, can have a smaller thermal resistance than the elastic element that can e.g. consist of rubber or of foam.

(20) In a further embodiment of the invention, the receiver for the component to be heated is rigid. It is floatingly supported in an elastic element or flexible element. This element can, for example, be located at the housing and in particular at the machine plate of a dialysis machine.

(21) A good coupling, a simple insertion of the component to be heated and an efficient use of area are made possible by the present invention.

(22) The heating device preferably has a temperature sensor and a temperature regulation unit that maintains the temperature at a specific value or in a specific range.

(23) The invention being thus described, it will be apparent that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be recognized by one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.