Device for administering a fluid
11534550 · 2022-12-27
Assignee
Inventors
- Frank ALTERMANN (Tuttlingen, DE)
- Dominic Kamenzin (Eigeltingen-Reute, DE)
- Thomas Schmidt (Tuttlingen, DE)
- Manuel Mattes (Spaichingen, DE)
- Robin SAUTER (Tuttlingen, DE)
- Daniel SEEH (Immendingen, DE)
Cpc classification
A61M5/31528
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M5/3148
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M5/204
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M5/31501
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M2005/202
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M2005/3128
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M5/30
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
A61M5/30
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61M5/315
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Abstract
A device for administering a fluid is provided, with a cylinder (16, 116) which has an open dispensing end (17), a piston (36) which is displaceable between a front and rear end position in the cylinder (16, 116) and is connected to a piston rod (35) that protrudes along a first direction beyond a rear end of the cylinder (16, 116) opposite the open dispensing end (17) and is guided in a receiving block (10), a nonreturn valve (18) closing the open dispensing end (17), and a tensioning device (S) which is connected to the piston rod (35, 135) and is arranged in the receiving block (10). The tensioning device (S) has a ramp (52) which is rotatable by means of a motor (12) and has a ramp track (53) extending along a helical line, wherein the ramp track (53) ascends from a first plateau along a region of inclination (S1, S2) to a second plateau and descends from the second plateau to the first plateau via a transition flank (46). The tensioning device (S) furthermore has a roller (51) which is in contact with the ramp track (53) and is mounted rotatably in a driver (50), which is connected to that end of the piston rod (35, 135) which protrudes out of the cylinder (16, 116), and therefore, upon rotation of the ramp (52), the ramp track (53) runs below the roller (51), which thereby rotates, wherein the roller (51) has a support region (55) which rests on the region of inclination (51, S2) of the ramp track (53), and at least one laterally adjoining side region (56, 57) which has a smaller outside diameter than the support region (55) and which does not rest on the region of inclination (S1, S2) of the ramp track (53), wherein, during rotation of the ramp, both the support region (55) and the side region (56, 57) come into contact with an edge (54) of the ramp track (53), said edge connecting the second plateau to the transition flank (46).
Claims
1. A device for administering a fluid, comprising a cylinder (16, 116) which has an open dispensing end (17), a piston (36) which is displaceable between a front and rear end position in the cylinder (16, 116) and is connected to a plunger rod (35) that protrudes along a first direction beyond a rear end of the cylinder (16, 116) opposite the open dispensing end (17) and is guided in a receiving block (10), a nonreturn valve (18) closing the open dispensing end (17), and a tension device (S) which is connected to the piston rod (35, 135) and is arranged in the receiving block (10), wherein the tensioning device (S), when the piston (36) is in its front end position, can move the piston rod (35, 135) in a tensioning operation along the first direction until the piston (36) is in its rear end position in order thereby to fill the cylinder (16, 116) with the fluid to be administered and in order to pretension the piston rod (35, 135) toward the open dispensing end (17), and wherein the tensioning device (S), when the piston (36) is in its rear end position, can release the piston rod (35, 135) in a dispensing operation, and therefore the piston (36) moves counter to the first direction as far as its front end position because of the applied pretension and, in the process, fluid in the cylinder (16, 116) is dispensed via the nonreturn valve (18) for administering, the tensioning device (S) has a ramp (52) which is rotatable by means of a motor (12) and has a ramp track (53) extending along a helical line, wherein the ramp track (53) ascends from a first plateau along a region of inclination (S1, S2) to a second plateau and descends from the second plateau to the first plateau via a transition flank (46), wherein the tensioning device (S) furthermore has a roller (51) which is in contact with the ramp track (53) and is mounted rotatably in a driver (50), which is connected to that end of the piston rod (35, 135) which protrudes out of the cylinder (16, 116), and therefore, upon rotation of the ramp (52), the ramp track (53) runs below the roller (51), which thereby rotates, wherein, for the tensioning operation, the ramp track (53), starting from a contact of the roller (51) with the first plateau, is rotated in such a manner that the roller (51) runs on the region of inclination as far as the second plateau and the piston (36) is thereby moved into its rear end position, wherein, for the dispensing operation, the ramp track (53), starting from a contact of the roller (51) with the second plateau, is rotated until the roller (51) via the transition flank (46) reaches the first plateau and the piston (36) is thereby moved into its front end position, wherein the roller (51) has a support region (55) which rests on the region of inclination (S1, S2) of the ramp track (53), and at least one laterally adjoining side region (56, 57) which has a smaller outside diameter than the support region (55) and which does not rest on the region of inclination (S1, S2) of the ramp track (53), wherein, during the dispensing operation, both the support region (55) and the side region (56, 57) come into contact with an edge (54) of the ramp track (53), said edge connecting the second plateau to the transition flank (46).
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roller (51) on either side of the support region (55) has a laterally adjoining side region (56, 57) with a smaller outside diameter than that of the support region (55).
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outside diameter of the respective side region (56, 57) decreases in a direction toward the side of the roller (51).
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the roller (51) is mounted in the driver (50) in such a manner that the axis of rotation of said roller is perpendicular to the first direction.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the cylinder (16, 116) together with the nonreturn valve (18) is in the form of an exchangeable front assembly (13, 14) which is releasably connected to the receiving block (10).
6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the releasable connection between the front assembly (13, 14) and the receiving block (10) is a screw connection.
7. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the device has a nozzle (19) for administering the fluid without a needle, said nozzle being connected to the open dispensing end of the cylinder (16, 116) via the nonreturn valve (18) and being part of the front assembly (13, 14).
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the tensioning device (S) has a spring (41, 141) which pretensions the piston rod (35, 135) toward the open dispensing end when the piston rod (36) is in the rear end position.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor (12) is mounted in the receiving block (10).
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the region of inclination of the ramp track (53) has a first portion (S1) adjoining the first plateau and an adjoining second portion (S2), wherein the inclination of the second portion (S2) is greater than the inclination of the first portion (S1).
11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein both portions (S1, S2) run linearly with respect to the angle of rotation of the helical line.
12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the two portions (S1, S2) does not run linearly with respect to the angle of rotation of the helical line.
13. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the length of the angle of rotation of the first portion (S1) is smaller than the length of the angle of rotation of the second portion (S2).
14. The device of claim 1, in which the receiving block (10) is in the form of an integral receiving block (10) which is produced by an additive production method.
15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the receiving block (10) is in the form of a metal receiving block (10).
16. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the receiving block (10) has a motor bearing (64), a guide cylinder (40, 140) for the piston rod (35, 135), at least one receptacle (60, 61, 62, 63) for a control board (11), a receptacle (72, 172) for a fluid connection (33) for a fluid container (M) and/or at least one housing fixing point (65, 66, 67, 68), which are/is formed integrally with the receiving block (10).
Description
(1) The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings which likewise disclose features essential to the invention. These exemplary embodiments serve merely for illustrative purposes and should be interpreted as restrictive. For example, a description of an exemplary embodiment with a multiplicity of elements or components should not be interpreted to the effect that all of said elements or components are necessary for implementation purposes. On the contrary, other exemplary embodiments may also contain alternative elements and components, fewer elements or components or additional elements or components. Elements or components of various exemplary embodiments may be combined with one another, unless stated otherwise. Modifications and alterations that are described for one of the exemplary embodiments may also be applied to other exemplary embodiments. In order to avoid repetitions, identical or mutually corresponding elements in the various figures are denoted by the same reference signs and will not be explained repeatedly. In the figures:
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(19) In the exemplary embodiment shown in
(20) In the exemplary embodiment described here, the device 1 according to the invention, which may also be referred to as the administering device 1, is designed for simultaneously administering two different drugs in animals, wherein the administration of the drug is carried out through the skin without needles.
(21) In the case of the administering device 1 according to the invention, a separate cylinder-piston arrangement is provided for each medication, as will also be described in detail below, said cylinder-piston arrangement being in each case in the form of a type of self-filling device in such a manner that a movement of the piston toward the dispensing end causes the fluid to be injected and an opposite movement of the piston causes filling of the cylinder for the next injection operation.
(22) As can be inferred from the schematic sectional illustration of the administering device 1 in
(23) A sectional illustration of the front assembly 13 is shown in
(24) The nonreturn valve 18 is pretensioned via a spring 20 toward the open dispensing end 17 and closes the open dispensing end 17 in the position of the nonreturn valve 18 that is shown in
(25) Furthermore, the front assembly 13 comprises a triggering cage 21 which extends over the nozzle 19, is pressed by means of a spring 22 in the direction from the open dispensing end 17 toward the nozzle 19 and is pretensioned. The triggering cage 21 is mounted displaceably along the longitudinal axis of the front assembly 13 (from the left to the right in
(26) The insert 15 has radially running supply channels 25 at a proximal end 24 of the syringe cylinder 16 lying opposite the open dispensing end 17, via which supply channels the fluid to be administered or the liquid drug passes into the syringe cylinder 16 for a next injection operation.
(27) An external thread 27 is formed, and a guide bushing 28 arranged, at the proximal end 26 of the front assembly 13, and therefore the front assembly 13 can be screwed into a distal end 30 of the receiving block 10 (
(28) If the piston rod 35 is in the basic position, its distal end and therefore the piston 36 is in its rear end position (
(29) When the piston rod 35 is positioned in the basic position shown in
(30) During the rearward movement from the dispensing position shown in
(31) The front assembly 13 which in particular comprises the syringe cylinder 16, the nonreturn valve 18 and the nozzle 19 is designed to be exchangeable as a whole. It can be screwed by means of its external thread 27 into, and unscrewed again from, the corresponding internal thread 31 which is formed at the distal end 30 of the receiving block 10. Since the front assembly 13 is subject to wear during operation of the administering device 1, a worn front assembly 13 can therefore be easily exchanged for a new, structurally identical front assembly 13. This advantageously leads to the administering device 1 as a whole being able to be used for longer since the components of the administering device 1 that are most susceptible to wear can be easily exchanged.
(32) Since the front assembly 13 can be completely exchanged, undesirable contaminations can be reliably avoided, which would be significantly more difficult to avoid and would be associated with higher costs if, for example, the firstly wearing O-ring seals in the administering devices known from the art were individually exchanged in the region of the cylinder which is connected fixedly and nonexchangeably to the rest of the device known from the art.
(33) As can best be seen from
(34) The piston rod 35 runs through the first receiving cylinder 40 in which a spring 41 for moving the piston rod 35 from the tensioned basic position shown in
(35) As can be gathered in particular from the enlarged perspective illustration in
(36) The perspective illustration in
(37) The roller 51 runs on a ramp 52 which rotates under the roller 51 and is rotated by the motor 12 about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the piston rod 35. A battery and/or a storage battery which can be recharged is provided as current supply for the motor. The battery and/or the storage battery can be arranged, for example, in the base 3 or as the base 3 of the administering device 1.
(38) The ramp 52 has a ramp track 53 which runs with a single turn along a helical line, as can be gathered in particular from
(39) In
(40) For this purpose, the unwound ramp track 53 according to
(41) At the angle of rotation α5, an edge 54 is formed because of the transition flank 46 which connects the second plateau to the first plateau.
(42) In the region from α3 to α4, the piston rod 35 is in its tensioned basic position according to
(43) If the trigger 5 is then actuated and the triggering cage 21 is in the triggering position, the motor 12 rotates the ramp 52 further such that, when the angle of rotation α5 is exceeded, the roller 51 runs over the edge 54 and, because of the tensioning of the spring 41, drops abruptly back from the pitch height z2 to the pitch height z0 of the first plateau, and therefore the fluid present in the syringe cylinder 16 is injected in the described manner.
(44) The motor 12 then rotates the ramp 52 further as far as the second plateau and stops the rotational movement here such that the syringe cylinder 16 is thereby again filled with the liquid drug and the piston rod 35 is brought again into its tensioned basic position. The administering device 1 is therefore provided for a further administering operation. The administering device 1 can thereby be repeatedly wound up and triggered.
(45) The two inclination portions S1 and S2 form a region of inclination which runs from the first plateau as far as the second plateau. The two inclination portions S1 and S2 do not have to run linearly with respect to the angle of rotation. As is shown by way of example in
(46) The combination of motor 12, ramp 52, driver 50 with roller 51, spring 41, 141 and guide bushing 45, 145 can be referred to as the tensioning device S.
(47) As can be gathered in particular from
(48) The two side regions 56 and 57 are each adjoined by an end region 58, 59 which is rounded so that the roller 51 does not have any edges. Upon rotation of the ramp 52, the central region 55 lies on the ramp track 53 in the rotational angle region of α1 to α3 (in particular of α0 to α5) whereas the side regions 56 and 57 do not rest in said rotational angle region, but rather come into contact with the ramp track 53 only on running over the edge 54. The rolling resistance of the roller 51 during the tensioning of the piston rod 35 (rotation of the ramp track from the first to the second plateau) can therefore be as small as possible. During the transfer from the second or upper plateau (rotational angle region α3 to α4) of the ramp track 53 to the lower plateau (rotational angle region α1 to α2), the side regions 56 and 57 are also in contact with the edge 54, as a result of which the forces between the roller 51 and the edge 54 of the ramp track 52 are advantageously distributed over a greater support surface (central region 55 and the two side regions 56, 57), and therefore a smaller pressure is present. The durability of the device 1 and in particular of the roller 51 is thereby increased.
(49) The characteristics of the inclination of the ramp track 53 described in conjunction with
(50) These characteristics of the inclination of the ramp track 52 advantageously lead to the durability of the motor 50 being increased.
(51) As can best be gathered from the illustrations from
(52) Examples of the material used for the receiving block 10 can include aluminum, steel (for example maraging steel), stainless steel, titanium, a nickel alloy and/or a cobalt chromium alloy. The material for the laser sintering here is preferably in the form of metal powder. For the additive or layered production of the receiving block 10, a thin layer of the powder material can be applied to a construction platform. A laser beam melts the powder exactly at the points which are predetermined by computer-generated component design data of the receiving block 10. The construction platform is then lowered, and a further thin layer of the powder material is applied. The material is melted again and binds at the defined points to the layer lying therebelow. These steps are repeated until the entire receiving block 10 is formed.
(53) In addition to the receiving cylinders 40, 140 already described, the receiving block 10 comprises four board receiving points 60, 61, 62 and 63, onto which the board 11 can be placed and, for example, screwed to the receiving block 10.
(54) Furthermore, the receiving block comprises a motor bearing 64 for receiving and mounting the motor 12.
(55) Furthermore, four fixation points 65, 66, 67 and 68 are formed for the outer housing 2 of the administering device 1. Portions of corresponding receptacles 265, 266, 267 and 268 of the outer housing 2 are shown in
(56) At the distal end of the receiving block 10, the umbrella-like dispensing region 7 is provided which, in addition to the corresponding internal thread 31 and 131 for the first and second front assembly 13 and 14, also has receptacles 69 and 169 for the respective triggering sensor (not shown) that detects the position of the triggering cage 21, 121.
(57) Furthermore, an O-ring receptacle 70, into which an O-ring 71 (for example
(58) Furthermore, the receiving block 10 for each receiving cylinder 40, 140 comprises a receptacle 72, 172, into which the corresponding connection element 33, 133, which can also be referred to as a fluid adapter, can be inserted.
(59) The connection element 33, 133 is preferably produced by machining.
(60) Titanium is preferably used as the material for the receiving block 10. This material is firstly relatively light and secondly ensures the desired strength. Of course, any other suitable material for additive production methods may be used.
(61) The description above has been based on the intention of simultaneously administering two different medications. However, the administering device 1 according to the invention may also be designed in such a manner that the receiving block 10 has only one individual receiving cylinder 40, and therefore also only one single medication can be administered during a triggering operation. The second receiving cylinder 140 and the second cylinder-piston rod combination are then preferably omitted.
(62) The previously described exemplary embodiments have been based on the administering device 1 being in the form of an administering device 1 without needles. However, it may also be in the form of an administering device 1 with a needle or a cannula, and therefore, in this case, the needle or cannula is intended to pierce the skin of the animal and then the application of the liquid drug takes place in the described manner.