DEVICE FOR CLEANING A MEDICAL VACUUM PUMP

Abstract

A device for cleaning a medical vacuum pump, wherein the medical vacuum pump has a suction connector and an air removal opening, which are connected to each other in a fluid-tight manner. The device has a rinsing agent delivery line, connectable to at least one rinsing agent container and having a first port for connection to the suction connector, and a suction line having a second port for connection to the air removal opening and having a vacuum port for connection to a suction source. A rinsing agent can be sucked from the rinsing agent container through the delivery line and via the first port into the medical vacuum pump and from there via the second port through the suction line into an outflow. This device permits simple and rapid cleaning of a vacuum path of medical vacuum pumps.

Claims

1. A device for cleaning a medical vacuum pump, wherein the medical vacuum pump has a suction connector and an air removal opening, which are connected to each other in the interior of the vacuum pump via a path, wherein the device has: a rinsing agent delivery line, connectable to at least one rinsing agent container and having a first port for connection to the suction connector, and a suction line having a second port for connection to the air removal opening and having a vacuum port for connection to a suction source, wherein a rinsing agent can be sucked from the at least one rinsing agent container through the rinsing agent delivery line and via the first port into the medical vacuum pump and from there via the second port through the suction into an outflow.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second ports are plug connections.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein it furthermore comprises a suction pump, which is connected to the vacuum port of the suction line.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein it furthermore has a regulator valve, which is connected to the vacuum port and which has a port for connection to an external suction source.

5. The device according claim 1, wherein it has a cleaning chamber for receiving the medical vacuum pump.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning chamber is equipped with at least one device for cleaning an outer surface of the medical vacuum pump.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one device for cleaning comprises at least one UV-C light source.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one device for cleaning is a spraying device and/or a wiping device.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a seat for receiving the at least one rinsing agent container.

10. The device according to claim 5, wherein the device has an equipment chamber, which is separated from the cleaning chamber by at least one partition wall, and wherein the equipment chamber has a seat for receiving the at least one rinsing agent container.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the first and second ports are arranged in the partition wall.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a fluid collection container, and wherein the outflow opens out in this fluid collection container.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a valve unit connected to the rinsing agent delivery line for controlled delivery of rinsing agent from the at least one rinsing agent container and/or of air into the rinsing agent delivery line.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a fluid detection sensor connected to the suction line.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein it has a control unit for actuating the medical vacuum pump and/or for retrieving data stored in the medical vacuum pump and/or for transmitting data to the medical vacuum pump.

16. A method for cleaning a medical vacuum pump, comprising: placing a medical vacuum pump into a cleaning chamber of a cleaning device; connecting a first port of the cleaning device to a suction connector of the medical vacuum pump via a delivery line; connecting a second port of the cleaning device to an air removal opening of the medical vacuum pump via a suction line; switching on the medical vacuum pump; closing a lid of the cleaning chamber of the cleaning device; delivering via the delivery line at least one of a rinsing agent from a rinsing agent container, or air, to the suction connector of the medical vacuum pump; and permitting outflow from the air removal opening to be exhausted, via the suction line, from the medical vacuum pump.

17. The method of claim 16, and in permitting outflow from the air removal opening to be exhausted, via the suction line, from the medical vacuum pump, directing the outflow into a fluid collection container of the cleaning device.

18. The method of claim 16, and in delivering via the delivery line at least one of the rinsing agent from the rinsing agent container, or air, to the suction connector of the medical vacuum pump, operating a valve unit connected to the delivery line to control the delivery.

19. The method of claim 16, and in delivering via the delivery line at least one of the rinsing agent from the rinsing agent container, or air, to the suction connector of the medical vacuum pump, delivering the rinsing agent or air from an equipment chamber of the cleaning device, through a port in a partition separating the cleaning chamber from the equipment chamber.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising activating one or more external cleaning devices of a group including one or more light sources, a spraying device, and a wiping device.

21. The method of claim 20, and in activating one or more external cleaning devices of the group including one or more light sources, the spraying device, and the wiping device, activating a UV-C lamp.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings, which serve only for illustration and are not to be interpreted as limiting the invention. In the drawings:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the device according to the invention for cleaning a medical vacuum pump in a first embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the device according to the invention for cleaning a medical vacuum pump in a second embodiment;

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the device according to the invention for cleaning a medical vacuum pump in a third embodiment, and

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the device according to the invention for cleaning a medical vacuum pump in a fourth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a first illustrative embodiment of a device according to the invention for cleaning a medical vacuum pump 9. The device has a housing 1. In the housing 1, two chambers 11, 12 are separated from each other by a partition wall 13. One of these chambers is a cleaning chamber 11, into which the medical vacuum pump 9 to be cleaned can be placed. Another chamber is designed as an equipment chamber 12.

[0038] A pivotable lid 10 permits access to the cleaning chamber 11 and closes same. The equipment chamber 12 is preferably likewise closed. It can likewise have a lid that permits access, although this lid is not shown here.

[0039] A fluid collection container 83 is arranged in the floor area of the housing 1 in this example. This fluid collection container 83 is preferably held removably in the housing 1, such that it can be taken out for the purpose of emptying the device.

[0040] An electronic control unit 14 is also arranged in the floor of the housing 1, the control panel here being depicted with a start button. An external computer C can preferably communicate with this control unit 14 by customary wireless connection and/or cable connection and can deliver and read data.

[0041] The fluid collection container 83 and the control unit 14 can also be arranged in other areas of the housing 1. The same applies to the two chambers 11, 12 and the lid 10. Also in the embodiments described below, the depicted arrangement of the individual elements serves only for illustration and is not to be interpreted as limiting the invention.

[0042] At least one rinsing agent container 3, 4 is arranged in the equipment chamber 12. Here, two rinsing agent containers 3, 4 are present. These rinsing agent containers 3, 4 can be designed to be filled by the user or can be supplied to the user as closed disposable cartridges. They contain a rinsing agent, for example a soap solution or a disinfection solution.

[0043] From each rinsing agent container 3, 4, a rinsing agent line 30, 40 leads to a valve of a valve unit 6. This valve unit 6 preferably also has an air inlet 5, which is likewise provided with a valve. In this example, the air inlet 5 leads to the environment. However, it is also possible that the air inlet 5 leads to a further container with air, in particular with clean air.

[0044] The valve unit 6 is preferably connected to the control unit 14, which opens and closes the individual valves of the unit 6 in a predefined sequence and thus delivers the individual rinsing agents and the air to a delivery line 60. This connection is not shown in FIG. 1.

[0045] The delivery line 60 leads through the partition wall 13 into the cleaning chamber 11 and ends in a first port 60. A first suction line 80 likewise protrudes with a first end through the partition wall 13 and ends there in a second port 80. With its second end, it leads to a fluid detection sensor 7.

[0046] A second suction line 81 leads from the sensor 7 to a suction pump 8. It forms a vacuum port 81. The first and second suction lines 80, 81 form a common suction line with the second port 80 and with the vacuum port 81.

[0047] The suction pump 8 is preferably a diaphragm pump. However, it can also be a piston pump or another kind of pump. It can be designed simply as an assembly or it can be enclosed by its own housing in the housing 1.

[0048] An outflow line 82 leads from the suction pump into the fluid collection container 83. This container can also be part of the pump 8, such that no further suction line is needed. In particular, the fluid collection container can also be arranged on the vacuum port 81, and the underpressure needed for sucking the rinsing agent can be generated by the pump 8 in the fluid collection container.

[0049] As is shown in FIG. 1, the medical vacuum pump 9 to be cleaned is placed in its entirety, i.e. as it is used by the user, into the cleaning chamber 11. It has a suction connector 90, to which is usually attached the vacuum hose leading through a collection container to the patient or directly to the mother. It also has an air removal opening 91, through which the underpressure generated during use of the pump 9 escapes from the pump assembly. The vacuum path of the medical vacuum pump 9 extends between these two openings 90, 91, said vacuum path including the pump chamber and any other areas needed for generating the vacuum. It is usually fluid-tight.

[0050] The suction connector 90 and the air removal opening 91 are shown here schematically. They can be simple openings, for example, or they can be provided with a nozzle. It is also possible that mobile nozzles belonging to the cleaning device are plugged into the ports 90, 91 designed as simple openings.

[0051] The ports 90, 91 are connected to the first and second ports 60, 80, preferably by a plug connection. The vacuum path of the pump 9 to be cleaned is thereby connected into the cleaning path of the cleaning device. A fluid-tight connection is created from the rinsing agent containers 3, 4, via the valve unit 6 and the delivery line 60 to the suction line 80, 81, the sensor 7 and the suction pump 8 into the fluid collection container 83. The vacuum path of the pump 9 to be cleaned can be rinsed in this way.

[0052] The cleaning chamber 11 preferably has a suitable device for cleaning the outside of the medical vacuum pump 9. In this example, this device is a plurality of light sources, preferably UV-C lamps 2, which are distributed on the walls of the cleaning chamber 11, preferably also on the inside of the lid 10, and the pump 9 to be cleaned is thus irradiated as far as possible from all sides. Alternatively or in addition, further devices can also be present, for example a spraying device and/or a wiping device. The position of these devices can be as shown in the figure likewise with the reference number 2.

[0053] As has already been discussed in the general part of this description, the control unit 14 can preferably control the pump 9 to be cleaned and switch it on and off during the cleaning procedure and, if appropriate, can also read out data and store new data in the pump 9.

[0054] Further embodiments are described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. To facilitate understanding of the figures, not all the reference signs are repeated, and identical or similar parts will be designated in the same way as before and provided with reference signs as in the illustrative embodiment in FIG. 1.

[0055] In the example according to FIG. 2, no fluid collection container 83 is present, and instead the outflow line 82 leads from the housing 1 out into an external outflow system or into an external tank.

[0056] In the example according to FIG. 3, a fluid collection container 83 is once again present. Here, however, the device does not have its own suction pump 8. Instead, a regulator valve 86 is present which can be connected, on the one hand, to the vacuum port 81 of the suction line 80, 81 and, on the other hand, to an external suction source 85, for example a centralized hospital vacuum system, via a port 86 for an external suction source. The regulator valve 86 is connected to the control unit 14 and regulates the suction.

[0057] In the example according to FIG. 4, the outflow line 82 leads outwards, and an external vacuum source is used.

[0058] The device according to the invention permits simple and rapid cleaning of the vacuum path of medical vacuum pumps.