DISPENSER HAVING A SYSTEM FOR DETECTING DISCHARGE PROCESSES

Abstract

Dispenser for the discharge of pharmaceutical media having a liquid storage, a base body, an actuating handle that is manually displaced with respect to the base body for causing a discharge process of media from the liquid storage into an environment, and an electronic detection system for detecting discharge processes. A sensor is provided, which, subject to the displacement of a reference component mechanically coupled to the actuating handle such that during a discharge process the reference component is displaced with respect to the base body, generates an output signal. The sensor is configured for generating output signals of two distinguishable types as a function of the extent of the displacement, and is provided with an electronic calibration memory in which calibration data regarding discharge behavior of the dispenser are stored.

Claims

1. A dispenser for discharging pharmaceutical media, with a liquid reservoir, a base body, an actuating handle which is manually displaceable with respect to the base body in order to cause a process involving discharge of medium from the liquid reservoir into an environment, and an electronic detection system for detecting discharge processes, wherein the detection system has: a sensor which generates an output signal depending on the displacement of a reference component that is mechanically coupled to the actuating handle such that it is displaced with respect to the base body during a discharge process, wherein the sensor is configured to generate output signals of at least two distinguishable types as a function of the extent of the displacement, and an electronic calibration memory, in which calibration data concerning the discharge behavior of the dispenser are stored.

2. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection system has an evaluation device for processing the outlet signals, which evaluation device evaluates the discharge process by taking account of the type of the output signals.

3. The dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the evaluation device is configured as a counting device which evaluates the discharge process by taking account of the type of the output signal and taking account of data stored in the calibration memory.

4. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to generate an analog output signal, wherein the sensor is configured in particular as a potentiometer.

5. The dispenser as claimed in claim, wherein the actuating handle is mechanically coupled to a pump device which has a volumetrically variable pump chamber, of which the volume can be decreased by the actuating handle.

6. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating handle is mechanically coupled to an outlet valve which can be opened by displacement of the actuating handle.

7. A method for producing a dispenser with a calibration memory as claimed in claim 1, wherein a. an actuation of the dispenser takes place in an automated manner by means of a calibration device not assigned to the dispenser, wherein the behavior of the dispenser is detected, and b. data representing the detected behavior of the dispenser are stored in the calibration memory of the dispenser.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the detection of the behavior of the dispenser involves detecting the relative position of the reference component to the base body in which, during the actuation, the discharge of the medium begins and/or the discharge of the medium is concluded.

9. A method for operating a dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein upon actuation of the dispenser, a. the extent of the displacement of the reference component with respect to the base body is detected, b. the actuation is categorized by comparing the extent of the displacement with data from the calibration memory, c. a counting process is performed or not performed, depending on the categorization.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Further aspects and advantages of the invention will become clear from the claims and from the following description of a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention. The preferred illustrative embodiment is explained with reference to the figures, in which:

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention,

[0025] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the discharge head of the dispenser from FIG. 1,

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention,

[0027] FIG. 4 shows two dispensers according to the invention that are of the same type but differ in behavior, and

[0028] FIG. 5 shows the method for calibration of a dispenser according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0029] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention and also the discharge head thereof in an enlarged view.

[0030] In terms of its liquid-conveying parts, the dispenser 10 does not differ from conventional dispensers. Its specific design is to be understood as an example.

[0031] The dispenser 10 has a liquid reservoir 12 and a discharge head 20. This discharge head 20 has a base body 22 screwed onto the liquid reservoir 12, and also an actuating handle 24 which is displaceable relative to the base body 22 and which also comprises a nosepiece 26 with discharge opening.

[0032] The liquid reservoir 12 is intended to store the pharmaceutical liquid that is to be discharged, before the discharge. For the purpose of the discharge, the discharge head 20 has a pump chamber 30 which, on the inlet side, is connected by a slide valve 32 to the liquid reservoir 12 and which, on the outlet side, has a valve 34 that opens depending on pressure.

[0033] To actuate this dispenser, the actuating handle 24 is pressed down in the direction of the arrow 2a, as a result of which a closure of the inlet valve 32 is brought about. As soon as the inlet valve 32 is closed, a continued displacement of the actuating handle 24 in the downward direction leads to a pressure increase of the liquid located in the pump chamber 30, which in turn causes the outlet valve 34 to open and subsequently brings about a discharge process.

[0034] The dispenser of FIG. 1 differs from purely mechanical dispensers in terms of the presence of an electronic counting device 40 which, in reaction to a performed discharge process, is intended to advance a counting register and displays the result on a display device 42.

[0035] The detection of the discharge process with the counting device 40 is intended to take place only when the discharge process has actually begun, not when the displacement of the actuating handle 24 relative to the base body 22 has been insufficient for a discharge process.

[0036] To enable the counting device 40 to detect whether the displacement of the actuating handle has been sufficient to generate a discharge process, a sensor 50 is provided which detects the relative movement of the actuating handle 24 with respect to the base body 22. The sensor 50 is configured as a potentiometer and has a resistance layer 52 and a sliding contact 54. The potentiometer acts as a voltage divider. A voltage of 5 V, for example, is present between the two opposite ends of the resistance layer 52. The partial voltage thereof between the lower end of the resistance layer 52 and the sliding contact 54 increases with increasing downward displacement of the actuating handle 24 in the direction of the arrow 2a.

[0037] The potentiometer is connected, in a manner not shown in detail, to a CPU 44 of the counting device 40, which is able to detect the partial voltage between the sliding contact 54 and the lower end of the resistance layer 52, said partial voltage resulting from the relative position of the sliding contact 54 with respect to the resistance layer 52. Since the sliding contact 54 is mounted on the base body 22 and the resistance layer 52 is on the actuating handle 24, said partial voltage is changed continuously during the actuation movement in the direction of the arrow 2a. The CPU 44 evaluates the partial voltage and compares the value with a voltage value stored in the memory 46, purely by way of example a value of 2.5 V in the present case. This partial voltage increases with increasing displacement of the actuating handle 24 relative to the base body 22. If the limit value of 2.5 V stored in the memory 46 is exceeded, said counting step is performed by the CPU 44 and the result is shown on the display device 42.

[0038] The respective limit value stored in the memory 46 depends on the individual dispenser in each case. The memory is therefore preferably a write-once memory or a rewriteable memory. The value has been determined, in a manner described in more detail below, during the production process and has been stored in the memory.

[0039] The value provided in a manner specific to the dispenser reduces the danger of an actually performed discharge process mistakenly not being counted or of a displacement of the actuating handle 24 with respect to the base body 22 being counted despite the non-occurrence of the discharge process.

[0040] In terms of the presence of a counting device 40 and of a sensor 50 configured as a potentiometer, the discharge device in FIG. 3 is substantially identical to the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the design of this dispenser is fundamentally different since it has no pump chamber. The housing, which is formed by a base body 22 and by an actuating handle 24, accommodates a pumping dispenser 60, which for its part has a liquid reservoir 12. The liquid to be discharged is stored under pressure in this liquid reservoir 12. A discharge process can be effected by means of an outlet nozzle being pressed down together with the actuating handle 24. This causes an outlet valve to open, such that a quantity of liquid metered beforehand in an internal dosing chamber is dispensed.

[0041] In this embodiment too, a CPU 44, taking account of a voltage value stored in a memory 46 in a dispenser-individual manner, evaluates whether the actuating handle 24 has been displaced sufficiently far that a discharge process can be expected to have taken place.

[0042] FIG. 4 illustrates that dispensers that are of the same type can differ in terms of the relative position of the actuating handle 24 with respect to the base body 22. The partial views on the left and right of FIG. 4 show such dispensers that are of the same type, in each case in a relative position of the actuating handle 24 with respect to the base body 22 in which the outlet valve of the pumping dispenser 60 opens. The indicated difference in travel A in the respectively required displacement paths of the actuating handle 24 influences the partial voltage on the sensor 50 between one end of the resistance layer 52 and the sliding contact 54 at the moment when the discharge process begins. Accordingly, different voltage values are also entered in the memory 46, and the CPU 44 compares these values with the value of the sensor 50 in order to detect whether a discharge process has taken place.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows schematically the method for calibrating the dispenser from FIGS. 3 and 4. This dispenser is inserted into a calibration device 70 which is designed to press the actuating handle 24 downward relative to the base body 22 by means of a movable pressure element 72. Above the discharge opening of the dispenser, a sensor 74 is provided which is able to detect the commencement of the discharge process. It can be designed, for example, as a humidity sensor or pressure sensor. While the discharge device 10 is inserted into the calibration device 70, a data connection between the CPU 44 and said sensor 74 is established. For this purpose, electrical contacts can be provided on the underside of the dispenser.

[0044] After insertion of the dispenser, the actuating pressure element 72 is displaced downward. As soon as the sensor 74 in the state in FIG. 5 registers the resulting discharge process and communicates this to the CPU 44, the latter writes the voltage value detected at that time by the sensor 50 into the memory 46. The dispenser is then calibrated.