The invention concerns a medical pump comprising a pumping mechanism located in a housing and a display placed on a support member which is articulated on the housing, the support being pivotable with respect to the housing around a first axis between a folded-back position and an folded-out position.
A syringe pump comprising a housing including a space which is configured to accommodate a syringe to be placed within the housing and is closable by a cover provided with a window, the cover including an operation panel and a display means is described in document EP 1 374 932 A1.
The drawback of this pivotable cover is that the display and the keyboard are directed downwards when the cover is in the open position. If the pump is situated under the level of the user's eyes, the user cannot read the information displayed or enter data with the help of the keyboard, unless he knees, what is not a convenient working position.
Document WO 2009/135667 A1 is concerned with an infusion pump for dispensing medication comprising a pull-out display unit that can be exposed to a user.
An intravenous fluid infusing device having a built-in display and comprising a foldable casing with pumping apparatus mounted therein is known from document EP 0 399 119 A1. A folding display is hingedly connected to the casing and is movable between an open position for displaying instructions and information to the user to allow operation of the device, and a closed position where the display is protected from view. This display is not visible when the door is open, i.e. when the pump is stopped. It is therefore not possible to use the display for observing the progress of the perfusion.
Furthermore, it is current to put several pumps one above the other by fixing them to a support. In this case, the available place between the lower side of a pump and the upper side of the pump located directly under this pump is limited. If the door is quite large, as it is common for instance in the field of peristaltic pumps, the lower front angle of the door may come into contact with the upper side of the pump situated directly under this pump well before the door is fully opened.
This may damage the pump at the contact point and restrict the access to the pump, especially for changing the tubing (peristaltic pumps) or changing the syringe (syringe pumps).
The object of the invention is to facilitate the handling of a display of a medical pump so that the user can see the display irrespective of the support member being in the folded-back or in the folded-out position without changing his position. Another object of the invention is to allow a complete opening of the door of the pump even if the space underneath the lower side of the door is restricted.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that the display is pivotable with respect to the support member around a second axis between a first position, called non pivoted position, and a second position, called pivoted position, wherein the first axis and the second axis are parallel to each other.
This measure allows in a first movement to make pivot the support member around the first axis and in a second movement making pivot the display around the second axis. These two movements are independent from each other: It is therefore possible to make them simultaneously or subsequently according to the requirements. Another advantage lies in the fact that it is possible to share the opening movement of the door over two axes: the first one, situated behind, close to the housing of the pump, and the second one, situated in front with more distance to the housing. The first axis which is close to the housing allows an almost horizontal approach of the door at the end of the closing movement (or at the beginning of the opening movement) whereas in its further opening movement, the door pivots around the second axis, placed in front, which allows a larger opening of the door without coming into contact with the pump situated underneath or the support onto which it is placed. This is especially of interest if the frame holding the display is particularly thick.
According to the invention, the display may be placed in a frame which is pivotable with respect to the support member in order to pivot around the second axis between the non pivoted position and the pivoted position.
In this case, it is possible that the frame is provided with a keyboard which is preferably placed aside the display.
According to the requirements, the support member may be configured to rotate around the first axis from the folded-back position to the folded-out position in a direction which is opposed or identical to the direction of rotation of the display or the frame of the display from the non pivoted position to the pivoted position.
Preferably, the support member and the display or the frame holding the display block the access to the pumping mechanism when the support member is in the folded-back position and the display or the frame is in the non pivoted position, whereas when the support member is in the folded-out position, the pumping mechanism is accessible.
According to another aspect of the invention, the support member comprises an arbor and two arms parallel to each other and perpendicular to the arbor.
A further development of the invention consists of the fact that indexation means are provided for defining the privileged pivot positions of the support member with respect to the housing of the pump.
In this context, it is advantageous that the indexation means comprise on the one hand side a bushing fixed on the arbor and being provided with at least one depression and on the other hand side of a came provided with a projection, the came being placed in the housing of the pump and being mobile exclusively in translation parallel to the axis of the arbor and means being provided for pushing the projection of the came against the corner of the bushing provided with the depression(s).
According to a further embodiment of the invention, retaining means are provided with liberation means for preventing the display or the frame from pivoting in one direction with respect to the support member if the liberation means are not actuated.
In this context, it is favourable that the retaining means comprise on the one hand side a ratched wheel fixed on the support member and on the other hand side a pawl fixed on the display or the frame of the display.
The pump of the present invention may be a pump of the push-syringe type and the two pivot axes are preferably parallel to the axis of a syringe placed into the pump.
In a second embodiment of the invention, a spring is provided which is configured to keep the support member in the folded-out position if no external force is exerted on the support member. In this context, retaining means may be provided with liberation means for retaining the display or the frame holding the display in the closed position against the effect of the spring if the liberation means are not actuated. The pump is preferably a peristaltic pump and the two pivot axes may be parallel to the camshaft of the pumping mechanism. The display is placed preferably in a frame which is pivotable with respect to the support member in order to pivot around the second axis between the non pivoted position and the pivoted position and a counterplate my be placed on the part of the frame directed to the pumping mechanism when the support member is in folded-back position and the frame is in the non pivoted position.
In order to avoid a displacement of the tubing, the first axis may be placed in such a way that, when the display or the frame holding the display is in its non pivoted position and the support member (70) is moving to its folded-back position, the last part of the movement of counterplate is essentially horizontal and perpendicular to the axis. This may be achieved by placing the first axis essentially vertically below the place for a tubing located against the most protruding pumping finger of the pumping mechanism.
Furthermore, detecting means may be provided for detecting the position of the support member or of the display or the frame holding the display with respect to the housing of the pump.
An embodiment of the invention is hereafter described more in detail with reference to figures which show:
The invention is presented with reference to two embodiments.
The pump shown in the
In the case of a push-syringe type pump, as shown in
In the case of peristaltic pumps, as shown in
In both embodiments, a display (21, 61) is provided for displaying information concerning the functioning of the pump. This display (21, 61) is used both for programming the pump (10, 50) and for following the advancement of the pumping operation or for the indication of dysfunction or alert messages. The display (21, 61) is preferably placed in a frame (20, 60). The side of the frame which is opposed to the display can be seen in
The frame (20, 60) of the display is pivotingly fixed on a support member (30, 70) which itself is pivotingly fixed on the housing of the pump (10, 50).
The support member (30, 70) has a u-bolt-like form. It comprises mainly an arbor (31, 71) as well as a first arm (32, 72) and a second arm (33, 73). The two arms are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the arbor. The support member (30, 70) is placed in the pump in order to be able to pivot around a first axis (A1) defined by its arbor (31, 71) from a first position, called folded-back position (
The frame of the display (20, 60) is fixed on the support member (30, 70) in order to be able to pivot around a second axis (A2), parallel to the first axis (A1), between a first position, called non pivoted position, and a second position, called pivoted position. By combining the rotation around the two axes (A1, A2), the frame may move from a closed position (support member in the folded-back position and frame in the non pivoted position) to an open position (support member in the folded-out position and frame in the pivoted position) via an intermediate position (support member in the folded-out position and frame in the non pivoted position).
In the first embodiment, the arbor (31) bears a bushing (34) blocked in rotation together with it. The bushing (34) may be part of the second arm (33). On its free corner on the opposite side of the second arm (33) it is provided with one depression (341) or a plurality of depressions. It cooperates with a came (15) fixed on the housing of the pump. This came (15) comprises a tubular part through which passes the arbor (31) and a part of which is projecting rearwards for fixing it on the housing of the pump. It is provided with a projection (15a) with a complementary dimension to that of the depression(s) (341). The came is blocked in rotation and cannot follow the movement of the arbor (31), but it is able to move in translation parallel to the arbor. A spring which is not represented pushes it in the direction of the bushing (34) so that its projection pushes on the corner of the bushing bearing the depression(s) (341). The penetration of the projection (105a) into one of the depressions (341) holds the support member (30) in the corresponding privileged position. The axial constraint exercised on the came (15) in order to bring it closer to the bushing (34) is sufficient for retaining the support member in one of the privileged positions so that it cannot get out of it without an exterior force being applied. It can however be surmounted manually by the user of the pump in order to make the support member pivot to another position. In the example which is shown here, the bushing (34) has only one depression corresponding to the privileged folded-back position (cf.
At the opposed end of the arbor (31), the first arm (32) of the support member is provided on its side directed towards the second arm (33) with a bolt (321) parallel to the arbor (31) and on its opposite side with a ratched wheel (322). The bolt and the ratched wheel are steady in respect to the first arm. The second arm (33) is provided on its side directed to the first arm with a hole or bearing (331) placed in the alignment of the bolt (321).
The frame (20) has on its side which is opposed to the side bearing the display (21) a first depression (22) and a second depression (23) configured to receive the free ends of the arms (32, 33) of the support member. In the second depression (23) there is a bearing (231) into which a pivot element can penetrate which is held in the bearing (331) of the second arm. The first depression has the form of an inversed L. The bolt (321) of the first arm (32) penetrates into the base of the L (not visible in the figures). This base is closed by a flange (221) fixed on the rear side of the frame forming thereby a bearing for the bolt (321). This allows the frame (20) to pivot with respect to the support member (30) around a second axis (A2) passing through the centre of the bolt (321) of the first arm and the bearing (331) of the second arm. In the non pivoted position, shown in
In order to prevent on the one hand side that the frame discards by itself from the arms and in order to maintain it on the other hand side in the desired position after a user has discarded it, a pawl system is provided. This system comprises a ratched wheel (322) fixed on the first arm (32) of the support member and a pawl (222) mounted onto the external lateral wall of the first depression (22) at the opposed side of the flange (221). A spring which is not represented maintains the pawl engaged in the ratched wheel (322). The ratched wheel (322) is oriented in such a way that the frame cannot be (more) discarded from the arm as long as the pawl is engaged. The user has to push on the lever of the pawl in order to discard the ratched wheel before being able to pivot the frame in order to discard it (more) from the arms. The tension exercised by the spring on the pawl is high enough in order to maintain the frame in the desired position, especially in a horizontal position, without making it pivot towards the arms by the effect of gravity. However, it is easily surmountable manually so that it is sufficient for a user to exercise a pressure on the frame in direction of the arms in order to push the frame against them, without the necessity to discard the pawl.
The support member (30) is placed in front of the space into which the pusher moves. In the folded-back position of the support member with the display put against the arms in the non pivoted position, as shown in
One can easily understand that the display can be discarded in a first movement from the folded-back position, shown in
In the second embodiment, the support member (70) is fixed on the housing of the pump in order to be able to pivot around a first axis (A1) which is materialized by the arbor (71) of the support member and by a bolt (74) extending through it and fixing the support member (70) to the housing of the pump. A spring (not visible) holds the support member (70) in the folded-out position if no external force is exerted on it. As shown in
The frame (60) of the display is articulated by means of two rods (62, 63) on the support member (70) in order to be able to pivot with respect to the support member (70) around a second axis (A2) parallel to the first axis (A1). The two rods (62, 63) are aligned and are parallel to the bolt (74). Irrespective of the pivoting status of the support member (70) with respect to the housing of the pump, the second pivoting axis (A2) is always placed more in front than the first pivoting axis (A1), i.e. more distant from the housing of the pump. The pivoting movement of the frame holding the display with respect to the support member is limited in both directions. In direction of the housing of the pump, the frame comes into contact with a flat part (65) against the upper side (711) of the arbor (71) so that it is in the non pivoted position. In the inverse direction, i.e. discarded from the housing of the pump, another part (64) of the frame (60), consisting in this case of the lower part of the internal side of the frame, comes into contact with the lower side (712) of the arbor (71) when the pivoted position is reached. These two positions are shown in
On the side opposed to the display, the frame (70) holding the display bears a plate (66) serving as counterplate for the pumping fingers. It is provided in addition with two projections (67, 68) for blocking the tubing in the holding members (52, 53) of the pump. Furthermore, a hook (69) is provided on the frame for holding the frame in the closed position against the housing as represented in
Like for the piston-type pump of the first embodiment, the display frame (70) is used to protect the pumping mechanism. Moreover, it must be in closed position against the housing of the pump (
One of the fingers protrudes more than the other ones out of the pumping mechanism. At its level, the section of the tubing placed before the most protruding finger is also put more forward than the rest of the tubing. At the end of the closing movement of the display frame (70) towards the housing of the pump, the counterplate (66) comes into contact with the tubing, first at the level of this most protruding finger and then comes to press the tubing against this finger. It is important that this approach movement does not lead to a displacement of the tubing. The last may occur if the approach is oblique with respect to the horizontal.
Furthermore, the display frame (70) of the finger pump is quite tight as shown in
If in contrary the display frame (70) would pivot only around the second axis (A2), the projections (67, 68) and the counterplate (66) would not enter into contact with the tubing in a horizontal movement, but in an oblique movement with the risk of displacing the tubing. This situation is represented schematically in
The combination of the two axes (A1, A2) allows avoiding these drawbacks. When the hook (69) is liberated with the help of the lever, the spring forces the support member (70) to pass from the folded-back position to the folded-out position. The stop (75) of the support member comes into contact with the stop (54) of the housing. The pivoting movement of the support member (70) is thereby stopped. The support member (70) takes along the display frame (60). The latter is then in an intermediate position represented in
As represented in
It can be stated that in the first embodiment, the pivoting direction around the first axis (A1) and the pivoting direction around the second axis (A2) are inverted when the display passes from the closed position against the housing (
Of course it would be possible to put the display directly on the support member (30, 70) without using a frame (20, 60).
Detecting means may be provided for detecting the position of the support member or of the display or the frame holding the display with respect to the housing of the pump. This allows particularly to stop the pump if the support member and/or the display are discarded from the folded-back position or the closed position shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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12177303.0 | Jul 2012 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2013/064243 | 7/5/2013 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61699930 | Sep 2012 | US |