CA1087469A - Automatic injecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An automatic injection device for small animals. The device com-prises a work plate on which an animal to be injected can be positioned, a syringe mounted on the opposite side of the work plate from the side on which the animal to be injected is positioned during use of the device, first means for moving the syringe back and forth between a first position in which the syringe needle is entirely withdrawn on said opposite side of the work plate and a second position in which the syringe needle protrudes through an aper-ture in the work plate, and second means for detecting the presence of an animal to be injected in position on the work plate and for activating the first means. The first means comprises a single-action pneumatic motor and means for retaining the syringe in its second position while the mounting of the syringe is adjusted. Means for venting an accidental increase in pres-sure in the pneumatic supply, means for indicating the completion of a preset number of injections, means permitting the quick replacement of the syringe, and a transparent valve plate permitting the user to view at least a portion of the second means are provided.

Description

This application is divided out of copending Canadian patent ap-plication No. 297,651, ~iled February 24, 1978.
This invention relates to a device for sequentially in~ecting a large number of small animals, such as chicks, ducklings~ young turkeys, and guinea fowl with a desired substance. Such devices are in common use, par-ticularly in the hatchery industry, and representative examples of such de-vices are disclosed, for instance, in United States Patents nos. 3,641,9~8 to Lyon et al. and 3,964,481 to Gourlandt et al.
Devices of this general type typically comprise a work plate on which an animal to be injected can be positioned, a needle-type syringe (spray-type syringes may also be used in functionally similar devices~ mounted on the opposite side of the work plate from the side on which the animal to be in~ected is positioned during use of the device, first means for moving the syringe back and forth between a first position in which the syringe needle is entirely withdra~n on the opposite side of the work plate and a second position in which the syringe needle protrudes through an aperture in the work plate, and second means for detecting the presence of an animal to be injected in position on the work plate and for activating the first means.
~he syringe has to be taken out, cleaned, sterilized, and replaced one or two times daily. Accordingly, it is imperative that the syringe be easily and quickly removed and replaced, and various "quick connect~' devices for attaching the syringe to the activating app~ratus have been proposed.
All, however, have been more or less unsatisfactory due to excessively com-plicated parts, excessive operation time, and/or a tendency to cause bending of the syringe shafts during use.
According to the present invention there is provided an automatic inJection device comprising:
(~ a ~Q~k plate on ~hich ~n ani~al to be ~n~ected can be posit~Qned~ said ~k~

. .. ~ ; . . . -, . . .
-: -, , - ~ ; ' ~ . . .

work plate having an aperture therein;
(b) a syringe mounted on the opposite side of said work plate from the side on which the animal to be in~ected is positioned during use o~ the device;
(c) moving means for moving said syringe back and forth between a first posi-tion wherein said syringe is entirely withdrawn on said opposite side of said work plate and a second position whereby the needle o~ said syringe protrudes through the aperture in said work plate, and (d) detecting means for detecting the presence of an animal to be injected in position on said ~ork plate and for activating said moving means, wherein:
(e) the said syringe is ~ournaled for rapid translational movement in an open-topped slot in a mounting block mounted on said opposite side of said work plate and is connected to said moving means by connecting means compris-ing:
(i) a syringe coupling attachment which has a longitudinal open-topped slot and a transverse open-topped slot intersecting the longitudinal open-topped slot, said syringe coupling attachment being adapted to connect the syringe to the moYing means, and (ii) a sha~t having a collar and being sized and positioned to fit into the longitudinal open-topped slot in said syringe coupling attachment and said collar being si~ed and positioned to fit into the transverse open-topped : slot in said syringe coupling attachment, whereby said syringe and said shaft ~ay be simply lifted in a~ld out of place in said block and said syringe cou-pling attachment~ respectively.
;Other ~eatures and advantages will become apparent ~rom the follow-ing detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in con~unction with the accompanying dra~ings.
In the drawings, ~igure 1 is a pe~SpeCt~Ve ~ie~ of the Presently preferred embod~
-- 2 _ .
. .. : . . ,~ . .. . : . ~ .

.. .. -. . .. :. . .... .. . .

,! ~ . .. ,. . . . . , , ' ' . . . .

` '' ;'' , .' ' ..... , ' ' ,, .. .. , ', .',; ". ',,. '., ,,,' . , . ''~'' ' . , , .' ' ' ' ' ,. ' ".' '. ',' ." ' ' ' . '. ,. ,' ' .'. ' ' ' ', '' .'' " ' ' .. ' ,' '. .'. . " . ' ' ~' " ' " ' ' ' ' iment of the invention, showing a chick in position for an in~ection.
Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view taken generally along the lines 2-2 in Figure l.
Figure 3 is a top elevational view with the cover broken away to expose the interior of the device.
Figure 4 which appears on the same sheet as Figure l, is a top elevational view of the "CLEAN-VUE" valve plate taken generally along the line ~-4 in Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a sectional view t~ken generally along the line 5-5 in Figure 2.
Figure 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 6-6 in Figure 2. -~
Figure 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 7-7 in Figure 2~
Figure 8 is a schematic drawing o~ the air logic of the embodiment shown in Figures 1-7.
Referring now particularly to Figure l, there will be ~een an auto-matic in~ection device comprising a work plate 10 on which a chick 12 is shown positioned ready ~or an in~ection, means 14 ~or detecting the presence of the animal to be in~ected in position on the work plate 10 and for actuating means tnot visible in Figure 1) ~or in~ecting the animal, a container 16 for a liquid, such as a vaccine, to be in~ected into the animal, a tube 18 ~or conducting the liquid from the container 16 to a syringe (not visible in Fig-ure l), a pressure regulator control 20, a pressure gauge 22, an on-of~
switch 24, a batch counter 26, a batch reset button 27, an accumulative counter 28, an accumulator reset button 29, and a test switch 30 the purpose o~ which will be described hereinafter.
Turning next to Fi~uxe 2? the~e ~ill be ~een a sy~in~e 32 o~ the ~ ~ 3 .~

, . . ~ - - : - --: , ; . . . .. .

., , , ., . . . ~............. . .. , ~ . .. . -needle-variety mounted on the opposite side of the work plate 10 from the side on which -the animal to be in~ected is positioned during use of the de-vice and within a stainless steel cabinet 34, motor means 3~ for moving the syringe 32 back and forth between a first position in which the syrinee needle 38 is entirely withdrawn within the cabinet 34 and a second position in which the syr;nge needle 38 protrudes through an aperture 40 in the work plate 10, a high-pressure connector 42 (which may be connected to any convenient ex-ternal source of high-pressure air3 including a portable tank of high-pres-sure air), an air filter and pressure control mechanism ~4 with a safety valve 46 which vents accidental increases in pressure in the high-pressure air, and an indicator whistle 48 the purpose of which will be explained here-inafter. It will also be seen that the work plate 10 is mounted on the cab-inet 34 by means of hinges 50 and held in place during use of the device by a con~entional la-tch mechanism 52. ~he motor means 36 comprises a pneumatic motor which, in the preferred embodiment, is an air cylinder 54 connected to the air filter and pressure control mechanism 44 pneumatic circuitry de-scribed hereinafter, and an actuator 56 (shown only in Figure 8) which pro-duces a short, phased motion of the cylinder rod 58 regardless of ho~ long the means 14 is actuated. Such actuators are conventional elements in pneumatic circuitry, and accordingly it is not belie~ed necessary to describe them in further detail. The air cylinder 54 is mounted in a motor support 59 which in turn is mounted on a slotted block 86 the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.
~ he purpose of the air control and filter mechanism 44 is to make sure that the air entering the pneumatic circuitry is clean and at the de-sired operating pressure regardless of the condition of the air entering the machine. Its filter section has a mesh, the gauge of which is 40 microns in the presently preferred embodiment, to exclude dirt3 dust, and oil from the .: .
.. .. .

. : . . ~ : ,- . - .. . .

.
:: . ~ : . ,.. . , . ~ :.. :
. . , . ~ .

7~

system~ and its regulator section can be used to adjust incomine pressure to the desired level, which is 30 to 60 psi in the presently pre~erred embodi-ment.

As best seen in Figure 5, the syringe 32 is Journalea for rapid translational movement in an open-topped slot 60 in an upwardly extending block 62 mounted on the slotted block 86. The block 62 is made of a resil-ient material such as a resilient plastic, so that the syringe 32 is snapped into place in the block 62 and held in place by the resiliency of the block.
~he rod 58 of the air cylinder 54 is threaded into a syringe coupling attach-ment 66 which is slidingly supported on a block 68 mountea on the slottedblock 86 as best seen in Fieures 2 and 6. The syringe coupling attachment 66 has a longitudinal open-topped slot 70 to receive one end of a shaft 72 and a transverse open-topped slot 74 to receive a collar 76 carried by the shaft 72.
~he open-topped slots 60 and 70 together permit the syringe 32 and the shaft 72 to be simply lifted in and out of place in the block 62 and the syringe coupling attachment 66, respectively, and the cooperation of the collar 76 and the trans~erse slot 74 fix the longitudinal position of the shaft 72 and the syringe 32 relati~e to the air cylinder 54. ~he sha t 72, ~hich is part of the syringe plunger, is telescopically received ~ithin the syringe 32, and 20 a compression spring 78 is carried by the sha*t 72 and confined between the ~orward face of the syringe coupling attachment 66 and the rear face of the syringe 32.
In use~ actuation of the means 14 triggers actuation of the air cylinder 54, which initially causes the rod 58, the syringe coupling attach~
ment 66, the sha~t 72, and the syringe 32 to move forward as a unit until the needle of the syringe 32 protrudes through the aperture 40 and into the ani-mal by the desired amount. At that point, a collar 80 at the base of the syringe 32 comes lnto abu~ment with the rear ~ace of the block 62~ and for- - .
- 5 - ~
,: :

,- , . .. - .,.. .. - .. : , - . . - - - - :

.: :, . .. , . , . . ... .- . , . - . .::

. : -: , . , : . ~ : . , . . .: : ........ :
.: . ... : : - . , . , , . , - : --.. ~; ~ . : . : . : :: . . . : .

~L~3~ 6~D

ward movement of the syringe 32 is halted. Ilowever, the rod 58, the syringe coupling attachment 66, and the sahft 72 continue to move forward, and the shaft 72 travels telescopically into the but-t of the syringe 32 against the force o~ the compression spring 70. Within the syringe 32, the shaft 72 actuates a syringe piston to expel a metered amount of liquid through the syringe needle in a manner known per se. The air cylinaer then returns to its rest position under the influence of an internal spring (not shown), allowing the spring ~8 to separate the syringe coupling attachment 66 and the collar ~0 of the syringe 32 and drawing the syringe 32 back to its rest position. As best seen in Figure 3, the rest position of the syrinee 32 is determined by the abutment of the forward face of a recess in the block 62 and the rearward face of a collar 82 on the syringe 32.
The longitudinal position of the air cylinder 51~ and the rest posi-tion of the syringe 32 are advantageously adjustable via the mechanism 84, ~est seen in Figures 2 and 7. As shown therein, the mechanism ~4 comprises the ælotted block 86 to which the motor support 59, the block 68, and the block 62 are fixedly mounted and a plurality of bolts 88 which pass through the block 86 and are received in a support block 64. Thealots in the block 86 are parallel to the direction of motion of the syringe 32, and by loosen-ing the bolts B8, sliding the subcombination comprising the block 36, the aircyl~nder 54 3 and the syringe 32 along the surface of the support block 64, and then retightening the bolts 88, the extent to ~hich the needle of the syringe 32 protrudes through the aperture 40 during use of the device can be ad~usted.
The transverse position of the air cylinder 54 and the syringe 32 are advantageously ad~ustable via a similar slot-and-bolt mechanism 90 best seen in Figure 3. As shown therein, the mechanism 90 comprises slots 92 in the support block 6~ and a plurality of bolts 94 which pass through the slots ,:

. .

.. . , , ., ' , .

~ 7~

92 and are received in the base of the cabinet 34. The slots 92 are perpen-dicular to the direction of motlon of the syringe 32~ and the mechanism 90 work in the same manner as -themechanism 8~. ~owever, it has been found in practice that, once them~chanism 90 has been set in the ractory, it is seldom necessary to ad~ust it again unless the device is sub~ec-ted to severe abuse.
To prevent rotation of the syringe 32 in the syringe coupling attachment 66, a projection 96 is provided on the block 62. In practice it has been found that the syringe 32 tends to rotate by a fe~ degrees in the same direction each time the air cylinder 54 is activated, and the tube 18 quickly comes into contact ~lith the pro~ection g6, preventing further rota-tion o~ the syringe 32.
~ o aid the user of the device in varying the penetration of the needle 38 into the animals being injected, the previously mentioned test switch 30 is provided. Actuation o~ the test switch 30 causes air to be continuously fed into the air cylinder 54. Accordingly, the air cylinder 54 extends, but it does not return to its normal position until the test switch 30 is deactivated. With the air cylinder 5~ extended, the syringe 32 is also extended, and the user can visually determine whether or not its ; needle 38 extends through the aperture 40 by the desired amount and, if it does not, the amount b~ which it must be ad~usted in either direction.
The means 14 ~or detecting the presence of the animal to be inject-ed in position on the work plate 10 and for actuating the air cylinder 54 is best seen in Figure ~. In the sub~ect invention, this means comprises a microvalve 98 the actuator 99 of which is depressed by the body of the animal to be in~ected when it is correctly positioned against the edge of a valve plate 100. The microvalve 98 is operatively coupled to the air cylinder 5~
via the actuator 56, the batch counter 26, and the accumulative counter 28 by appropriate pneumatic circuitry which causes the air cylinder to actuate and : . : . ~ . . . . ~: - , - ., : : . - .: . , - : . - . .
; ,, . . . . , : . : , : :.: , : .. : : :
, , , ~ ~: : . : :.:: .
: .. : . ' - . :, , . ' , :

the counters to count one upon the depression o~ the microvalve. The valve plate 100 is transversely adjustable via thumb screws 102 which pass through slots 104 in the valve plate 100 and are received in the work plate 10. The valve plate 100 is at least partially transparent, allowing the user o~ the device to ~iew the microvalve 98, which is mounted on the outside of the work plate 10, and to visually determine whether or not it needs cleaning without removing the thumb screws 102.
As previously mentioned, both a batch counter 26 and an accumulative counter 28 are provided on the device. ~he batch counter 26 may be manually set at any desired number, as f'or instance the number Or chicks to be placed in each box after having been in~ected, and it counts do~n from that number to zero. ~he batch counter 26 is operatively connected to the whistle 48 to provide an audible indication of when the batch count is reached. As ex-plained hereina~ter in connection with the air logic, when the whistle sounds, the machine automatically shuts of~ to prevent extra uni-ts (chicks) from enterine the batch, and the machine will operate again only when the batch reset button 27 has been pushed. ~he accum~ative counter 28 is designed to count up to measure the number of in~ections in any desired period, as ~or instance a day, and it may be reset at zero by means of the acc~mulator reset button 29.
~ he air logic of the Poregoing device is shown in Figure 8. As will be seen therein, the compressed air supply is connected to the air con-trol and filter mechanism 44, and the internal pressure of' the device may be ad~usted by the pressure regulator control 20. ~he air leaves the air con- :
trol and f'ilter mechanism 44 and goes to the on-o~ switch 24. From there, the air branches in~o ~our separate paths. One path goes to the test switch 30, through a normally open path in the actuator 56, and f'rom there to the air cylinder 54. ~hus, ~hen the on-of'f' switch 24 is turned to on and the ~:

', -; .

test switch 30 is actuated, pressurized air flows direct~y and continuously to the air cylinder 54. The second path goes to the microvalve 98 and from there to the actuator 56, where it causes a normally closed gate in the actu-ator 56 to open for a predetermined interval. ~he third path goes to a pilot valve 106 which has two inputs and two outputs. One output goes through the normally closed gate in the actuator 56 and from there to the air cylinder 5l~.
The air cylinder 54 is also connected to the batch counter 26 and the accum-ulative counter 28, and actuation of the air cylinaer causes the batch counter to count down one and the accumulative counter to count up one. ~he fourth path from the on-off switch 24 goes to the batch counter 26 and, when the batch counter 26 has counted down to zero, air is passed through the pilot valve 106 to the whistle 48, audibly signalling the end of the count, shut-tine down the machine until it is manually reactivated by the batch reset button 27.
From the foregoing description of an automatic injection device for s~all animals in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize several ad~antages which singularly distinguish the sub~ect invention from previously known devices. Some of those advantages are set forth below. However, while the follouing list of advantages is believed to be both accurate and representative, it does not purport to be exhaustive.
A particular advantage resides in the ability of the device to operate safely and reliably in the wet environment of hatcheries.
A further advantaee of the device resides in itæ portability and its capability of operating wherever the user desires to use it - i.e., its independence ~rom a fixed energy source.
A further advantage of the device is the fact that it is capable o~ being operated at a ~aster rate than the prior art, electrically powered -.~ . .

: , :.. ,: . ~ ; .- :
- - , : . .:.: :: . . . -,, . ~: . . .: :
~:- ' ~ , ,' ' . . :

:~8'7~
devices.
Yet a further advantage of the device is the fact that the extent of syringe needle penetration can be easily, accurately, and reliably varied.
Another advantage of the device is that the need for opening 1-t up to inspect the operative component for dirtg wear, and damage due to other causes is lessened.
Still another advantage of the device is that the syringe can be removed and replaced with e~treme rapidity and that the syringe mounting mechanism is extremely simple to manufacture, sturdy in use, and unlikely to damage the syringe.
Yet another significan-t aspect of the invention is that pneumatic actuation of the syringe produces an audible signal which enables an operator to facilely discern when an injection is made.
Another advantage of the device is that the necessary ad~ustments of relative parts positions are few in number and easy -to make.
Still another advantage of the device is that it insures accuracy of batch counts by automatically shutting down at the end oP each batch until the device is reactivated.
Finally, it should be noted that, while the present invention has

2~ been illustrated by a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the true scope of the invention. For that reason, the invention must be measured by the claims ~ppended hereto ana not by the foregoing preferred emboaiment.

.

;: ~ . ... . .

- . . . - ~ : . . ., - ;
:, ~ .
: , . : . , : . .

.. . . . . . ..

Claims (18)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE
IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An automatic injection device comprising:
(a) a work plate on which an animal to be injected can be positioned, said work plate having an aperture therein;
(b) a syringe mounted on the opposite side of said work plate from the side on which the animal to be injected is positioned during use of the device;
(c) moving means for moving said syringe back and forth between a first position wherein said syringe is entirely withdrawn on said opposite side of said work plate and a second position whereby the needle of said syringe protrudes through the aperture in said work plate; and (d) detecting means for detecting the presence of an animal to be injected in position on said work plate and for activating said moving means, wherein:
(e) the said syringe is journaled for rapid translational movement in an open-topped slot in a mounting block mounted on said opposite side of said work plate and is connected to said moving means by connecting means comprising:
(i) a syringe coupling attachment which has a longitudinal open-topped slot and a transverse open-topped slot intersecting the longitudinal open-topped slot, said syringe coupling attachment being adapted to connect the syringe to the moving means; and (ii) a shaft having a collar and being sized and positioned to fit into the longitudinal open-topped slot in said syringe coupling attachment and said collar being sized and positioned to fit into the transverse open-topped slot in said syringe coupling attachment, whereby said syringe and said shaft may be simply lifted in and out of place in said block and said syringe coupling attachment, respectively.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein: said moving means comprises means for retaining said syringe in its second position.

3. A device according to claim 1 comprising: protrusion adjusting means for adjusting the amount by which the needle of said syringe protrudes through the aperture in said work plate when said syringe is in its second position.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said protrusion adjusting means comprises:
a first slotted block on which said moving means is carried and a plurality of bolts which pass through the slots in said first slotted block.

5. A device according to claim 1 comprising:
position adjusting means for adjusting the position of said syringe in the horizontal plane and in the direction perpendicular to its direction of motion.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said position adjusting means comprises:
a second slotted block on which said moving means is carried and a plurality of bolts which pass through the slots in said second slotted block.

7. A device according to claim 4, wherein the protrusion adjusting means includes means for adjusting the position of said syringe in the horizontal plane and in the direction perpendicular to its direction of action.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein:
said mounting block is made out of a resilient material and the width of the open-topped slot therein is less than the width of said syringe, whereby said syringe is held against vertical motion by the resiliency of said mount ing block.

9. A device according to claim 1 comprising:

counting means for counting the number of times said moving means has been actuated.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein said counting means comprises:
counting down means for counting down from a preset number to zero.

11. A device according to claim 10, including means for providing an audible signal when said counting down means has reached zero.

12. A device according to claim 9 wherein:
said counting means comprises counting up means for counting up from zero.

13. An automatic injection device comprising:
(a) a work plate on which an animal to be injected can be positioned, said work plate having an aperture therein;
(b) a syringe mounted on the opposite side of said work plate from the side on which the animal to be injected is positioned during use of the device;
(c) moving means for moving said syringe back and forth between a first position wherein said syringe is entirely withdrawn on said opposite side of said work plate and a second position wherein the needle of said syringe protrudes through the aperture in said work plate; and (d) detecting means for detecting the presence of an animal to be injected in position on said work plate and for activating said first means, wherein:
(e) the said syringe is journaled for rapid translational movement in a slot in a mounting block mounted on said opposite side of said work plate;
and is connected to said moving means by connecting means comprising:
(i) a syringe coupling attachment which has an open recess therein, said syringe coupling attachment being carried by said moving means, and (ii) a shaft carried by said syringe and having an enlargement thereon, said enlargement being sized and positioned to fit into the recess in said syringe coupling attachment, whereby said syringe and said shaft may be simply moved in and out of place in said block and said syringe attachment, respectively.

14. A device according to claim 13 wherein:
said mounting block is made out of a resilient material and the width of the slot therein is less than the width of said syringe, whereby said syringe is held by the resiliency of said mounting block.

15. A device according to claim 14 wherein:
the recess in said syringe coupling attachment opens upwardly.

16. An automatic injection device according to claim 1 comprising (e) a first block on which said moving means is carried, said first block having slots therein parallel to the direction of motion of said syringe; and (f) a plurality of bolts which pass through the slots in said first slotted block, whereby the amount by which the needle of said syringe protrudes through the aperture in said work plate when said syringe is in its second position can be adjusted.

17. An automatic injection device according to claim 1 comprising:
(e) a first block on which said moving means is carried, said first block having slots therein perpendicular to the direction of motion of said syringe;
and (f) a plurality of bolts which pass through the slots in said first slotted block, whereby the position of said syringe in the horizontal plane and in the direction perpendicular to its direction of motion can be adjusted.

18. An automatic injection device according to claim 14 wherein:
(f) said mounting block is made out of a resilient material; and (g) the width of the slot in said mounting block is less than the width of said syringe, whereby said syringe is held against vertical motion by the resiliency of said block.