CN112849548A

CN112849548A - System and method for positioning medical infusion bags

Info

Publication number: CN112849548A
Application number: CN201911191320.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 付志广
Original assignee: Baxter Medical Supplies Co ltd; Baxter International Inc
Current assignee: Baxter Medical Supplies Co ltd; Baxter International Inc
Priority date: 2019-11-28
Filing date: 2019-11-28
Publication date: 2021-05-28

Abstract

The present application relates to a system for positioning a medical infusion bag having a bag body and a fill tube extending from the bag body. The system comprises: a bag grasping device configured to grasp and transfer the medical infusion bag; a first positioning device comprising a first clamping member and a second clamping member configured to clamp the medical infusion bag transferred by the bag grasping device to position the medical infusion bag in a first direction; and a second positioning device comprising a pair of fingers and a stop adjacent the pair of fingers. The pair of fingers is configured to: clamping a filling tube of the medical infusion bag after the medical infusion bag is clamped by the first positioning device in the first direction; and moving the medical infusion bag in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction towards the stop until the free end of the filling tube contacts the stop.

Description

System and method for positioning medical infusion bags

Technical Field

The present application relates to positioning systems and methods, and more particularly to systems and methods for positioning medical infusion bags.

Background

Medical infusion bags are commonly used to contain larger volumes of medical injectate (e.g., 100ml or more). When a large dose of injection solution needs to be intravenously administered to a patient, a bag of injection solution is generally used for easy transportation and handling. Medical infusion bags containing an infusion solution are typically filled and sealed within a pharmaceutical facility and then optionally packaged together with infusion accessories (e.g., infusion needles, tubing, etc.) in an overwrap bag to form an infusion set. A medical infusion bag or a packaged infusion set is transported to a medical facility (e.g. a hospital or clinic) for medical use.

When a medical infusion bag containing an injection is produced by a medical enterprise, an empty medical infusion bag is often manually picked up by a worker, and a tube opening of the medical infusion bag is manually aligned with a filling opening for filling the injection. This manual operation is inefficient and does not allow for rapid, automated production.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a positioning system and method for a medical infusion bag, which can quickly and accurately position the medical infusion bag to be filled, so as to achieve automatic injection filling.

According to one aspect of the present application, a system for positioning a medical infusion bag having a bag body and a fill tube extending from the bag body is provided. The system comprises: a bag grasping device configured to grasp and transfer the medical infusion bag; a first positioning device comprising a first clamping member and a second clamping member configured to position the medical infusion bag transferred by the bag grasping device in a first direction; and a second positioning device comprising a pair of fingers and a stop adjacent the pair of fingers. The pair of fingers is configured to: clamping a filling tube of the medical infusion bag after the medical infusion bag is clamped by the first positioning device in the first direction; and moving the medical infusion bag in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction towards the stop until the free end of the filling tube contacts the stop.

According to another aspect of the present application, a method is provided for positioning a medical infusion bag having a bag body and a fill tube extending from the bag body. The method comprises the following steps: (1) grabbing and transferring the medical infusion bag through a bag grabbing device; (2) clamping and positioning the medical infusion bag transferred by the bag gripping device in a first direction by a first clamping part and a second clamping part of a first positioning device; (3) after the medical infusion bag is positioned in the first direction by the first positioning device, clamping a filling tube of the medical infusion bag by a pair of fingers of a second positioning device; and (4) moving the medical infusion bag in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction towards a stop of the second positioning means by a pair of fingers of the second positioning means until a free end of the filling tube contacts the stop, wherein the stop is adjacent to the pair of fingers.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a conventional infusion bag.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a system 100 for positioning a medical infusion bag 10 according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a bag gripping device 200 according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the negative pressure bag gripping device 210 employed by the bag gripping device 200 shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 exemplarily shows a perspective view of the first positioning device 300 and the second positioning device 400 of the system shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a first positioning device 300 according to an embodiment.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a second positioning device 400 according to an embodiment.

Fig. 8 shows a positional relationship of the first positioning device 300 and the second positioning device 400 according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 shows a system 1000 for positioning a medical infusion bag 10 according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 schematically illustrates a partial perspective view of a slide rail 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a common form of medical infusion bag 10. As shown in fig. 1, a medical infusion bag 10 includes a bag body 12, a fill tube 14, and a dosing tube 15 pre-sealed with a stopper 11, the

tubes

14, 15 being attached to the bag body 12 and extending away from the bag body 12 and being spaced apart therefrom by a weld 17. The fill tube 14 has one end attached to the end 18 of the bag 12 and the other end is a free end 16, and the solution can be poured into the bag 12 through an opening at the free end 16. After a predetermined amount of the injection liquid is filled into the medical infusion bag 10, the filling tube 14 is sealed with a sealing plug (not shown). Although the medical infusion bag 10 is shown in fig. 1 to include two

tubes

14 and 15, one skilled in the art will appreciate that one tube or more than two tubes, e.g., three, four, five, etc., different numbers of tubes, may be provided as desired. The overall shape of the medical infusion bag 10 may be appropriately changed as needed, and is not limited to the substantially rectangular shape shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a system 100 for positioning a medical infusion bag 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. For clarity, portions of the system 100 are illustrated with reference to the directional coordinates x, y, z on the right side of FIG. 2. As shown in fig. 2, the system 100 includes a conveyor 102, such as a belt conveyor or other conventional conveyor, for transporting a medical infusion bag 10 to be positioned. The conveyor 102 may be configured with sensors to detect the transport speed of the conveyor 102 in real time. For example, with the belt conveyor 102, a rotary encoder (not shown) may be provided that abuts against the conveyor belt and is rotated by the conveyor belt, thereby measuring the conveying speed of the conveyor belt. The rotary encoder may be connected to a processor (not shown) and transmit signals detected by it to the processor in real time.

In some embodiments, the worker may manually place the medical infusion bags 10 on the conveyor 102 in sequence, for example, to the left of the conveyor belt of the belt conveyor of fig. 2. The conveyor 102 transports the medical infusion bag 10 in a direction y. It will be appreciated that each medical infusion bag 10 placed by the worker at a time is located at approximately the same position on the conveyor 102 (e.g., approximately the same distance from one side edge of the conveyor belt), and that each medical infusion bag 10 is oriented approximately the same on the conveyor 102 (e.g., the bag body 12 is approximately perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 102, and the

tubes

14, 15 are located approximately at the same side edge of the conveyor belt and at the same fore-aft position in the direction of conveyor belt travel). In other embodiments, the medical infusion bags 10 may also be loaded onto the conveyor 102 by an automated loading system such that the position and orientation of each medical infusion bag on the conveyor 102 is substantially the same.

The system 100 also includes a camera 104. As shown in fig. 2, the camera 104 may be disposed, for example, above the conveyor 102 and near a loading position (on the left side of the conveyor belt in fig. 2) of the medical infusion bag 10. Specifically, fig. 2 shows an embodiment in which the camera 104 is provided, the camera 104 is provided above the conveyor 102 through a bracket, and a lens of the camera 104 faces the conveyor 102 to photograph the medical infusion bag 10 conveyed by the conveyor 102 passing therebelow. When the medical infusion bag 10 passes through the camera 104 under the driving of the conveyor 102, the camera 104 obtains an image of the medical infusion bag 10 through shooting. The camera 104 may be connected to the processor and send images of the medical infusion bag 10 taken in real time to the processor. The processor may perform image analysis on the image to obtain specific information about the medical infusion bag 10, such as the shape, position, orientation, etc. of the medical infusion bag 10. The image analysis of the image of the medical infusion bag 10 may employ algorithms commonly used in the art or dedicated algorithms. The application is not intended to be limiting of the algorithm herein.

The system 100 may further include a bag gripping device 200, the bag gripping device 200 being disposed adjacent the conveyor 102 and downstream of the camera 104. The bag gripping device 200 may be connected to a processor. The processor determines when a medical infusion bag 10 on the conveyor 102 passes the bag grasping device 200 based on input from sensors (e.g., rotary encoders) disposed at the conveyor 102 and the camera 104, and controls the bag grasping device 200 to move to pick up a transported medical infusion bag 10 on the conveyor 102 as the medical infusion bag 10 approaches the bag grasping device 200.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a bag gripping device 200 according to an embodiment. As shown in fig. 3, the bag gripping device 200 includes a base 202, a first pivot arm 204 pivotally connected to the base 202, a second pivot arm 206 pivotally connected to the first pivot arm 204, and a lever shaft 208 movably connected to the second pivot arm 206. The first pivot arm 204 is connected at one end to the base 202 and at the other end to one end of the second pivot arm 206, and the lever shaft 208 is connected to the other end of the second pivot arm 206. Under control of the processor, the first pivot arm 204 is pivotable relative to the base 202, the second pivot arm 206 is pivotable relative to the first pivot arm 204, and the shaft 208 is pivotable relative to the second pivot arm 206 about an axis passing therethrough and is movable up and down (i.e., along the z-axis direction in the figures) relative to the second pivot arm 206 along the axis.

A negative pressure bag gripping mechanism 210 for gripping the medical infusion bag 10 conveyed on the conveyor 102 is attached to the lower end of the rod shaft 208. It will be appreciated that the position of the negative pressure bag gripping mechanism 210 in the x and y directions relative to the conveyor belt 102 can be adjusted by controlling the combined pivotal movement of the first and

second pivot arms

204, 206, and the orientation of the negative pressure bag gripping mechanism 210 and the height in the z direction can be adjusted by controlling the rotation of the lever shaft 208 relative to the second pivot arm 206 and the movement in the z direction, so that the negative pressure bag gripping mechanism 210 aligns and grips the medical infusion bag 10 to be gripped.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a negative pressure bag gripper 210 according to an embodiment. As shown in fig. 4, the negative pressure bag grasping apparatus 210 includes a frame 212 connected to the shaft 208, a rotating frame 218 pivotably connected to the frame 212, and suction head groups 214 attached to free ends of the rotating frame 218, each suction head group 214 including a plurality of suction heads for sucking the medical infusion bag 10 at a negative pressure in conjunction with the medical infusion bag 10. Fig. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the vacuum bag gripper 210, which includes two suction head groups 214, and the two suction head groups 214 are arranged symmetrically to each other. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that fewer or more groups of suction heads (e.g., 1, 3, 4, etc.) may be provided as desired, and where multiple groups of suction heads are provided, each group of suction heads may have the same or different configurations.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the two suction head groups 214 have the same configuration, and one suction head group 214 will be described as an example. As shown in fig. 4, the suction head group 214 includes three

suction heads

214a, 214b and 214c arranged in a substantially triangular shape, wherein the three

suction heads

214a, 214b and 214c can fix and move the medical infusion bag 10 by means of negative pressure suction. In one embodiment, the first and

second pivot arms

204 and 206 are pivoted, and the shaft 208 is pivoted and moved up and down to move the three

suction heads

214a, 214b and 214c to a position where the bag body 12 of the medical infusion bag 10 is attached. For example, the three

suction heads

214a, 214b, and 214c are moved to incorporate the positions on the bag body 12 of the medical infusion bag 10 shown by the broken lines in fig. 1 (fig. 1). Then, negative pressure is applied to the suction heads 214a, 214b, and 214c, thereby grasping the medical infusion bag 10. In some embodiments, the processor may control the pivoting of the lever shaft 208 to adjust the medical infusion bag 10 to a desired orientation, such as with the longitudinal axis of the bag body 12 generally perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 102.

After grasping the medical infusion bag 10, the processor may control the rotating gantry 218 to rotate about the pivot point 213 from a position in which the suction head set 214 is facing downward (downward along the z-axis) as shown in fig. 2 to a position in which the suction head set 214 is facing forward (upward and rightward along the x-axis in the figure). Correspondingly, the free end 16 of the filling tube 14 is also pivoted from a position facing forward (in the x-axis towards the upper right in the figure) to a position facing upward (in the z-axis).

As shown in fig. 4, the suction head 214a is smaller in size than the suction heads 214b and 214c for engaging the weld 17 (fig. 1) on the pouch 12 between the dosing tube 15 and the fill tube 14. In some embodiments, the three

suction heads

214a, 214b, and 214c may also be sized the same.

With continued reference to fig. 2, fig. 2 shows that a first positioning device 300 and a second positioning device 400 are provided at a location downstream of the bag gripping device 200 in the conveying direction of the conveyor 102. After the bag grasping device 200 grasps the medical infusion bag 10 on the conveyor 102, the bag grasping device 200 transfers the medical infusion bag 10 to the first positioning device 300.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a first positioning device 300 and a second positioning device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5, the first positioning device 300 and the second positioning device 400 are configured to cooperate with each other to adjust the position of the medical infusion bag 10 in the directions of the three axes x, y, and z. The specific structures of the first positioning device 300 and the second positioning device 400 and the specific positioning process of the medical infusion bag 10 will be described in detail below.

Fig. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the first positioning device 300 with the second positioning device 400 removed to more clearly show the structure of the first positioning device 300, according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 6, the first positioning device 300 includes a first or static clamp member 302 and a second or dynamic clamp member 304 movable relative to the first clamp member 302 along the x-axis in two directions opposite to each other. In the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the first positioner 300 further comprises a nitrogen spring 305, the nitrogen spring 305 comprising a cylinder 306 and a piston rod 307. The cylinder 306 and the first clamping member 302 are fixedly connected to the base plate 309, and the projecting end of the piston rod 307 is fixed to the connecting member 308. The first positioning device 300 further includes two driving levers 310, one end of the driving lever 310 is fixed to the second clamping member 304, and the other end is fixed to the connecting member 308. Since the connection member 308 is fixed in position relative to the second clamping member 304, the piston rod 307 is capable of moving the second clamping member 304 back and forth along the x-axis between a clamping position (shown in FIG. 6) and a loading position (not shown).

The embodiment of using a nitrogen spring 305 to actuate the second clamp member 304 is shown in fig. 6 by way of example, but it will be appreciated that other conventional actuation means (e.g., a conventional coil spring, etc.) may be used to actuate the second clamp member 304.

When the second clamping member 304 is in the loading position, the second clamping member 304 is spaced apart from the first clamping member 302 such that a space is defined between the first clamping member 302 and the second clamping member 304 for receiving the medical infusion bag 10 transferred from the bag holding device 200. As previously described, the bag gripping device 200 is capable of pivoting the medical infusion bag 10 gripped by the suction heads 214a, 214b, 214c such that the bag body 12 may be oriented generally vertically and fed into the space between the first and

second clamp members

302, 304 in a position in which the fill tube 14 is facing upward (i.e., in the z-axis direction).

In some embodiments, the suction head set 214 feeds the gripped medical infusion bag 10 to a height such that a portion of the filling tube 14 of the medical infusion bag 10 near the end 18 is between the first clamping member 302 and the second clamping member 304. Accordingly, to prevent the second clamp member 304 from blocking the movement of the suction head 214a, a notch 312 is provided on the second clamp member 304 for receiving the suction head 214a proximate the filling tube 14.

In some embodiments, the first positioning device 300 may further include a detection device, such as a photosensor (not shown), for determining whether the medical infusion bag 10 is positioned between the first clamping member 302 and the second clamping member 304. When the photoelectric sensor determines that the medical infusion bag 10 is located between the first clamping member 302 and the second clamping member 304, the second clamping member 304 is controlled to move along the x-axis toward the first clamping member 302 to a clamping position (fig. 6), thereby clamping the medical infusion bag 10 and achieving the positioning thereof in the x-axis direction.

In the clamped position shown in fig. 6, the medical infusion bag 10 is clamped between the first clamping member 302 and the second clamping member 304. In an embodiment, the height of the first and

second clamp members

302, 304 in the z-axis direction is less than the length of the filler tube 14, such that the free end 16 of the filler tube 14 extends upwardly beyond the first and

second clamp members

302, 304, while the opposite end 18 (fig. 1) of the filler tube 14 is located between the first and

second clamp members

302, 304.

In an embodiment, the output force of the piston rod 307 may be adjusted such that the forces exerted by the first and

second clamping members

302, 304 on the filling tube 14 prevent the medical infusion bag 10 from sliding off between the first and

second clamping members

302, 304 due to gravity.

The first and

second clamp members

302, 304 include clamping surfaces that contact the filler tube 14 and a portion of the bag body 12, respectively. In some embodiments, the clamping surfaces of the first and

second clamping members

302, 304 are formed as smooth surfaces, and one or more edges of the clamping surfaces have rounded or chamfered corners to prevent damage to the medical infusion bag 10 during clamping. Preferably, the clamping surface is polished and/or coated with a teflon coating to further reduce damage to the medical infusion bag 10 by the clamping member.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a second positioning device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 7, the second positioning device 400 includes a pair of

fingers

402a and 402 b.

In one embodiment, the

fingers

402a and 402b can be driven to move toward or away from the first clamp member 302 along the x-axis such that the

fingers

402a and 402b can be in a standby position away from the first clamp member 302 and a clamping position proximate to the first clamp member 302. When the

fingers

402a and 402b are in the standby position, they are out of the path of the medical infusion bag 10 along the y-axis of movement in and out and therefore do not interfere with the movement of the medical infusion bag 10. When the

fingers

402a and 402b are positioned proximate to the gripping location of the first gripping member 302, the

fingers

402a and 402b can be driven apart or closer along the y-axis to move between an open position and a closed position. In addition, the second positioning device 400 includes a lift mechanism 406, the lift mechanism 406 being capable of being actuated to move the

fingers

402a and 402b up or down along the z-axis.

After the filler tube 14 of the medical infusion bag 10 is positioned by the first positioning device 300 in the x-axis direction (fig. 6), the

fingers

402a and 402b are driven to the clamping position such that the filler tube 14 is interposed between the

fingers

402a and 402b, and then the

fingers

402a and 402b are driven to move from the open position to the closed position to clamp the filler tube 14 therebetween (fig. 5).

In another embodiment, rather than translating the

fingers

402a and 402b toward or away from each other in the y-axis direction as previously described, the

fingers

402a and 402b may be configured to pivot about a pivot point to pivot from an open position in which they are away from each other to a closed position in which they are close to each other to grip the filling tube 14 located between the

fingers

402a and 402 b. In this case, the

fingers

402a and 402b need only be pivoted to the open position to avoid interfering with the movement of the medical infusion bag 10 in and out along the y-axis, and thus the

fingers

402a and 402b need not be retracted along the x-axis to the standby position.

With continued reference to fig. 7, during movement of the

fingers

402a and 402b toward the closed position to grip the filler tube 14, the force exerted by the

fingers

402a and 402b on the filler tube 14 can overcome the friction force exerted by the first and second

gripping members

302 and 304 on the medical infusion bag 10 so that the medical infusion bag 10 can move properly in the y-axis direction and eventually to the position defined by the

fingers

402a and 402b in the closed position. The second clamping member 304 is moved out of the clamping position after the

fingers

402a and 402b have moved to the clamping point to clamp the filling tube 14. At this point, the filling tube 14 is gripped only by the

fingers

402a and 402 b.

In an embodiment, the

fingers

402a and 402b each comprise a gripping surface that contacts the filling tube 14, one or more edges of the gripping surface being rounded or chamfered to prevent damage to the filling tube 14. Furthermore, the clamping surfaces may be polished and/or coated with teflon to further reduce damage to the filling tube 14.

With continued reference to fig. 5-7, the second positioning device 400 also includes a stop 408 positioned above the

fingers

402a and 402 b. When the filling tube 14 is held only by the

fingers

402a and 402b, the

fingers

402a and 402b move upward in the z-axis under the actuation of the lifting mechanism 406, bringing the medical infusion bag 10 upward in the z-axis until the free end 16 of the filling tube 14 contacts the stop 408. That is, the stopper 408 prevents the filling tube 14 from continuing to move upward along the z-axis. Due to the fixed height of the stop 408, the free end 16 of the filling tube 14 of the medical infusion bag 10 is stopped at a fixed height along the z-axis, i.e. positioned in the direction of the z-axis.

In some embodiments, the clamping force exerted by the

fingers

402a and 402b on the filler tube 14 may be configured to resist the weight of the medical infusion bag 10 itself, but allow the

fingers

402a and 402b to slide relative to the filler tube 14 when an external force is applied to the filler tube 14.

In a certain embodiment, when the

fingers

402a and 402b initially grip the filling tube 14, the upper surfaces of the

fingers

402a and 402b are at a distance from the free end 16 of the filling tube 14, i.e. the free end 16 of the filling tube 14 extends beyond the upper surfaces of the

fingers

402a and 402 b. After the free end 16 of the filling tube 14 is moved upwards to contact the stopper 408, the

fingers

402a and 402b can continue to move further in the z-axis direction to a height a predetermined distance from the stopper 408 against the friction with the filling tube 14 to prevent the

fingers

402a and 402b from hitting the stopper 408 causing damage to the components. In another embodiment, the movement of the

fingers

402a and 402b along the z-axis is stopped immediately after the free end 16 of the filling tube 14 is moved to contact the stop 408.

After positioning the medical infusion bag 10 in the z-axis direction, the second clamping member 304 of the first positioning device 300 may be moved to the clamping position again to clamp the medical infusion bag 10. After the second clamping member 304 clamps the medical infusion bag 10, the

fingers

402a and 402b return to the open position. For the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the

fingers

402a and 402b are further actuated to return to the standby position so as not to interfere with movement of the medical bag 10 with the first positioner 300 away from the second positioner 400.

With continued reference to fig. 7, the second positioning device 400 is positioned above the first positioning device 300. In one embodiment, the first positioner 300 and the second positioner 400 are two independent devices, and the first positioner 300 can be moved under the second positioner 400 and carry the medical infusion bag 10 positioned along the x, y, and z-axis directions away from the second positioner 400 to transport the medical infusion bag 10 to a next station for subsequent operations (e.g., filling with injectate, etc.).

Fig. 8 shows a second positioning device 400 according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 8, the

fingers

402a, 402b of the second positioning device 400 are configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the medical infusion bag 10 to be positioned from the first positioning device 300, rather than having the first and

second positioning devices

300, 400 on the same side of the medical infusion bag 10 as previously described. Similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the

fingers

402a, 402b are movable in their entirety between a standby position and a clamping position, and are movable relative to each other between an open position and a closed position to clamp the fill tube 14 of the medical infusion bag 10. Also, the

fingers

402a, 402b can lift the filling tube 14 to contact the stopper 408. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the arrangement positions of the first and

second positioning devices

300 and 400 are not limited to those configurations shown in fig. 7 and 8. For example, the first and

second positioning devices

300 and 400 need not overlap each other along the x-axis, and the second positioning device 400 may also be disposed downstream of the first positioning device 300 along the y-axis.

In a certain embodiment, the first positioning device 300 may be mounted on a carriage, and the carriage is movable on a slide rail, which allows the first positioning device 300 to move with the carriage relative to the second positioning device 400.

Fig. 9 shows a system 1000 for positioning a medical infusion bag 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, the system 1000 includes 3 bag gripping devices 200 arranged in sequence along the conveying direction on one side of the conveyor 102 for gripping the medical infusion bags 10 conveyed on the conveyor 102. The other side of the conveyor 102 is provided with an endless slide rail 500, on which slide rail 500 e.g. 96 carriages 600 are mounted slidable along the slide rail 500. Accordingly, 96 first positioning devices 300 are mounted on the corresponding carriage 600 to follow the movement of the carriage 600 on the slide rail 500. In the embodiment shown in fig. 9, 96 carriages 600 may be moved simultaneously in a clockwise direction along the endless slide 500.

As shown in fig. 9, the 3 bag gripping devices 200 may include 6 suction head groups 214, and the 6 suction head groups 214 can grip 6 medical infusion bags 10. As described above, the 3 bag gripper 300 can transfer the 6 medical infusion bags 10 to the 6 first positioning devices 300. The first clamping member 302 and the second clamping member 304 of each first positioning device 300 respectively clamp the respective medical infusion bag 10, thereby positioning the medical infusion bag 10 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In one embodiment, the 6 groups of suction heads 214 sequentially grasp one medical infusion bag 10 and feed the medical infusion bag 10 to the corresponding first positioner 300 in two groups.

The system 1000 further comprises e.g. 6 second positioning devices 400 located downstream of the bag gripping device 200 in the transport direction. The 6 first positioning devices 300 each holding one medical infusion bag 10 move to the corresponding 6 second positioning devices 400 along with the carriage 600 on the slide rail 500, and as described above, the second positioning devices 400 are used to position the medical infusion bag 10 in the y-axis and z-axis directions. After completing the positioning along the y-axis and z-axis directions, 6 first positioning devices 300 carry the corresponding medical infusion bag 10 and move along the slide rail 500 to the downstream of the second positioning device 400.

In one embodiment, the position of the carriage 600 on the slide rail 500 may be controlled by a servo motor to align the carriage 600 (the first positioning device 300) and the corresponding second positioning device 400 for subsequent positioning operations.

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a part of the slide rail 500 and the carriage 600. As shown in fig. 10, a plurality of carriages 600 capable of sliding along the slide rail 500 are supported on the slide rail 500, and each carriage 600 includes a platform 502 and a mechanism for slidably connecting the platform 502 to the slide rail 500. Each platform 502 may have a first positioner 300 mounted thereon.

In addition to the aforementioned control of the position of the carriage 600 on the slide rail 500 by the servo motor, the embodiment in fig. 10 additionally further aligns the carriage 600 (and the platform 502 and the first positioning device 300) with the corresponding second positioning device 400 by means of mechanical positioning. As shown in fig. 10, near the second positioning device 400, a rotating rod 504 substantially parallel to the slide rail 500 is further provided, the rotating rod 504 being capable of rotating about an axis 506, and a stop 508 aligned with the second positioning device is provided thereon. One end of each retainer 508 is fixed to the rotating rod 504 so as to be rotatable with the rotating rod 504 about the axis 506. In one embodiment, the rotating rod 504 is coupled to a piston rod 514 of the cylinder 512 via a connecting arm 516. When the piston rod 514 is in the extended state, the limiting member 518 is maintained in the limiting position (shown in fig. 10), and when the piston rod 514 is retracted from the extended state to the retracted state, the limiting member 518 pivots about the axis 506 by an angle such that the limiting member 518 is in the idle position.

In one embodiment, the platform 502 includes a recess 505 facing the retaining member 508, and the retaining member 508 includes a pulley 510 at its free end that is rotatable about an axis 511. In general, the position-limiting member 508 is in the idle position, but when the carriage 600 (and the platform 502 and the first positioning device 300) is slid to be aligned with the second positioning device 400 by the control of the servo motor, the position-limiting member 508 can be pivoted to the position-limiting position (fig. 10) by the actuation of the piston rod 514. When the limiting member 508 pivots to the limiting position, the pulley 510 of the limiting member 508 can be sufficiently inserted into the recess 505 of the platform 502 to achieve the secondary alignment of the platform 502 (the first positioning device 300) relative to the second positioning device 400. It is understood that since the position-limiting element 508 is disposed at a position aligned with the second positioning device 400 along the x-axis direction, and the position-limiting element 508 can limit the position of the platform 502 (i.e., the first positioning device 300) along the transmission direction (i.e., the y-axis direction), the first positioning device 300 and the second positioning device 400 can be aligned with each other along the x-axis direction.

Returning to fig. 9, the system 1000 may also include 6 filling stations 700, 6 plugging stations 800, and 6 bagging stations 900. After being positioned by the second positioning device 400, the medical infusion bag 10 moves to the filling station 700 along with the first positioning device 300, is filled with the injection solution at the filling station 700, then moves to the plugging station 800, completes the installation of the sealing plug, and then the filled and sealed medical infusion bag 10 is filled into an outer packaging bag at the filling station 900 and then is sent to a sealing device for sealing.

It will be appreciated that at the bagging station 900, the first positioner 300 releases the filled medical infusion bag 10 for filling into the overwrap bag, and the empty first positioner 300 may then be moved toward the bag gripper 200 to load and position the medical infusion bag 10 by the bag gripper 200.

Three bag gripping devices 200 are shown in the system 1000 of fig. 9 by way of example only, and each bag gripping device 200 is capable of gripping two medical infusion bags 10 at a time by means of two groups of suction heads, and correspondingly, the system 1000 is provided with 6 second positioning devices 400, 6 filling stations 700, 6 plugging stations 800 and 6 bagging stations 900. A person skilled in the art can provide other numbers or other configurations of bag gripping devices 200 (number of groups of suction heads), as well as other numbers of second positioning devices 400, filling stations 700, plugging stations 800 and bagging stations 900. Further, 96 first positioning devices 300 and 96 carriages 600 are exemplary included in the system 1000, but one skilled in the art may select other numbers of first positioning devices 300 and carriages 600 as desired.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the invention as described.

Claims

1. A system for positioning a medical infusion bag having a bag body and a fill tube extending from the bag body, the system comprising:

a bag grasping device configured to grasp and transfer the medical infusion bag;

a first positioning device comprising a first clamping member and a second clamping member configured to clamp the medical infusion bag transferred by the bag grasping device to position the medical infusion bag in a first direction; and

a second positioning device comprising a pair of fingers and a stop proximate the pair of fingers, wherein the pair of fingers are configured to:

clamping a filling tube of the medical infusion bag after the medical infusion bag is clamped by the first positioning device in the first direction; and is

And moving the medical infusion bag towards the stop block along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction until the free end of the filling tube contacts the stop block.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first clamping member is a stationary member and the second clamping member is movable relative to the first clamping member in the first direction between a first position at which the first and second clamping members define a space for insertion of the medical bag and a second position at which the medical bag is clamped between the first and second clamping members.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein an end of the fill tube attached to the bag body is clamped between the first and second clamp members when the second clamp member is at the second point.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first positioning device further comprises a first detector configured to detect whether the medical infusion bag is positioned between the first and second clamp members.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first detector is a photosensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second clamping members comprises a clamping surface that engages the medical infusion bag, wherein one or more edges of the clamping surface are chamfered or rounded.

7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that the clamping surface is polished and/or provided with a Teflon coating.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second positioning device is disposed at a higher elevation than the first positioning device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the pair of fingers are movable in a direction parallel to the first direction toward or away from a clamping site for clamping a fill tube of the medical infusion bag, wherein the pair of fingers are configured to move toward or away from each other at the clamping site to clamp or release the fill tube.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the pair of fingers are pivotable to move toward or away from each other to grip or release the filling tube.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of fingers comprises a gripping surface that engages the filling tube, wherein one or more edges of the gripping surface are chamfered or rounded.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the gripping surface is polished and/or coated with teflon.

13. The system of any of claims 2-12, wherein the pair of fingers are configured to interact with the second clamp member such that the pair of fingers are inhibited from moving the medical infusion bag in the second direction when the second clamp member is at the second position.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the pair of fingers are configured to interact with the second gripping member such that the pair of fingers are inhibited from moving away from each other when the second gripping member is away from the second position.

15. The system according to any one of claims 1-14, further comprising:

a conveyor for transporting the medical infusion bag thereon; and

a second detector located above the conveyor and configured to detect information of the medical fluid delivery strip transported on the conveyor.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a processor coupled to the second detector, the processor configured to receive information from the second detector of the medical infusion bag transported on the conveyor, and determine the position and orientation of the medical infusion bag from the information.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a third detector that detects a transmission speed of the conveyor, wherein the processor is coupled to the third detector for receiving information of the transmission speed.

18. The system of any of claims 15-17, wherein the conveyor is a belt conveyor, the second detector is a camera, and the third detector is a rotary encoder abutting a belt of the conveyor.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the bag grasping device is controlled by the processor to grasp the medical infusion bag based on information received from the second detector and the third detector.

20. The system of any one of claims 1-19, wherein the bag gripping device comprises a negative pressure bag gripping mechanism having a frame, a rotating frame pivotably connected to the frame, and a set of suction heads attached to a free end of the rotating frame.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the bag grasping apparatus further comprises a base, a first pivot arm pivotably connected to the base, a second pivot arm pivotably connected to the first pivot arm, and a stem shaft connected to the second pivot arm and defining an axis; and is

The frame is connected to a lower end of the lever shaft, and the lever shaft is rotatable about the axis and movable along the axis relative to the second pivot arm.

22. The system of claim 19 or 20, wherein the negative pressure bag grasping mechanism further comprises a second rotating rack pivotably connected to the frame and a second set of suction heads attached to a free end of the second rotating rack.

23. The system of any one of claims 1-22, further comprising an endless slide track and at least one carriage movable on the slide track to transport the first positioning device.

24. The system of claim 23, comprising a plurality of carriages and a plurality of first positioning devices, wherein each of the first positioning devices is mounted on a corresponding one of the carriages.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of second positioning devices.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of second positioning devices are disposed at a height greater than the first positioning devices and have the same width as the plurality of carriages.

27. A method for positioning a medical infusion bag having a bag body and a fill tube extending from the bag body, the method comprising:

(1) grabbing and transferring the medical infusion bag through a bag grabbing device;

(2) clamping and positioning the medical infusion bag transferred by the bag gripping device in a first direction by a first clamping part and a second clamping part of a first positioning device;

(3) after the medical infusion bag is positioned in the first direction by the first positioning device, clamping a filling tube of the medical infusion bag by a pair of fingers of a second positioning device; and

(4) moving the medical infusion bag in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction towards a stop of the second positioning means by means of a pair of fingers of the second positioning means until a free end of the filling tube contacts the stop, wherein the stop is adjacent to the pair of fingers.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first clamping member is a stationary member, and the step (2) comprises: moving the second clamping member relative to the first clamping member in the first direction from a first position, at which the first and second clamping members define a space for inserting the medical infusion bag, to a second position, at which the medical infusion bag is clamped between the first and second clamping members.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the end of the fill tube attached to the bag body is clamped between the first and second clamp members when the second clamp member is at the second point.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein step (2) comprises: whether the medical infusion bag is located between the first clamping part and the second clamping part or not is detected through a first detector.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein step (3) comprises: moving the pair of fingers in a direction parallel to the first direction towards a clamping site for clamping a fill tube of the medical infusion bag, and moving the pair of fingers towards each other at the clamping site to clamp the fill tube.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein step (3) comprises: pivoting the pair of fingers towards each other to grip the filling tube.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the step (4) comprises: moving the second gripping member away from the second station after the pair of fingers grip the filling tube; and moving the medical infusion bag in the second direction by the pair of fingers after the second clamping member is moved away from the second location.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

and after the free end of the filling tube contacts the stop block, the medical infusion bag is transported away through the first clamping device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein step (5) further comprises:

moving the second gripping member to the second position after the free end of the filling tube contacts the stop and then moving the pair of fingers away from each other; and

and moving the first positioning device to enable the medical infusion bag to be transported away from the second positioning device.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein prior to step (1), the method further comprises:

conveying the medical infusion bag placed on the conveying device by a conveyor; and

detecting information about the medical infusion bags transported on the conveyor by a second detector located above the conveyor.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein prior to step (1), the method further comprises:

receiving, by a processor coupled to the second detector, information regarding a position and orientation of the medical infusion bag transported on the conveyor.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein prior to step (1), the method further comprises:

detecting a transport speed of the conveyor by a third detector; and

receiving, by the processor coupled to the third detector, information about the transmission speed.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the bag gripping device comprises a negative pressure bag gripping mechanism having a frame, a rotating frame pivotably connected to the frame, and a set of suction heads attached to a free end of the rotating frame; and the step (1) further comprises:

adjusting the position and orientation of the set of suction heads based on information received from the second detector and the third detector; and

and grabbing the medical infusion bag through the group of suction heads.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the first positioning device is mounted on a carriage that is movable on a slide rail, and wherein step (5) further comprises:

and moving the carriage on the slide rail away from the second positioning device.