CN221056955U - Dose indicator, fluid container and inhaler using same - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a dose indicating device, a fluid container and an inhaler using the same, and belongs to the technical field of inhaler manufacturing; the device also comprises a transmission wheel assembly, which comprises a first transmission wheel; the first driving wheel is arranged to be actuated to rotate in the same direction when counting is required; the dose indicator ring is arranged coaxially with the base and is actuated to rotate around the central shaft of the base when the first driving wheel rotates in the same direction, and the periphery of the dose indicator ring is provided with a scale for displaying a count value; the counter also comprises a first anti-reversion mechanism and a second anti-reversion mechanism, and counting and/or displaying accuracy is effectively ensured through double anti-reversion design.

Description

Dose indicator, fluid container and inhaler using same

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a dose indicating device, a fluid container and an inhaler using the same, in particular to a soft mist inhaler, and belongs to the technical field of inhaler manufacturing.

Background

Inhalers typically include a spray assembly that pumps and atomizes fluid for inhalation by a user after a replaceable fluid container is mounted to the inhaler. After installing the fluid container, the user may not be aware of the use of the fluid in the fluid container. When the fluid container stores a medicinal solution for treating chronic or acute symptoms, if the use is continued, it is likely that the ejection dose is unstable and a danger may occur in the case where the medicinal solution in the fluid container has reached or exceeded a predetermined number of uses.

The soft mist inhaler Respimat without propellant was developed and proposed by Boringer John (BI), the earliest marketed Respimat was a single use appliance, and the 2019 RESPIMAT RE-usable product had a reusable version in which a replaceable container containing a fluid could be inserted into the upper housing of the nebulizer and closed by the lower housing, by rotating the lower housing, the drive spring could be under tension, and the fluid could be pumped into the pressure chamber of the pressure generator. At the same time, the container moves downward within the sprayer. After manual pressing of a button, the drive spring is released and compresses the pressure chamber so that the fluid in the pressure chamber is under high pressure and eventually atomized through the nozzle, while the container moves upward. A dose indicator device is connected below the container, and a drive part at the bottom of the lower housing is designed to actuate the indicator device when the container is moved relative to the drive part, so that the indicator device can be used for counting and/or indicating the number of uses the container has performed or is still available. The dose indicator device is characterized in that the dose indicator device comprises a plurality of parts, each part needs to be manufactured precisely, the fault tolerance rate of the whole device is low, and the production cost is high.

There are also other types of dose indicators in the prior art which are designed to perform a dose indicating function by means of electronics, the use of which increases costs and may have problems with battery life. In addition, these dose indicators are relatively complex in construction, require a large number of small mechanical parts, are costly and are difficult to assemble.

Accordingly, there is a need for a dose indicator device that is simple in construction and that is capable of accurately displaying the number of uses or remaining uses of a fluid container.

Disclosure of utility model

In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present utility model provides, in a first aspect, a dose indicator device comprising:

a housing and a base connected to each other, and a cavity between the housing and the base;

A drive wheel assembly comprising a first drive wheel arranged to be actuated to rotate in the same direction when counting is required;

A dose indicating ring coaxially arranged with the base and arranged to be actuated to rotate about a central axis of the base upon co-rotation of the first drive wheel, the dose indicating ring being provided with a scale on its periphery for displaying a count value;

the first anti-reversion mechanism is arranged in the cavity and extends towards the first driving wheel to prevent the first driving wheel from rotating reversely;

And the second anti-reverse mechanism is arranged on the inner side of the dose indication ring and used for preventing the dose indication ring from rotating reversely.

Further, the first anti-reverse mechanism includes at least one detent.

Further, the pawl is disposed within the cavity and extends toward the first drive wheel.

In order to facilitate design and provide compactness of the device structure, further, the stop pawl is arranged on the top surface of the housing and extends towards the first driving wheel.

In order to increase the structural stability, the first anti-reverse rotation mechanism preferably comprises 2 locking claws, and the 2 locking claws respectively extend towards two sides of one gear tooth on the first driving wheel.

Further, the locking claw is of a spring plate structure. When the first driving wheel rotates in the same direction, the locking claw slightly elastically deforms and gives out sound feedback; when the first driving wheel rotates reversely, the locking claw deforms greatly to generate a larger reaction force, and the reverse rotation of the first driving wheel is prevented.

Preferably, the dogs extend towards the teeth of the first drive wheel and have a minimum thickness adjacent the teeth of the first drive wheel.

To further facilitate the anti-reverse action of the dog on the first drive wheel, the teeth of the first drive wheel are preferably deflected in the opposite direction to their direction of rotation by an angle α of 0 ° to 70 °, more preferably 15 ° to 65 °, still more preferably 30 ° to 65 °, still more preferably 45 ° to 55 °.

In order to prevent the dose indicator ring from reversing and causing a dose indicator device to display errors, the second anti-reversing mechanism is further a ratchet mechanism. Further, a ratchet wheel is arranged on the inner periphery of the dose indicator ring, and an adaptive check pawl is arranged in the cavity.

Preferably, the number of the check pawls is at least two; further preferably, the number of the check pawls is two, and the check pawls are arranged in a central symmetry manner.

Further, the driving wheel assembly also comprises a second driving wheel and a horizontally arranged driving shaft; the first driving wheel is fixed in the middle of the driving shaft, and the second driving wheel is fixed at the end part of the driving shaft. Further, the top of the dose indicator ring is provided with drive teeth which mesh with the second drive wheel.

Preferably, the dose indicator device comprises a drive wheel assembly holder fixed to the base, the drive wheel assembly being rotatably arranged in the drive wheel assembly holder.

In order to limit the position of the dose indication ring, a plurality of limiting pieces are arranged on the base, and the limiting pieces are arranged on the periphery of the dose indication ring in a surrounding mode; an observation window is arranged on the side face of the shell, and the position of the observation window is corresponding to the position of the dose indication ring.

In a second aspect, the present utility model provides a fluid container having a dose indicator device as described above attached thereto.

Preferably, the fluid container is fixedly connected to the dose indicator device, and the fluid container and the dose indicator device are replaced together when the fluid container needs to be replaced.

Further, the dose indicator device is connected to the fluid container through the housing, preferably the dose indicator device is connected to the bottom of the fluid container through the housing.

In a third aspect, the present utility model provides an inhaler having a housing within which is disposed a dose indicator device as described above.

Further, the housing of the inhaler may receive a fluid container to which the above-described dose indicator device is attached.

Further, the inhaler comprises a housing for receiving the fluid container and a spray assembly for atomizing the fluid, the bottom inside the housing being provided with a drive for actuating the dose indicator device.

Further, the drive part is capable of actuating the dose indicator device such that the first drive wheel rotates in the same direction.

It will be appreciated that the dose indicator device may be used with other devices or apparatus other than inhalers where counting and/or display is required, provided that a drive is provided on the device or apparatus which can actuate the dose indicator device. Similarly, the dose indicator device may be connected to the fluid container by the housing, or may also be connected to other components in the device or apparatus by the housing, or even be present alone in the device or apparatus, as long as the drive part is able to actuate the dose indicator device in the movement that needs to be counted and/or displayed.

In summary, the present utility model provides a dose indicator device for an inhaler, and a fluid container and an inhaler using the same, wherein the dose indicator device has a dual anti-reverse design, which effectively ensures counting and/or display accuracy. On one hand, the counter pawl prevents or prevents the first driving wheel from rotating reversely, so that the counting accuracy of the device is improved; on the other hand, the dose indication ring is prevented from reversing by the ratchet mechanism, so that the display accuracy of the device is improved.

The technical scheme of the utility model is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of the inhaler of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler of the present utility model;

FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic view of a dose indicator device of an inhaler of the present utility model;

fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the dose indicator device of the inhaler;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dose indicator device in a ready-to-dose state;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dose indicator device in an activated dose state;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of the drive wheel assembly;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first drive wheel;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the engagement of the second drive wheel and the dose indicator ring;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation of a viewing window with a dose indicator ring;

Fig. 11 is a top view showing the ratchet mechanism.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of the inhaler of the present utility model; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler of the present utility model; FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic view of a dose indicator device of an inhaler of the present utility model; fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the dose indicator device of the inhaler; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dose indicator device in a ready-to-dose state; FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dose indicator device in an activated dose state; FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of the drive wheel assembly; FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first drive wheel; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the engagement of the second drive wheel and the dose indicator ring; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation of a viewing window with a dose indicator ring; fig. 11 is a top view showing the ratchet mechanism. As shown in fig. 1-11, the present utility model provides a dose indicating device for an inhaler, which may be adapted for use with a reusable inhaler, including but not limited to Bringentran (BI)Re-usable, or the inhalation device mentioned in the patent document with application number 201880027066.6.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the inhaler 500 includes a housing for receiving a fluid container 600 (e.g., a vial) and a spray assembly 400 for aerosolizing a fluid, the bottom within the housing being provided with a drive portion 501 (e.g., a lever, a protrusion, etc.), the fluid container 600 completing one longitudinal reciprocation within the inhaler 500 during one aerosol inhalation using the spray assembly 400, the drive portion 501 being for driving or actuating a dose indicator device upon reciprocation of the fluid container 600. The structure of the inhaler 500 and the spray assembly 400 is conventional and will not be described in detail herein.

In this embodiment, the driving portion 501 is a cylindrical small rod extending upward from the bottom of the housing, and it is understood that in other embodiments of the present utility model, the driving portion 501 may be fixedly connected or detachably connected to the bottom of the housing by a direct or indirect manner (for example, through another connecting member), and the shape of the driving portion 501 may also be other shapes, for example, a prismatic small rod, etc.

Currently, in the conventional inhaler 500, the fluid container 600 is moved along the central axis of the housing when the spray assembly 400 is used, so that the driving part 501 at the bottom of the housing is moved relative to the fluid container 600, and the driving part 501 actuates the dose indicator device at the bottom of the fluid container 600 during the relative movement, and the dose indicator device displays the number of times of use (hereinafter referred to as a count value) that has been performed or is still available. However, in actual production, there may be some deviation in the dimensions of the components such as the driving portion 501 and the dose indicator device, for example, the length of the cylindrical rod as the driving portion 501 and the height of the housing 100 of the dose indicator device may not be identical for different batches of products, which may result in a deviation in the initial distance between the driving portion 501 and the fluid container 600 (the bottom of which is connected with the dose indicator device) and/or a deviation in the relative movement distance after assembling the different batches of devices and the different batches of fluid containers 600, resulting in inaccurate display of the dose indicator device and low fault tolerance of the device. For another example, for different products, it is likely that fluid containers 600 with different gauges will be chosen, the height of the fluid containers 600 will likely be different, e.g. the same batch of inhalers 500 will be used to assemble different gauges of fluid containers 600, there will be a large difference in the initial distance between the drive part 501 and the fluid container 600 (with the dose indication device attached to its bottom) and/or a large difference in the relative movement distance, resulting in inaccurate or even failure of the dose indication device, the need to readjust the parameters of the components of the dose indication device, and poor device versatility.

The present utility model provides a dose indicator device for an inhaler 500, as shown in figures 2-3, comprising a housing 100 and a base 200 connected to each other, and a cavity between said housing 100 and base 200. To accommodate most commercially available inhalers 500, the housing 100 is preferably cylindrical.

The dose indicator device is connected to the fluid container 600 through the housing 100. Illustratively, the end of the housing 100 remote from the base 200 is provided with a fluid container connection 110, the fluid container connection 110 being arranged coaxially (central axis) with the housing of the inhaler 500 for connecting a fluid container 600. In an embodiment of the present utility model, the connection manner is a snap connection, and it is understood that other connection manners, such as direct connection or indirect connection, fixed connection or detachable connection, etc., can achieve the object of the present utility model.

In another embodiment of the present utility model, the fluid container connection portion 110 is fixedly connected to the fluid container 600, and the fluid container 600 is replaced together with the dose indicator device when the fluid container 600 needs to be replaced.

In this embodiment, the dose indicator device is connected to the bottom of the fluid container 600 by a fluid container connection 110, and the dose indicator device can reciprocate (move up and down) longitudinally with the fluid container 600.

The center of the base 200 is provided with a push rod accommodating portion 210 protruding towards the housing 100, a push rod hole 211 penetrating the base 200 and the end face 201 is provided in the center of the end face 201 of the push rod accommodating portion 210 away from the base 200, the push rod 220 is movably inserted into the push rod hole 211, and an elastic component 221 (including but not limited to a compression spring and the like) is further provided between the push rod 220 and the end face 201. Specifically, the push rod accommodating portion 210 has an accommodating space for accommodating the push rod 220, a stopper 222 is provided on the push rod 220 (in a direction away from the end surface 201), one end of the elastic member 221 abuts against the stopper 222, and the other end abuts against the end surface 201. The shape of the blocking portion 222 is not limited, and may be annular or other shape, so long as it can limit the elastic component 221. Preferably, the stop 222 is located at the bottom of the pushrod 220. A direction (a direction in which a central axis of the inhaler 500 is located, or a direction in which a central axis of the dose indicator device is located) extending from the base 200 to the fluid container connection portion 110 is defined as an up-down direction (a vertical direction, or a longitudinal direction), a direction orthogonal to the up-down direction is defined as a horizontal direction (a lateral direction as in left-right directions in fig. 2 and 3), and a direction indicated by an arrow a in fig. 2 and 3 is defined as an upper direction.

In this embodiment, the driving portion 501 is arranged coaxially with the push rod hole 211, and when the dose indicator device is moved downwards, the driving portion 501 abuts and pushes the push rod 220 to move upwards in the push rod hole 211 relative to the fluid container 600. Preferably, the length of the push rod 220 does not exceed the length of the push rod hole 211. Preferably, the push rod 220 does not protrude from a side of the base 200 remote from the housing 100.

The push rod 220 is fixedly connected to the push rod 310 through one end of the push rod hole 211 facing the housing 100. The push-pull rod 310 comprises a push-pull rod base 311, and a push rod 312 and a pull rod 313 which are positioned on two sides of the push-pull rod base 311 and are oppositely arranged. Specifically, the push-pull rod base 311 is fixedly connected to the push rod 220. The push rod 312 has a height (length in the direction of the central axis of the housing (i.e., in the vertical direction)) smaller than the height of the pull rod 313. In this embodiment, the push rod 312 and the pull rod 313 are disposed opposite to each other, which has better design flexibility for the height and shape of the push rod 312 and the pull rod 313 than other designs (such as a side arrangement), and is beneficial to improving the fault tolerance.

The pushing rod 312 comprises a pushing part 314, and the pushing part 314 is fixedly connected with the push-pull rod base 311 through a first vertical rod which is vertically arranged; the pulling rod 313 includes a pulling portion 315, and the pulling portion 315 is fixedly connected with the push-pull rod base 311 through a vertically arranged second upright rod. As can be seen from the above, in the vertical direction, the height of the pushing portion 314 is different from the height of the pulling portion 315, and the pushing portion 314 is lower than the pulling portion 315, i.e. the distance between the pushing portion 314 and the push-pull rod base 311 is smaller than the distance between the pulling portion 315 and the push-pull rod base 311. When the push rod 220 moves (moves up and down) in the push rod accommodating portion 210, the push rod 310 is driven to move (move up and down). In this embodiment, the pushing portion 314 is fixedly connected to the push-pull rod base 311 through two first upright rods, and the two first upright rods are respectively connected to two ends of the pushing portion 314; the pulling portion 315 is fixedly connected with the push-pull rod base 311 through two second vertical rods, and the two second vertical rods are respectively connected to two ends of the pulling portion 315. It will be appreciated that the first and second uprights may have other numbers, as long as the rotational movement of the first drive wheel 321 in the vertical direction is not affected.

The dose indicator device further comprises a driving wheel assembly 320, wherein the driving wheel assembly 320 comprises a first driving wheel 321, a second driving wheel 322 and a horizontally arranged driving shaft 323, the first driving wheel 321 is fixed in the middle of the driving shaft 323 and is positioned between the pushing rod 312 and the pulling rod 313, and the second driving wheel 322 is fixed at the end part of the driving shaft 323. To support the drive wheel assembly 320, the dose indicator device further comprises a drive wheel assembly holder 230, said drive wheel assembly holder 230 being fixed to the base 200. The drive wheel assembly 320 is rotatably disposed in the drive wheel assembly holder 230. Specifically, the driving wheel assembly holder 230 is disposed outside the push rod receiving portion 210 and has a driving shaft recess 231 for receiving the driving shaft 323, so that the driving shaft 323 can only rotate on the driving wheel assembly holder 230 without any movement in other directions, and the driving shaft 323 is parallel to the pushing portion 314 and the pulling portion 315. The utility model is not limited to the specific configuration and location of the drive wheel assembly holder 230, and the drive wheel assembly 320 may be secured in other ways.

To ensure that the push-pull rod 310 is able to actuate the drive wheel assembly 320 and has a high tolerance, the distance D between the push rod 312 and the pull rod 313 is smaller than the outer diameter of the first drive wheel 321. Specifically, the ratio of the distance D to the radius R of the first drive wheel 321 ranges from 1.3 to 1.9, in some preferred embodiments from 1.4 to 1.6, and in some more preferred embodiments from 1.4 to 1.5.

The push-pull rod 310 and the driving wheel assembly 320 are matched in operation as follows: when the push-pull rod 310 moves upward (in a direction approaching the fluid container connection 110) (in a ready-to-dose state, i.e., when the fluid container 600 moves downward relative to the driving part 501, the driving part 501 pushes the push rod 220 upward relative to the fluid container 600, thereby moving the push rod 310 upward), the pushing part 314 of the pushing rod 312 located below moves upward, pushing the first driving wheel 321 to rotate (illustratively, counterclockwise rotation occurs as shown in fig. 5), at which time the pulling rod 313 does not block the rotation of the first driving wheel 321 and does not apply a force to the first driving wheel 321, or applies a slight force that does not affect the rotation of the first driving wheel 321. When the push-pull rod 310 moves downwards (in a direction away from the fluid container connection 110) (a dose-activated state, i.e. the fluid container 600 moves upwards relative to the driving part 501 under the action of a driving spring (not shown), the push rod 220 moves away from the driving part 501, the push rod 220 moves downwards relative to the fluid container 600 under the action of the elastic member 221, and thus the push rod 310 moves downwards), the pulling part 315 of the upper pulling rod 313 moves downwards, pulling the first driving wheel 321 to rotate (illustratively, counterclockwise rotation occurs as shown in fig. 6), at which time the push rod 312 does not block the rotation of the first driving wheel 321 and does not apply a force to the first driving wheel 321, or a slight force which does not affect the rotation of the first driving wheel 321 is applied. By repeating this, the first driving wheel 321 can rotate, and the up-and-down movement of the push rod 220 is converted into the rotation of the first driving wheel 321. In other words, the first driving wheel 321 is configured to be actuated to rotate in the same direction (i.e., to rotate in one direction, counterclockwise in the drawing, under the force of the pushing portion 314 and the pulling portion 315) when the push-pull rod 310 moves up and down.

In order to enable the push-pull rod 310 to push and pull the first driving wheel 321 more smoothly and to increase the fault tolerance, the ratio of the height difference Δh of the push-pull rod 310 (i.e., the height difference Δh of the push rod 312 and the pull rod 313) to the radius R of the first driving wheel 321 is in the range of 0.4 or more, or 0.5 or more, or 0.6 or more, or 0.7 or more, or 0.8 or more, or 0.9 or more, or 1 or more, and in some preferred embodiments, the ratio is in the range of 0.6 to 0.8. The ratio of the height H of the pushing rod 312 (i.e. the distance H between the top end of the pushing portion 314 and the push-pull rod base 311) to the radius R of the first driving wheel 321 is in the range of 0.6 to 1.3; in some preferred embodiments, the ratio ranges from 0.8 to 1.2; in some more preferred embodiments, the ratio ranges from 1.0 to 1.1.

In order to prevent the first drive wheel 321 from reversing, the dose indicator device is further provided with a stop pawl 101, which stop pawl 101 is, illustratively, arranged on the top surface of the housing 100, i.e. the surface provided with the fluid container connection 110, and extends towards the first drive wheel 321. In this example, the number of the locking pawls 101 is two, but the present utility model is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art may adjust the number, positions and structures of the locking pawls 101 according to actual situations. Preferably, the dose indicator device comprises 2 locking pawls 101, each extending to either side of a tooth of the first drive wheel 321.

In this embodiment, the pawl 101 is of a spring structure and has a minimum thickness at the teeth closest to the first drive wheel 321 (specifically, as shown in fig. 5-6, the thickness is reduced on the side closest to the push rod 312). When the first driving wheel 321 rotates in the same direction, the locking claw 101 is slightly elastically deformed and gives out sound feedback to prompt the user that the user performs atomization inhalation once; when the first driving wheel 321 rotates reversely, the locking claw 101 deforms greatly to generate a larger reaction force, so that the reverse rotation of the first driving wheel 321 is prevented.

In some embodiments of the present utility model, the present utility model is not limited to the specific shape of the first driving wheel 321, as long as the push-pull rod 310 can actuate the first driving wheel 321, i.e. as long as the other gear tooth can smoothly rotate below the pull rod 313 during the rotation process of pushing one gear tooth upward by the push rod 312, and the other gear tooth can smoothly rotate above the push rod 312 during the rotation process of pushing one gear tooth downward by the pull rod 313.

In other preferred embodiments of the present utility model, the teeth of the first driving wheel 321 deflect toward the push rod 312. As shown in fig. 8, in the cross-sectional view, the line between the center of the tooth bottom (the portion near the center of the first transmission wheel 321) and the center of the first transmission wheel 321 and the line between the center of the tooth top (the portion far from the rotation axis of the first transmission wheel 321) (in the figure, the tooth top is a point) and the center of the first transmission wheel 321 exist at a deflection angle α of 0 ° to 70 °, in some preferred embodiments, 15 ° to 65 °, in some further preferred embodiments, 30 ° to 65 °, and in some further preferred embodiments, 45 ° to 55 °. Preferably, the (cross-sectional) edges of the teeth are curved. The advantage of such design is that on one hand, pushing part 314 and pulling part 315 are beneficial to provide more stable acting force for the gear teeth, and the stability of the whole device structure is improved; on the other hand, the shapes of the pushing part 314 and the pulling part 315 do not need the shape engagement of the gear teeth, so that the flexibility in design is improved, the fault tolerance rate in shape and size is higher, the method is particularly suitable for industrial production, and the production cost is reduced. On the other hand, the anti-reverse action of the locking claw 101 on the first driving wheel 321 is facilitated, as shown in fig. 5-6, when the first driving wheel 321 rotates in the same direction, when the gear teeth of the first driving wheel 321 contact with the locking claw 101, the deflection design of the gear teeth is more favorable for slightly elastically deforming the locking claw 101 toward the pulling rod 313, so that the first driving wheel 321 is further rotated in the same direction; when the first driving wheel 321 rotates reversely, when the gear teeth of the first driving wheel 321 are in contact with the locking claw 101, the deflection design of the gear teeth is more unfavorable for the deformation of the locking claw 101 towards the pushing rod 312, so that the locking claw 101 generates larger reaction force to prevent the reverse rotation of the first driving wheel 321.

In some embodiments of the utility model, the pushing portion 314 and the pulling portion 315 are disposed horizontally. In other embodiments of the present utility model, to further provide a more stable force to the gear teeth, the pushing portion 314 and the pulling portion 315 are disposed obliquely to the pushing rod 312 along the horizontal direction, as shown in fig. 6, and in a cross-sectional view, the surface of the pushing portion 314 and/or the pulling portion 315 contacting the gear teeth of the first driving wheel 321 forms an angle β with the horizontal (shown by a dotted line in the drawing), and the angle β is 0 ° to 60 °; in some preferred embodiments, the tilt angle β is 0 ° to 45 °; in some further preferred embodiments, the tilt angle β is 10 ° to 30 °; in some more preferred embodiments, the tilt angle β is 15 ° to 25 °.

The present utility model is not limited to the number of teeth of the first driving wheel 321, and those skilled in the art may make design choices according to practical situations. By changing the number of teeth of the first driving wheel 321, the rotation angle of the first driving wheel 321 can be changed. Preferably, the number of gear teeth is 3 to 6.

To show the count (number of uses performed or still available) of the fluid container 600 in the inhaler 500, the dose indicator device further comprises a dose indicator ring 330 coaxially arranged with the base 200 and rotatable about the central axis of the base 200. Illustratively, the dose indicator ring 330 is annular in shape. The bottom of the dose indicator ring 330 abuts against the base 200, and the top is provided with a driving tooth 331 meshed with the second driving wheel 322. In order to define the position of the dose indicator ring 330, the base 200 is provided with a plurality of limiting pieces 240, and the plurality of limiting pieces 240 are surrounded on the periphery of the dose indicator ring 330 to avoid dislocation of the dose indicator ring 330. The dose indicator ring 330 is also provided with a scale on its outer circumference for displaying a count value, and by controlling the direction of rotation of the dose indicator ring 330 and the sequence of the scales, the number of uses that the fluid container 600 has been or is still available in the inhaler 500 can be displayed.

In order to facilitate the user to observe the count value, an observation window 120 is provided on the side surface of the housing 100, and the position of the observation window 120 is set corresponding to the position of the dose indicator ring 330.

When the push rod 220 moves up and down, the push rod 310 is driven to move up and down, the push rod 310 actuates the first driving wheel 321, the first driving wheel 321 drives the driving shaft 323 to rotate, the driving shaft 323 drives the second driving wheel 322 to rotate, and the second driving wheel 322 is meshed to drive the dose indicating ring 330 to rotate, so that dose indication is realized.

In some embodiments of the present utility model, the number of teeth of the second driving wheel 322 and the number of teeth 331 of the dose indicator ring 330 are not limited, and those skilled in the art can design and select the present utility model according to practical situations.

In some preferred embodiments of the utility model, the number of teeth of the second drive wheel 322 is less than the number of teeth of the first drive wheel 321. In some embodiments of the present utility model, the number of teeth of the second driving wheel 322 is 2 to 5; in a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, the number of teeth of the second driving wheel 322 is 2. The advantage of such design, utilize the different gear tooth numbers on the first drive wheel 321 and the second drive wheel 322, the transmission ratio of the adjustable device increases the flexibility of the whole device, on the one hand, can obviously reduce the number of corresponding drive teeth 331 on the dose indicating ring 330, thus can increase the structural strength of the drive teeth 331 in the limited space, has improved the structural stability of the device, has reduced production difficulty and manufacturing cost; on the other hand, the rotation angle corresponding to the single driving tooth 331 on the dose indicating ring 330 and the meshing space between the driving tooth 331 and the gear teeth of the second driving wheel 322 can be increased, so that the fault tolerance of the device is further improved.

The actuation of the dose indicator ring 330 is described below in connection with specific examples.

In this example, the number of teeth of the first driving wheel 321 is 5, 5 teeth are uniformly distributed on the periphery of the first driving wheel 321, the number of teeth of the second driving wheel 322 is 2, and an included angle between the two teeth is 144 °.

When the user uses the inhaler 500, the user atomizes once using the spraying assembly 400, the fluid container 600 moves back and forth once in the longitudinal direction, the push rod 220 moves up and down once under the action of the driving part 501 and the elastic assembly 221, and since the first driving wheel 321 has 5 teeth and the second driving wheel 322 has 2 teeth, the second driving wheel 322 actuates the dose indication ring 330 to rotate once when the push rod 220 moves up and down twice; thereafter, when the push rod 220 moves up and down three times, the second driving wheel 322 actuates the dose indicator ring 330 to rotate once, which in turn circulates. I.e. five nebulizations per use of the spray assembly 400, the dose indicator ring 330 is rotated twice.

It is obvious that the number of teeth of the first and second driving wheels 321, 322, as well as the number of driving teeth 331 of the dose indicator ring 330, can be varied by a person skilled in the art to vary the number of rotations and the angle of rotation of the dose indicator ring 330, and the utility model is not particularly limited.

In order to prevent the dose indicator ring 330 from reversing, the dose indicator ring 330 is further provided with a ratchet mechanism at its inner circumference such that the dose indicator ring 330 can only rotate in the same direction (in one direction upon actuation of the second drive wheel 322) upon actuation of the second drive wheel 322, thereby preventing display errors. Specifically, the ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet 332 and a check pawl 333. Illustratively, the ratchet 332 is disposed on the inner circumference of the dose indicator ring 330, the non-return pawl 333 is disposed on the outer circumference of the push rod receiving portion 210, and the ratchet 332 and the non-return pawl 333 are disposed at the same height. In some embodiments of the utility model, the number of the check pawls 333 is at least two; in some preferred embodiments of the present utility model, the number of the check pawls 333 is two, and the check pawls are symmetrically arranged with respect to each other.

The counting and displaying accuracy of the dose indicator device of the present utility model can be effectively ensured by the dual anti-reverse design, specifically, by preventing the reverse rotation of the first driving wheel 321 by the stop pawl 101 and preventing the reverse rotation of the dose indicator ring 330 by the ratchet mechanism.

The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, principal features and advantages of the utility model. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present utility model is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that the above-described embodiments and the description are merely illustrative of the principles of the present utility model, and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model, which is defined in the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A dose indicator device, comprising:

a housing and a base connected to each other, and a cavity between the housing and the base;

A drive wheel assembly comprising a first drive wheel arranged to be actuated to rotate in the same direction when counting is required;

A dose indicating ring coaxially arranged with the base and arranged to be actuated to rotate about a central axis of the base upon co-rotation of the first drive wheel, the dose indicating ring being provided with a scale on its periphery for displaying a count value;

the first anti-reversion mechanism is arranged in the cavity and extends towards the first driving wheel to prevent the first driving wheel from rotating reversely;

And the second anti-reverse mechanism is arranged on the inner side of the dose indication ring and used for preventing the dose indication ring from rotating reversely.

2. The dose indicator device of claim 1 wherein said first anti-reverse mechanism comprises at least one detent disposed on a top surface of said housing.

3. A dose indicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first anti-reverse mechanism comprises 2 dogs each extending towards either side of a gear tooth on the first drive wheel.

4. A dose indicator device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the detent is a spring arrangement.

5. The dose indicator device of claim 4 wherein the stop pawl has a minimum thickness adjacent the teeth of the first drive wheel.

6. Dose indicator device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the teeth of the first drive wheel are deflected in a direction opposite to their direction of rotation by an angle α of 0 ° to 70 °.

7. The dose indicator device of claim 1 wherein the second anti-reverse mechanism is a ratchet mechanism.

8. The dose indicator device of claim 7 wherein a ratchet is provided on the inner circumference of the dose indicator ring and an adapted non-return detent is provided in the cavity.

9. A fluid container having a bottom to which a dose indicating device according to any one of claims 1-8 is attached.

10. An inhaler, characterized in that a dose indicator device according to any one of claims 1-8 is provided in a housing of the inhaler.