WO2003031079A1

WO2003031079A1 - Device for dosed discharge of a flowable medium

Info

Publication number: WO2003031079A1
Application number: PCT/AT2002/000274
Authority: WO
Inventors: Heimo Nabil Habaschy
Original assignee: Heimo Nabil Habaschy
Priority date: 2001-10-05
Filing date: 2002-09-23
Publication date: 2003-04-17
Also published as: AT409925B; ATA15772001A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for dosed discharge of a flowable medium (3) to a support (7) with at least one container (2) for receiving said medium and at least one valve (6) per container for the discharge of said medium (3). In order to create a device which can be used with one hand and which enables sterile operation, each valve (6) is connected to a control device (9), for example a pulse generator, and the control device (9) is connected to at least one sensor (8), for example an optical sensor, for the detection of said support (7).

Description

Device for the metered delivery of a flowable medium

The invention relates to a device for the metered dispensing of a flowable medium with at least one container for receiving the medium and at least one valve per container for dispensing the medium.

Often with simple activities in a medical practice or in a laboratory, where clean working is the main principle, the problem arises that dripping onto the surfaces of an object, such as an absorbent material (cotton balls), slides for microscopic examinations or the like , is relatively expensive. In the apparatuses used today, the use of both hands of the doctor or laboratory technician is usually necessary in order to be able to dispense liquids from a container onto a carrier. In addition, there is the problem that contamination of the liquid to be dispensed or the carrier is difficult to prevent. To solve this problem, carriers are known which are already provided with the flowable medium and are surrounded by a protective cover. The protective cover is removed shortly before use of the carrier, so that a clean application is possible. For example, EP 0 895 943 B1 describes such a device in which a flowable medium is arranged together with a carrier in a type of blister pack. However, handling such devices again requires both hands of the user. In addition, the manufacture of such disposable items is relatively complex and therefore expensive.

For example, in dental offices, a sterile cotton ball is often held in place using tweezers or a similar instrument and soaked in a liquid such as hydrogen dioxide, sodium hypochlorite or alcohol. Thereafter, the site to be treated, for example, the liberated caries cavity of a tooth, dabbed tekügelchen to the soaked Wat ^¬, can give the corresponding liquid, for example their disinfectant action, exercise. Such a process requires a series of work steps for which the dentist in charge needs both hands. In addition, the tweezers or the like is used several times The instrument, which carries the cotton ball, is not changed in between, which is why the liquid to be applied can be contaminated by immersing part of the tweezers or the instrument and thus sterility is not ensured.

To enable cleaner work, containers were therefore created which are covered by an elastic membrane and have a valve-like outlet. To dispense the liquid in the container, the user presses the membrane with one hand or finger, whereby the liquid is pressed through the dispensing tube and the valve and drips or flows in the form of a drop onto the carrier. The amount of liquid dispensed is determined by the duration and the force of the pressure on the membrane. With such a device, contamination of the liquid in the container by immersing an object is prevented, but both hands of the user are nevertheless required, and moreover an exact metering of the amount of the liquid dispensed is not possible.

US Pat. No. 6,186,971 B1 describes a device for wetting cotton swabs with a liquid, the cotton swab being inserted through an opening in the lid of the container and being immersed in the liquid therein. Excess liquid is wiped off when pulling out the wetted cotton swab. The disadvantage here is that the entire carrier, in this case the cotton swab, is immersed in the liquid and can thus cause it to be contaminated.

A dental instrument for introducing and applying a fluid into the oral cavity of a patient is described, for example, in DE 39 37 030 AI, in order to reduce sterilization problems at the rear end of a dental instrument, a fluid to be applied is kept behind a cap and by pressure on the cap can be released through an opening. Such instruments allow working with one hand under sterile conditions, but such disposable items are very expensive and must be stored by the treating dentist in an appropriate amount for each liquid to be applied.

Furthermore, EP 1 103 230 A2 describes an application device for dental purposes, in which at the tip of a handle an application element is mounted, which can be activated by inserting it into a receiving device for a fluid. Here, too, the tip of the handle is pushed into the liquid together with the pick-up device, as a result of which the parts mentioned can contaminate it.

A device for the metered delivery of a viscous fluid is also known from JP 1 307 470 A, the fluid being pressed out of the container with the aid of compressed air and being applied to a carrier. With the help of a sensor, both the quantity of fluid dispensed and the height are measured.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type specified above, which enables the user to operate with only one hand. At the same time, work steps such as opening and closing a liquid container should be eliminated. Finally, the device according to the invention is also intended to enable sterile working without changing the carrier between the working steps.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved in that each valve is connected to a control device and the control device is connected to at least one sensor for detecting the carrier. The sensor detects the presence of the carrier for dispensing the flowable medium in a certain area, whereupon the control device and subsequently the valve is activated. Thus, when the carrier appears in a surrounding area of the sensor, a signal is automatically sent to the valve and thus a metered amount of the flowable medium is given off by dropping or flowing from the valve. Thus, the user only needs one hand to operate the device and thus has the second hand for other activities. In addition, such a device is very simple and therefore inexpensive to manufacture. At the same time, sterile working is possible with the device specified, since the carrier, for example tweezers provided with cotton balls, does not have to be immersed in the flowable medium, but rather the flowable medium drips or flows onto the carrier without contact with it. The device according to the invention enables the flowable medium to be dispensed quickly onto a carrier with a wide variety of liquids under sterile conditions with only one hand of the user. A time-consuming opening and closing of containers which contain the liquid to be dispensed is eliminated. In addition, no help, such as in the person of an assistant, is required in the doctor's area for various work steps or it can be used for other activities.

In an easy way, an electromagnetic valve or the like. Find use. Such electromagnetic valves are particularly simple and therefore inexpensive. In addition, electromagnetic valves enable very quick switch-on and switch-off times, which enables exact metering of the flowable medium. The electromagnetic valve can be provided directly in a corresponding discharge line, which is usually arranged at the bottom of the container, as a result of which the flowable medium can escape during the opening of the electromagnetic valve. However, other constructions can also come under the term of the electromagnetic valve. For example, a discharge line in the form of a thin tube can preferably be arranged on the bottom of the container, and a cylinder with small holes is placed over the end of the container, so that a type of siphon is formed. Furthermore, a membrane is preferably arranged on the lid of the container, which membrane can be moved in the direction of the interior of the container by an electromagnet. Such pressure on the membrane pushes the flowable medium in the container out through the holes in the cylinder through the thin tube. If the electromagnet is deactivated again, the membrane returns to its original position and air is sucked in through the thin tube from the outside. The cylinder surrounding the thin tube, which can be formed by an injection needle, for example, is only slightly larger than the outside diameter of this needle, so that the evaporation surface is as small as possible. In the deactivated state of the membrane, the end of the thin tube arranged in the container is thus in an air bubble, and the thin tube itself is also filled with air. However, other valves can also be used. The control device is usually formed by an electronic circuit which, on the basis of a specific sensor signal, emits a corresponding control signal to the valve. In the simplest case, this is a simple driver that is based on an incoming sensor signal supplies the valve with the required current or voltage so that the valve can be opened. If the control device is formed by a pulse generator, precise metering of the flowable medium to be dispensed can take place by defining the pulse duration and / or the pulse amplitude. Likewise, by dispensing a sequence of pulses during a positive sensor signal, a multiplication of the dosage that can be influenced by the user can be carried out.

The sensor is advantageously formed by an optical sensor, for example in the form of a light barrier. An optical sensor works without contact and is relatively simple and easy to manufacture and also delivers a reliable result.

In addition, the sensor can also be formed by a capacitive or inductive sensor or also by a mechanical button or the like. be realized.

Another feature of the invention is that the container has at least one ventilation opening. This is used to supply air to the container so that there is no negative pressure in the container when the flowable medium is dispensed. The ventilation opening can easily consist of a small hole.

The ventilation opening is advantageously provided with a ventilation valve, which prevents air from entering and thus contamination when the device is not in use. The ventilation valve can be designed in various ways.

It is expedient to connect the ventilation valve to the control device so that it can be actuated synchronously with the valve. Such a connection of the valve and the ventilation valve to the control device ensures an "automatic" closing of the container after a metered delivery of the flowable medium.

Each container advantageously has a removable lid. This enables emptying, subsequent cleaning and refilling of the container to hold a flowable medium. In this way, depending on the application of the device according to the invention, different media can be used for metered delivery. As already mentioned, such media, for example in the dental field, can be hydrogen dioxide, sodium hypochlorite, alcohol, various liquid medications or the like, which are to be applied to a carrier or taken up by a carrier can be used. In the case of a cover, the ventilation openings are preferably arranged in this.

If, according to a further feature of the invention, a spacer is arranged below the valve to avoid direct contact of the carrier with the valve, a further improvement in the hygienic conditions can be achieved since the valve cannot be contaminated by the carrier. Such a spacer can be made by various design measures, such as certain devices for limiting the insertion area for the carrier can be realized under the valve.

A battery or an accumulator is advantageously provided for supplying energy to the valve, the control device and the sensor. So you are independent of the mains voltage and can place the device anywhere or take it to different locations. The use of batteries in the low-voltage range also increases the safety of the device.

It is expedient if a collecting basin is arranged below the valve, so that excess medium or the medium missing the carrier can be collected or collected. Furthermore, the collecting basin can be detachably connected to the device according to the invention, so that it can be removed from the device and easily cleaned.

The carrier can, for example, by a pair of tweezers or the like. held cotton balls or the like be educated. Such an embodiment of the carrier is particularly common and widespread in the dental field.

If at least one container is divided into at least two parts, different flowable media can be filled into one container, which flow together when dispensed via the valve and result in a mixture of the two or more flowable media. This can be useful for various applications.

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show:

Figure 1 shows a device for metered delivery of a flowable medium according to the prior art in side view.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention in side view; and

Fig. 3 shows an example of the time profiles of the sensor signal and the control signals for controlling the valves as a function of time.

1 shows a device 1 for dispensing a flowable medium according to the prior art, a container 2 being filled with a liquid 3 and being covered by a cover 4 in the form of an elastic membrane. A tube 5 or the like, which ends in a valve 6, is connected in a suitable manner to the liquid 3 in the container 2. By pressing the elastic cover 4 according to the arrow F, the volume in the container 2 is reduced, whereupon the liquid 3 passes through the pipe 5 to the valve 6 and drops there onto a carrier 7, for example in the form of a drop. The operation of such a device requires the use of both hands, since the carrier 7 must be held with one hand and the pressure on the cover 4 must be exerted with the other hand. In addition, an exact dosage of the amount dispensed is not possible.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention, wherein the device 1 consists of three juxtaposed containers 2, which are filled with a flowable medium 3. The containers 2 are closed with a lid 4 and each have a valve 6 at their lower end, which is arranged in a discharge line arranged on the bottom. At least one sensor 8 is arranged below each valve 6 and detects the insertion of a carrier 7 below the valve 6. According to the invention, the valves 6 are connected to a control device 9, which is connected to the sensors 8. The sensors 8 are advantageously formed by contactless sensors, for example by optical components such as a light barrier or capacitive or inductive sensors. However, a mechanical design in the form of a button or the like is also possible. When the carrier 7 reaches the detection area of the sensors 8, a corresponding signal is directed to the control device 9, whereby a corresponding signal is sent to the valve 6. For example, the control device 9 can be implemented by an electronic pulse generator that sends a pulse with a defined amplitude and a defined length to the valve 6, so that a correspondingly precisely metered amount of the flowable medium 3 is delivered to the carrier 7 can. Advantageously, an air opening 10 is arranged in the container 2, so that when a metered quantity of the flowable medium 3 is dispensed, no negative pressure is created in the container 2 and the dispensing of the flowable medium 3 is thus not hindered. In the air opening 10, a ventilation valve 13 can be arranged, which can also be connected to the control device 9, so that it only opens when the valve 6 is activated and the rest of the time is kept closed, so that no impurities in the container 2 or that flowable medium 3 can penetrate. The ventilation opening 10 and the ventilation valve 13 can also be arranged in an existing cover 4 of the container 2. The control device 9 can also be designed such that if the carrier 7 remains for a correspondingly long time within the detection range of the sensors 8, several pulses are emitted to the valve 6 in succession, so that a larger amount of the flowable medium 3 can be applied to the carrier 7. A battery or an accumulator is preferably provided as the voltage supply 11 for the sensors 8, the control device 9 and possibly the valve 6. A collecting basin 12 can be arranged under the container 2 or below the valves 6 to collect excess flowable medium. With the aid of the device 1 according to the invention, it is possible to dispense a metered amount of a flowable medium 3 onto a carrier 7 with only one hand. The control device 9 can also be adjustable by adjusting the amount of the flowable medium 3 dispensed.

3 schematically shows the time profiles of a sensor signal and two different control signals for a valve 6, the sensor 8 registering the presence of a carrier 7 in the area of the sensors 8 during the time period ΔT. After a short waiting time .DELTA.ti, which is selected in order to avoid incorrect deliveries of the medium 3 by short-term sensor signals, the control device 9 and the valve 6 emit a pulse in accordance with the signal Vi. The pulse has a corresponding duration Δt and a corresponding amplitude A, so that a precisely metered amount of the flowable medium 3 is released by the valve 6. In the variant according to the time profile V2, a further pulse is emitted after a certain adjustable time period Δt2 and, after a further waiting time corresponding to Δt2, another pulse is emitted to the valve 6. This can be achieved be that a simple amount of the carrier 7 in the sensor area releases a larger amount of the flowable medium 3 onto the carrier 7.

The device according to the invention is particularly suitable for medical or laboratory medicine, although other areas of application are also conceivable. Likewise, the number of valves arranged per container and the number of sensors assigned per container are theoretically arbitrary. The construction of the valves can also be of various types. As already mentioned above, the valve can also be formed, for example, by a thin tube or an injection needle at the bottom of the container and an electromagnetically movable membrane on the lid of the container, as a result of which the membrane is moved when the electromagnet is actuated and thus the flowable medium through the Pipe is pressed.

Claims

Claims:

1. Device for the metered delivery of a flowable medium (3) on a carrier (7), with at least one container (2) for

Holding the medium (3), and at least one valve (6) per container (2) for dispensing the medium (3), characterized in that each valve (6) with a control device (9) and the control device (9) with at least one a sensor (8) for detecting the carrier (7) is connected.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (6) is formed by an electromagnetic valve.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control device (9) is formed by a pulse generator.

4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a sensor (8) is formed by an optical sensor.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a sensor (8) is formed by a capacitive sensor.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a sensor (8) is formed by an inductive sensor.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a sensor (8) is formed by a mechanical button.

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each container (2) has at least one ventilation opening (10).

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the ventilation opening (10) is provided with a ventilation valve (13).

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the ventilation valve (13) is connected to the control device (9).

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that each container (2) has a removable lid (4).

12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a spacer for avoiding direct contact of the carrier (7) with the valve (6) is arranged below the valve (6).

13. Device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a battery is provided for energy supply (11) of the valve (6), the control device (9) and the sensor (8).

14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that a collecting basin below the valve (6)

(12) is arranged.

15. Device according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the carrier (7) is formed by a cotton ball held by tweezers or the like.

16. The device according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that at least one container (2) is divided into at least two parts.