Syringe pump abstract
The syringe pump comprises a housing (10). The operating panel
(32) is situated on a swiveling lid (30) on the front side of the
housing (10). The lid (30) further comprises a window (34) with
a magnifying device (35) through which the user can view the syringe.
The invention allows for a miniaturization of the syringe pump in
a highly densified modular system. The lid (30) may further include
a lighting means for illuminating the syringe.
Syringe pump claims
What is claimed is:
1. A syringe pump comprising: a housing (10) with a syringe trough
(14) for a syringe (15) to be placed therein; a drive head (26)
for moving the syringe plunger of the syringe, the drive head being
movable linearly with respect to the housing (10); an operating
panel (32) connected to the housing; and a swiveling lid (30) covering
at least a part of the syringe trough (14), the swiveling lid (30)
comprising a magnifying device (35) for a magnified representation
of the syringe surface, the magnifying device (35) capable of optically
magnifying the syringe surface of syringes (15a, 15b) of different
sizes whose diameters differ by at least the factor 2.
2. The syringe pump of claim 1 wherein the magnifying device (35)
comprises an elongate cylinder lens.
3. The syringe pump of claim 2 wherein the lid (30) comprises
a lighting device (40) for illuminating the syringe (15) in the
syringe trough (14).
4. The syringe pump of claim 2 wherein the syringe trough (14)
comprises a lighting device (40) for illuminating the syringe (15)
in the syringe trough (14).
5. The syringe pump of claim 1 wherein the lid (30) comprises
a lighting device (40) for illuminating the syringe (15) in the
syringe trough (14).
6. The syringe pump of claim 1 wherein the syringe trough (14)
comprises a lighting device (40) for illuminating the syringe (15)
in the syringe trough (14).
7. The syringe pump of claims 1 2 3 4 5 or 6 wherein the lid
(30) includes the operating panel (32) and a display device (33).
Syringe pump description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from German Patent Application
No. 202 09 581.9 filed on Jun. 20 2002 incorporated herein by
reference for all legitimate purposes and relied upon for priority.
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a syringe pump comprising a housing presenting
a syringe trough for a syringe to be placed therein, an operating
panel and a drive head for moving a plunger of the syringe, the
drive head being movable linearly with respect to the housing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In modern intensive-care medicine large numbers of infusion apparatus
find increasing use. A single intensive-care site can comprise up
to twenty infusion pumps. This requires a compact design of the
infusion pumps. Therefore, they should be designed small in size.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the figures:
FIG. 1--is a perspective view of the syringe pump with the lid
closed,
FIG. 2--illustrates the syringe pump with the lid opened,
FIG. 3--is a perspective view of the lid, and
FIG. 4--is a sectional view for illustrating the suitability of
the syringe pump for different syringe sizes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the
invention with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a syringe
pump comprising a housing 10 in the form of a flat box. At the front
side of the housing 10 a horizontal syringe trough 14 is located,
into which a syringe 15 may be placed. The syringe 15 has a syringe
barrel 16 and a plunger therein, connected to a plunger rod 17.
A piston plate 18 is arranged at the end of the plunger rod 17.
The proximal end of the syringe barrel 16 is provided with a syringe
lug 20 set against a syringe bearing 21 of the housing to secure
the syringe against axial displacement.
The housing 10 is further provided with a syringe bracket 22 adapted
to be manually pulled out to the front and having a handle 23 for
that purpose. The syringe bracket 22 is drawn towards the syringe
15 by a spring, whereby the bracket 22 pushes the syringe against
the syringe trough 14. The position of the syringe bracket 22 is
detected and electronically evaluated to thereby determine the syringe
size. The syringe bracket 22 has a blade 24 partially extending
over the syringe lug 20 which may engage the plunger rod 17 to
act as a piston brake. The blade 24 can be moved in a controlled
manner.
To move the syringe piston relative to the syringe barrel 16 the
housing 10 is provided with a drive rod 25 that can be extended
from a front end face of the housing and has a drive head 26 at
its end. The drive head 26 includes a gripping device that grips
and holds the piston plate 18. By a controlled movement of the drive
rod 25 the plunger rod 17 is advanced to expel the contents of
the syringe 15. An infusion line 27 leading to a patient is connected
to the distal end of the syringe 15.
The syringe trough 14 extends along a front side of the housing
10 between one end wall 28 and an intermediate wall 29 of the housing.
The syringe trough 14 is closed with a lid 14 hinged to a lower
front edge of the housing by hinges 31. In the closed state, the
lid 30 abuts on the end wall 28 the intermediate wall 29 and a
top wall 13 of the housing.
As illustrated in FIG. 1 the front face of the lid 30 includes
an operating panel 32 comprising various keys for operation by the
user. Further, a front face of the lid comprises a display device
33. The operating panel 32 and the display device 33 are electrically
connected to a processor within the housing.
The operating panel 32 and the display device 33 extend over only
a part of the height of the lid 30. The upper part of the lid 30
is provided with a transparent window 34. The window 34 contains
a cylinder lens forming a magnifying device 35. With the lid 30
closed, the magnifying device 35 magnifies the syringe and especially
a scale 36 on the syringe. The focal length of the magnifying device
is greater than the distance a between an object and the magnifying
device for the smallest syringe usable.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the lid 30 including a lighting device 40 which
in the present embodiment has three light sources emitting light
towards the syringe 15. The lighting device may serve, on the one
hand, to illuminate the syringe, but, in case of a syringe alarm,
may also serve as a signaling means to identify the syringe pump
causing the alarm.
A part of the lid is designed as a magnifying means so as to provide
the user a magnified representation of the relevant portion of the
syringe. Such an optical magnification is especially useful if the
syringe pump is suitable for syringes of different formats. With
small syringes, the scale and the numbers are necessarily small
in size. In this case, the magnifying means brings the surface of
the syringe lying deep down in the syringe trough to the eye of
the viewer in a magnified form. Thereby, it is avoided that the
user first has to visually search for a small syringe and then has
to undergo the trouble of reading a minuscule scale. Even if the
viewer is further away and the viewing angle is unfavorable, a small
syringe can be read easily.
FIG. 4 illustrates that syringes of different sizes can be placed
into the syringe trough 14 being orientated such that they can
be viewed through the magnifying device 35. A circumference of a
large syringe, is defined by an imaginary line at 15a, whereas the
circumference of a small syringe is defined by an imaginary line
at 15b.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a swiveling lid covering
at least a part of the syringe trough comprises a magnifying means
for a magnified representation of the syringe surface, which optically
magnifies the syringe surface of syringes of different sizes whose
diameters differ by at least the factor 2.
The invention provides a syringe pump which, despite its small
size, allows for a good readability of the syringes inserted therein.
VARIATIONS AND EQUIVALENTS
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without
departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the magnifying
device is disclosed in one embodiment as a cylinder lens and could
also be another type of magnifying lens or device for optical magnification
without departing from certain aspects of the invention.
Also, while the lighting device 40 has been described as included
in the lid 30 alternate constructions with the lighting device
40 included in the trough 14 to illuminate the syringe 15 may also
be used without departing from certain aspects of the invention.
The lid can include a lighting conducting light into the syringe
trough. As an alternative, the lighting device can be provided at
the syringe trough. The assistance provided by a lighting device
is particularly useful in darkened environments. Moreover, lighting
can also draw attention to special conditions of an apparatus, e.g.
to indicate an alarm. To this end, special light colors may also
be activated.
Spatial references such as "bottom", "top",
"front", "back", "lower", "upper",
"under", and "central" are for purposes of illustration
only, relative to the figures shown and are not limited to the specific
orientation of the structure or movement directions as described.
Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have
been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily
appreciate that many other modifications are possible in the exemplary
embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings
and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications
are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as
defined in the following claims. |