HK1159005B - Dosing device - Google Patents

Description

Metering device

The invention relates to a metering device for inhaling a powdery substance, in particular for medical use, which is arranged in a storage chamber above a trailing base and can be moved out of the storage chamber into an emptying-ready position, said metering device having a reading device in the region of a device wall which is adapted to the actual filling state.

Metering devices of the type described are known. These metering devices are used for the metered inhalation of a metered quantity of a powdery substance contained in a reservoir, further for oral and/or nasal inhalation. For this purpose, in preparation, a quantity of substance is drawn from the reservoir during inhalation, if necessary, and is placed into an emptying preparation position, from which the quantity of substance enters the inhalation air flow during inhalation. The bottom of the storage chamber, corresponding to the quantity of powder sucked away, moves after the powder is sucked up, this movement being supported by a spring if necessary. The base is accordingly moved gradually in the direction of the reservoir cover as the filling volume of the reservoir decreases, as a function of the suction process. In order to provide the user with information about the number of inhalation processes that have been or remain, it is also known to provide a reading device which is matched to the actual filling state.

In view of the known prior art, the object of the present invention is to further develop a metering device of the type mentioned in an advantageous manner with regard to an improved reading device.

This object is achieved firstly and substantially by the solution of claim 1, in that the reading device is formed by a strip which is guided by the base and is turned through 180 °, wherein the turning region of the strip is located behind the transparent device wall. This configuration results in an improved reading device, in particular a reading device which is better readable by the user. The amount of powder drawn from the reservoir in preparation for the inhalation process is generally smaller, resulting in correspondingly less follow-up of the bottom. Direct readings derived from the bottom motion are hardly or only difficult to read due to the aforementioned problems. No significant difference in the reading position from the previous position before the inhalation process was performed can be recognized here. The changeover is effected by arranging the strip which is carried by the base and turns through 180 °, so that the strip path is doubled in relation to the base path in the region of the reading device by a simple 180 ° turn. The shift in the reading is correspondingly easier for the user to recognize. Furthermore, the turning area of the strip which is driven is the reading area for the actual state which the user can see through the transparent device wall. In a preferred embodiment, the strip-shaped belt is designed to be deflected through 180 ° in order to switch the bottom travel path accordingly in a 2: 1 ratio. In other embodiments, two or more 180 ° transitions can also be provided in order to correspondingly further increase the transition ratio and thus the sensitivity of the reading device. Furthermore, the strip-shaped band has markings and/or a change in color towards the window or the transparent device wall, wherein the markings or the color in the deflection region correspond to reading values which accordingly further indicate the number of inhalation processes which can still be carried out or alternatively indicate the number of inhalation processes which have been carried out.

Other features of the invention will be described below in the description of the figures, preferably in combination with the features of claim 1 or other claims. Which may also be of significance in conjunction with or independently of the features of claim 1 or the features of the other claims.

In a preferred embodiment, it is therefore further provided that the deflection region forms a chamfered surface on the inside, while the deflection region facing the transparent device wall is of relatively sharp design. By means of this configuration, a gentle 180 ° deflection is achieved overall. The load on the strip-shaped belt which is carried along by such a deflection edge is significantly reduced in relation to a 180 ° deflection with a well defined edge angle. For this purpose, in particular the deflection regions of the deflection edges facing away from the transparent device wall are chamfered, so that, instead of a well-defined 90 ° deflection, preferably two 45 ° partial deflections can be realized. In order to clearly show the actual filling state of the storage chamber, the deflection point toward the transparent device wall is more sharply angled relative to the deflection point toward the inside, further providing, for example, a direct 90 ° deflection, wherein, in order to protect the material of the strip, it is further preferred that the deflection point can also be designed to run rounded or chamfered in cross section. Since the strip-shaped band section assigned to the deflection point facing the transparent device wall represents the reading value, the radius of the corresponding rounding of the deflection point is selected, for example, in the range of a few tenths of a millimeter, so that the reading is unambiguous.

The invention is further elucidated below with reference to the drawing, which shows only one embodiment. In the drawings:

figure 1 shows a partially cut-away view of a metering device in an initial position before first use;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of region II in FIG. 1;

fig. 3 shows a perspective cut-away view of the metering device in an intermediate position in the cut-away area of fig. 1;

fig. 4 shows a view of the region of the metering device as indicated by arrow IV in fig. 3;

fig. 5 shows a detail section corresponding to fig. 2, but with the metering device in another intermediate position after a plurality of inhalation processes have been carried out and the substance has accordingly been sucked from the reservoir;

fig. 6 shows a view corresponding to fig. 4 in the position according to fig. 5.

The metering device 1 shown in the figures for the inhalation of powdery substances 2, in particular for medical use, is designed as a portable, short-stick, pocket-sized instrument having a cylindrical housing 3 of defined shape.

The cylindrical tubular housing 3 has an outer cylinder at the top, the free end of which is shaped as a mouth 5. The latter is designed to match the mouth shape, for example flat. The mouth 5 can be covered in a protective manner by means of a not shown cup-shaped closure.

The substance 2 is contained in a reservoir 6 (refillable if necessary) of the housing 3. In preparation for the inhalation process, a portion of the substance is supplied by a metering device, not shown, to a transition point located outside the storage chamber 6 and is accordingly placed in the emptying-ready position.

The metered body is a (mostly medical) powdery substance 2. The substance can be, for example, a matrix transportable by an inhalation flow, to the surface side of which micronized pharmaceutical fine particles can adhere, such as lactose carriers.

A pot-shaped bottom 7, which is spring-loaded in the direction of the mouth 5 by means of a pressure spring 8, forms the lower end of the storage chamber 6. The compression spring 8 is supported by the bottom end turn on a bottom cover 9, which closes the housing 3. The bottom cover 9 engages with the housing 3 in a section of the wall that is enlarged in cross section on the inside, wherein a corresponding locking flange 10 of the bottom cover 9 engages with a matching annular groove on the housing 3.

The end turn at the top of the prestressed compression spring 8 acts in a loaded manner on an inner shoulder 11 of a hollow piston 12 of a piston-like device 12. As can be seen in particular from the illustration in fig. 1, the stepped pot-shaped bottom 7 is connected in a snap-fit manner to the hollow piston 12 in the region of the inner shoulder 11.

The pot-shaped edge of the base 7 forms an annular lip 13, which annular lip 13 slides undamaged over the wall of the storage chamber 6 due to its rubber-elastic material.

The compression spring 8 is in the embodiment shown a cylindrical spring, the length of which in the relaxed state corresponds to approximately ten times the maximum compression length. The pressing length is defined by the axial displacement dimension of the base 7 between a lower position corresponding to the filled state according to fig. 1 and an upper position of the base 7 in the storage chamber 6, which is delimited by the stop. A compression length of 15mm is thus formed in the embodiment shown. By means of the spring configuration, in particular by means of the spring length selected, a constant spring force can be exerted on the base 7 over the entire compression length, which causes the substance to be compressed uniformly over the entire service time of the device 1.

The hollow piston 12, which is connected in a snap-fit manner to the base 7, has radial projections 14 on the underside. A pin-like projection 15, which overlaps the storage chamber wall on the outside of the wall and is oriented axially in the direction of the plane of the base 7, is formed on the radial extension 14. Since the projection 15 is connected to the hollow piston 12, the axial position of the projection 15, in particular of the free end 16 of the projection 15, is directly related to the axial position of the bottom 7.

The device wall 17 of the housing 3 is transparent in a manner adapted to the free end 16 of the projection 15, and accordingly forms a window 18. The height of the viewing window 18, as viewed along the axial length of the metering device 1, is matched to the maximum axial displacement dimension of the base 7 in the storage chamber 6 between its lower position and its upper position, which is delimited by the stop. The upper position of the bottom 7, which is delimited by the stop, corresponds to the emptying position of the storage chamber 6, i.e. in this position no further intake is possible, although some residual material which cannot be emptied any further remains in the storage chamber 6.

The projections 15 cooperate with the strip 19. The strip 19 is connected to the storage chamber wall in the region of the overlap of the projection 15 and the storage chamber wall in a free end region, for example glued or welded to the storage chamber wall if the strip 19 is made of plastic material.

Starting from this band-shaped connecting region 20, the strip 19 first runs along the surface of the bulge 15 facing the reservoir wall. After turning 180 ° around the free end 16 of the projection 15, the strip 19 extends along the radially outwardly directed surface of the projection 15 downwards towards the bottom section of the metering device 1. The strip-like band 19 rests loosely on the mutually facing surfaces of the projections 15 to facilitate the sliding of the projections 15.

By means of this arrangement, a reading device a is realized in order to visually convey information about the degree of filling of the reservoir 6. Since the strip 19 is fixed at one end to a region of the housing which is fixed and thus not axially displaceable and is arranged loosely turned through 180 ° around the projection 15, the direct displacement of the projection 15 caused by the axial displacement of the base 7 is indirectly transmitted to the strip 19. The axial displacement of the projections 15, which is caused by the base 7 following the partial suction of the substance from the storage chamber 6, is transmitted to the strip 19 in accordance with the pulley principle, so that the ratio of the dimension of the axial displacement of the projections to the dimension of the axial displacement of the strip is 1: 2 in the region of the strip section lying freely on the outside of the projections 15.

During the continuous axial displacement of the projection 15 with the gradual withdrawal of a portion of the substance from the reservoir 6, the free end of the projection 15 is displaced upwards in a visible manner behind the window 18, which is correspondingly converted proportionally into a following of the strip 19, wherein the deflection 21 of the projection 15 towards the window 18 defines the reading on the strip 19. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the deflection region 21 is formed with relatively sharp corners in cross section, with only a rounding with a radius in the range of a few tenths of a millimeter. This accordingly forms an angular deflection point 21, so that a single readability of the reading device a is achieved.

The inwardly facing deflection region 22, i.e. the deflection region facing away from the outer deflection region 21, is relieved of sharp edges relative to the deflection region 21 by the formation of a chamfered surface 23. Due to this configuration, the strip 19 guided on the free end 16 of the projection 15 is guided in the illustrated embodiment inside two 45 ° deflection regions arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the strip. This has been shown to act as a protection for the strip 19 material. In an alternative embodiment, the deflection point 22 can be rounded in cross section, as can the outer deflection point 21, and the rounding preferably has a further, significantly enlarged radius relative to the deflection point 21.

As shown, the strip 19 has a scale 24 on the visible side, i.e. on the side facing the viewing window 18 in the region of the deflection region 21. The scale shows the number of inhalations that can still be performed and indirectly the number of portions of substance that remain to be dispensed from the reservoir. Alternatively, the number of inhalations performed can also be displayed by means of the reading device a or the scale 24.

Further optionally, the strip 19 has a change of color on the visible side. For example, the loose free end 25 of the strip 19 (which enters the window region and further into the region of the deflection region 21 when the bottom 7 is about to be stopped in the uppermost position) is therefore colored in a warning color, for example red, while the remaining visible region of the strip 19 has a relatively neutral color, for example yellow.

All disclosed features (per se) are important to the invention. The entire disclosure of the associated/accompanying priority documents (copy of the prior application) is also included in the disclosure of the present application, and the objects and features of these documents are also written in the claims of the present application.

List of reference numerals

1 metering device

2 substance

3 case

4 outer cylinder

5 mouth part

6 storage cavity

7 bottom

8 pressure spring

9 bottom cover

10 latch flange

11 internal shoulder

12 hollow piston

13 annular lip

14 radial cantilever

15 convex

16 free end

17 wall of the device

18 view window

19 strip belt

20 ribbon connection

21 turning part

22 turning point

23 surface of

24 graduation

25 free end

A reading device

Claims (3)

1. A metering device (1) for sucking in a powdery substance (2), which substance (2) is arranged in a storage chamber (6) above a movable bottom (7) and can be moved out of the storage chamber (6) into an emptying-ready position, which metering device (1) has a reading device (A) in the region of a transparent device wall (17) that is adapted to the actual filling state, characterized in that the reading device (A) is formed by a strip (19) that is guided by the bottom and is turned through 180 °, wherein the turning region of the strip (19) is located behind the transparent device wall (17).

2. Metering device according to claim 1, characterized in that the deflection point (22) is formed with a chamfered surface (23) on the inside, while the deflection point (21) directed towards the transparent device wall (17) is configured with relatively sharp corners.

3. The metering device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the powdery substance (2) is a medical powdery substance.