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AssigneeBaxter International Inc.
InventorsHal Danby, Geoff Hutchins, Thomas McGraghan, Jon Plumb, Mark Harris, Stuart Page, Alan Brundle, Tim Allen, Ralph H. LaBedz, Kenneth M. Lynn, Martin Monaghan, Kevin J. Moraski, Svante Eric Myren, Janice Stewart, John M. Turner
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A medical infusion pump is disclosed which provides for greatly improved accuracy in the delivery of medicaments to a patient. Among the various features included in the instant invention is a pumping body which serves to deform and reform a tube so as to maintain the initial cross-section thereof and thereby preserve the output accuracy of the pump. Also disclosed with regard to the pumping body is a wholly mechanical synchronization of the pumping body and valves associated therewith and coactive with the aforementioned synchronization a mechanical linearization of output of the pumping body per each pumping cycle. Additionally, several features which serve to enhance the utility of the instant invention are also included therein among which is an associated assembly operative to automatically load or disload a tube or IV set into or out of the pumping body. Associated with the assembly operative to automatically load or disload a tube and disclosed herein is is an assembly operative to selectively open or close a slide clamp associated with the tube in such a way as to ensure that the tube is occluded such that in combination with the valves associated with the pumping body, a condition of free-flow of medicament is never realized. Additionally disclosed are sensor housings adapted to measure various quantities associated with fluid flowing through the tube wherein the housings are with associated components adapted to achieve a substantially normal orientation with respect to the sidewall of the tube and in the achieving of such normal orientation, expressing an essentially zero elastic stress gradient across the tube.
An infusion pump operative to pump a fluid through a segment of tubing having a longitudinal axis defined thereon, said pump comprising a means for pumping said fluid and a means for automatically loading said segment of tubing, substantially transversely to said longitudinal axis, into said pump.
An automatic loading apparatus associated with an infusion pump and a tube for use in said pump, said automatic loading apparatus comprising a pawl operative to releasably grip and retain said tube and a cam operative to actuate said pawl.
An automatic loading apparatus for loading a fluid carrying tube into an infusion pump wherein said loading apparatus has associated therewith a platen and a loading pawl having a tip, said apparatus comprising said tip wherein said tip has defined thereon a tube rejection surface, a misload activating surface, a tube capture surface, an angled engaging surface and a horizontal engaging surface and a periphery;
In an infusion pump having an automatic tubeloading apparatus associated therewith, said automatic tubeloading apparatus having a pawl, said pawl being extensive from a layshaft, a jaw carrier associated with said layshaft and co-rotational therewith said jaw carrier having a cam follower arm and a positional sensor on said cam follower arm, a spring loaded cam follower associated with said cam follower arm, a cam in sliding contact with said cam follower and an encoder operative to provide positional information of said cam, said pawl having a tube compressing tip portion and a platen cooperative with said tube compressing tip portion to compress a tube therebetween;
A method for loading a tube into an infusion pump comprising steps of:
A drive apparatus for an automatic tube loading assembly wherein said automatic tubeloading assembly is operative to emplace a tube into an infusion pump, said drive apparatus comprising a motor, a plurality of gears driven by said motor, and a camshaft driven by said plurality of gears operative to actuate a means for loading said tube into said pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.