Assembly for Actuating a Syringe

• US 20100268167A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AEA s.r.l. (Summa SRL)
• Original Assignee: AEA s.r.l. (Summa SRL)
• Inventors: Mattioli, Graziano
• Granted Patent: US 8,277,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/187
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like

Abstract

In an assembly for actuating a syringe, two gripping devices are designed to receive and withhold a containment cylinder and, respectively, a piston of the syringe, and are defined by respective pairs of jaws for gripping a flange of the containment cylinder and, respectively, of an end head of the piston, the jaws of at least one gripping device being mobile with respect to one another between a gripping position and a release position under the thrust of a corresponding actuation device.

Claims

1. An assembly for actuating a syringe, the syringe comprising a containment cylinder provided with at least one gripping element projecting outwards from the containment cylinder itself, and a piston slidably engaged in the containment cylinder and provided with an end head;

said assembly comprising two devices for gripping the containment cylinder and, respectively, the piston; and

an actuation device for displacing the two gripping devices with respect to one another in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the syringe;

each gripping device comprising two corresponding jaws for gripping the gripping element and, respectively, the end head; and

being characterized in that the jaws of at least one first said gripping device are mobile with respect to one another between a gripping position and a release position of the gripping element or of the end head;

actuator means being provided for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device between said gripping and release positions.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, in which the jaws of the first gripping device are mobile with respect to one another in said direction.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, in which said actuator means comprise first actuator means for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device from their gripping position into their release position and second actuator means for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device from their release position into their gripping position.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, in which the second actuator means are elastic actuator means for displacing, and normally keeping, the jaws of the first gripping device in their gripping position.

5. The assembly according to claim 3, in which the first actuator means comprise cam actuator means.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, in which the first actuator means comprise an electric motor;

a cam, coupled to an output shaft of the electric motor via an external-screw/internal-screw coupling; and

a tappet, carried by one of the jaws.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, in which the jaws of each gripping device are mobile with respect to one another between a corresponding said gripping position and a corresponding said release position under the thrust of corresponding said actuator means.

8. The assembly according to claim 1, in which the jaws of the gripping device of the containment cylinder and at least one jaw of the gripping device of the piston are shaped so as to define, each of them, a respective guide for enabling insertion of the syringe in the gripping devices.

9. The assembly according to claim 1, in which one of the jaws of the device for gripping the containment cylinder comprises two arms that are mobile with respect to one another according to the dimensions of the containment cylinder itself.

10. The assembly according to claim 9 and moreover comprising an elastic device for normally keeping the two arms in a gripping position of the containment cylinder.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, in which the piston comprises a plurality of reinforcement ribbings distributed about said axis;

at least one jaw of the device for gripping the piston comprising a seat designed to receive and house one of the reinforcement ribbings following upon a displacement for insertion of the syringe in the gripping devices.