Assembly for actuating a syringe

• US 8,277,758 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Brian R
• Application Number:
  US12/742,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 422/63, 422500-501, 422/509, 422/518, 422 64- 681, 422520-526, 422/544, 422/546, 422560-566, 141/27, 141/98, 222/180
• US Class Current: 422/501
• 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 outwardly projecting from said containment cylinder, and a piston slidably engaged in the containment cylinder and provided with an end head, said assembly comprising:

a first gripping device for gripping the containment cylinder, the first gripping device comprising two jaws configured for gripping the gripping element of the containment cylinder, the jaws of said first gripping device being mobile with respect to one another between a respective gripping position and a respective release position;

a second gripping device for gripping the piston, the second gripping device comprising two jaws configured for gripping the end head of the piston, the jaws of said second gripping device being mobile with respect to one another between a respective gripping position and a respective release position;

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

actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the first and second gripping devices between the respective gripping and release positions;

a first sensor configured for measurement of the displacement of the jaws of the first gripping device at least in the respective gripping position; and

a second sensor configured for measurement of the displacement of the jaws of the second gripping device at least in the respective gripping position.

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

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said actuator means comprises:

a motor configured for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device from their gripping position into their release position, and

elastic actuator means configured for biasing the jaws of the first gripping device to their gripping position.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the actuator means comprises cam actuator means.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein the cam actuator means comprises:

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 of at least one of the first and second gripping device.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the actuator means comprises first actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device between the respective gripping and release positions and second actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the second gripping device with respect to one another between the respective gripping and release positions.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein one of the jaws of the first gripping device comprises two arms that are mobile with respect to one another according to the dimensions of the containment cylinder.

8. The assembly according to claim 7 wherein the first gripping device comprises an elastic device configured for biasing the two arms in a gripping position of the containment cylinder.

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

at least one jaw of the second gripping device comprises a seat configured to receive and house one of the reinforcement ribbings.

10. A syringe actuating assembly, the syringe comprising a containment cylinder provided with at least one gripping element projecting from said containment cylinder, and a piston slidably engaged in the containment cylinder and provided with an end head;

said assembly comprising;

a first gripping device for gripping the containment cylinder, the first gripping device comprising two jaws configured for gripping the gripping element of the containment cylinder, the jaws of said first gripping device being mobile with respect to one another, parallel to a longitudinal axis of the syringe, between a respective gripping position and a respective release position;

a second gripping device for gripping the piston, the second gripping device comprising two jaws configured for gripping the end head of the piston, the jaws of said second gripping device being mobile with respect to one another, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the syringe, between a respective gripping position and a respective release position;

an actuation device for displacing the first and second gripping devices with respect to one another in a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis of the syringe;

first actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the syringe, between the respective gripping and release positions; and

second actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the second gripping device, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the syringe, between the respective gripping and release positions.

11. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein each one of the first and second actuator means comprises cam actuator means.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first actuator means comprises:

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 of the first gripping device.

13. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein the second actuator means comprises:

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 of the second gripping device.

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

said assembly comprising;

a first gripping device for gripping the containment cylinder, the first gripping device comprising two jaws configured for gripping the gripping element of the containment cylinder, the jaws of said first gripping device being mobile with respect to one another between a respective gripping position and a respective release position;

a second gripping device for gripping the piston, the second gripping device comprising two jaws configured for gripping the end head of the piston, the jaws of said second gripping device being mobile with respect to one another between a respective gripping position and a respective release position;

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

actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the first and second gripping devices between the respective gripping and release positions;

at least one sensor configured for measurement of the displacement of the jaws of at least one of the first gripping device and second gripping device.

15. The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the jaws of the first gripping device are mobile with respect to one another in said direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the syringe.

16. The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the actuator means comprises cam actuator means.

17. The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the actuator means comprises first actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the first gripping device between the respective gripping and release positions and second actuator means configured for displacing the jaws of the second gripping device with respect to one another between the respective gripping and release positions.