Regulator for drug infusion and drug infusion device including same

• US 9,987,424 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Young M.U. Kim
• Original Assignee: Young M.U. Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Young Mu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bouchelle, Laura
• Application Number:
  US14/903,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20160175518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 604131, 604132, 604153, 604175, 604246, 604247, 6048901, 6048911
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16813 by controlling the degree of opening of the flow line
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16881 Regulating valves on-off valves, e.g. clamps A61M39/28
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/0086 Medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0015 Diaphragm or membrane valves

Abstract

The present invention provides a regulator for medicine infusion capable of preventing a flow rate of a liquid medicine to be injected to a patient from exceeding a predetermined flow rate needed for a patient, and controlling the flow rate of the liquid medicine to be uniformly maintained. The regulator for medicine infusion of the present invention provides the advantages of blocking and continuing the inflow of the liquid medicine by the combination of the elements of the membrane member, the resilient plate and the lever and by the adjusted resilience of the resilient plate, and allowing the liquid medicine to flow at a constant rate by adjusting the resilience of the resilient plate and/or the resilience of the membrane member at predetermined levels. In addition, the regulator for medicine infusion, of the present invention provides the advantages of controlling the flow rate of the liquid medicine to be injected to a patient to be uniformly maintained, and being applicable to intravenous bottles or various medicine injectors and being easily installed in them.

Claims

1. A regulator for medicine infusion comprising:

a housing having an inlet communicating with an inflow conduit which extends to communicate with a liquid medicine storage space, an outlet communicating with an outflow conduit, and an internal space communicating with the inlet and the outlet;

a membrane member being located in the internal space of the housing and forming a medicine flow passage between the inlet and the outlet, the membrane member receiving a pressure of a liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet and the shape of the membrane member being changed depending on a flow rate of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet;

a lever being located below the membrane member and having an inlet side extension portion and an outlet side extension portion opposed to each other with respect to a rotary axis, the inlet side extension portion in contact with a lower surface of the membrane member and rotating on the rotary axis, according to the flow rate of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet, to change the shape of the membrane member so that the shape changed membrane member blocks or opens the inlet;

a resilient plate being located between the membrane member and the lever and being in close contact with both the membrane member and the lever, the resilience of the resilient plate being adjusted so as to allow the pressure of the liquid medicine received through the membrane member to be delivered to the outlet side extension portion of the lever only when the flow rate of the liquid medicine exceeds a predetermined flow rate needed for a patient;

wherein the membrane member is divided into an inlet side portion and an outlet side portion, and a boundary protrusion portion is formed between the inlet side portion and the outlet side portion of the membrane member; and

wherein the outlet side portion of the membrane member is formed to be thicker than the inlet side portion of the membrane member in order to make the pressure of the liquid medicine be biasedly applied to the outlet side extension portion of the lever.

2. The regulator according to claim 1, wherein the resilience of the resilient plate is adjusted by at least one selected from the group consisting of a material of the resilient plate and thickness of the resilient plate, or the resilience of the membrane member is adjusted by thickness of the outlet side portion of the membrane member, in order to regulate the flow rate and pressure of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet.

3. The regulator according to claim 1, wherein an area of the outlet side portion of the membrane member is formed to be larger than that of the inlet side portion of the membrane member in order to make the pressure of the liquid medicine be biasedly applied to the outlet side extension portion of the lever.

4. The regulator according to claim 1, wherein the membrane member is made of silicone, and wherein the resilient plate is made of a plastic material or spring steel.

10. A medicine infusion device comprising the regulator of claim 1.

11. The medicine infusion device according to claim 10, wherein the resilience of the resilient plate is adjusted by at least one selected from the group consisting of a material of the resilient plate and thickness of the resilient plate, or the resilience of the membrane member is adjusted by thickness of the outlet side portion of the membrane member, in order to regulate the flow rate and pressure of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet.

12. The medicine infusion device according to claim 10, wherein an area of the outlet side portion of the membrane member is formed to be larger than that of the inlet side portion of the membrane member in order to make the pressure of the liquid medicine be biasedly applied to the outlet side extension portion of the lever.

13. The medicine infusion device according to claim 10, wherein the membrane member is made of silicone, and wherein the resilient plate is made of a plastic material or spring steel.

5. A regulator for medicine infusion comprising:

a housing having an inlet communicating with an inflow conduit which extends to communicate with a liquid medicine storage space, an outlet communicating with an outflow conduit, and an internal space communicating with the inlet and the outlet;

a membrane member being located in the internal space of the housing and forming a medicine flow passage between the inlet and the outlet, the membrane member receiving a pressure of a liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet and the shape of the membrane member being changed depending on a flow rate of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet;

a lever being located below the membrane member and having an inlet side extension portion and an outlet side extension portion opposed to each other with respect to a rotary axis, the inlet side extension portion in contact with a lower surface of the membrane member and rotating on the rotary axis, according to the flow rate of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet, to change the shape of the membrane member so that the shape changed membrane member blocks or opens the inlet;

a resilient plate being located between the membrane member and the lever and being in close contact with both the membrane member and the lever, the resilience of the resilient plate being adjusted so as to allow the pressure of the liquid medicine received through the membrane member to be delivered to the outlet side extension portion of the lever only when the flow rate of the liquid medicine exceeds a predetermined flow rate needed for a patient;

wherein the housing includes an upper housing and a lower housing which are detachably coupled, and the upper housing is configured to form an inflow passage between the inlet and the medicine flow passage and to form an outflow passage between the outlet and the medicine flow passage; and

wherein the inflow passage and the outflow passage are vertically spaced apart from the medicine flow passage, and the inflow passage and the outflow passage are vertically connected to the medicine flow passage through a medicine inflow hole and a medicine outflow hole respectively which are formed opposite to each other in the upper housing.

6. The regulator according to claim 5, wherein the membrane member is made of silicone, and wherein the resilient plate is made of a plastic material or spring steel.

14. A medicine infusion device comprising the regulator of claim 5.

15. The medicine infusion device according to claim 14, wherein the membrane member is made of silicone, and wherein the resilient plate is made of a plastic material or spring steel.

7. A regulator for medicine infusion comprising:

a housing having an inlet communicating with an inflow conduit which extends to communicate with a liquid medicine storage space, an outlet communicating with an outflow conduit, and an internal space communicating with the inlet and the outlet;

a membrane member being located in the internal space of the housing and forming a medicine flow passage between the inlet and the outlet, the membrane member receiving a pressure of a liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet and the shape of the membrane member being changed depending on a flow rate of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet;

a lever being located below the membrane member and having an inlet side extension portion and an outlet side extension portion opposed to each other with respect to a rotary axis, the inlet side extension portion in contact with a lower surface of the membrane member and rotating on the rotary axis, according to the flow rate of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet, to change the shape of the membrane member so that the shape changed membrane member blocks or opens the inlet;

a resilient plate being located between the membrane member and the lever and being in close contact with both the membrane member and the lever, the resilience of the resilient plate being adjusted so as to allow the pressure of the liquid medicine received through the membrane member to be delivered to the outlet side extension portion of the lever only when the flow rate of the liquid medicine exceeds a predetermined flow rate needed for a patient; and

wherein the resilient plate includes a peripheral portion, a central portion and a rib for connecting the peripheral portion and the central portion with each other.

8. The regulator according to claim 7, wherein the resilience of the resilient plate is adjusted by at least one selected from the group consisting of a material of the resilient plate, thickness of the resilient plate and thickness of the rib, or the resilience of the membrane member is adjusted by thickness of the outlet side portion of the membrane member, in order to regulate the flow rate and pressure of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet.

9. The regulator according to claim 7, wherein the membrane member is made of silicone, and wherein the resilient plate is made of a plastic material or spring steel.

16. A medicine infusion device comprising the regulator of claim 7.

17. The medicine infusion device according to claim 16, wherein the resilience of the resilient plate is adjusted by at least one selected from the group consisting of a material of the resilient plate, thickness of the resilient plate and thickness of the rib, or the resilience of the membrane member is adjusted by thickness of the outlet side portion of the membrane member, in order to regulate the flow rate and pressure of the liquid medicine discharged via the medicine flow passage from the inlet to the outlet.

18. The medicine infusion device according to claim 16, wherein the membrane member is made of silicone, and wherein the resilient plate is made of a plastic material or spring steel.