Inhaler

[0001] The invention relates to an inhaler according to the features of the main claim 1.

[0002] Inhalers of this kind are already known (US-PS 2003/0178020). They are used especially in medical aerosol therapy for the treatment of respiratory diseases. The pressure-containing cartridge in the casing contains an inhalation drug to which an axial displacement is required in the housing. Because each time the cartridge is used, only a certain amount of medicine is administered, the counter is made more readable to the user in such a way that it has several scale rings, the first of which counts to ten each in turn and activates a second ring on which the number is indicated decimal steps. The second ring can also run after starting the next scale ring ten times, which in turn counts hundreds, etc. Such a solution provides, although well-readable scale scales on the scale ring.

[0003] With reference to such an inhaler, reference can be made, for example, to document US2004 / 149772A1. From the document US 3,107,855 a transmission consisting of a planet wheel and a central wheel is known.

[0004] Starting from the state of the art, the object of the invention is to provide a preferred embodiment of such an inhaler with respect to the counting mechanism.

The object of this claim is the object of claim 1, in which the planetary journal has an axle journal protruding from the central wheel disk, the axle journal is seated in the hole in the region of the annular disk collar, the jacket has a graduation on the outer side, the scale being corresponds to several unit steps of rotation of the planet wheel which is a continuation of the scale ring around its axis, so the rotational displacement of the scale ring takes place only after a few unit rotation steps of the central wheel.

[0006] The tool made in this way is preferably made in terms of the amount of space occupied by the control mechanism, as well as in terms of cleaning, and also in terms of ease of use. The mechanical stepper control mechanism preferably has a compact shape. All you need is one scale ring, which does not even have to have barely visible strokes. For example, you can make a certain number of dosing actuations between two scale lines or characters without having to rotate the scale ring. For example, this effect can be dependent on specific drugs, for example when the drug must / should always be administered in three actuations. The first application is then visible on the scale. However, the second and third applications are not related to the rotation of the scale ring. This function is performed only by mechanically cooperating elements. This solution also contributes to easier handling and reduced dimensions. A solution with a circling wheel in the hole of the scale ring and with the appropriate wheel

The central axis on the disk having teeth at the bottom makes it possible to minimize the number of elements present. The blade engages with the index finger that engages in the toothing, and the latch finger secures the position of rotation of the target. The central wheel and cogged disc are made as one part. Corresponding to the size of the cartridge, depending on the size of the cartridge, the strokes can be clearly indicated, for example 200 or 300. The scaling of the scale ring on the lateral surface of the scale ring and running from the sight glass corresponds to a few unit rotation steps of the circulating wheel. In this respect, a solution appears to be beneficial,

[0007] In the following, the subject of the invention is explained in more detail on the basis of the attached drawing, which shows one embodiment of the invention. The drawings show: fig. 1 a perspective view broken down by a part of the control mechanism of the tool object of the invention;

Fig. 2 a section through a control mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the inhaler in one embodiment, with the step-by-step control mechanism latched by the cartridge;

FIG. 3 is a structure in which the step-by-step control mechanism is not latched to the cartridge.

[0008] The tool shown in the cross-sectional view is intended for portion-wise administration of sprayable, especially inhalation, drugs.

[0009] For this purpose, the tool 1 has a housing 2 in which a cartridge 3 filled with a sprayable substance is located. The cartridge 3 has the possibility of axially moving in the housing 2.

[0010] In a standard manner, the cartridge head 4 has a central, coaxial with respect to the cartridge 3 valve tube 5. Through the tube, the drug delivery is carried out under the influence of an axial relative motion between the cartridge 3 and the housing 2.

[0011] The housing 2 has a two-part structure and consists of two above-one ring parts 6 and 7, the upper ring part 6 having the shape of a mandrel and the lower part 7 having an outlet 8 directed perpendicular to the mandrel. The outlet can be closed with a plug invisible in the drawing.

[0012] The valve tube 5 of the cartridge is supported in a respective tubular support section 9 in the lower annular portion 7 with axial movement of the cartridge 3 in the annular portion 6 surrounding the cartridge 3.

[0013] The support section 9 in the bottom part of the housing 7, which clamps the valve tube 5 of the cartridge 3, has a flow channel 10 of reduced diameter, which is hydraulically connected to the valve tube 5, the end of the flow channel 10 inverted from the valve tube 5 is directed towards outlet 8.

[0014] The two ring parts 6 and 7 in the example shown are plugged together. Alternatively, they can also be connected to one another by means of a thread, for example a coarse thread with a large pitch.

[0015] The cartridge arrangement 3 in the housing 2 is selected such that the cartridge head 4 in the housing 2 is at the height of the connection area between the annular portion 6 and the annular portion 7.

[0016] Centralnie pod ścianką czołową naboju 3 od strony otworu znajduje się krokowy mechanizm sterujący 11, zachodzący na rurkę zaworową 5 naboju. Służy on do rejestrowania i wskazywania wykonanych operacji dozowania w zależności od wykonanych suwów otwierania naboju 3.

[0017] The stepper control mechanism 11 in Fig. 1 is shown in a perspective view broken down by parts. The central element of the stepper control mechanism 11 is a circulating gear 12 consisting of a planet gear 13, a central wheel 14 which is mounted on a disc 15 having teeth at the bottom, and a ring gear 16 cooperating with the planet gear 13, which is made on the inner wall side in the form of a pivotally mounted ring-shaped ring 17. The side wall 16 of the ring 17 in the diagonal parts is directed obliquely upwardly of the gap 19, which runs down to the edge of the ring facing away from the ring gear 16.

[0018] The toothed rim 16 extends in the axial direction at the height of the half of the ring 17, whose side wall 18 has a construction stepped towards the front edge of the ring, narrowing radially.

Under the ring gear 17, a latching finger 20 is arranged on the inner side of the side wall 18 of the ring 17. It is offset with respect to the horizontal projection of the ring ring 16 radially inwardly and enters into the circular space offset radially inwardly relative to the ring gear 16. Arrangement made elastically in the vertical direction of the snap ring 20, it is possible to run through a horizontal plane located between the lower edges of the ring gear 16.

[0020] The diameter of the central wheel mounting disk 15 is slightly less than the inner diameter of the ring 17 in the ring gear region 16. The central wheel 14 and the disc 15 are preferably made as one piece of the same material.

[0021] From the bottom of the disk 15 there is a saw toothing 21 on the circumference to which the latch finger 20 of the ring 17 engages.

[0022] The central wheel 14 has a thick teeth. In the illustrated embodiment, eight evenly spaced teeth are provided on the circumference of the central wheel 22. The teeth 22 cooperate with the central wheel 14 rotating in a same plane between the central wheel 14 and the ring gear 16 of the ring 17.

The planet gear 13 has an axle journal 23 protruding from one side upwards, i.e. from the disc 15 of the central wheel 14. It is pivotably mounted in the hole 24 in the region of the collar 25 directed in the form of a radially inward disk, belonging to the scale ring 26 . Ring

The scale 26 on the outside surface has a circular scale scale 27, which corresponds to the unitary rotation steps of the planet gear 13, which is a continuation of the scale ring 26. Stepwise displacement of the central wheel 14 or the disc connected to it 15 is carried out by means of vertical, spring-mounted stepped control fingers 28. From the bottom they engage in a serrated teeth 21 of the disc 15.

[0025] The step control fingers 28 are arranged on opposite sides with respect to the main axis x of the entire step control mechanism 11. To this end, the cylindrical central body in the form of hub 29 has a central axial bore 30 whose diameter is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the valve tube 5 passing through the hole 30.

[0026] From below, the hub 29 extends into a radially extended flange 31 with radially projecting guide sections 32 extending in opposite directions, which in the region of their free ends form a guide journal 33 disposed in a respective slot 19 of the ring 17.

[0027] The step control fingers 28 extend to a horizontal section into the guide sections 32 leaving a guide pin 33 projecting outwardly. The step control fingers 28 protruding from the horizontal tracks extend obliquely upward, covering an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal line, matching the pitch of the slots 19 in the ring 17. The resulting control finger is designated by S.

A star of the step control fingers S, having an inner ring gear 16, a ring 17 connected to the central wheel 14, the disc 15 and the ring 26 are concentrically aligned with each other on the x axis, and the height of the ring 17 is selected such that it contains both a star control fingers S, and the central wheel 14 together with the disc 15.

[0029] The entire planetary gear 12 and the star S and the scale ring 26 are in a pot-shaped housing 34 of the control mechanism whose diameter is adapted to the diameter of the outer cartridge 3.

[0030] The housing 34 has a side wall 35. It has a sight glass 36 through which the scale scale 27 of the ring 26 is visible.

[0031] The housing cover 37 has a central through hole 38 which in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is surrounded by springy snap-action tabs extending conically into the housing in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. The hole diameter is adapted to the collar section diameter 40 of the flange. 41 projecting over the front wall of the cartridge 3 on the opening side. A valve tube 5 exits the flange 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the housing can also be used independently of the cartridge 3.

[0032] The view in fig. 4 shows a further embodiment. In order to further secure the cartridge 3, in addition to the normal clamping of the valve tube 5 in the support section 9 on the housing side, there is a cartridge lock 3 in the region of the upper housing 6 of the annular portion. From the inner side of the lateral surface of this upper annular portion, downwardly facing support fingers 55 are made, which are made of the same material and as one element.

EP 1 868 141 B1

Support fingers 55 are positioned such that their free edge edges in the cartridge engagement position 4 enter the waist region of the cartridge 3 behind the cartridge head, thereby blocking the cartridge 3. The support fingers 55 are made so that at least the first insertion of the cartridge 3 the housing 2 can protrude through the cartridge head. There is no counting during this insertion. The return movement of the cartridge is carried out by means of the spring of the valve tube and of the step spring of the control finger mechanism 28.

[0033] The bottom of the housing 42 is formed by a separate part. It is connected to the housing 34 and fixes the above-described elements of the step control mechanism, e.g. by welding or clamping.

[0034] The disc bottom of the housing 42 has a central opening for the valve tube 5. At the bottom 42 there is also a latch member 44 which enters the hook element in the ring 17 in the corresponding cut-out 45 in the wall 18.

In the same angular range, in which the fitment 44 is on the bottom, the outer lateral wall of the housing base 42 has a notch 46. In the mounted state it is assigned to the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet flow channel 10 in the bottom footplate 7 of the ring element.

[0036] The principle of operation of the stepwise control mechanism 11:

[0037] The control members (star S of the step control fingers, ring 17, disk 15, planet gear 13 and scale ring 26 and housing 34 with the bottom 42 are located on axes that run in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 3. With the exception of planet wheel 13, all other elements of the stepwise control mechanism 11 are therefore located on the longitudinal axis of the cartridge x - x.

The stepper control mechanism 11 is concentric with respect to the valve tube 5 within the cartridge 3, inside the housing 2, specifically in the construction space between the cartridge head 4 and the support section 9 of the housing 2. The stepper control mechanism is supported by a hub S star S embedded centrally in the housing 34 on the end face of the support section 9 of the inhaler housing 2. The central axis x of the step control mechanism 11 passes into the cartridge body axis 3. The valve tube 5 passing through the hub 29 creates additional centering of the entire stepper stepper assembly.

[0039] During the driving stroke of the cartridge 3, with a vertical shift towards the support section 9, the housing of the control mechanism 34 is pulled towards the cartridge head 4 with relative displacement of the housing 34, the planetary gear 12 and the scale ring 26 with respect to the star S of the control fingers, which it is supported on the support section 9. As a result, the tensioning control fingers 28 by rotating the star S in the slots 19 of the ring 17 cause a stepwise feed of the rotor 16 \ 5 with the saw teeth. At the same time, the central wheel 14 rotates by the same angle. The stepped control fingers 28 move from a skewed configuration on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis x - x.

[0040] Due to the fact that the central wheel 14 has only eight evenly spaced around the periphery of the teeth, not every central rotational movement of the central wheel must lead to rotation by the planet gear 13. Rotation of the planet gear 13 around its axis and the associated rotational movement of the scale ring 26 is performed only after a few unit rotary steps of the central wheel 14.

According to FIG. 3, the entire stepper mechanism 11 can be snapped onto the flange 41 by means of a head 34. Sight glasses 47, 48 of the segments of the annular elements 6 and 7 are assigned to the sight glass 36 of the housing, which sight glasses are in the user's field of view. The tool guide 1, in order to insert the step mechanism 11 in a suitable position, has a guide tongue 49 protruding radially from the housing 34, which penetrates into a groove not shown in the drawing in the housing 2, allowing a sliding movement during the execution jump.

[0042] The latching between the stepper control mechanism 11 and the cartridge 3 in the region of the collar 41 on the cartridge head side is such that when the cartridge 3 is removed from the housing 2, the control mechanism 11 is also removed together with the cartridge 3.

EP 1 868 141 B1