Medical feeding device

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of medical instruments, in particular to a medical feeder which comprises a feeding assembly, a conveying assembly and a driving assembly, the feeding assembly comprises a feeding bin, the conveying assembly comprises a continuous conveying unit and an intermittent conveying unit, the feeding bin is communicated with the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit, and the driving assembly is connected with the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit. The driving assembly is used for controlling the continuous conveying unit and the discontinuous conveying unit to be started or disconnected at the same time. The feeding device is used for solving the problem that a feeding device cannot meet different requirements of different feeding modes, feeding speeds and feeding flows. The use is time-consuming and labor-consuming; the service life is not long; the problem that a plurality of different feeding modes cannot be driven by one power is solved; the compatibility of continuous feeding and intermittent feeding modes of the patient is realized at the same time; the requirements of controlling the speed and the flow under different feeding modes are met; the use is time-saving and labor-saving; the service life of the feeder is prolonged; and the manufacturing cost of the feeder is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of medical devices, and more specifically, to a medical feeding device. Background Technology

[0002] In the nursing process of the intensive care unit, in order to facilitate patients who are unable to eat larger particles on their own due to difficulty chewing, postoperative fasting, or coma, nasogastric feeding or gastrointestinal tube feeding is often used, in which liquid food is directly fed into the feeding tube by gravity; there are also feeding tubes with various mechanical devices that control the flow rate into the feeding tube through mechanical action.

[0003] In the existing technology, common feeding devices include syringes, pushers, and peristaltic pump feeders. Syringes are time-consuming and laborious for patients who need long-term nasogastric feeding, and the speed is difficult to control. Pushers are similar to large syringes, relying on manual control of speed and force. Compared with syringes, pushers have a certain food storage function, and the speed and flow of liquid food can be manually controlled, which improves the flexibility of use. Peristaltic pump feeders are more time-saving and labor-saving than syringes, but the silicone pump tube in the peristaltic pump is subjected to more compressions and has a shorter lifespan, making peristaltic pump feeders more expensive.

[0004] Improving the aforementioned common feeding devices to address issues such as their inability to meet the varying needs of different patients for feeding speed and flow rate of liquid food; the time-consuming and labor-intensive nature of using feeding devices, which relies on manual control and increases the workload of medical staff; the short lifespan of feeding devices, which requires the use of a peristaltic pump to squeeze the silicone pump tube to control uniform feeding speed; and the inability to achieve feeding with one power source to drive multiple different feeding tubes are all problems that urgently need to be solved in this field. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the defects (deficiencies) of the prior art and provide a medical feeding device to solve the problems that feeding devices cannot meet the different needs of different patients for the feeding speed and flow rate of liquid food; are time-consuming and laborious to use and rely on manual control; have a short service life; and cannot realize feeding of multiple different feeding modes driven by one power source.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model is a medical feeding device, which includes a feeding component, a conveying component, and a driving component. The feeding component includes a feeding bin, the conveying component includes a continuous conveying unit and an intermittent conveying unit, the feeding bin is connected to the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit respectively, and the driving component is used to simultaneously control the start or stop of the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit.

[0007] It is beneficial to store liquid feed for different conveying units through the feeding component; it is beneficial to achieve compatibility between different feeding methods such as continuous feeding and intermittent feeding by separating the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit in the conveying component, so as to improve the compatibility and flexibility of the feeder; it is beneficial to achieve synchronous control of different conveying units through the drive component, so as to reduce the manufacturing cost of the drive component.

[0008] The continuous conveying unit includes a screw conveyor and a first clutch. The screw conveyor includes a conveying chamber and a screw blade, and the screw blade rotates in the conveying chamber. The first clutch is used to control the rotational speed of the screw blade.

[0009] It is beneficial to achieve continuous automatic feeding of liquid food through the screw conveyor; it is beneficial to achieve the effect of squeezing liquid food by replacing the silicone pump tube in the peristaltic pump through the rotation of the screw blade in the conveying chamber; it is beneficial to achieve the power connection or disconnection between the screw conveyor and the drive assembly through the first clutch, thereby controlling the rotation speed of the screw blade.

[0010] The intermittent conveying unit includes a booster and a second clutch. The booster includes an incomplete gear, a racetrack-shaped rack, and a piston chamber. The racetrack-shaped rack is fixed to the piston chamber. The reciprocating meshing of the incomplete gear and the racetrack-shaped rack controls their reciprocating motion, thereby causing the volume of the piston chamber to change. The second clutch is used to control the rotational speed of the incomplete gear.

[0011] This design facilitates the use of a booster to achieve discontinuous, automatic feeding of liquid food at longer intervals, enhancing the feeder's flexibility. It also allows for the use of a racetrack-shaped rack fixed to the piston chamber, with the incomplete gear connected to the drive assembly via a second clutch, enabling gear meshing that changes the volume of the piston chamber. When the incomplete gear meshes with the racetrack-shaped rack on one side, the volume of the piston chamber changes gradually in one direction. Furthermore, the second clutch allows for the connection or disconnection of power between the feeder and the drive assembly. By controlling the meshing speed between the incomplete gear and the racetrack-shaped rack, the rate of change in the piston chamber's volume can be controlled.

[0012] The feeding assembly further includes a first discharge port and a second discharge port. The conveying chamber includes a first inlet at its head end and a first outlet at its tail end. The first inlet is connected to the first discharge port, and the first outlet is used for continuous feeding. The piston chamber includes a second inlet on its side wall and a second outlet at its bottom. The second inlet is connected to the second discharge port, and the second outlet is used for intermittent feeding.

[0013] The separation of the first inlet and the first outlet at both ends facilitates the improvement of the uniformity of liquid feed in the screw conveyor; it facilitates the flow of liquid feed from the feed hopper into the first inlet by gravity through the first outlet; it facilitates the control of the continuous and uninterrupted flow of liquid feed into the patient's body by controlling the opening and closing of the first outlet; it facilitates the flow of liquid feed from the feed hopper into the second inlet by gravity through the second outlet, without mixing with the first inlet; and it facilitates the control of the discontinuous and intermittent flow of liquid feed into the patient's body by controlling the opening and closing of the second outlet.

[0014] The height of the first inlet relative to the drive component is greater than the height of the second inlet relative to the drive component.

[0015] This facilitates rapid feeding of the continuous conveying unit by utilizing the height difference between the first inlet and the second inlet, and reduces the suction lift of the intermittent conveying unit when it draws in feed.

[0016] The second inlet includes a first check valve, and the second outlet includes a second check valve. The first check valve and the second check valve control the meshing of the incomplete gear and the racetrack-shaped rack through a controller.

[0017] It is beneficial to control the flow direction of liquid feed through the first and second one-way valves, avoiding backflow from the booster back to the feed hopper or back to the booster; it is also beneficial to adjust the opening and closing states of the first and second one-way valves in real time according to the engagement state, thereby achieving the effect of the booster automatically sucking or pushing liquid feed according to the volume change of the piston chamber.

[0018] The drive assembly includes a differential gear set, which simultaneously controls the operating speeds of the first clutch and the second clutch in conjunction with the screw conveyor and the booster, respectively.

[0019] It is beneficial to achieve different speeds at both ends of a power synchronous control through the differential gear set, thereby improving the energy utilization rate of the power source and reducing manufacturing costs; it is also beneficial to achieve the effect of synchronous differential operation of the screw conveyor and the booster through the connection relationship between the differential gear set and the first clutch and the second clutch.

[0020] Both the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit are equipped with a heat insulation layer.

[0021] This helps to keep the liquid food warm through the insulation layer, improving the patient's experience.

[0022] It also includes an alarm unit, which includes a heating module, a flow monitoring module, and a liquid level monitoring module. The heating module is used for heating and overheating monitoring of the feeding hopper. The flow monitoring module is connected to the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit to monitor the continuous feeding flow and the intermittent feeding flow. The liquid level monitoring module monitors the feeding height and adjusts the feeding speed.

[0023] It is beneficial to heat the feed in the feeding hopper through the heating module and prevent overheating from causing burns to patients; it is beneficial to realize real-time monitoring of the conveying volume of the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit through the flow monitoring module, and to feed back to the feeding hopper to control the opening and closing status of the first and second discharge ports; it is beneficial to realize real-time monitoring of the height limit of the feeding hopper through the liquid level monitoring module.

[0024] The feeding assembly also includes multiple mixing bins for mixing and feeding various slurries.

[0025] It is beneficial to achieve the mixing of various different slurries through multiple mixing bins.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: it enables a single feeder to simultaneously meet the patient's needs for both continuous and intermittent feeding; it also meets the different requirements for controlling feeding speed and flow rate under different feeding methods; it saves time and effort during use, does not rely on manual control, and reduces the workload of medical staff; it extends the feeder's service life by replacing the silicone pump tube with a continuous delivery unit; and it reduces the manufacturing cost of the feeder by having a single power source drive both the continuous delivery unit and the intermittent delivery unit simultaneously. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the booster motion of this utility model.

[0029] Explanation of the symbols in the attached diagram: 100 for feeding hopper, 110 for first discharge port, 120 for second discharge port, 200 for screw conveyor, 210 for first inlet, 220 for first outlet, 300 for booster, 310 for second inlet, 320 for second outlet, 330 for incomplete gear, 340 for racetrack-shaped rack, and 400 for drive assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some components in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual dimensions of the product. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0031] Example

[0032] like Figure 1-2 As shown, this embodiment provides a medical feeding device, which includes a feeding assembly, a conveying assembly, and a driving assembly 400. The feeding assembly includes a feeding bin 100, and the conveying assembly includes a continuous conveying unit and an intermittent conveying unit. The feeding bin 100 is connected to the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit respectively. The driving assembly 400 is used to simultaneously control the start-up or disconnection of the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit.

[0033] In this embodiment, medical staff pour the liquid feeding material to be delivered to the patient into the feeding hopper 100, which is located above the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit. The liquid feeding material flows by its own weight. The driving component 400 is located below the feeding hopper 100 and synchronously drives the continuous conveying unit located to its right and the intermittent conveying unit located to its left to start or stop, so as to achieve synchronous compatibility of the two feeding methods and adapt to the patient's flexible switching between continuous feeding mode and intermittent feeding mode.

[0034] The continuous conveying unit includes a screw conveyor 200 and a first clutch. The screw conveyor 200 includes a conveying chamber and a screw blade, and the screw blade rotates in the conveying chamber. The first clutch is used to control the rotational speed of the screw blade.

[0035] In this embodiment, the screw conveyor 200 is a container that uses a rotating screw blade within the conveying chamber to push liquid feed forward and complete the conveying process. Once the screw conveyor 200 is activated, the feeder enters a continuous feeding mode, where the liquid feed is continuously and quantitatively conveyed, making it impossible to achieve intermittent quantitative conveying. The first clutch is connected between the screw conveyor 200 and the drive assembly 400. When the first clutch and the drive assembly 400 are connected, the rotational speed of the screw blade is constant, and the flow rate of the liquid feed is constant. When the first clutch and the drive assembly 400 are disconnected, the rotational speed of the screw blade gradually decreases until it reaches 0, and the flow rate of the conveyed liquid feed changes from a constant value to 0.

[0036] The intermittent conveying unit includes a booster 300 and a second clutch. The booster 300 includes an incomplete gear 330, a racetrack-shaped rack 340, and a piston chamber. The racetrack-shaped rack 340 is fixed to the piston chamber. The reciprocating meshing of the incomplete gear 330 and the racetrack-shaped rack 340 controls their reciprocating motion, thereby causing the volume of the piston chamber to change. The second clutch is used to control the rotational speed of the incomplete gear 330.

[0037] In this embodiment, the booster 300 can push liquid feed of different volumes arbitrarily according to the volume change of the piston chamber. The incomplete gear 330 is connected to the drive assembly 400 through a second clutch. When the second clutch is connected to the drive assembly 400, the rotational speed of the incomplete gear 330 is positively correlated with the rotational speed of the drive assembly 400; when the second clutch is disconnected from the drive assembly 400, the rotational speed of the incomplete gear 330 is positively correlated with the rotational speed of the second clutch.

[0038] In this embodiment, the volume change of the piston chamber varies according to the meshing state of the incomplete gear 330 and the racetrack-shaped rack 340. The outer ring of the racetrack-shaped rack 340 has a smooth edge, and the left and right sides of the inner ring of the racetrack-shaped rack 340 are respectively provided with edge racks, namely the inner ring left rack and the inner ring right rack. When the incomplete gear 330 meshes with the inner ring left rack, the volume of the piston chamber is compressed, the second outlet 320 is opened, the second inlet 310 is closed, and the liquid feed flows out from the second outlet 320; when the incomplete gear 330 meshes with the inner ring right rack, the volume of the piston chamber expands, the second inlet 310 is opened, the second outlet 320 is closed, and the liquid feed flows in from the second inlet 310.

[0039] In this embodiment, the number of racetrack-shaped racks 340 and the number of incomplete gears 330 can be customized according to the output flow rate of each liquid feed.

[0040] The feeding assembly further includes a first discharge port 110 and a second discharge port 120. The conveying chamber includes a first inlet 210 at its head end and a first outlet 220 at its tail end. The first inlet 210 is connected to the first discharge port 110, and the first outlet 220 is used for continuous feeding. The piston chamber includes a second inlet 310 on its side wall and a second outlet 320 at its bottom. The second inlet 310 is connected to the second discharge port 120, and the second outlet 320 is used for intermittent feeding.

[0041] In this embodiment, the first discharge port 110 is located on the lower right side of the feeding assembly. The first discharge port 110 is connected to the first inlet 210 through a connecting pipe. The liquid feed flows into the first inlet 210 by its own weight. The conveying chamber is a long cylindrical shape. The first inlet 210 is located on the upper side of the first end of the long cylindrical tube, and the first outlet 220 is located at the tail end of the long cylindrical tube. The liquid feed falls into the first inlet 210 at the first end of the long cylindrical tube and is pushed forward by the spiral blade to the first outlet 220 at the tail end of the long cylindrical tube.

[0042] In this embodiment, the second discharge port 120 is located on the lower left side of the feeding assembly. The second discharge port 120 is directly connected to the second inlet 310. The liquid feed flows into the second inlet 310 by its own weight. The piston chamber is cylindrical, similar to the injection cylinder of the prior art. The second inlet 310 is opened on its side wall, and the second outlet 320 is opened at its bottom. When the volume of the piston chamber changes, it is only reflected on the scale value in the vertical direction of the injection cylinder.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the piston chamber expands, the booster 300 draws in liquid feed through the second inlet 310; when the piston chamber shrinks, the booster 300 pushes out liquid feed through the second outlet 320. Before each feeding push, an inhalation action is required to complete the intermittent feeding mode.

[0044] The height of the first inlet 210 relative to the drive assembly 400 is greater than the height of the second inlet 310 relative to the drive assembly 400.

[0045] In this embodiment, with the drive assembly 400 as a reference, the height of the first inlet 210 is higher than the height of the second inlet 310. When the feeding chamber 100 is fed, the feeding material flows out from the first outlet 110 and the second outlet 120 at the same time. The feeding material entering the first inlet has a greater flow rate, which helps to shorten the patient's waiting time. The suction stroke entering the second inlet is shorter, which improves the efficiency of the piston chamber's one round trip.

[0046] The second inlet 310 includes a first check valve, and the second outlet 320 includes a second check valve. The first check valve and the second check valve control the meshing of the incomplete gear 330 and the racetrack-shaped rack 340 through a controller.

[0047] In this embodiment, both the first and second check valves are solenoid valves, facilitating sensitive and automatic control of their on / off effects. In this embodiment, when the incomplete gear 330 meshes with the inner left rack of the racetrack-shaped rack 340, the controller controls the closure of the first check valve and the opening of the second check valve; when the incomplete gear 330 meshes with the inner right rack of the racetrack-shaped rack 340, the controller controls the opening of the first check valve and the closure of the second check valve.

[0048] The drive assembly 400 includes a differential gear set, which simultaneously controls the operating speeds of the first clutch and the second clutch in conjunction with the screw conveyor 200 and the booster 300, respectively.

[0049] In this embodiment, the differential gear set controls the first clutch and the second clutch to rotate at different speeds, and the two are controlled synchronously, so as to achieve the effect of one power source controlling the different speeds of the two connected ends, thereby improving the utilization rate of electrical energy and reducing the manufacturing cost of the feeder.

[0050] Both the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit are equipped with a heat insulation layer.

[0051] In this embodiment, the heat insulation layer covers the outer surface of the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit to reduce the speed of heat exchange between the conveying components and the outside world. This ensures that the liquid food feed loses relatively little heat when it is delivered to the patient after entering the feeding hopper 100 and being pushed by the screw conveyor 200 and the booster 300, thereby improving the patient's user experience.

[0052] It also includes an alarm unit, which includes a heating module, a flow monitoring module, and a liquid level monitoring module. The heating module is used for heating and overheating monitoring of the feeding hopper 100. The flow monitoring module is connected to the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit and is used to monitor the continuous feeding flow and the intermittent feeding flow. The liquid level monitoring module is connected to the feeding hopper 100 and is used to monitor the feeding height and adjust the feeding speed.

[0053] In this embodiment, the flow monitoring module and the liquid level monitoring module are used to remind the liquid level in the feeding hopper 100, and also to remind the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit of their conveying status; the heating module is used to heat the feed in the feeding hopper 100 and prevent overheating.

[0054] The feeding assembly also includes multiple mixing bins for mixing and feeding various slurries.

[0055] In this embodiment, the mixing chamber is located next to and connected to the feeding chamber 100. When the patient needs to add one or more different feeds during feeding, other feeds can be added through the mixing chamber. Alternatively, hot water can be added through the mixing chamber to heat the feed being fed, thereby improving the patient's experience.

[0056] Obviously, the above embodiments of this utility model are merely examples for clearly illustrating the technical solution of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A medical feeding set, characterized by It includes a feeding assembly, a conveying assembly, and a driving assembly. The feeding assembly includes a feeding bin, the conveying assembly includes a continuous conveying unit and an intermittent conveying unit, the feeding bin is connected to the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit respectively, and the driving assembly is used to simultaneously control the start or stop of the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit. The continuous conveying unit includes a screw conveyor and a first clutch. The screw conveyor includes a conveying chamber and a screw blade, and the screw blade rotates in the conveying chamber. The first clutch is used to control the rotational speed of the screw blade. The intermittent conveying unit includes a booster and a second clutch. The booster includes an incomplete gear, a racetrack-shaped rack, and a piston chamber. The racetrack-shaped rack is fixed to the piston chamber. The reciprocating meshing of the incomplete gear and the racetrack-shaped rack controls their reciprocating motion, thereby causing the volume of the piston chamber to change. The second clutch is used to control the rotational speed of the incomplete gear.

2. The medical feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The feeding assembly further includes a first discharge port and a second discharge port. The conveying chamber includes a first inlet at its head end and a first outlet at its tail end. The first inlet is connected to the first discharge port, and the first outlet is used for continuous feeding. The piston chamber includes a second inlet on its side wall and a second outlet at its bottom. The second inlet is connected to the second discharge port, and the second outlet is used for intermittent feeding.

3. The medical feeder according to claim 2, wherein the height of the first inlet relative to the drive assembly is greater than the height of the second inlet relative to the drive assembly. The second inlet includes a first check valve, and the second outlet includes a second check valve. The first check valve and the second check valve control the meshing of the incomplete gear and the racetrack-shaped rack through a controller.

4. A medical feeding set according to any one of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that The drive assembly includes a differential gear set, which simultaneously controls the operating speeds of the first clutch and the second clutch in conjunction with the screw conveyor and the booster, respectively.

5. A medical feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein Both the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit are equipped with a heat insulation layer.

6. The medical feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein It also includes an alarm unit, which includes a heating module, a flow monitoring module, and a liquid level monitoring module. The heating module is used for heating and overheating monitoring of the feeding hopper. The flow monitoring module is connected to the continuous conveying unit and the intermittent conveying unit and is used to monitor the continuous feeding flow and the intermittent feeding flow. The liquid level monitoring module is connected to the feeding hopper and is used to monitor the feeding height and control the feeding speed.

7. The medical feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The feeding assembly also includes multiple mixing bins for mixing and feeding various slurries.

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