Apparatus for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfection fluid for hands, system for monitoring such an apparatus and method for operating such an apparatus within such a system

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfection fluid for hands, comprising a housing (12) which encloses a cavity (14) in which a container (18) for storing the fluid can be introduced, a pumping and metering unit (20) which can be or is connected to the housing (12) and which can be or is releasably connected to the container (18) and by means of which the fluid can be conveyed out of the container (18) and dispensed, wherein the apparatus (10) furthermore has a monitoring unit (54) by means of which data of the fluid can be captured with an input means and be at least temporarily stored as fluid-related data. The invention also relates to a system (100) which consists of at least one such apparatus (10) and furthermore has at least one server (110) which is designed and configured to store fluid data, user data and / or fill level data determined by the at least one apparatus (10), and / or at least one device which is designed and configured to call up the fluid data, user data and / or fill level data from the at least one apparatus (10) and / or from the server (110) and to display said fluid data, user data and / or fill level data. The invention also relates to a method for operating such an apparatus (10) in such a system (100).

Description

[0001] Device for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfection fluid for hands, as well as a system for monitoring such a device and a method for operating such a device within such a system

[0002] The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care, or disinfecting fluid for hands. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for monitoring such a device and a method for operating such a device within such a system.

[0003] Such devices for dispensing a fluid, which are also referred to below as "dispensers" for short, are known for example from EP 3 650 128 A1 and DE 10 58 272 A1 and are used in a variety of ways. For example, in craft businesses where craftsmen regularly dirty their hands, such devices are used to dispense a cleaning fluid, in particular soap, in order to be able to clean the hands. However, since frequent hand washing places a strain on the skin in the hand area, such devices are also used to dispense care products, for example in the form of hand cream. This can prevent skin diseases. The use of such care products can even be prescribed for certain businesses.

[0004] Another very important application for such devices is in healthcare facilities, particularly hospitals, retirement homes, and doctor's offices. There, the devices are used to dispense disinfectant fluids to reduce the spread of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

[0005] Such devices have a pump and dosing unit which in some cases has to be operated with one hand. The dispensed fluid is collected with the other hand and then massaged into the skin in the hand area with both hands. However, due to the fact that the devices are used by a large number of people, there is a risk of pathogens being passed on through contact with the device which is necessary to operate the pump and dosing unit. Devices are therefore known in which the pump and dosing unit can be driven by means of a contactless drive unit so that contact with the device is no longer necessary. This significantly reduces the risk of pathogens being passed on.However, such devices cannot guarantee that the people required by regulations to disinfect their hands actually do so. Furthermore, no documentation of the hand disinfection performed is possible.

[0006] A central aspect in the operation of such disinfectant dispensers is also the proper safeguarding of the supply of disinfectant. In particular, it is necessary to record when which disinfectant in which container was added, how much of it has already been used or is still available and whether the disinfectant can still be used, for example because a use-by date or a permissible maximum storage time of an opened disinfectant container has been exceeded. The object of one embodiment of the present invention is to specify a device for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfection fluid for hands, which device is able to document the disinfection processes carried out in such a way that information on the disinfectant that was dispensed is also included in the documentation.Furthermore, one embodiment of the invention is based on the object of creating a system with such a device, in which the device for dispensing a fluid for data exchange is integrated, and of specifying a method for operating such a device in such a system.

[0007] This object is achieved by the features specified in claims 1 and 15. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the subclaims.

[0008] The device according to the invention for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfection fluid for hands, comprises a housing which encloses a hollow space into which a container for holding the fluid can be introduced, as well as a pump and dosing unit which can be connected or is connected to the housing, which can be detachably connected or is connected to the container, and with which the fluid can be conveyed out of the container and dispensed.

[0009] Essential to the invention is that the device further comprises a monitoring unit with which data of the fluid can be acquired using an input device and stored at least temporarily as fluid data in a storage device. The storage device can, for example, be a circuit board on which at least one memory module is arranged.

[0010] As a result, when the container is replaced or when the container is refilled, the essential data of the newly added fluid, which may include in particular the agent, the manufacturer, the container size, the price, the batch, a delivery note number, an expiry date and / or a reporting limit for the change, can be recorded and at least temporarily stored on the new container or on the storage container from which the container is refilled.

[0011] The execution of a recording process can also be used to log the change date and / or to reset a sensorless level monitoring system that is based on counting the number of times the device is actuated, each of which releases a defined amount of fluid.

[0012] A barcode reader, for example, can serve as an input device. In this case, when replacing or refilling a container, a barcode encoded with the essential fluid data can be scanned. This barcode is located on the new container or on the storage container from which the container is refilled.

[0013] A significantly more cost-effective, but somewhat less convenient to use, embodiment of the invention provides that the input means is a push button with monitoring of the switching states of the push button. By monitoring the switching states of the push button, actuation processes and / or their respective duration and / or the time interval between two actuation processes can be monitored. This enables the input of fluid data in a coded form, particularly when the essential fluid data for the fluids used in the dispenser have already been stored, so that, for example, the type of fluid can be specified by a number of actuations of the push button for a specific period of time. Storing or updating such fluid data records can be done in particular using an app, which is described in more detail below.

[0014] For example, the device can be configured so that pressing the push button for less than 1 second acknowledges a refill with fluid and resets a dispenser counter to zero, pressing the push button for between 1 and 9 seconds sets a different fluid and / or a different container size, and pressing the push button for more than 10 seconds activates a WLAN configuration routine.

[0015] It is particularly preferred if the push button is arranged in such a way that the container must first be removed before it can be actuated. This reduces the risk of the push button being accidentally actuated.

[0016] It is also advantageous if the device has a user recognition device with which the identity of the user of the device can be recorded and stored at least temporarily as user data. The user recognition device can have a readout unit for reading an RFID transponder and / or comprise a camera.

[0017] It is particularly preferred if the device further comprises a

[0018] Monitoring unit with which at least fluid-related, preferably also device-related and / or user-related

[0019] data can be processed.

[0020] The monitoring unit preferably controls or regulates all processes carried out by the device. The monitoring unit can, for example, record when fluid has been dispensed from the device. This information is an example of device-related data. In addition, user-related data which can be assigned to a dispensing process can be entered using a display or, preferably, an app described in more detail below. In this way, the dispensing process can be assigned to a specific user of the device. This assignment can be stored in the monitoring unit and read out via a corresponding interface for documentation purposes. This makes it possible to provide evidence of whether a specific person has actually carried out the prescribed hand disinfection, for example.

[0021] The device can be equipped with a drive unit that interacts with the monitoring unit and drives the pump and dosing unit. In this case, the fluid can be dispensed without manually actuating an actuating lever. Furthermore, the monitoring unit can specify and record the amount of fluid to be dispensed.

[0022] It is also within the scope of the invention that at least some of the recorded data on the fluid is fed to a monitoring unit with which parameters of the fluid dispensing process are controlled, for example if this is set up to access a storage medium on which the temporary storage takes place. The monitoring unit can be set up so that parameters of the fluid dispensing process are changed on the basis of data recorded in this way. For example, the amount of fluid to be dispensed can depend on the respective fluid, so that, for example, the number of spray bursts required for a proper fluid dispensing process or the volume of fluid dispensed per spray burst is automatically adjusted by the device control on the basis of this information.

[0023] In an advantageous development of the invention, it is further provided that the device is configured to determine current fill level data of the container and to store it at least temporarily. This can be achieved by reading the fill level with a fill level sensor and storing the resulting measured value. However, this function can also be implemented more cost-effectively by implementing a counter for spraying processes that is set to zero upon detection of the change or filling of the container, particularly if fixed quantities of fluid are dispensed each time the device is actuated.

[0024] It is particularly preferred if the device comprises a transmitting and receiving unit for exchanging data with external units. In principle, it is possible to display and input the data using a display and / or input device on the respective dispenser, for example a display with a touch function; however, to make full use of the collected and at least temporarily stored fluid-related, device-related and / or user-related data, it is advantageous if the monitoring unit can be read out. For this purpose, for example, an appropriately configured reading device can be used, which must be connected to the device. In the preferred embodiment, however, the device comprises a transmitting and receiving unit with which the stored data can be transmitted wirelessly, for example via Bluetooth or WLAN, to an external unit.Data exchange can occur at regular intervals or quasi-continuously. In the latter case, the status of the device can be determined almost in real time. Exceptional events requiring specific measures can thus be initiated promptly, preventing prolonged downtime of the device.

[0025] The presence of the transmitting and receiving device is particularly advantageous in connection with a system according to the invention. Such a system consists of at least one device according to the invention for dispensing a fluid and further comprises at least one server which is designed and set up to store fluid, user and / or fill level data determined by the at least one device and / or at least one device which is designed and set up to retrieve the fluid, user and / or fill level data from the at least one device and / or from the server and to display this fluid, user and / or fill level data.

[0026] Since a large number of devices for dispensing fluids are typically used in a business or company (which, for example, can reach or exceed several hundred devices when used as a disinfectant dispenser in a large hospital), it is advantageous for the effective use of the collected data to collect and evaluate this data on one device. This can, for example, be a central server that is set up as a database server using common database software such as MYSQL. Preferably, all devices for dispensing fluids are connected to the server so that the results of the incoming data from all servers are organized in the database. Preferably, the system is designed and set up in such a way that the server is able to update or install the firmware on the devices for dispensing fluids - in particular over the air.In addition, the server should be designed to prevent unauthorized access to the data. A hierarchical distribution of roles and the assignment of passwords can help in this regard.

[0027] Preferably, an app for retrieving the fluid, user, and / or fill level data from the at least one device and / or from the server and for displaying this fluid, user, and / or fill level data is installed on devices belonging to the system. In system configurations that have a server, the app can initiate the generation of a CSV file on the server containing the information to be retrieved. This file is then created and provided or transmitted by the server software.

[0028] A further function which, in a preferred embodiment, can be fulfilled by the app is the maintenance of master data which can be entered, for example, via a master data tree and stored on the device for dispensing a fluid and / or on the server. Such data can be, for example: - Fluid-related data, in particular the agent, the manufacturer, the container type / size, the price, the batch, a delivery note number, an expiration date, a change date and / or a reporting limit for the fluid change (e.g. prompted by the expiration date);

[0029] - Donor data and / or configuration parameters, such as a donor ID, information about the location or department where the donor is located, an IP number, data about the donor's network connection in the WLAN and / or LAN, information about the donor's power supply, such as the minimum voltage of the battery or reporting limits for battery replacement;

[0030] - Movement-related data, which include actions directly performed on the dispenser, such as the dispenser number, an automatically determined time stamp, the disinfectant currently in use, the RFID chip number of a user and / or the person filling the device for dispensing a fluid with new fluid, the actuation process, the fill level, the battery voltage or the execution of a reset; as well as

[0031] - Personal data, such as the chip number of a user's RFID chip, their title, salutation, first and last name, job information, workplace, shift model and / or work sequences.

[0032] Preferably, the query also regularly checks whether all registered fluid dispensing devices are still functional. In particular, it checks whether all fluid dispensing devices are connected to the system.

[0033] The inventive method for operating an inventive device for dispensing a fluid in such a system is characterized in that, particularly when refilling the fluid by changing or filling the container for holding the fluid, fluid data is captured using an input device and stored at least temporarily as fluid data in a storage device. The fluid data can be captured, in particular, by reading a barcode with a barcode reader or by means of a push button with monitoring of the switching states of the push button.

[0034] In a further development of the method, at least fluid-related, preferably also device-related and / or user-related data are determined with the device, stored at least temporarily and transmitted to the server for inclusion in a database, as already described above in connection with the system.

[0035] In addition, it has proven particularly advantageous if the database is read and / or maintained using an app that is installed on a separate device, preferably a separate mobile device, as already explained in more detail above.

[0036] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to figures which represent exemplary embodiments.

[0037] Fig. 1 is a perspective sectional view of a device for dispensing a fluid and

[0038] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a system according to the invention.

[0039] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the device 10 for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfecting fluid for hands, based on a perspective sectional view. The device 10 comprises a housing 12 which encloses a cavity 14. A container 18 which contains a fluid, for example a cleaning fluid, a care fluid or a disinfecting fluid, is introduced into the cavity 14, wherein it can be connected to a pumping and dosing unit 20, which will be described in more detail below, or can already be connected to this.

[0040] In this exemplary embodiment, a closure body 24, which may be made of a transparent material, can be latched to the housing 12 by means of a plug-in connection. To release it from the housing 12, the closure body 24 must be slightly compressed by a user. However, in other embodiments, the closure body 24 can also be attached to the housing 12 so that it can move, for example, between a closed position and an open position.

[0041] It can be seen that the pump and dosing unit 20 in this exemplary embodiment has a pump plunger 36 which can be pressed into the cavity 14 of the housing 12 by means of the actuating lever 22, the pump plunger 36 being pretensioned by a first spring 38. The pump plunger 36 comprises a channel 40 which forms a dispensing opening 42 at its free end, which can be designed as a foam nozzle. At its closed end, the channel 40 opens into a suction pipe 44 which projects into the container 18 when the container 18 is connected to the pump and dosing unit 20. An extension hose (not shown) which reaches to the bottom of the container 18 can be connected to the suction pipe 44.In the embodiment shown, the channel 40 is formed by a flexible hose between the discharge opening 42 and the head of the pump plunger 36, so that relative movements between the pump plunger 36 and the discharge opening 42 can be compensated. Furthermore, the pump and dosing unit 20 is provided with a check valve 46, which is biased into a closed position by the first spring 38.

[0042] When pump piston 36 is displaced into the cavity 14 of the housing 12, the first spring 38 is compressed. The check valve 46 remains in the closed position. Due to the reduction in volume between the discharge opening 42 and the check valve 46, the fluid exits through the discharge opening 42, provided the channel 40 between the check valve 46 and the discharge opening 42 is completely filled with fluid.

[0043] Subsequently, the pump plunger 36 is returned to its original position by the first spring 38. Due to the increase in volume between the check valve 46 and the discharge opening 42, the check valve 46 opens, and the fluid is sucked from the container 18 into the suction pipe 44. To prevent fluid or air from the environment that has already been discharged from being sucked back into the channel 40 through the discharge opening 42, a check valve function is integrated into the discharge opening 42.

[0044] Furthermore, the pumping and dosing unit 20 can have an adapter unit 51 which, in the present embodiment, comprises a first tubular section and a second tubular section which engage with one another and are fastened to one another by means of a thread. By turning, the second tubular section can be inserted further or less far into the first tubular section, as a result of which the second tubular section protrudes more or less far from the first tubular section. A sealing body 55 is mounted so as to be axially movable in the second tubular section, the sealing body 55 being prestressed into the position shown in Figure 1 by a second spring 47.

[0045] To insert the container 18, it is pressed with an opening 57 against the sealing body 55 and placed with its base on an inclined support surface 59. Depending on the size of the container 18, the sealing body 55 is displaced more or less far towards the check valve 46, whereby the second spring 47 is compressed. This allows, on the one hand, containers 18 to be used which differ in their height within certain limits. On the other hand, it is ensured that a sufficiently large contact pressure acts between the sealing body 55 and the opening 57 of the container 18 in order to seal the container 18 against the pump and dosing unit 20.

[0046] If the height difference between two containers 18 exceeds the distance that the sealing body 55 can travel within the first tubular section, the second tubular section can be moved further out of or into the first tubular section by rotation. The aim is for the free end of the second tubular section to come into contact with the container 18 in order to protect the opening 57 of the container 18 from the ingress of dirt.

[0047] From Figure 1, it can be seen that the device 10 can be equipped with a drive unit 48, with which the pump piston 36 can be moved independently into the cavity 14 and which can be designed, for example, as an electric motor. However, the drive unit 48 is not absolutely necessary; in other embodiments, the fluid can be released, for example, by the user pressing an actuating lever with his hand.

[0048] To activate the drive unit 48, the device 10 comprises a motion sensor 50, which in the present embodiment is designed as an ultrasonic sensor 52 or a proximity sensor 52. The proximity sensor 50 is only shown in principle in Figure 1 and is arranged on a sensor board (not shown in detail here), which is arranged in the cavity above the proximity sensor 50 of the device 10. The user must bring his hand into the detection range of the motion sensor 50, without, however, having to touch the device 10. As a result, a signal is generated by the motion sensor 50 and forwarded to the drive unit 48. The drive unit is activated and a certain amount of fluid is dispensed via the dispensing opening 42 by the drive unit 48 causing a movement of the pump piston 36.

[0049] As can also be seen from Figure 1, the device 10 is equipped with a monitoring unit 54, with which fluid-related, device-related, and / or user-related data can be recorded and stored. The monitoring unit 54 comprises a circuit board 71, which is arranged in a further cavity 72 enclosed by the housing 12.

[0050] In particular, the monitoring unit 54 comprises a fill level sensor 58 which, in this embodiment, is designed as a counter and thus works indirectly by counting the activations of the drive unit 48 which each lead to the release of a defined quantity of fluid by the device 10.

[0051] Figure 1 further shows that the device 10 has a push button 56 arranged on the circuit board 71, the operating element 56a of which projects into the cavity 14. The switching states of the push button 56 can be monitored. In particular, the number of, duration of, and time between successive actuations of the push button 56 can be determined.

[0052] Before the container 18 is inserted into the cavity 14 as described above, this operating element 56a is accessible to the operator and is used as intended to enter fluid-based information that is stored at least temporarily. In particular, for example, a short press on the operating element 56a can reset the counter, a longer press can be used to set the type of fluid or the size of the container 18 in a coded manner, or a long press can activate a device configuration mode, e.g., for transmitting data for configuring a WLAN module.

[0053] In addition, the device 10 is equipped with an optional temperature sensor, which is also arranged on the circuit board 71 and with which the temperature in the area surrounding the temperature sensor can be determined. The temperature sensor is arranged in such a way that it essentially determines the temperature of the fluid in the container 18. However, if the temperature in the area surrounding the device 10 drops or rises significantly, as can happen, for example, in the event of a fire, the temperature sensor will also detect this temperature change. Both the fill level sensor 58 and the temperature sensor interact with the monitoring unit 54 and supply at least some of the device-related data already mentioned, while fluid-related data in this exemplary embodiment is entered in particular via the push button 56.

[0054] From Figure 1 it can also be seen that the device 10 additionally has a transmitting and receiving unit 60, which is also arranged on the circuit board 71. With this transmitting and receiving unit 60, data stored on the monitoring unit 54 can be exchanged with external units 62. A first external unit 621 is shown in Figure 1, which can be designed, for example, as a smartphone, as a transponder, as a barcode or the like. In this way, a user who uses the device 10 can be identified. For example, it is possible to activate the drive unit 48 only if a user can previously be recognized as an authorized user.

[0055] From Figure 1 it can also be seen that the device 10 comprises two batteries 73, with which the supply of the drive unit 48 and the electronic components such as the temperature sensor 58 with electrical energy can be ensured. As mentioned, the device 10 has a transmitting and receiving unit 60, with which data can be exchanged wirelessly with external units 621. In addition, the device 10 also has an Ethernet port 75, with which the device 10 can be connected to a LAN by wire. With a corresponding configuration of the LAN, the electronic components can also be supplied with electrical energy via the LAN (Power over Ethernet).In the following, reference is made to Figure 2, in which a system 100 comprising a plurality of devices 10 shown in Figure 1, a server 110 and at least one mobile device on which an app 120 is executed is shown by way of a schematic representation.

[0056] The server 110 can, for example, be a server of a hospital, a doctor's office or a factory, which can communicate, for example, via a WLAN network with the devices 10 present in these premises and is operated as a database server in which the fluid, user and / or fill level data determined by the devices 10 are stored.

[0057] With the help of the app 120 operated on the mobile device, evaluations can be initiated on the database server, which can then be made available, for example, as a CSV file and / or visually presented to the user of the mobile device. On the other hand, with the help of this app 120, data can be stored on the server and / or transferred via the server to the devices 10 belonging to the system 100.

[0058] Reference symbol list

[0059] 10 Device

[0060] 12 housings

[0061] 14 Cavity

[0062] 16 Opening

[0063] 18 containers

[0064] 20 Pump and dosing unit

[0065] 24 closure bodies

[0066] 36 pump stamps

[0067] 38 first spring

[0068] 40 channel

[0069] 42 Discharge opening

[0070] 44 intake manifold

[0071] 45 hose

[0072] 46 Check valve

[0073] 47 second spring

[0074] 48 drive unit

[0075] 49 Fastening device

[0076] 50 motion sensor

[0077] 51 adapter unit

[0078] 52 ultrasonic sensor, proximity sensor

[0079] 54 Monitoring Unit

[0080] 55 sealing bodies

[0081] 56 push buttons

[0082] 56a Control element

[0083] 57 Opening

[0084] 58 Level sensor

[0085] 59 support surface

[0086] 60 transmitting and receiving unit

[0087] 70 support bodies

[0088] 71 circuit board

[0089] 72 additional cavity 73 battery

[0090] 100 systems

[0091] 110 servers

[0092] 120 App 621 external unit

Claims

Patent claims 1. Device (10) for dispensing a fluid, in particular a cleaning, care or disinfecting fluid for hands, comprising - a housing (12) which encloses a cavity (14) into which a container (18) for holding the fluid can be introduced, - a pumping and dosing unit (20), o which is connectable or connected to the housing (12), o which is detachably connectable or connected to the container (18), and o with which the fluid can be conveyed out of the container (18) and dispensed, characterized in that the device (10) further comprises a monitoring unit (54), with which data of the fluid can be recorded with an input means and stored at least temporarily as fluid-related data.

2. Device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the input means is a barcode reader.

3. Device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the input means is a push button (56) with a monitoring of the switching states of the push button (56).

4. Device (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the The push button (56) is arranged in such a way that the container (18) must first be removed in order to operate it.

5. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device has a user recognition device with which the identity of the user of the device can be recorded and at least temporarily stored as user data.

6. Device (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that the user recognition device has a reading unit for reading an RFID transponder.

7. Device (10) according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the user recognition device comprises a camera.

8. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device comprises a monitoring unit (54) with which additional device-related and / or user-related data can be recorded and processed.

9. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (10) is configured to determine current fill level data of the container (18) and to store them at least temporarily.

10. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pre- device comprises a transmitting and receiving unit (70) for data exchange with external units (621).

11. System (100) comprising at least one device (10) for dispensing a fluid according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the system (100) further comprises at least one server (110) designed and configured to store fluid, user and / or fill level data determined by the at least one device (10) and / or at least one device designed and configured to retrieve the fluid, user and / or fill level data from the at least one device (10) and / or from the server (110) and to display this fluid, user and / or fill level data.

12. System (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that an app (120) for retrieving the fluid, user and / or fill level data from the at least one device (10) and / or from the server (110) and for displaying this fluid, user and / or fill level data is installed on the device.

13. A method for operating a device (10) for dispensing a fluid according to one of claims 1 to 10 in a system (100) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, in particular when refilling the fluid by changing or filling the container for holding the fluid, data of the fluid are recorded with an input means and stored at least temporarily as fluid data in a storage means.

14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the data of the fluid are recorded by reading a barcode with a barcode reader.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the acquisition of the data of the fluid is carried out by means of a push button (56) with monitoring of the switching state of the push button (56).

16. Method according to one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that with the device (10) at least fluid-related, preferably also device-related and / or user-related data are determined, at least temporarily stored and transmitted to the server (110) for inclusion in a database.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the database is read and / or maintained with an app (120) that is installed on a separate device, preferably a separate mobile device.

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