Built-in or non-built-in medical fluid monitoring box

Abstract

Title of the invention Built-in or non-built-in medical fluid monitoring box The invention relates to a fluid monitoring box (1) for monitoring one or more fluid pipes within a hospital establishment, said box (1) being formed of a rear housing part (10) and a front housing part (11) mounted on the rear housing part (10). The rear housing part (10) is in two configurations including a first built-in configuration (A) and a second configuration (B) suitable for fixing on the surface of the wall of the hospital establishment. The front housing part (11) can be fixed to either of the first and second configurations (A, B). Fluid conveying installation in a hospital establishment comprising such a fluid monitoring box (1), electrically connected to one or more pressure sensors monitoring the network of fluid pipes, ie gas and vacuum.Abstract figure: Fig. 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Built-in or non-built-in medical fluid monitoring box

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing or device for monitoring one or more medical fluids, such as one or more medical gases or a vacuum (i.e. depression), usable in a building or hospital establishment, such as a hospital, in particular for monitoring a fluid distribution network.

[0002] Medical fluid monitoring boxes are mandatory safety elements that make it possible to monitor medical fluid distribution networks, typically lines or pipes for conveying medical gases, such as air, oxygen (O2) or nitrous oxide (N2O), or vacuum (i.e. depression), arranged in hospital establishments, such as hospitals, clinics or the like.

[0003] A monitoring box is usually installed, whether recessed or not, on a wall, partition or the like, for example in the area(s) where medical fluids are produced and / or at the entrance to one or more hospital departments.

[0004] One or more pressure sensors are connected to the various lines of the medical fluid network to be monitored, via electrical connections, such as electrical cables or the like, and are also electrically connected to the monitoring box, in particular to the control means contained in the box, such as a main electronic card comprising one or more microprocessors, to provide them with the pressure measurements made so that they can be processed electronically.

[0005] More precisely, each pressure sensor is connected to electrical connection means of the housing, i.e. a set of electrical connectors, such as one or more terminal blocks, themselves connected to the control means of the housing, via electrical connections, also called “monitoring channels” arranged in the monitoring housing.

[0006] Each monitoring channel is configured specifically to ensure correct monitoring of the different fluid line(s) of the fluid network and thus enable the control means to trigger an alarm when an anomaly is detected, such as a crossing of an alert pressure threshold for example, i.e. a crossing upwards or downwards of one (or more) given threshold values. When an alarm is triggered, the corresponding information or alert can be displayed on a display screen of the box and / or transmitted to remote remote monitoring equipment, such as a Centralized Technical Management (CTM) used to remotely monitor several devices within a hospital establishment, such as medical fluid monitoring boxes, fire alarm boxes, ventilation systems, heating and / or air conditioning systems, etc.

[0007] Such a case comprises a rear case part or rear half-case, forming the bottom of the case, and a front case part or front half-case forming the front of the case, which is positioned on the rear part, forming a cover. The rear case part or rear half-case generally contains the control means, such as an electronic card(s), electrical connection terminals and other operating elements.

[0008] Depending on the case, the box can either be mounted on the wall of the building, i.e. wall or other, or embedded in a niche or similar provided in the wall, and is held there by screwing or similar. It is therefore necessary to provide two different types of complete boxes including, in their rear part, the control means, such as an electronic card(s), and the electrical connection terminals, namely flush-mounted boxes and boxes which are not.

[0009] It is understood that this generates significant logistics and storage costs since it is necessary to store complete boxes of both types in order to be able to satisfy both types of mounting, i.e. flush-mounted or not.

[0010] A problem is therefore to improve the design of a monitoring box that can be used to monitor one or more medical fluids, such as one or more gases or medical vacuum (i.e. depression), in a hospital building, such as a hospital or the like, so as to allow it either to be embedded in a wall, such as a wall or the like, of the hospital building, or to be fixed on said wall, i.e. not to be embedded, without encountering the aforementioned problems or drawbacks.

[0011] The invention then relates to a fluid monitoring box for monitoring one or more fluid pipes (i.e. gas or vacuum lines) within a hospital establishment, such as a hospital network, said box being formed of a rear box part and a front box part, in which: - the rear housing part comprises at least one opening to allow the passage of one or more wired electrical connections, and is configured to be secured to a wall of a hospital establishment, and - the front housing part comprises at least one electronic card and electrical connection connectors configured to electrically connect at least part of the wired electrical connections.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the invention:

[0013] i) the rear housing part comes in two configurations comprising: - a first configuration (A) suitable for embedding in the wall of the hospital establishment, and - a second configuration (B) suitable for fixing to the surface of the wall of the hospital establishment, and

[0014] ii) the front housing portion is configured to be secured to the rear housing portion in either of the first and second configurations (A, B), i.e. either in the first configuration (A) or in the second configuration (B).

[0015] In other words, the two configurations (A, B) of the rear housing part are interchangeable, that is to say that the front housing part can be fixed therein indifferently so as to obtain a monitoring box in a built-in configuration or, conversely, a non-built-in configuration, depending on what is desired, namely to integrate the box into a wall or to fix it to the surface of said wall of the hospital establishment, i.e. a wall, a partition or the like.

[0016] Thus, it is no longer necessary to have to provide two different types of complete boxes, i.e. built-in and non-built-in. Such modularity of the box also makes it possible to improve costs linked in particular to logistics, storage, space requirements, etc. by offering greater installation flexibility.

[0017] Depending on the embodiment considered, the housing of the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics: - the front housing part is mounted on the rear housing part, i.e. they are mechanically connected to each other. - the front housing part is mounted to pivot relative to the rear housing part. - pivoting along the horizontal axis (XX) is ensured by at least one hinge. - the front housing part is mounted to pivot about a horizontal axis (XX) located at the level of a lower wall of the rear housing part. - the hinge is fitted or arranged on the rear and front housing parts, i.e. at the intersection or junction of the two front and rear parts. - the attachment of the front housing part to the rear housing part is done at the hinge, i.e. is ensured at least in part by the hinge. - the connection between the front part of the case and the rear part of the case can also be made using “clips”, at least one metal rod or one or more hooks or other. - the rear housing part includes means for fixing to the wall, such as screw holes or the like. - the front housing part is mounted to pivot so that it can tilt downwards, i.e. towards the ground, when the housing is mounted on a vertical wall (i.e. wall or similar) of the hospital establishment, such as a hospital, clinic or similar, i.e. between a floor and a ceiling. The front case part includes a front faceplate of the case. The rear case part includes a polymer case. the (at least one) hinge is provided or arranged at the lower wall of the rear housing part, in particular at the external edge of said lower wall. the rear casing part comprises a peripheral wall of generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. the rear housing portion comprises a bottom wall (located on the floor side), a top wall (located on the ceiling side), a right side wall and a left side wall, the bottom and top walls being arranged face to face, and the right and left side walls being arranged face to face. the rear housing part further comprises a bottom wall closing the housing on the wall side, i.e. wall, partition or the like. the front case part and the rear case part are made of polymer material. Electrical connection connectors include one or more electrical terminal blocks. The electrical connection connectors are electrically connected to the electronic board. the wired electrical connection(s) comprise electrical wires (i.e. cables or the like) for connection to one or more pressure sensors arranged on the fluid pipe(s) of the hospital establishment and / or to the electrical sector (i.e., 110V / 220V). the front housing part is pivotally movable between at least one closed position and one open position, and vice versa. in the closed position (i.e. a first angular position), the front housing part is positioned on the rear housing part to close it like a cover. in the open position (i.e. a second angular position), the front housing part is pivoted relative to the rear housing part. the front housing part can pivot through an angle of at least 130°, preferably at least 150°, advantageously of the order of 180°. in the closed position, the electronic card and the electrical connection connectors are arranged or positioned inside the box, that is to say they are not accessible since they are protected by the box. in the open position, the electronic card and the electrical connection connectors are exposed to the outside and accessible to the user. in the open position, the front housing part is positioned by tilting below (i.e. closer to the ground) the rear housing part which is fixed in or on the vertical wall of the hospital or the like. The front housing part further includes a display screen. the display screen is arranged in the front panel of the case so as to be able to be consulted or consultable by the user when the front case part is in its closed position, that is to say positioned on the rear case part to close it in the manner of a cover. the rear housing part comprises means for fixing to the vertical wall of the hospital establishment, i.e. a wall, a partition or the like. the rear housing part is recessed into the vertical wall (i.e. wall, partition or similar) of the hospital establishment. alternatively, the rear housing portion is configured to be fixed to the surface of the vertical wall (i.e. wall, partition or the like) of the hospital establishment, i.e. is not recessed into the vertical wall. the front housing part includes control means including the electronic card. the electronic card includes at least one (micro)processor. the electrical connection connectors are configured to electrically connect at least one pressure sensor configured to carry out one or more fluid pressure measurements. the electrical connection connectors are configured to electrically connect at least one connection cable to the electrical sector (110V / 220V). the electrical connection connectors are electrically connected to the control means so as to provide them with the pressure measurement(s) coming from the pressure sensor(s). the electronic card comprises at least one module location configured to allow the connection thereto of a removable telecommunications module comprising at least one secondary electronic card carrying telecommunications means, said telecommunications module being configured to cooperate, via the secondary electronic card, with the control means comprising the main electronic card to transmit, for example supply, emit or the like, one or more pieces of information (i.e. data, measurements, alarm signal, etc.) to at least one remote monitoring device. The surveillance box has a width between 180 and 250 cm, a height between 130 and 180 cm, and a depth between 50 and 110 cm. Electrical connection connectors comprise a set of connectors arranged in parallel, i.e. one or more electrical terminal blocks. the pressure sensor(s) are configured to perform one or more gas pressure or vacuum (i.e. depression) measurements. Wired electrical connections include electrical wires or cables. the display screen is configured to display one or more information, data, measurements, pictograms or other graphic elements, including alphanumeric characters and / or alarms. the control means are configured to control the display(s) on the display screen. the display screen is in color or black and white. the display screen can be touch-sensitive. the electronic card further comprises storage means configured to store data, measurements and / or information, or other, such as a computer memory, for example a flash memory. the electronic card also includes alarm means controlled (i.e. monitored) by the pilot means. the control means control the alarm means to trigger an alarm in the event of detection of inadequate pressure, such as overpressure (i.e. excessive pressure) or underpressure (i.e. insufficient pressure) in relation to one or more stored pressure thresholds. the alarm means are audible or visual, or both, for example they comprise one or more LEDs or the like, and / or a buzzer system or the like. the control means are configured to control a display of a visual alarm (or alert) on the display screen, in response to an alarm trigger. the electrical connection connectors are configured to electrically connect at least one connection cable to the electrical sector (110 / 220V) so as to supply - directly or indirectly - with electrical current all the components requiring electrical current for operate, in particular the electronic card, the control means, the display screen, etc. - the control means are configured to compare the pressure measurements from the pressure sensors with low pressure and / or high pressure thresholds stored by the data storage means in order to trigger an audible and / or visual alarm when excessive or insufficient pressure is detected. - it includes 2 to 10 electrical connection connectors. - the box is programmable, i.e. configurable, using stored configuration parameters. - the configuration parameters of the box include a fluid type selected from oxygen, air, an N2O / O2 mixture or vacuum, preferably oxygen, air or vacuum; low pressure and high pressure thresholds; and a sensor type.

[0018] The invention also relates to a fluid conveyance installation arranged in a hospital establishment, such as a network of pipes conveying gases and / or vacuum (i.e. depression), comprising a fluid monitoring box according to the invention, mounted on or in a vertical wall of the hospital establishment and electrically connected to one or more pressure sensors arranged on one or more fluid conveyance lines, and to the electrical sector (110 / 220V), in particular an oxygen conveyance line, an air conveyance line, an N2O / O2 mixture conveyance line and / or a vacuum conveyance line.

[0019] The fluid monitoring box according to the invention can be fixed to a vertical wall, i.e. a wall, a partition or the like, of the hospital establishment, typically at a height of at least 1.50 m above the ground, for example at a height of the order of 1.80 m.

[0020] The fluid delivery line(s) comprise gas or vacuum pipes or conduits, in particular a network of medical fluid pipes, i.e. gas and vacuum.

[0021] The fluid delivery line(s) are attached to one or more vertical walls, i.e. a wall, partition, ceiling or the like, of the hospital establishment.

[0022] The invention will now be better understood thanks to the following detailed description, given for illustrative but non-limiting purposes, with reference to the appended figures among which:

[0023] [Fig-1] shows a diagram of an embodiment of a monitoring box according to the invention, with front housing part in open position.

[0024] [Fig.2] is a front view of a monitoring box according to the invention according to a first configuration built into a wall.

[0025] [Fig.3] is a rear view of the housing of [Fig.2].

[0026] [Fig.4] is a ¾ front view of a monitoring box according to the invention according to a second non-recessed configuration, i.e. configured to be fixed to a wall.

[0027] [Fig. 1] schematizes an embodiment of a fluid monitoring box 1 according to the invention configured to enable monitoring of the fluid lines of a fluid conveyance installation, i.e. gas or vacuum, and to trigger one or more alarms in the event of detection of a malfunction, typically a non-compliant pressure.

[0028] A fluid conveyance installation, i.e. gas or vacuum, typically comprising several fluid lines, such as pipes or the like, forming part for example of a network of pipes or fluid lines, arranged within a hospital establishment, such as a hospital, a clinic or the like. Such lines are used for conveying oxygen, nitrous oxide, medical air and / or vacuum, i.e. depression (i.e. < 1 atm) within the hospital from their production or storage site, on the site of the hospital establishment, to distribution outlets arranged in their places of use within the hospital establishment, such as treatment, operating or recovery rooms, emergency rooms, bedrooms or others.Thus, medical grade air can be produced directly on site by means of a PSA air unit (pressure swing adsorption), as described by EP-A-864818, and the same applies to vacuum, which can also be produced on site by means of one (or more) vacuum pumps, as described by EP-A-1026567. Furthermore, oxygen or nitrous oxide (N2O) can be produced off-site, before being brought there by tanker or the like, where they are stored in storage tanks, or gas cylinders.

[0029] The fluid delivery lines are usually fixed to the walls, partitions, ceilings or walls of the hospital establishment. The same applies to the distribution sockets located at the free ends of these fluid delivery lines, i.e. wall sockets, as described by EP-A-3719377. The fluid delivery lines are generally monitored by a monitoring box 1, such as that of [Fig.l] to [Fig.4].

[0030] To do this, the monitoring box 1 is electrically connected, via wired electrical connections, such as electric cables or the like, to pressure sensors arranged on the fluid lines to be monitored, which carry out pressure measurements and transmit them to control means 2 arranged in the box.

[0031] The control means 2 typically comprise one or more electronic cards 3 carrying one or more (micro) processors implementing one or more algorithms, which are configured in particular to process measurements, information, data, or other, and / or trigger one or more alarms. The control means 2 may also be called a control unit, information processing unit or means, on-board electronics or the like. They advantageously comprise storage means, in particular arranged on the electronic card 3, used to store or store configuration parameters, data or other information, such as a flash memory or the like.

[0032] The monitoring box 1 is also electrically connected via one or more wired electrical connections, such as electric cables or the like, to a source of electric current, such as the electrical sector (220V eg).

[0033] The monitoring box 1 is usually fixed to a vertical wall of a room or the like of the hospital establishment, that is to say fixed on the surface of the vertical wall or, depending on the embodiment, embedded and fixed in a housing arranged in the vertical wall, between the floor and the ceiling of the room, typically at a height of at least 1.50 m above the floor 21, generally at a height of the order of 1.80 m. The fixing is done via fixing means, for example by screwing screws or the like passing through orifices 7 made in the rear part 10 of the box 1.

[0034] The housing 1 is formed of a rear housing part 10 or rear half-housing, and a front housing part 11, or front half-housing, which is mounted to pivot on the rear housing part 10, in particular to tilt.

[0035] The rear casing part 10 is the one that is fixed to the vertical partition and therefore forms the rear of the casing 1, while the front casing part 11 forms the front of the casing 1 which is presented to the user, when the front casing part 11 is positioned on the rear casing part 10, like a cover, that is to say when the casing 1 is closed.

[0036] The rear casing part 10 further has one or more openings 4 allowing the passage of wired electrical connections, e.g. electric cables or the like, and their connection to electrical connection connectors arranged in the casing 1.

[0037] When an installer or other operator wishes to intervene inside the box 1, he opens the box 1 by tilting the front box part 11 along a horizontal axis (XX) forming a hinge 5 so that it is placed closer to the ground than the rear box part 10, as illustrated in [Fig.l] showing the open box 1, with the front box part 11 tilted downwards.

[0038] This makes it easier for the operator to connect the wired electrical connections, in particular those connecting the box 1 to the pressure sensors or to the electrical current source, such as the mains (110 / 220V), or to other elements of the installation such as, for example, a device for monitoring vacuum production (not shown) by a vacuum pump or by one of the other gas sources, eg a PSA unit or other.

[0039] The electronic card 3 and at least a portion of the electrical connection connectors, such as terminal blocks or connector assemblies, are arranged in the front housing part 11, i.e. the tilting front half-housing, and the latter is mounted to pivot about the horizontal axis (XX) located at a lower wall of the rear housing part 10, at an angle of at least 130°, preferably at least 150°. Of course, intermediate angular positions exist.

[0040] Here, the housing 1 has the general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. It is closed by a bottom wall comprising the means for fixing to the wall, for example orifices through which fixing screws or the like pass.

[0041] In order for the control means 2 to fulfill their function, the monitoring box 1 is programmed or configured, particularly when it is put into service, in order to ensure compliance of the installation, in particular in terms of safety. Thus, the alarm pressure thresholds, i.e. the high and low pressure thresholds, must be defined precisely, as well as other configuration parameters. The configuration parameters are, for example: types of fluids, typically oxygen, air, vacuum, nitrous oxide (N2 / O2), etc.; high and / or low alarm pressure thresholds correspond to the type of fluid considered, types of sensors used, hospital services supplied by the fluids considered, for example cardiology, etc.

[0042] In addition, the housing 1 also generally comprises a display screen 6, for example color and / or touch screen, which displays the selections, the parameters and in general, all the information and other data useful to the operator, and / or one or more selection buttons or keys used to make selections, choices, adjustments, in particular configuration, to carry out tests, to turn off an alarm, etc. Advantageously, the display screen 6 and / or the selection buttons or keys are arranged on the tilting front housing part 11, as shown diagrammatically in [Fig.2] and [Fig.4], and are accessible from the outside of the housing 1, that is to say when it is closed with the front housing part 11 positioned on the rear housing part 10 so as to close it, like a cover. The displays on the display screen 6 are controlled by the control means 2, in particular the electronic card 3 with microprocessor(s).

[0043] Furthermore, the monitoring box 1 may also include (tele)communication means used to communicate with remote remote monitoring equipment, typically a Centralized Technical Management (CTM) conventionally used to remotely monitor several devices within the hospital establishment, namely not only the monitoring box 1 but also alarm boxes. fire, the ventilation system, the heating and / or air conditioning system... of the hospital or similar, for example to signal an alarm trigger. The telecommunication means used implement one or more communication protocols and also preferably arranged on the electronic card 3 located in the front housing part 11.

[0044] In the closed position, the electronic card 3 and the electrical connection connectors are located inside the housing 1, that is to say they are protected there by the walls of the housing 1 and are not accessible to the operator. Only the display screen 6 and possibly the button(s) or key(s) are available outside the housing 1 and can be viewed or activated by the operator. Conversely, in the open position, the electronic card 3 and the electrical connection connectors are exposed to the outside and easily accessible to the operator, i.e. an installer, which allows him to easily make all the wired electrical connections.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the invention, in order to be able to fix the housing 1 on the surface of a wall as illustrated in [Fig.4] or, where appropriate, embed it in the wall as illustrated in [Fig.2], the rear housing part 10 is presented in two different configurations A, B, comprising: - a first configuration A, called “recessed”, suitable for embedding in the wall of the hospital establishment, as illustrated in [Fig.2] and [Fig.3], and - a second configuration B, called “non-recessed”, suitable for fixing on the surface of the wall of the hospital establishment, as illustrated in [Fig.4], that is to say, in a non-recessed manner and / or flush with the vertical surface of the wall of the hospital building.

[0046] Thanks to these two different configurations A, B, depending on the choice made, the box 1 can be installed in a recessed manner or not, simply by choosing the most suitable rear part 10 of the box.

[0047] Indeed, the two configurations A, B of the rear housing part 10 are interchangeable, that is to say that the front housing part 11 can be fixed there indifferently so as to obtain a monitoring housing 1 in a built-in configuration or, conversely, non-built-in configuration, depending on what is desired, namely to integrate the housing 1 into a wall or to fix it to the surface of said wall of the hospital establishment, i.e. a wall, a partition or the like.

[0048] This leads to a modular housing 1 leading to greater flexibility in assembly, storage, logistics, etc.

[0049] Once the most suitable rear housing part 10 is fixed to the wall, i.e. wall, partition or the like, the front housing part 11 is secured to the rear housing part 10 which is in one or other of the first or second configurations A, B.

[0050] The front housing part is attached to the rear housing part at the hinge. It may be provided by all or part of the hinge and / or may also be done using "clips", a metal rod or hooks or other.

[0051] Generally speaking, a fluid monitoring box 1 according to the invention makes it possible to solve the problems posed by non-modular boxes of the state of the art.

Claims

Claims

1. A fluid monitoring housing (1) for monitoring one or more fluid pipelines within a hospital establishment, said housing (1) being formed of a rear housing portion (10) and a front housing portion (11), wherein: - the rear housing part (10) comprises at least one opening (4) to allow the passage of one or more wired electrical connections (25), and is configured to be secured to a wall of a hospital establishment, and - the front housing part (11) comprises at least one electronic card (3) and electrical connection connectors configured to electrically connect at least part of the wired electrical connections thereto, in which: - the rear housing part (10) comes in two interchangeable configurations comprising: a. a first configuration (A) in which the rear housing portion (10) is configured to be embedded and fixed in a housing provided in the wall of the hospital establishment, and b. a second configuration (B) in which the rear housing portion (10) is configured to be fixed on the surface of the wall of the hospital establishment, and - the front housing part (11) is configured to be secured to the rear housing part (10) in one or other of the first and second configurations (A, B), the front housing part (11) being mounted to pivot relative to the rear housing part (10), characterized in that the pivoting along a horizontal axis (XX) is ensured by at least one hinge (5) and the front housing part (11) is pivotable between at least:

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9. - a closing position in which the front housing part (11) is positioned on the rear housing part (10) to close it in the manner of a cover, and - an open position in which the front housing part (11) is pivoted relative to the rear housing part (10) by an angle of at least 150°. Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the front housing part (11) further comprises a display screen (6). Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical connection connectors comprise one or more electrical terminal blocks. Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical connection connectors are electrically connected to the electronic card (3). Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear housing part (10) comprises fixing means (7) to the wall of the hospital establishment. Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear housing part (10) comprises a polymer case. Housing according to claim 5, characterized in that the fixing means (7) comprise screw holes. Fluid conveyance installation in a hospital establishment comprising a fluid monitoring box (1) according to one of the preceding claims, mounted on or in a wall of the hospital establishment and electrically connected to one or more pressure sensors arranged on one or more fluid conveyance lines, and to the electrical sector. Installation according to claim 8, characterized in that the fluid delivery lines comprise an oxygen delivery line, an air delivery line, an N2O / O2 mixture delivery line and / or a vacuum delivery line.

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