KR20240166242A - Ringer liquid flow rate measuring device with temperature marking method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device using a temperature marking method, which is easily installed on the outside of a tube for measuring the flow rate of Ringer's solution, a medical solution administered via intravenous injection, and which enables accurate measurement of minute flow rates without interference from the characteristics of the drug solution and the surrounding environment through a temperature marking method.

Description

{Ringer liquid flow rate measuring device with temperature marking method}

The present invention relates to a flow rate measuring device, and more specifically, to a Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device using a temperature marking method, which is easily installed on the outside of a tube to measure the flow rate of Ringer's solution and medical fluids administered via intravenous injection, and which enables accurate measurement of minute flow rates without interference from the characteristics of the drug solution and the surrounding environment through a temperature marking method.

In intravenous fluid therapy, which involves infusing intravenous fluids such as Ringer's solution into a patient at a constant rate, an intravenous fluid set consisting of a tube, a syringe needle, and a flow regulator such as a roller clamp is connected to a fluid container, and the fluid is administered to the patient by the pressure caused by the height difference between the intravenous fluid container and the syringe needle.

At this time, in order to check the smooth injection condition, an insertion needle is installed at the top, and a drip container is installed through which the Ringer's solution falls, collects in the lower part of the internal space, and is then discharged. Medical personnel count the number of drops falling inside the drip container over a certain period of time to calculate the injection amount.

At this time, the determined injection speed is a very important factor in treatment, and if there is a large difference between the prescribed flow rate and the actual injection flow rate, it can cause danger. However, in an environment where personnel cannot always check the injection status, a decrease in injection pressure and subsequent blockage of the injection needle, needle removal, and conversely, a phenomenon in which the injection amount increases due to a change in the initial installation status occurs, so nursing personnel must check the injection status frequently, and this inevitably leads to an increase in the workload of the insufficient nursing personnel.

Research is being continuously conducted to accurately monitor the amount of sap injected, and methods have been proposed to measure the cycle of falling drops by optically counting them by attaching a light source and photocell to the outside of the drip tube, to use the principle that the electric capacity of the electrodes changes when liquid drops pass between the electrodes by installing electrodes, and to measure the rotational speed of an impeller with multiple blades inside a tube.

However, in these conventional methods, the drip tank installation method had the problem that smooth measurement could not be performed when the drip tank was tilted or liquid droplets were splashed on the inner wall of the drip tank, and mechanical measurement was not possible, especially when the flow rate (flow velocity) was very small.

Republic of Korea Publication Patent No. 10-2019-0102722 (2019.09.04)

The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device using a temperature marking method, which can be installed on the outside of a Ringer's solution or medical intravenous fluid tube and accurately measure even minute flow rates without being interfered with by the characteristics of the drug solution or the surrounding environment through a temperature marking method.

For the above purpose, the present invention is characterized by comprising: a body having a temperature marking unit that is installed to surround the tube and has a heating unit and a cooling unit on the outside of the tube and heats or cools the fluid inside the tube; a first temperature sensor that is installed below the fluid flow based on the temperature marking unit and measures the temperature of the fluid inside the tube; a control module having a control unit that operates the temperature marking unit according to a set time schedule; and a calculation unit that monitors the temperature change measured by the first temperature sensor and calculates the flow rate and the flow rate through the distance to the temperature marking unit and the operation time.

At this time, the body further includes a second temperature sensor that measures the initial temperature of the fluid inside the tube, and the output unit can detect a temperature change measured through the first temperature sensor compared to the initial temperature measured through the second temperature sensor.

In addition, the body may further include a distance adjusting unit that moves the position of the first temperature sensor along the longitudinal direction of the tube and adjusts the distance from the temperature marking unit.

In addition, the heating unit and cooling unit may further include an electrode conversion unit configured to heat or cool the fluid inside the tube by converting the polarity of the direct current power supplied to the Peltier element and configured to include a Peltier element.

In addition, the temperature marking section may further include a cooling module comprising a heating section configured as a heating means of an electric heating method, and a cooling section configured as a channel through which a cooling fluid flows while contacting the outside of the tube, and having a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser for cooling the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve for expanding the cooled refrigerant.

In addition, the present invention may further include a monitoring module having a setting unit for receiving an hourly dosage according to a Ringer's solution prescription, and a notification unit for comparing the flow rate calculated through the calculating unit with the dosage and outputting result information.

In addition, the method may further include a flow rate control module installed on the outside of the tube, which is lower than the body-based fluid flow, and controls the flow rate by compressing the tube and controlling the cross-sectional area of the tube; and a flow rate control unit that controls the flow rate control module according to the result information.

Through the present invention, a short-term temperature marking is performed on a fluid flowing through a tube, and the resulting temperature change is detected, so that an accurate flow rate can be calculated regardless of the specific heat of the liquid through the distance and time between the tube inner diameter, the temperature marking point, and the temperature detection point.

In particular, by controlling the distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature detection point, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the tube through temperature marking at a fine level, and to calculate the flow rate even in slow-flowing or small-volume fluid flows. Temperature marking is possible through cooling as well as heating, and any type of liquid flow, including heat-vulnerable chemicals, can be accurately calculated.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration and connection relationship according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a form according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a cooling module applicable to the present invention.
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a form according to another modified embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration and connection relationship according to another modified embodiment of the present invention.

The temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the attached drawings below.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the present invention. The present invention is a device for measuring the flow rate of Ringer's solution passing through the inside of a tube (B) connecting an intravenous fluid container and a syringe needle through intravenous injection. Through a temperature marking method using heating or cooling, even a very small amount of flow rate can be accurately measured regardless of the components of the Ringer's solution. For this purpose, the device may include a body (1), a control module (2), a cooling module (3), and a monitoring module (4), and a flow rate control module (5) and a flow rate control unit (6) for controlling the flow rate reflecting the results of the flow rate measurement.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external appearance according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an internal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing an internal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration and connection relationship according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above body (1) is installed in a form that wraps around a tube (B) connected to the lower side of the sap container, and has a temperature marking section (11) and a first temperature sensor (12) built into its basic configuration.

The above temperature marking part (11) is configured to selectively heat or cool the fluid inside the tube (B) through the heating part (111) and the cooling part (112) provided on the outside of the tube (B). At this time, the heating part (111) can be applied with a heating means (114) of various heat transfer methods, and the cooling part (112) can be configured through a cooling module (3) formed of a small refrigerator, and for this purpose, a passage (115) for passing a cooling fluid or refrigerant is provided on the inside of the body (1). In addition, it is also possible to configure the heating part (111) and the cooling part (112) as an integrated unit by applying a Peltier element (113) in which heating and cooling are selectively performed depending on the direction of the incoming current.

In the present invention, the points where heating and cooling are performed, respectively, through the heating unit (111) and the cooling unit (112), that is, the contact points when the heating unit (111) and the cooling unit (112) come into contact with the outside of the tube (B), are temperature marking points. In the attached drawings 2 to 4, the heating unit (111) is configured to heat the fluid inside the tube (B) by focusing light generated from a heating means (114) of the electric lamp type, and the cooling unit (112) is configured to cool the fluid inside the tube (B) through a cooling fluid (or refrigerant) flowing on the outside of the tube.

The above first temperature sensor (12) is installed at a set distance below the fluid flow based on the temperature marking portion (11) and measures the temperature of the fluid inside the tube (B). That is, the temperature of the inner fluid is measured at a temperature measurement point located at a set distance from the temperature marking point, and the set distance for determining the flow rate inside the tube (B), that is, the distance between the temperature measurement points, is accurately determined in advance.

The above control module (2) is configured to calculate the flow rate flowing inside the tube by controlling the temperature marking unit (11) and the first temperature sensor (12), and is provided with a control unit (21) that operates the temperature marking unit (11) according to a set time schedule, and a calculation unit (22) that monitors the temperature change measured by the first temperature sensor (12) and calculates the flow rate and flow rate through the distance to the temperature marking unit (11) and the operation time.

The above control unit (21) intermittently operates the temperature marking unit (11) according to a set cycle and time schedule, and selectively performs heating or cooling according to environmental factors such as external temperature or the characteristics of the liquid flowing inside the tube. Through this, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the tube that may occur in a conventional temperature flow meter that simply performs heating, and effectively perform temperature marking according to the characteristics of the liquid, including a chemical liquid that is vulnerable to heat or temperature changes. In particular, in addition to temperature marking selected during heating or cooling, it is also possible to perform temperature marking in a way that heating and cooling are alternately performed periodically by combining them.

The above-mentioned calculating unit (22) measures the flow rate and the flow volume, and can calculate the flow rate and the flow volume through a series of calculations given the inner diameter of the tube, the distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point, the operation time of the temperature marking unit (11), and the temperature change detection time of the first temperature sensor (12). In particular, the first temperature sensor (12) can calculate a minute flow rate regardless of the specific heat of the fluid, etc., by detecting a change in temperature while continuously measuring the temperature of the fluid.

Since the first temperature sensor (12) detects a change in temperature from the state before the operation of the temperature marking unit (11), the temperature collected before the operation of the temperature marking unit (11) can be used as the initial temperature to detect the temperature change of the liquid according to the subsequent operation of the temperature marking unit (11). However, a second temperature sensor (15) that measures the initial temperature of the fluid inside the tube together with the temperature marking unit (11) or above the fluid flow based on the temperature marking unit (11) can be installed separately. In response to the second temperature sensor (15), the calculation unit (22) is configured to detect a temperature change measured by the first temperature sensor (12) compared to the initial temperature measured by the second temperature sensor (15), so that accurate temperature change monitoring can be performed when temperature marking a pattern in which heating and cooling are repeated along with the initial temperature setting.

At this time, since there is a possibility of error due to natural cooling of heated fluid or temperature rise of cooled fluid due to interference by external temperature including the speed of the fluid flowing inside the tube (B), a distance adjustment unit (13) may be provided in the body (1) to adjust the distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point in response to the speed of the fluid and the external temperature difference, and to adjust the distance from the temperature marking unit (11) by moving the first temperature sensor (12) along the length direction of the tube.

As mentioned above, in order to calculate accurate flow rate and flow rate, the distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point needs to be precisely adjusted. Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, a distance adjustment part (13) is formed through a male screw part below the temperature marking part (11), and a female screw part corresponding to the male screw part is formed on the first temperature sensor (12) so that the first temperature sensor can rotate along the distance adjustment part (13) and move in the up and down position. At this time, by precisely configuring the pitch of the male screw part and the female screw part, the movement distance, i.e., the change in distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point, can be precisely identified through the rotational speed and rotational angle of the first temperature sensor (12), and a distance recognition part (14) that can confirm this visually or electronically can be configured. For example, if the technology of an electronic micrometer is applied, the change in distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point can be precisely identified in the range of 1/100 mm.

Through this configuration, when the flow rate is fast, the distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point can be adjusted to be relatively large, and when the flow rate is slow, the distance between the temperature marking point and the temperature measurement point can be adjusted to be relatively small, so that accurate flow rate calculation can be achieved.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a form according to a modified embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a form in which a plurality of first temperature sensors (12) are installed at set intervals, rather than a method of moving the position of the first temperature sensor (12). That is, since a plurality of first temperature sensors (12) installed at set intervals independently measure temperature changes, even in a situation where there are influences such as natural cooling of heated fluid or temperature rise of cooled fluid due to interference from external temperature, including the speed of the fluid flowing inside the tube, substantially the same effect can be obtained even without the configuration of the distance control unit (13) and the distance recognition unit (14).

The above monitoring module (4) may be configured as a separate terminal used by medical personnel for on-site or remote monitoring of the flow rate of the intravenous fluid, and is provided with a setting unit (41) for receiving an hourly dosage according to a Ringer's solution prescription, and a notification unit (42) for comparing the flow rate calculated through the calculation unit (22) with the dosage and outputting result information. At this time, the flow rate calculated through the calculation unit (22) may be transmitted to the monitoring module (4) through a separate short-range wireless communication module built into the body (1), and various commercial short-range wireless communication modules may be applied for this purpose. In the present invention, a specific description of such a communication module is omitted in order to prevent the purpose of the invention from being obscured. Through such a monitoring module (4), it is possible to immediately recognize the amount of flow rate compared to the dosage remotely without being located on-site.

The above flow control module (5) is installed in a fluid or Ringer's solution tube to control the flow rate, and is installed on the outside of the tube so as to be lowered from the body's fluid flow, but has a fixing part (51) for fixing to the outside of the tube using the same principle as the roller clamp basically provided in the fluid set, and a tightening part (52) that compresses the tube and adjusts the cross-sectional area of the flow path to control the flow rate, and has a flow control part (6) that controls the flow control module (5) according to the result information through an actuator (61) that moves the tightening part (52) through an input signal, so that automatic flow rate control is performed in response to the hourly administration amount according to the Ringer's solution prescription.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a cooling module applicable to the present invention. As described above, the temperature marking unit (11) may be applied to a heating unit (111) composed of a heating means (114) of an electric heat transfer method, and in the case of a cooling unit (112) using a cooling fluid, a small refrigerator using a refrigerant may be applied. To this end, a cooling module (3) having a compressor (31) for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser (32) for cooling the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve (33) for expanding the cooled refrigerant is separately provided. At this time, the cooling unit may be configured in a manner in which the expanded low-temperature refrigerant directly contacts the outside of the tube, or the cooling unit may be configured in an indirect manner in which a separate cooling fluid is brought into contact with the outside of the tube through a pump (35), but the expanded refrigerant exchanges heat with the evaporation coil (34) through which the cooling fluid passes.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a form according to another modified embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration and connection relationship according to another modified embodiment of the present invention, showing a form in which the heating unit (111) and cooling unit (112) are configured using a Peltier element (113).

The Peltier element (113) utilizes the Peltier phenomenon, in which when two types of conductors are combined and current is allowed to flow, one contact point generates heat and the temperature increases, and the other contact point absorbs heat and the temperature decreases. Thus, both heating and cooling are possible through a single element, and since heating and cooling functions can be selectively implemented depending on the direction of the incoming current, an electrode conversion unit (116) configured to convert the polarity of the direct current power supplied to the Peltier element (113) to heat or cool the fluid inside the tube is further included. When the heating unit (111) and the cooling unit (112) are configured using the Peltier element (113), a separate cooling module can be omitted, and the volume of the temperature marking unit can be reduced.

The rights of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by what is described in the claims, and it is obvious that a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention can make various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the rights described in the claims.

1: Body 11: Temperature marking part 111: Heating part
112: Cooling section 113: Peltier element
114: Heating means 115: Passage
116: Electrode converter 12: First temperature sensor
13: Distance control unit 14: Distance recognition unit
15: Second temperature sensor
2: Control module 21: Control unit 22: Output unit
3: Cooling module 31: Compressor 32: Condenser
33: Expansion valve 34: Evaporator coil
35: Pump
4: Monitoring module 41: Setting section 42: Notification section
5: Flow control module 51: Fixed part 52: Tightening part
6: Flow control unit 61: Actuator
B: Tube

Claims (7)

In a Ringer's solution flow measurement device that passes through the inside of a tube (B) connecting a fluid container and a syringe needle through an intravenous injection,
A body (1) that is installed to surround a tube (B), has a heating unit (111) and a cooling unit (112) on the outside of the tube (B), and has a temperature marking unit (11) that heats or cools the fluid inside the tube (B), and a first temperature sensor (12) that is installed below the fluid flow based on the temperature marking unit (11) and measures the temperature of the fluid inside the tube;
A temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device characterized by comprising: a control module (2) having a control unit (21) that operates the temperature marking unit (11) according to a set time schedule; and a calculation unit (22) that monitors the temperature change measured through the first temperature sensor (12) and calculates the flow rate and flow rate through the distance and operation time from the temperature marking unit (11).
In the first paragraph,
The above body (1) further includes a second temperature sensor (15) that measures the initial temperature of the fluid inside the tube (B),
A Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device using a temperature marking method, characterized in that the above-mentioned output unit (22) detects a temperature change measured through the first temperature sensor (12) compared to the initial temperature measured through the second temperature sensor (15).
In the first paragraph,
A temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device characterized in that the body (1) further includes a distance adjusting unit (13) that moves the position of the first temperature sensor (12) along the longitudinal direction of the tube (B) and adjusts the distance from the temperature marking unit (11).
In the first paragraph,
A temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device characterized in that the heating unit (111) and cooling unit (112) are composed of a Peltier element (113) and further include an electrode conversion unit (116) configured to convert the polarity of the direct current power supplied to the Peltier element (113) to heat or cool the fluid inside the tube (B).
In the first paragraph,
The above temperature marking part (11) is composed of a heating part (111) composed of a heating means (114) of an electric heating method, and a cooling part (112) composed of a flow path through which a cooling fluid flows in contact with the outside of the tube.
A temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device characterized by further comprising a cooling module (3) having a compressor (31) for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser (32) for cooling the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve (33) for expanding the cooled refrigerant.
In the first paragraph,
A temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measuring device characterized by further comprising a monitoring module (4) having a setting unit (41) for receiving an hourly dose according to a Ringer's solution prescription, and a notification unit (42) for comparing the flow rate calculated through the calculation unit (22) with the dose and outputting result information.
In Article 6,
A flow control module (5) installed on the outside of the tube, which is lower than the body (1) and controls the flow rate by compressing the tube (B) and controlling the flow rate by controlling the cross-sectional area of the flow path; and
A temperature marking type Ringer's solution flow rate measurement device characterized by further including a flow control unit (6) that controls the flow control module (5) according to the above result information.

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