Automatic injection system

Claim 2

For use in operating a hypodermic syringe having a syringe body and a syringe plunger reciprocable within said syringe body; apparatus comprising a casing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement in said casing, syringe body receiving means on said carriage for releasibly coupling a syringe body to said carriage for movement therewith, syringe plunger receiving means mounted on said carriage for reciprocation relative to said carriage, rotary means on said carriage coupled to said plunger receiving means and operable when rotated to reciprocate said plunger receiving means on said carriage, a drive element mounted in said casing for both reciprocatory and rotary movement relative to said casing, means coupling said drive element to said rotary means, first reversible drive means for reciprocating said drive element relative to said casing to reciprocate said carriage, and second reversible drive means for rotating said drive element to drive said rotary means in rotation to reciprocate said plunger receiving means on said carriage.

Claim 3

For use in operating a hypodermic syringe having a syringe body and a syringe plunger reciprocable within said syringe body; apparatus comprising a casing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement in said casing, syringe body receiving means on said carriage for releasibly coupling a syringe body to said carriage for movement therewith, syringe plunger receiving means mounted on said carriage for reciprocation relative to said carriage, rotary means on said carriage coupled to said plunger receiving means and operable when rotated to reciprocate said plunger receiving means on said carriage, a drive element mounted in said casing for both reciprocatory and rotary movement relative to said casing, means coupling said drive element to said rotary means, first reversible drive means for reciprocating said drive element relative to said casing to reciprocate said carriage, and second reversible drive means for rotating said drive element to drive said rotary means in rotation to reciprocate said plunger receiving means on said carriage.

Claim 4

For use in operating a hypodermic syringe having a syringe body and a syringe plunger reciprocable within said syringe body; apparatus comprising a casing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement in said casing, syringe body receiving means on said carriage for releasibly coupling a syringe body to said carriage for movement therewith, syringe plunger receiving means mounted on said carriage for reciprocation relative to said carriage, rotary means on said carriage coupled to said plunger receiving means and operable when rotated to reciprocate said plunger receiving means on said carriage, a drive element mounted in said casing for both reciprocatory and rotary movement relative to said casing, means coupling said drive element to said rotary means, first reversible drive means for reciprocating said drive element relative to said casing to reciprocate said carriage, and second reversible drive means for rotating said drive element to drive said rotary means in rotation to reciprocate said plunger receiving means on said carriage.

Claim 5

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising means defining an end limit of movement of said plunger receiving means in one direction of movement, and control means responsive to the arrival of said plunger receiving means at said one end limit of movement for reversing said first drive means.

Claim 6

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said first drive means is operable in a first condition to locate said carriage in a withdrawn position within said casing and is operable in a second condition to locate said carriage in a forwardly projected position relative to said casing, control means operable in a first mode to set said first drive means in said first condition, and a manually actuated cycle initiation control coupled to said control means operable when actuated when said control means is in said first mode to set said first drive means in said second condition.

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 comprising means in said control means operable when said control means is in said first mode and said first drive means is in said second condition for actuating said second drive means to drive in a first direction moving said plunger receiving means toward said syringe body receiving means.

Claim 8

Apparatus as defined in claim 4 further comprising means in said control means operable when said control means is in said first mode for setting said first drive means in said first condition when said plunger receiving means is driven into abutment with said body receiving means.

Claim 9

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 comprising means in said control means operable when said control means is in said first mode and said cycle initiation control is actuated to drive said second drive means in a direction retracting said plunger receiving means from said body receivinG means for a Predetermined period of time and to then reverse the direction of drive of said second drive means.

Claim 10

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said cycle initiation control is movable between a first neutral position and second actuated position, means biasing said control to said neutral position, first means in said control means operable when said control means is in said first mode for setting said first drive means in said second condition upon movement of said control from said neutral to said actuated position and maintaining said first drive means in said second condition upon subsequent return of said control to said neutral position, and second means in said control means operable when said control means is in said first mode for operating said second drive means in a direction retracting said plunger Receiving means from said body receiving means while said control is held in said actuated position and to operate said second drive means in the opposite direction when said control is restored to said neutral position.

Claim 11

For use in operating a hypodermic syringe having a syringe body and a syringe plunger reciprocable within said syringe body; apparatus comprising a casing, a carriage mounted in said casing for reciprocation between a front and a rear end limit of movement relative to said casing, syringe body receiving means fixedly mounted on the forward end of said carriage, syringe plunger receiving means slidably mounted on said carriage for movement between a forward and a rearward end limit of movement relative to said carriage, a threaded drive element mounted on the rearward end of said carriage for free rotation about an axis parallel to the direction of movement of said plunger receiving means relative to said carriage at a fixed axial location relative to said carriage, a drive member mounted on said plunger receiving means and threadably engaged with said drive element whereby rotation of said drive element is operable to drive said plunger receiving means in movement relative to said carriage, an elongate drive cable fixedly secured at one end to said drive element in coaxial relationship therewith, first reversible drive means coupled to said cable for driving said cable in longitudinal movement to shift said carriage between said front and rear end limits of movement relative to said casing, and second reversible drive means coupled to said cable for driving said cable in rotation about its longitudinal axis to shift said plunger receiving means between said forward and rearward end limits of movement relative to said carriage.

Claim 12

For use in operating a hypodermic syringe having a syringe body and a syringe plunger reciprocable within said syringe body; apparatus comprising a casing, a carriage mounted in said casing for reciprocation between a front and a rear end limit of movement relative to said casing, syringe body receiving means fixedly mounted on the forward end of said carriage, syringe plunger receiving means slidably mounted on said carriage for movement between a forward and a rearward end limit of movement relative to said carriage, a threaded drive element mounted on the rearward end of said carriage for free rotation about an axis parallel to the direction of movement of said plunger receiving means relative to said carriage at a fixed axial location relative to said carriage, a drive member mounted on said plunger receiving means and threadably engaged with said drive element whereby rotation of said drive element is operable to drive said plunger receiving means in movement relative to said carriage, an elongate drive cable fixedly secured at one end to said drive element in coaxial relationship therewith, first reversible drive means coupled to said cable for driving said cable in longitudinal movement to shift said carriage between said front and rear end limits of movement relative to said casing, and second reversible drive means coupled to said cable for driving said cable in rotation about its longitudinal axis to shift said plunger receiving means between said forward and rearward end limits of movement relative to said carriage.

Claim 13

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 further comprising control means responsive to movement of said syringe plunger receiving means into abutment with said syringe body receiving means for disengaging said second drive means from said cable.

Claim 14

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 further comprising means for disengaging said threaded member from said drive element when said plunger receiving means is at said rearward end limit of movement on said carriage.

Claim 15

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said first drive means comprises a pair of solenoids, lever means pivotally coupled between said solenoids and said cable operable to locate said cable at one longitudinal end limit of movement when one of said solenoids is energized and to locate said cable at an opposite longitudinal end limit of movement when the other of said solenoids is energized, and control means for selectively energizing said solenoids.

Claim 16

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said second drive means comprises a reversible electric motor, and coupling means coupling said motor to said cable for maintaining a rotary drive coupling between said motor and cable while accommodating axial displacement of said cable relative to said motor.

Claim 17

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 further comprising control means responsive to the arrival of said plunger receiving means at said forward end limit of movement for actuating said first drive means to drive said carriage to said rear end limit of movement.