Device to meter fluid
AssigneeDEKA Products Limited Partnership
InventorsRussell H. Beavis, Larry B. Gray, Derek G. Kane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for metering the delivery of a fluid. The apparatus has a variable acoustic source and a microphone, both acoustically coupled to a volume having a fluid region and an air region. The apparatus may also include a processor to determine a volume of the air region based on signals received from the microphone and the variable acoustic source. A fluid valve is coupled to the processor, and is configured to allow an amount of fluid to exit the fluid region associated with the volume of the air region.
Claims19
A system to meter medication from a disposable cassette comprising:
- a disposable cassette including a drug reservoir, an inlet valve, a fluid region and an output valve, the inlet valve fluidicly connecting the drug reservoir to the fluid region and the output valve fluidicly connected to the fluid region;
- and
- a reusable portion comprising:
- an acoustic volume transducer including:
- a housing containing a first volume and partly defining a variable volume chamber, the variable volume chamber being further bounded by the fluid region, and
- a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board defining the first volume within the housing and the printed circuit board including:
- an acoustic source,
- a first microphone acoustically coupled to the first volume, and
- a second microphone acoustically coupled to the variable volume chamber;
- a processor in electrical communication with the acoustic volume sensor and coupled to the output valve, the processor receiving a first signal from the first microphone and a second signal from the second microphone, the processor determining the volume of the fluid region based on the first signal and second signal, the processor controlling the output valve to allow an amount of fluid to exit the fluid region.
A system to meter medication from a disposable cassette comprising:
- a disposable cassette including a drug reservoir, an inlet valve, a fluid region and an fluid valve, the inlet valve fluidicly connecting the drug reservoir to the fluid region and the fluid valve fluidicly connected to the fluid region;
- and
- a reusable portion comprising:
- an acoustic volume transducer including:
- a housing containing a first volume and partly defining a variable volume chamber, the variable volume chamber being further bounded by the fluid region, and
- a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board defining the first volume within the housing and the printed circuit board including:
- an acoustic source,
- a first microphone acoustically coupled to the first volume, and
- a second microphone acoustically coupled to the variable volume chamber;
- a processor in electrical communication with the acoustic volume sensor, the processor coupled to the fluid valve, the processor configured to control the fluid valve to allow a selected volume of fluid to exit from the fluid region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.