# US 10,441,731 B2 · Pharmaceutical injection device, and method for controlling pharmaceutical injection device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,441,731 B2 - Document ID: US10441731B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/037,321 - Filed: 2014-11-25 - Published: 2016-10-06 - Granted: 2019-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-27 - Assignees: Phc Holdings Corporation - Applicants: PHC Holdings Corporation - Inventors: Tooru Aoki; Kenji Murakami; Takahiko Tanida; Hiroshi Suzuki; Shinsuke Hata - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10441731B2 ## CPC - A61M 5/5086: {for indicating if defective, used, tampered with or unsterile} - A61M 5/20: Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically (A61M5/142 takes precedence) - A61M 5/24: Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or cartridges, e.g. automatic - A61M 2005/2481: {comprising means for biasing the ampoule out of the ampoule holder} - A61M 2005/2496: {via pivot} - A61M 2005/31588: {electrically driven} - A61M 2205/14: Detection of the presence or absence of a tube, a connector or a container in an apparatus - A61M 2205/18: with alarm - A61M 2205/3306: Optical measuring means - A61M 2205/502: User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards - A61M 2205/52: with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient - A61M 2205/584: having a color code - A61M 2205/6063: Optical identification systems - A61M 2205/6081: Colour codes - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract A pharmaceutical injection device may comprise a main body case having a cartridge holder, a piston that pushes out the pharmaceutical of a pharmaceutical cartridge held in the cartridge holder, a light emitting component, a light receiving component, and a controller. The light emitting component may shine light of different colors on the pharmaceutical cartridge disposed in the cartridge holder. The light receiving component receives light that has been shined from the light emitting component onto the pharmaceutical cartridge and reflected by the pharmaceutical cartridge. The controller may shine from the light emitting component and identify the type of pharmaceutical cartridge. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pharmaceutical injection device, comprising: a main body case having a holder for a pharmaceutical cartridge; a piston configured to push a pharmaceutical of the pharmaceutical cartridge housed in the holder inside the main body case to an outside of the pharmaceutical cartridge; a light emitting component configured to emit lights of different colors on the pharmaceutical cartridge in the holder; a light receiving component configured to receive the lights of different colors emitted from the light emitting component onto the pharmaceutical cartridge and reflected by the pharmaceutical cartridge; and a controller configured to successively emit the lights of different colors from the light emitting component onto the pharmaceutical cartridge by emitting one of the lights which is of one of the different colors and then emitting another of the lights which is of another of the different colors, remove a minimum value and a maximum value from an amount of light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors, calculate an average value for the amount of light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors, and identify a type of pharmaceutical cartridge based on the average value for the amount of light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors, wherein the controller is configured to compare the calculated average value for each of the different colors to determine the color having the greatest average value for the amount of light received by the light receiving component and issue a warning output when the calculated average value of the color having the greatest average value is lower than a specific value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pharmaceutical injection device according to claim 1, further comprising a display component that is connected to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to cause the display component to give a warning display. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The pharmaceutical injection device according to claim 2, wherein the warning display is configured to warn of soiling of the holder or the pharmaceutical cartridge. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pharmaceutical injection device according to claim 1, comprising a memory that is connected to the controller, wherein the memory is configured to store reference data for identifying the type of pharmaceutical cartridge from the amount of light received by the light receiving component. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pharmaceutical injection device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting component has a plurality of LEDs configured to emit the lights of different colors, and the light receiving component has a photosensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The pharmaceutical injection device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify the type of pharmaceutical cartridge based on a ratio of the amount of light of other colors to the amount of light of colors received by the light receiving component whose amount of light is at or above a certain threshold. ### Claim 7 A method for controlling a pharmaceutical injection device, the pharmaceutical injection device comprising: a main body case having a holder for a pharmaceutical cartridge; a piston configured to push a pharmaceutical of the pharmaceutical cartridge housed in the holder inside the main body case to an outside of the pharmaceutical cartridge; a light emitting component configured to emit lights of different colors on the pharmaceutical cartridge in the holder; and a light receiving component configured to receive the lights emitted from the light emitting component onto the pharmaceutical cartridge and reflected by the pharmaceutical cartridge, and the method comprising: measuring an amount of light by successively emitting the lights of different colors from the light emitting component onto the pharmaceutical cartridge by emitting one of the lights which is of one of the different colors and then emitting another of the lights which is of another of the different colors, and receiving the lights of different colors reflected from the pharmaceutical cartridge; removing a minimum value and a maximum value from an amount of the light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors; calculating the average value for the amount of light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors; identifying a type of pharmaceutical cartridge on based on the average value for the amount of light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors comparing the average value for the amount of light received by the light receiving component for each of the different colors; and issuing a warning output when the average value for the color for which the light receiving component received the greatest average value for the amount of light is lower than a specific value.