Cover for liquid delivery system with integrated plunger position sensing, and corresponding method
AssigneePatients Pending Ltd.
InventorAvraham Shekalim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sliding cover for a liquid delivery device, such as a cap (100) for a pen injector (200), incorporates a set of sensors including a first optical sensor (110) with an output which changes during uncapping or capping motions on passing of a plunger (220) of the pen injector. This output is used together with at least one additional sensor output to determine the position of the plunger along a cylinder (210) of the liquid delivery device. By monitoring changes in the plunger position, the quantity of dosages delivered by the liquid delivery device can be determined, displayed, stored and/or transmitted to an external device for further data processing or storage.
Claims27
An apparatus for use with a liquid delivery system, the liquid delivery system including a transparent cylinder for housing a liquid and an at least partially opaque plunger movable along an axis of the cylinder for expelling the liquid through an outlet, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a sliding cover configured for sliding engagement with the cylinder so as to be slidable along the cylinder parallel to the axis from a first position to a second position;
- (b) a set of sensors housed in said sliding cover so as to move together with said sliding cover, said set of sensors comprising:
- (i) an optical sensor having an optical emitter for emitting radiation and an optical receiver for generating a first output indicative of an amount of said radiation received by said optical receiver, said optical sensor being deployed in inward-facing deployment such that, when said sliding cover slides in engagement with the transparent cylinder, said first output changes as said optical sensor passes the plunger, and
- (ii) a position sensor operating independently from the optical sensor and deployed for generating a second output indicative of a current position of said sliding cover between said first position and said second position;
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- (c) a processing system associated with said set of sensors so as to receive at least said first output and said second output, said processing system being configured to be responsive to a variation in said first output indicative of said optical sensor reaching the plunger to determine a corresponding current position of said sliding cover as indicated by said second output, and thereby to determine a location of the plunger along the cylinder.
An apparatus for use with a liquid delivery system, the liquid delivery system including a transparent cylinder for housing the liquid and a plunger movable along an axis of the cylinder for expelling the liquid through an outlet, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a sliding cover configured for sliding engagement with the cylinder so as to be slidable along the cylinder parallel to the axis from a first position to a second position;
- (b) a set of sensors housed in said sliding cover so as to move together with said sliding cover, said set of sensors comprising at least a first sensor and a second sensor, said first sensor being a plunger sensor generating a signal, said plunger sensor being configured for non-contact sensing of at least part of the plunger as said sliding cover slides in engagement with the transparent cylinder such that variations in said first signal are indicative of the plunger passing a defined location along said sliding cover;
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- (c) a processing system associated with said set of sensors so as to receive outputs of said sensors, said processing system being configured to identify a variation in an output of said plunger sensor when said plunger passes the plunger, said processing system being further configured to process said outputs to derive a location of the plunger along the cylinder,
- wherein said second sensor is a position sensor operating independently from the first sensor and deployed for generating a second output indicative of a current position of said sliding cover between said first position and said second position.
A method for measuring the location of a plunger within a transparent cylinder of a drug delivery device for calculation of drug delivery dosing, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a sliding cover configured for sliding engagement with the cylinder so as to be slidable along the cylinder parallel to an axis of the axis from a first position to a second position, the sliding cover being provided with a plunger sensor configured for non-contact sensing of at least part of the plunger;
- (b) sliding the cover along the cylinder and sensing a variation in the first output corresponding to the plunger sensor reaching the plunger;
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- (c) employing at least one additional sensor operating independently from the plunger sensor and configured to determine a position of the cover relative to the cylinder when the plunger sensor reaches the plunger, thereby determining a position of the plunger.
An apparatus for use with a liquid delivery system, the liquid delivery system including a transparent cylinder for housing a liquid and an at least partially opaque plunger movable along an axis of the cylinder for expelling the liquid through an outlet, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a sliding cover configured for sliding engagement with the cylinder so as to be slidable along the cylinder parallel to the axis from a first position to a second position, wherein said sliding cover is implemented as a cap with a central bore for receiving an end portion of a pen injector having a projecting needle;
- (b) a set of sensors housed in said sliding cover so as to move together with said sliding cover, said set of sensors comprising:
- (i) an optical sensor having an optical emitter for emitting radiation and an optical receiver for generating a first output indicative of an amount of said radiation received by said optical receiver, said optical sensor being deployed in inward-facing deployment such that, when said sliding cover slides in engagement with the transparent cylinder, said first output changes as said optical sensor passes the plunger, and
- (ii) a position sensor deployed for generating a second output indicative of a current position of said sliding cover between said first position and said second position;
- (c) a processing system associated with said set of sensors so as to receive at least said first output and said second output, said processing system being configured to be responsive to a variation in said first output indicative of said optical sensor reaching the plunger to determine a corresponding current position of said sliding cover as indicated by said second output, and thereby to determine a location of the plunger along the cylinder;
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- (d) a cradle slidingly mounted within said central bore, said cradle configured for receiving the end portion of the pen injector, said cradle being spring biased towards an end position for engaging the end portion of the pen injector when said sliding cover is in said first position, and being retractable to move together with the end portion of the pen injector as said sliding cover slides to said second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.