Power management techniques for an infusion pump system

• US 10,226,575 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2016
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Insulet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Miller, Steve, Mochel, Ken, Rich, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stigell, Theodore
• Application Number:
  US15/228,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20170128668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1402 Priming
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14268 with a reusable and a disposable component
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/16863 Occlusion detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31518 designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/276 preventing unwanted use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8262 connectable to external power source, e.g. connecting to automobile battery through the cigarette lighter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1413 Modular systems comprising interconnecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16831 Monitoring, detecting, signalling or eliminating infusion flow anomalies low-level float-valves causing cut-off A61M5/40; indicating or recording presence, absence or direction of flow in general G01P13/0066
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 : by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 : The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 : Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 : The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

Some embodiments of an infusion pump system can employ a number of power management techniques to avoid using substantially excessive power during operation of the pump drive system. Thus, the infusion pump system can draw upon the energy supply in an efficient manner that extends the useful life on the power supply. Furthermore, the infusion pump system can be configured estimate an amount of power remaining to operate the pump system without the requirement of directly detecting the remaining charge on power supply device (e.g., without detecting the remaining charge on a battery). As such, the infusion pump system can readily inform a user of a particular estimated amount of time remaining for medicine dispensing operations.

Claims

1. A wearable infusion pump system, comprising:

a pump device including a drive system to dispense medicine from the pump device;

an energy storage source to deliver electrical energy to the drive system to initiate actuations of the drive system to perform a medicine dispensing operation; and

a controller device to initiate the medicine dispensing operation by supplying energy to the drive system, the controller detecting an actuation time or period for one or more first actuations of the drive system during the medicine dispensing operation and adjusting the supplied energy for one or more subsequent actuations of the drive system based on the detected actuation time or period;

wherein the detected actuation time comprises a time of the one or more first actuations and the detected actuation period comprises a period between the initiation of two or more actuations of the one or more first actuations.

2. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 1, wherein the drive system comprises a limit switch and the controller determines an actuation time or period based at least in part on one or more limit switch actuations.

3. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 1, wherein the controller supplies the energy to the drive system in a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy storage source.

4. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 3, wherein the controller changes the width or frequency of the pattern of voltage pulses based on the detected actuation time or period.

5. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 1, wherein the drive system defines an energy requirement profile for performing the medicine dispensing operation.

6. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 5, wherein the controller supplies the energy to the drive system in a pattern of voltage pulses that are correlated to the energy requirement profile.

7. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 6, wherein the controller device adjusts the pattern of voltage pulses supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations of the drive system based on a detected voltage output for the energy storage source so that the pattern of voltage pulses supplied for one or more subsequent actuations of the drive system remains correlated to the energy requirement profile.

8. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 5, further comprising a memory for storing the energy requirement profile of the drive system.

9. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 8, wherein the controller updates the energy requirement profile of the drive system stored in the memory based on the detected actuation time or period.

10. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 1, wherein the supplied energy for each actuation includes an initial period of higher energy supply to overcome static forces of the drive system followed by a second period of lower energy.

11. The wearable infusion pump system of claim 10, wherein the controller device comprises a pulse-width modulation controller to supply the energy using a pattern of voltages.

12. A method of administering medicinal fluid to a patient, the method comprising:

initiating, by one or more controllers of a wearable infusion pump system, one or more first actuations of a drive system of a pump device of the wearable infusion pump system;

the drive system configured to dispense medicine from the pump device, wherein the one or more first actuations of the drive system are actuations that occur during a medicine dispensing operation;

detecting, by the one or more controllers, an actuation time or period for the one or more first actuations of the drive system during the medicine dispensing operation;

adjusting, by the one or more controllers, electrical energy supplied for one or more subsequent actuations of the drive system based on the detected actuation time or period;

wherein the detected actuation time comprises a time of the one or more first actuations and the detected actuation period comprises a period between the initiation of two or more actuations of the first one or more actuations.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the drive system comprises a limit switch and detecting the actuation time or period comprises determining the actuation time or period based at least in part on one or more limit switch actuations.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein adjusting the electrical energy supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations comprises supplying the electrical energy to the drive system in a pattern of voltage pulses from an energy storage source that delivers electrical energy to the drive system to initiate actuations of the drive system to perform a subsequent medicine dispensing operation.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein adjusting the electrical energy supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations further comprises changing the width or frequency of the pattern of voltage pulses based on the detected actuation time or period.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the drive system defines an energy requirement profile for performing a medicine dispensing operation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the electrical energy supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations comprises supplying the electrical energy, from an energy storage source, to the drive system in a pattern of voltage pulses that are correlated to the energy requirement profile.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting the electrical energy supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations further comprises adjusting the pattern of voltage pulses supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations of the drive system based on a detected voltage output for the energy storage source so that the pattern of voltage pulses supplied for the one or more subsequent actuations of the drive system remains correlated to the energy requirement profile.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising, storing the energy requirement profile of the drive system in a memory of the wearable infusion pump system.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the supplied electrical energy for each actuation includes an initial period of higher energy supply to overcome static forces of the drive system followed by a second period of lower energy.