Arrangement and method for determining a stopper position
First Claim
1. A drug delivery device comprising:
- a container comprising a cavity configured to contain a drug;
a stopper positioned in the cavity, the stopper configured to displace the drug from the cavity;
an acoustic source;
an acoustic sensor; and
a processing unit coupled to the acoustic source and the acoustic sensor, the processing unit configured to;
control the acoustic source to emit an acoustic signal into the cavity;
control the acoustic sensor to detect a reflected acoustic signal responsive to the acoustic signal; and
determine a position of the stopper in the cavity based on the acoustic signal and the reflected acoustic signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An arrangement for determining a position (x) of a stopper relative to a container in a drug delivery device includes an acoustic source configured to emit an acoustic signal and an acoustic sensor configured to detect an acoustic signal, a processing unit for controlling the acoustic source and processing the detected acoustic signal for determining characteristics of the acoustic signal correlated with the position (x) of the stopper. A method for determining a position (x) of a stopper relative to a container in a drug delivery device includes the steps of emitting an acoustic signal from an acoustic source, detecting an acoustic signal caused by the emitted acoustic signal by means of an acoustic sensor, and processing the detected acoustic signal for determining characteristics of the acoustic signal correlated with the position (x) of the stopper by means of a processing unit.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A drug delivery device comprising:
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a container comprising a cavity configured to contain a drug; a stopper positioned in the cavity, the stopper configured to displace the drug from the cavity; an acoustic source; an acoustic sensor; and a processing unit coupled to the acoustic source and the acoustic sensor, the processing unit configured to; control the acoustic source to emit an acoustic signal into the cavity; control the acoustic sensor to detect a reflected acoustic signal responsive to the acoustic signal; and determine a position of the stopper in the cavity based on the acoustic signal and the reflected acoustic signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method comprising:
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directing an acoustic signal into a cavity defined by a proximal end of a container and a stopper positioned in the cavity, the cavity configured to contain a drug, the stopper configured to displace the drug from the cavity; detecting a reflected acoustic signal responsive to the acoustic signal; and determining a position of the stopper in the cavity based on the acoustic signal and the reflected acoustic signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A drug delivery device comprising:
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a container comprising a cavity configured to contain a drug; a stopper positioned in the cavity, the stopper configured to displace the drug from the cavity; an acoustic source configured to emit an acoustic signal into a region of the cavity between a proximal end of the container and the stopper; an acoustic sensor configured to detect a reflected acoustic signal responsive to the acoustic signal; and a processing unit coupled to the acoustic source and the acoustic sensor, the processing unit configured to determine a position of the stopper in the cavity based on the acoustic signal and the reflected acoustic signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification