Electrical device

• US 20020185128A1
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Astra AB (Astrazeneca PLC)
• Original Assignee: Astra AB (Astrazeneca PLC)
• Inventors: Theobald, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/077,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20020185128A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/203.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0065 Inhalators with dosage or measuring devices A61M15/0028 takes precedence; dosage devices incorporated in aerosol cans B65D83/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/008 Electronic counters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/064 Powder
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/276 preventing unwanted use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated

Abstract

A device including a display for displaying indicia, comprising: control means 900 for controlling the display 57, the control means having a memory 810 for storing control data, wherein said control means is configured so as to be responsive to said stored control data to provide indicia on said display; a voltage source 64 for providing a voltage to the device; sensing means 1300 configured to disable the display in response to variation of the voltage provided to the device beyond a threshold value; and means 1200 configured so as to be responsive to a control signal 1203 and prevent the disabling of the display by the control means, wherein said control signal 1203 is applied externally to the device.

Claims

1. A device including a display for displaying indicia, comprising:

control means 900 for controlling the display 57, the control means having a memory 810 for storing control data, wherein said control means is configured so as to be responsive to said stored control data to provide indicia on said display;

a voltage source 64 for providing a voltage to the device;

sensing means 1300 configured to disable the display in response to variation of the voltage provided to the device beyond a threshold value; and

means 1200 configured so as to be responsive to a control signal 1203 and prevent the disabling of the display by the control means, wherein said control signal 1203 is applied externally to the device.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensing means is configured 1300 to sense the electrical connection or reconnection of the voltage source.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage source comprises a battery 64 and said sensing means 1300 is configured to sense the connection or disconnection and reconnection of said battery.

4. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said sensing means 1300 is configured to disable the display by providing an error signal thereon.

5. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said sensing means 1300 is configured to disable the display by blanking the display.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said memory is volatile.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display 57 comprises a plurality of elements, said control means comprises a plurality of output drivers for driving said plurality of elements and one of said output drivers 1200 is connected to said sensing means and includes a node 1202 for receiving the control signal 1203.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a start up procedure is initiated in response to the control signal 1203.

9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display comprises a plurality of elements, each element having an activated state in which the element is visible and a deactivated state in which the element is not visible, with one or more of said elements being activatable to display said indicia, and said control means for controlling the display includes test means 960 which is configured to activate successively pluralities of elements according to a predetermined control sequence, whereby the activated and deactivated state of each of said elements is tested.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said test means 960 is configured to activate the elements in groups of one or two and the successive activation of elements comprises, for each group, the steps of activating all of the elements in the group, activating one element in the group, not activating one element in the group and not activating all of the elements in the group.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said display 57 comprises at least one arrangement of seven elements for displaying a numeral, the test means 960 is configured to activate the seven elements as four groups of elements and simultaneously to activate all of the elements of one group of the four groups, activate one element of another group of the four groups, not activate one element of a further group of the four groups and not activate all of the elements of a still further group of the four groups.

12. A device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, further comprising a memory 730 for storing control data representative of the predetermined sequence and wherein said control means is configured so as to be responsive to the control data.

13. A device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12, wherein said display 57 is a numeric LCD display and said indicia are numbers.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said display 57 includes at least one arrangement of seven linear elements for displaying any one of the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

15. A device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 14, wherein said test means 960 is configured so as to be enabled on receipt of said control signal 1203.

16. A device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 14, wherein said test means 960 is configured so as to be enabled after both the receipt of the said control signal 1203 and the connection or re-connection of the voltage source 64.

17. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising storage means 810 for storing a value of a count, means for incrementing or decrementing the value of the count and display control means for displaying the value of the count on the display 57.

18. A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said storage means is a volatile memory.

19. An inhaler including a device as claimed in claim 17 or 18.

20. A powder inhaler for administering powder by inhalation including a device as claimed in claim 17 or 18 and means for transducing the administration of a dose of powder into the incrementation or decrementation of the count.

21. An apparatus for detecting a fault in a device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 16, comprising:

an imaging device for imaging the activated elements; and

a fault determining device which comprises triggering means for enabling the test means in the device and comparison means for comparing the series of configurations of activated elements, provided as a succession of pluralities of activated elements, imaged by the imaging device with an expected series of configurations and means for indicating a fault if the series of measured configurations differs from the series of expected configurations.

22. A method of detecting a fault in a device including a display for displaying indicia as claimed in any of claims 9 to 16, comprising the steps of:

enabling the test means so that successive pluralities of elements in the display are activated;

monitoring the display; and

comparing the monitored configuration of activated elements with an expected configuration of activated elements.