Control device for a fluid delivery system

• US 20050273056A1
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayer Healthcare LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Medrad Incorporated (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Wade, Russel W., Kwo, Jennie, Callan, Gerald W., Haury, John A., Morton, Richard C., Kopacko, Ralph E., Miller, Paul J., Trcka, Milan V., Whitebook, Mark Evan, Leroch, Matthew J. IV, Gimbel, James M., Padraza, Luis A., Beaulieu, Roderick H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,879,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3576 with non implanted data transmission devices, e.g. using external transmitter or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16804 Flow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16877 Adjusting flow; Devices for setting a flow rate

Abstract

The control device is used to control delivery of fluid from a fluid delivery system during a medical injection procedure. The fluid delivery system includes an injector adapted to actuate a syringe used to deliver the injection fluid to a patient. The control device is operatively associated with the injector for controlling discrete flow rates of injection fluid delivered to the patient. The control device includes a housing and an actuator associated with the housing. An electronic substrate is disposed within the housing and comprises a conductive pattern. The actuator is adapted for operative association with the conductive pattern. The conductive pattern includes a plurality of predetermined digital values corresponding to discrete flow rates of injection fluid to be delivered by the injector, such that when the actuator is actuated the actuator operatively associates with the conductive pattern for transmitting the digital values to the injector.

Claims

1. A fluid delivery system for use in medical procedures, comprising:

an injector for delivering an injection fluid to a patient; and

a control device operatively associated with the injector for controlling flow rates of the injection fluid delivered to the patient, the control device comprising;

a housing;

an actuator associated with the housing; and

an electronic substrate disposed within the housing and comprising a conductive pattern, the actuator adapted to operatively associate with the conductive pattern when actuated by a user;

wherein the conductive pattern comprises a plurality of predetermined digital values corresponding to discrete flow rates of the injection fluid to be delivered by the injector, such that when the actuator is actuated, the actuator operatively associates with the conductive pattern and transmits the digital values to the injector.

2. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and the digital values are arranged such that the discrete flow rates are linearly proportional to distance of movement of the actuator.

3. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and the digital values are arranged such that the discrete flow rates incrementally increase with distance of movement of the actuator.

4. The fluid delivery system of claim 3, wherein the digital values comprise at least a first digital value corresponding to no movement of the actuator and a 0% of discrete flow rate from the injector, and a last digital value corresponding to a maximum movement of the actuator and a 100% discrete flow rate from the injector.

5. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and comprises an actuating member and a contact adapted to operatively associate with the conductive pattern.

6. The fluid delivery system of claim 5, wherein the contact comprises a contact roller adapted to operatively associate with the conductive pattern.

7. The fluid delivery system of claim 6, wherein the roller is formed of electrically conductive resilient material.

8. The fluid delivery system of claim 6, wherein the roller is biased into engagement with the electronic substrate.

9. The fluid delivery system of claim 5, wherein the contact sequentially accesses the digital values of the conductive pattern when the actuating member is moved relative to the housing.

10. The fluid delivery system of claim 5, further comprising a biasing member associated with the actuating member for biasing the actuating member to a neutral position relative to the housing.

11. The fluid delivery system of claim 10, wherein the biasing member acts on the actuating member such that the user of the control device experiences increasing tactile resistance as the actuating member is moved relative to the housing.

12. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and the actuator comprises a biasing member adapted to provide tactile resistance proportional to distance of movement of the actuator relative to the housing.

13. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing, and one of the electronic substrate and housing comprises sound producing structures positioned to be engaged by the actuator for audibly indicating movement of the actuator relative to the housing.

14. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to be hand-held.

15. The fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises a secondary actuator adapted to transmit a secondary fluid actuation signal upon actuation.

16. The fluid delivery system of claim 15, wherein the secondary actuator comprises a control button operatively associated with the electronic substrate for initiating the secondary fluid actuation signal.

17. A control device for controlling a fluid delivery system, comprising:

a housing;

an actuator associated with the housing; and

an electronic substrate disposed within the housing and comprising a conductive pattern, the actuator adapted for operative association with the conductive pattern when actuated by a user, and wherein the conductive pattern comprises a plurality of predetermined digital values corresponding to discrete flow rates of injection fluid to be delivered by the fluid delivery system, such that when the actuator is actuated, the actuator operatively associates with the conductive pattern and transmits the digital values to the fluid delivery system.

18. The control device of claim 17, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and the digital values are arranged such that the discrete flow rates are linearly proportional to distance of movement of the actuator.

19. The control device of claim 17, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and the digital values are arranged such that the discrete flow rates incrementally increase with distance of movement of the actuator.

20. The control device of claim 19, wherein the digital values comprise at least a first digital value corresponding to no movement of the actuator and a 0% discrete flow rate from the fluid delivery, and a last digital value corresponding to a maximum movement of the actuator and a 100% discrete flow rate from the fluid delivery system.

21. The control device of claim 17, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and comprises an actuating member and a contact adapted to operatively associate with the conductive pattern.

22. The control device of claim 21, wherein the contact comprises a contact roller adapted to operatively associate with the conductive pattern.

23. The control device of claim 22, wherein the roller is formed of electrically conductive resilient material.

24. The control device of claim 22, wherein the roller is biased into engagement with the electronic substrate.

25. The control device of claim 21, wherein the contact sequentially accesses the digital values of the conductive pattern when the actuating member is moved relative to the housing.

26. The control device of claim 21, further comprising a biasing member associated with the actuating member for biasing the actuating member to a neutral position relative to the housing.

27. The control device of claim 26, wherein the biasing member acts on the actuating member such that the user of the control device experiences increasing tactile resistance as the actuating member is moved relative to the housing.

28. The control device of claim 17, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing and the actuator comprises a biasing member adapted to provide tactile resistance proportional to distance of movement of the actuator relative to the housing.

29. The control device of claim 17, wherein the actuator is movably associated with the housing, and one of the electronic substrate and housing comprises sound producing structures positioned to be engaged by the actuator for audibly indicating movement of the actuator relative to the housing.

30. The control device of claim 17, wherein the housing is configured to be hand-held.

31. The control device of claim 17,wherein the control device further comprises a secondary actuator adapted to transmit a secondary fluid actuation signal upon actuation.

32. A method of controlling a fluid delivery system comprising an injector for delivering an injection fluid to a patient, comprising:

operatively connecting a control device to the injector, the control device adapted to control discrete flow rates of the injection fluid to be delivered by the injector to the patient; and

actuating the control device to transmit one or more predetermined digital values to the injector to control the discrete flow rates of the injection fluid delivered by the injector.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the control device comprises:

an actuator; and

an electronic substrate comprising a conductive pattern, the actuator adapted for operative association with the conductive pattern, and the conductive pattern comprising a plurality of predetermined digital values corresponding to the discrete flow rates of the injection fluid to be delivered by the injector, such that the step of actuating the control device comprises the actuator operatively associating with the conductive pattern to transmit one or more predetermined digital values to the injector.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the actuator is movable relative to the conductive pattern, such that the step of actuating the control device comprises moving the actuator relative to the conductive pattern.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the actuator comprises a contact operatively associated with the conductive pattern, such that when the actuator is moved relative to the conductive pattern the contact operatively contacts the conductive pattern.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the contact operatively contacts the conductive pattern by rolling along the surface of the conductive pattern.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the contact sequentially accesses the digital values when the actuator is moved relative to the conductive pattern.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising audibly indicating movement of the actuator relative to the conductive pattern.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising a biasing member associated with the actuator for biasing the actuator against movement relative to the conductive pattern, the method further comprising discontinuing actuation of the control device such that the biasing member returns the actuator to a substantially pre-actuated position relative to the conductive pattern.

40. The method of claim 32, wherein the control device further comprises a secondary actuator adapted to transmit a secondary fluid actuation signal to the fluid delivery system, and the method further comprises actuating the secondary actuator to transmit the secondary fluid actuation signal.