Powerhead of a Power Injection System

• US 20080108941A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liebel Flarsheim Co LLC (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Original Assignee: Mallinckrodt Incorporated (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Inventors: Neer, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,366,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3389 Continuous level detection A61M2205/3393 takes precedence
• 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 2205/587 Lighting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6054 Magnetic identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6063 Optical identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16827 controlling delivery of multiple fluids, e.g. sequencing, mixing or via separate flow-paths infusion of multiple fluids without using a controller A61M5/1407
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1785 comprising radioactive shield means syringe shields or holders for storage of radioactive sources G21F5/018

Abstract

A contrast media injection system detects the absolute position of the syringe ram using a non-contact sensor. A series of magnets and Hall-Effect sensors may be used or an opto-reflective system. Illuminated knobs that are connected to the drive mechanism for the syringe ram rotate with the drive and provide visual feedback on operation through the illumination. Analog Hall-Effect sensors are used to determine the presence or absence of magnets that identify the type of faceplate being used. The faceplates include control electronics, connected to the powerhead through connectors, which may be interchangeably used by the two faceplates. The faceplate electronics include detectors for automatically detecting the capacity of pre-filled syringes. Additional features include using historical data to provide optimum pressure limit values during an injection protocol, a removable memory device for storing and transferring information such as injection protocols and injector statistics, and password protection of such protocols.

Claims

1. A contrast media injector system comprising:

a faceplate mounting region at which magnetic sources of a faceplate may be located;

a Hall effect sensor associated with a location of said faceplate mounting region at which a magnetic source of a faceplate may be located;

an analog circuit configured for measuring an analog signal representative of magnetic flux impinging upon said Hall effect sensor; and

a control circuit coupled to said analog circuit for determining whether a magnetic source of a faceplate has one of at least three states based upon said analog signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the faceplate mounting region is configured to attach to a faceplate having one or more magnets each associated with a respective magnetic conductor such that a presence, absence, and/or polarity of at least one of said one or more magnets on the faceplate is detected by a respective Hall effect sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store, for each of a plurality of faceplates, a respective state representing an analog signal representative of magnetic flux impinging on said Hall effect sensor.

4. Within a contrast media injector system, a method comprising:

attaching a faceplate to a powerhead of a contrast media injector system, wherein the faceplate includes one or more magnets;

acquiring with a Hall effect sensor a first analog signal representative of magnetic flux impinging on said Hall effect sensor with the faceplate attached;

acquiring with a Hall effect sensor a second analog signal representative of magnetic flux impinging on said Hall effect sensor with the faceplate detached; and

storing a signature for the faceplate based on the plurality of first and second signals.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signature includes an analog threshold value, for each Hall effect sensor, substantially between the first and second signals for that Hall effect sensor.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing a respective signature for a plurality of faceplates.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

attaching an unknown faceplate to the powerhead;

determining a detected analog signal level and/or polarity for said Hall effect sensor; and

identifying the unknown faceplate based on the detected signal levels and the stored signatures.