Controlling Plunger Drives for Fluid Injections in Animals

• US 20080195048A1
• Filed: 01/26/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liebel-Flarsheim Company (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Original Assignee: Liebel-Flarsheim Company (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Inventors: Niehoff, Kenneth J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,824,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/154
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6027 Electric-conductive bridges closing detection circuits, with or without identifying elements, e.g. resistances, zener-diodes
• 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 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/445 the media being heated in the reservoir, e.g. warming bloodbags

Abstract

A computer-controlled injector of the type having a motor which advances and retracts a plunger located within a syringe housing toward and away from a nozzle located in the front of the syringe to inject fluid into or out of an animal subject. Manual motion is induced by operating a manual motion control; the operator can manipulate the control to indicate the desired direction and velocity of motion. The manual motion control also has a locking mode in which manual motion of the plunger will continue once initiated without requiring the operator to continue manipulating the manual motion control. The injector performs injections in accordance with one of several pre-programmed protocols, and automatically tracks the fluid volume remaining. The injector compensates for plunger extenders found in some partially pre-filled syringes by applying a stored offset value to the computed plunger position.

Claims

1. A contrast media injector, comprising:

a plunger drive designed to couple to a plunger of a syringe mounted to the injector;

a plunger drive motor designed to advance and retract the plunger drive to thereby move the plunger of the syringe toward and away from a nozzle of the syringe;

a display designed to produce display screens;

circuitry designed to control the plunger drive motor, generate display screens for production on the display, and change operating parameters of the injector in response to activities of an operator; and

a keypad coupled to the circuitry and comprising a plurality of keys, wherein a first region of the display screen includes identification of a function available from a first key of the keypad during a current operation of the circuitry, and wherein the circuitry;

assigns different functions to the first key of the keypad during different operations of the circuitry; and

generates different display screens in the first region during the different operations to indicate availability of the different functions.

2. The injector of claim 1, wherein the display and the keypad are components of a console of the injector.

3. The injector of claim 2, wherein the plunger drive and the plunger drive motor are components of a powerhead of the injector.

4. The injector of claim 1 wherein a second region of said display screen includes identification of a function available from a second key of the keypad during a current operation of the circuitry, the control circuit assigning different functions to said second key of the keypad during different operations of the circuitry and generating different displays in said second region during said different operations to indicate the availability of said different functions.

5. The injector of claim 1 wherein said keypad includes at least four keys and four respective regions of said display include an identification of a function available from each respective one of said four keys.

6. The injector of claim 5 wherein an identical function is available from each of said four keys during at least one operation of the control circuit.

7. The injector of claim 4 wherein said first key is coupled to said control circuit differently than said second key is coupled to said control circuit.

8. The injector of claim 7 wherein said control circuit comprises a central processing unit and said first key is connected to an interrupt line of said central processing unit and said second key is coupled to said central processing unit via a data bus of said central processing unit.

9. The injector of claim 7 wherein said control circuit is programmed so that in one or more operations of said injector a more frequently used function is available from said first key than that available from said second key.

10. The injector of claim 1 wherein said identification of a function available from a first key of the keypad is a text identification.

11. The injector of claim 1 wherein said circuitry utilizes one of two or more different languages in display screens generated by said circuitry.

12. The injector of claim 1 further comprising a front loading syringe mounting for mounting a syringe to said injector with the plunger of the syringe in position for engagement by said plunger drive.

13. The injector of claim 1 further comprising a syringe containing fluid for use in an imaging procedure within the syringe.

14. A method of controlling a front-loading contrast media injector, the injector comprising a plunger drive designed to couple to a plunger of a syringe, a plunger drive motor designed to advance and retract the plunger drive to thereby move the plunger of the syringe toward and away from a nozzle of the syringe, a display designed to produce display screens, and circuitry for generating display screens, receiving operator input from a keyboard, and controlling the plunger drive motor, the method comprising

generating a first display screen on the display including identification of a function available from a first key of the keypad during a current operation of the circuitry,

generating a second display screen on the display including identification of a different function available from said first key of the keypad during a subsequent operation of the injector.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the display and the keypad are components of a console of the injector.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plunger drive and the plunger drive motor are components of a powerhead of the injector.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein a second region of said first display screen includes identification of a function available from a second key of the keypad during a current operation of the circuitry, and said second display screen identifies a different function available from said second key of the keypad during said subsequent operation of the injector.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said keypad includes at least four keys, and four respective regions of said first and second display include an identification of a function available from each respective one of said four keys.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein an identical function is available from each of said four keys during at least one operation of the control circuit.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein, during said current operation and said subsequent operation, the function available from said first key in said first display screen is a more frequently used function than the function available from said second key in said second display screen.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the generated display screens identify a function available from a first key of the keypad using text.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising selectively generating said display screens in in one of two or more different languages.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the injector further comprises a front loading syringe mounting for mounting a syringe to said injector with the plunger of the syringe in position for engagement by said plunger drive.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein the injector further comprises a syringe containing fluid for use in an imaging procedure within the syringe.