CHEMICAL LIQUID INJECTION SYSTEM

• US 20090156931A1
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nemoto Kyorindo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nemoto Kyorindo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nemoto, Shigeru, Sakakibara, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,211,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/432
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4494 Means for identifying the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6054 Magnetic 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 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3202 Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001

Abstract

A chemical liquid injector comprises liquid syringe 200 and a chemical liquid injector. Liquid syringe 200 has cylinder member 210, a piston member and RFID tag 230 put on an outer circumference of cylinder member 210. The chemical liquid injector has cylinder holding mechanism 120 for holding cylinder member 210, a piston driving mechanism for driving the piston member and an RFID reader. The RFID reader has reader antennas 132L, 132R placed opposite to a tag antenna so as to be able to receive data from RFID tag 230 with cylinder member 210 is appropriately held by the cylinder holding mechanism. The piston driving mechanism is permitted to operate only when the RFID reader receives data from RFID tag 230.

Claims

1. A chemical liquid injection system comprising:

a liquid syringe having piston member slidably inserted into a cylinder member; and

a chemical liquid injector for injecting a liquid into a patient by pressing the piston member into the cylinder member of the liquid syringe mounted interchangeably thereon,

wherein an RFID tag including a tag antenna formed of a loop antenna is put on an outer circumference of the cylinder member, and

the chemical liquid injector includes a cylinder holding mechanism for holding the cylinder member, a piston driving mechanism for pressing the piston member into the held cylinder member, an RFID reader for receiving data from the RFID tag through electromagnetic induction via a reader antenna formed of a loop antenna, operation control means for permitting operation of the piston driving mechanism only when the data is received and an antenna placement portion for placing the reader antenna at a position opposite to the tag antenna generally in parallel while the cylinder member is appropriately held by the cylinder holding mechanism.

2. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID reader has a pair of the reader antennas connected to each other, and the paired reader antennas are placed opposite to each other across the cylinder member held by the cylinder holding mechanism such that the positions of central magnetic fields of the paired reader antennas coincide.

3. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein the RFID tag is located on the left or right of the cylinder member held appropriately by the cylinder holding mechanism, and

the paired reader antennas are placed on the left and right of the cylinder member held by the cylinder holding mechanism.

4. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the chemical liquid injector has a cylinder holding member made of metal having a concave portion in a semi-cylindrical shape for holding the cylinder member when the cylinder member is fitted therein,

the cylinder holding member has a through hole formed therein,

the reader antenna is placed in the through hole, and

an outer edge of the reader antenna is spaced from an inner edge of the through hole by a predetermined spatial distance.

5. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder member has a cylinder flange formed thereon, and

the chemical liquid injector has a pair of flange holding members made of metal for holding the cylinder flange, and the reader antenna is placed at a position away from the flange holding members by a predetermined spatial distance.

6. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the liquid syringe is formed to have a predetermined thickness, the tag antenna being located on that portion.

7. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the tag antenna is placed over a surface of the cylinder member with a magnetic material of a sheet shape interposed between them.

8. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein a magnetic material of a sheet shape is placed on a surface of the reader antenna opposite to a surface thereof facing the tag antenna in the chemical liquid injector.

9. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the chemical liquid injector includes:

an injection head including the cylinder holding mechanism, the piston driving mechanism, the reader antenna, and the antenna placement mechanism; and

an injection control unit including a computer unit serving as the operation control means and a reader circuit connected to the reader antenna, the injection control unit being formed as a separate component from the injection head, and

the reader antenna is connected to the reader circuit through a coaxial cable.

10. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the chemical liquid injector includes:

an injection head including the cylinder holding mechanism, the piston driving mechanism, the reader antenna, the antenna placement mechanism, and a reader circuit connected to the reader antenna; and

an injection control unit including a computer unit serving as the operation control means, the injection control unit being formed as a separate component from the injection head.

11. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the chemical liquid injector includes data display means for displaying at least part of data received from the RFID tag.

12. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 9, or 10, wherein a display unit is mounted on the injection head and the chemical liquid injection system has data display means for displaying at least part of data received from the RFID tag.

13. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the tag antenna is formed in an elongated shape and is put on the cylinder member such that a longitudinal direction of the tag antenna corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the cylinder member, and

the reader antenna is formed in an elongated shape and is placed such that a longitudinal direction of the reader antenna corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the cylinder member held by the cylinder holding mechanism.

14. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control means returns the piston driving mechanism to an initial position after the completion of liquid injection operation is detected and then the detection of the RFID tag by the RFID reader is ended.

15. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control means includes data holding means for holding data received from the RFID tag and injection control means for controlling operation of the piston driving mechanism based on at least some of the held data.

16. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 15, wherein the liquid syringe is of a pre-filled type shipped after it is filled, as the liquid, with a contrast medium to be injected into a patient whose diagnostic image is taken by an imaging diagnostic apparatus, the RFID tag on the liquid syringe having data of a variable pattern recorded thereon for changing an injection rate of the contrast medium over time, and

the operation control means changes an operation rate of the piston driving mechanism over time in accordance with the variable pattern.

17. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control means includes data storing means for storing predetermined check conditions, data comparing means for comparing the stored check conditions with data received from the RFID tag, and alarm outputting means for outputting an alarm in accordance with the comparison result.

18. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid syringe is provided with a plurality of sizes differing in diameter,

a cylinder adapter is provided for each size of the liquid syringe other than the maximum diameter,

the chemical liquid injector is formed such that the liquid syringe of the maximum diameter is directly put on the cylinder holding mechanism and the liquid syringe of a size other than the maximum diameter is put over the cylinder holding mechanism with the cylinder adapter interposed between them, and

the cylinder adapter is made of nonmagnetic material, and an RFID tag is put thereon at a position opposite to the reader antenna when the cylinder adapter is mounted on the cylinder holding mechanism.

19. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag on the liquid syringe has, recorded thereon, identification data associated with the size of the liquid syringe,

the RFID tag on the cylinder adapter has, recorded thereon, the identification data associated with the size of the liquid syringe held on the cylinder adapter, and

the operation control means includes data identifying means for comparing identification data received from the RFID tag on the liquid syringe with identification data received from the RFID tag on the cylinder adapter and alarm outputting means for outputting an alarm if the identification data do not match.

20. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag on the liquid syringe has at least a production number for each item of the liquid syringe set thereon, and

the operation control means includes data accumulating means for storing the production number of the liquid syringe mounted and used to perform injection operation, data comparing means for comparing the stored production number with a newly stored production number, and alarm outputting means for outputting an alarm when the compared production numbers match.

21. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag on the liquid syringe is rewritable, and

the operation control means includes data recording means for recording, on the RFID tag on the liquid syringe, data “

used”

representing the fact that the liquid syringe has been mounted and used to perform injection operation, and alarm outputting means for outputting an alarm when the data “

used”

is received from the RFID tag on the liquid syringe.

22. The chemical liquid injector used for the chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, comprising:

the cylinder holding mechanism for holding the cylinder member;

the piston driving mechanism for injecting the liquid into the patient by pressing the piston member into the held cylinder member;

the RFID reader for receiving data from the RFID tag through electromagnetic induction via the reader antenna formed of a loop antenna;

the operation control means for permitting operation of the piston driving mechanism only when the data is received; and

the antenna placement portion for placing the reader antenna at a position opposite to the tag antenna generally in parallel while the cylinder member is appropriately held by the cylinder holding mechanism.