AUTOMATED FLUID FLOW CONTROL SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A system for the controlled delivery of medicinal fluid, the system comprising:
- a flow control device including a processor, a source of pressurized gas, a first pressure sensor, position sensor, and a motor;
a fluid pathway assembly having an inlet, an outlet, a fluid pathway extending between said inlet and said outlet, and a variable flow resistor;
a pneumatic pumping chamber in said fluid pathway assembly, said pnuematic pumping chamber including a gas receiving volume, a fluid receiving volume, and a flexible membrane separating said gas receiving volume and said fluid receiving volume;
said source of pressurized gas fluidically coupled to said gas receiving volume for selectively increasing or decreasing a gas pressure within said gas receiving volume, wherein flow rate of the medicinal fluid during operation is responsive to pressure changes in said gas receiving volume;
said first pressure sensor fluidically coupled to said gas receiving volume for sensing a pressure in said gas receiving volume;
an inline flow sensor element received within said fluid pathway, said inline flow sensor element movable in response to a fluid flowing in said fluid pathway;
said position sensor for sensing a position of said inline flow sensor element in said fluid pathway, the position of said inline flow sensor element in said fluid pathway correlated to a rate of fluid flowing in said fluid pathway;
said motor coupled to said variable flow resistor to adjust said variable flow resistor wherein the rate of fluid flowing in said fluid pathway is responsive to adjustments to said variable flow resistor;
said processor for calculating a first calculated flow rate using pressure information from said first pressure sensor;
said processor for selectively adjusting one or both of the pressure within said gas receiving volume and said variable flow resistor during operation to achieve a target flow rate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for controlled delivery of medicinal fluid includes a fluid pathway assembly defining a fluid pathway and including means for calculating a first calculated fluid flow rate using gas laws. The fluid pathway assembly has an inline flow sensor element received within the fluid pathway movable in response to fluid flowing in the fluid pathway. A flow control device is removably attached to the fluid pathway assembly and has a sensor for sensing a position of the inline flow sensor element in the fluid pathway, the position of the inline flow sensor element being representative of a second calculated fluid flow rate. The fluid pathway assembly includes a variable flow resistor adjustable to regulate a rate of fluid flow in the fluid pathway assembly. A drive mechanism attached to the flow control device is operably coupled to the variable flow resistor when the flow control device is attached to the fluid pathway assembly. The variable flow resistor is adjustable by the drive mechanism to achieve a target flow rate when the first calculated flow rate and/or the second calculated flow rate differs from the target flow rate.
124 Citations
48 Claims
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1. A system for the controlled delivery of medicinal fluid, the system comprising:
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a flow control device including a processor, a source of pressurized gas, a first pressure sensor, position sensor, and a motor; a fluid pathway assembly having an inlet, an outlet, a fluid pathway extending between said inlet and said outlet, and a variable flow resistor; a pneumatic pumping chamber in said fluid pathway assembly, said pnuematic pumping chamber including a gas receiving volume, a fluid receiving volume, and a flexible membrane separating said gas receiving volume and said fluid receiving volume; said source of pressurized gas fluidically coupled to said gas receiving volume for selectively increasing or decreasing a gas pressure within said gas receiving volume, wherein flow rate of the medicinal fluid during operation is responsive to pressure changes in said gas receiving volume; said first pressure sensor fluidically coupled to said gas receiving volume for sensing a pressure in said gas receiving volume; an inline flow sensor element received within said fluid pathway, said inline flow sensor element movable in response to a fluid flowing in said fluid pathway; said position sensor for sensing a position of said inline flow sensor element in said fluid pathway, the position of said inline flow sensor element in said fluid pathway correlated to a rate of fluid flowing in said fluid pathway; said motor coupled to said variable flow resistor to adjust said variable flow resistor wherein the rate of fluid flowing in said fluid pathway is responsive to adjustments to said variable flow resistor; said processor for calculating a first calculated flow rate using pressure information from said first pressure sensor; said processor for selectively adjusting one or both of the pressure within said gas receiving volume and said variable flow resistor during operation to achieve a target flow rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for the controlled delivery of medicinal fluid from a fluid source to a patient, said method comprising:
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connecting a first fluid source containing a first fluid to be infused into a patient to a first inlet of a fluid pathway assembly having a manually adjustable variable flow resistor, the fluid pathway assembly defining a fluid pathway and having a first pneumatic pumping chamber for driving fluid though the pathway and an inline flow sensor element received within the fluid pathway, the sensor element movable in response to fluid flowing in the fluid pathway; connecting a fluid control device which is removably attachable to the fluid pathway assembly, the fluid control device providing the pneumatic control to drive fluid through the fluid pathway and having a sensor for detecting movement of the inline flow sensor element; calculating an actual flow rate by one or both of measuring pressure changes in the pneumatic pumping chamber as a function of time or sensed position of the inline flow sensor element; and monitoring the actual flow rate and automatically adjusting one or both of pressure in the pneumatic pumping chamber and the variable flow resistor to achieve a first target flow rate. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A system for the controlled delivery of medicinal fluid, the system comprising:
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a first medicinal fluid to be delivered; a fluid pathway assembly defining a fluid pathway and having an inline flow sensor element received within said fluid pathway, said inline flow sensor element movable in response to a fluid flowing in said fluid pathway; a flow control device removably attached to said fluid pathway assembly and having a position sensor for detecting movement of said inline flow sensor element; said fluid pathway assembly having a variable flow resistor which is manually adjustable to regulate a rate of fluid flow in the fluid pathway assembly; said fluid pathway including a first chamber including a first chamber volume and a second chamber volume separated by a first flexible member intermediate the first chamber volume and the second chamber, the first chamber volume being filled with said first medicinal fluid to be delivered and the second volume filled with gas and including a port; check valves for controlling flow into and out of said first chamber; said flow control device including means for pneumatically coupling a chamber of known volume to said port in said second chamber volume, said flow control device further including means to selectively increase or decrease the pressure in said second chamber volume, said increase or decrease in pressure acting to move said first flexible member in said chamber to selectively expel the first medicinal fluid from the first chamber volume or draw the first medicinal fluid into said first chamber volume; a motor attached to the flow control device, said motor operably coupled to said variable flow resistor when said flow control device is attached to said fluid pathway assembly; and said variable flow resistor adjustable by said motor under automatic control to adjust a rate of flow of said first medicinal fluid in said fluid pathway. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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Specification