INJECTOR

• US 20110184281A1
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Neer, Frank M. Fago, Jonathon D. Gibbs
• Original Assignee: Charles Neer, Frank M. Fago, Jonathon D. Gibbs
• Inventors: Neer, Charles, Gibbs, Jonathon D., Fago, Frank M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,882,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/432
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1402 Priming
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1403 Flushing or purging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14553 comprising a pressure jacket
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/702 automatically during use
• 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 5/1458 Means for capture of the plunger flange
• 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 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31525 Dosing burettes, pipettes B01L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/445 the media being heated in the reservoir, e.g. warming bloodbags
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

An injector automatic limiting of the operating pressure of the injector as determined by the selection of a flow rate; a syringe cradle having a warming capability; a purge/retract trigger for control of the injection procedure having intuitive direction (i.e., forward for injecting, reverse for filing), non-contact control transmission through the housing of an injector for an improved seal integrity, a speed lock, and/or the ability to change the concentration and/or flow rate of media or other fluid during an injection procedure; a switch to determine when the drive ram is in a “home” position; a “soft” on/off power switch separate from the injector; and a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram about its axis of symmetry. Additionally, the injector system includes software for the control of various components.

Claims

1. A medical fluid injector comprising:

a drive ram having a longitudinal axis;

a motor to move the drive ram along the longitudinal axis;

a syringe mount comprising first and second members that are pivotable toward and away from one another, the first member being pivotable about a first pivot axis, and the second member being pivotable about a second pivot axis different from the first pivot axis, wherein a line connecting the first and second pivot axes does not intersect the longitudinal axis of the drive ram, wherein the first and second members of the syringe mount, when in a first position, are engaged with a rearward end of a syringe to substantially immobilize the syringe relative to the motor, and wherein the first and second members of the syringe mount, when in a second position, are disengaged from the rearward end of the syringe so that the syringe may be removed from the syringe mount; and

a sensor for determining whether the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the first position or the second position.

2. The injector of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second members of the syringe mount comprises an arcuate surface.

3. The injector of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second members of the syringe mount is biased toward the longitudinal axis of the drive ram when the first and second members are in the first position.

4. The injector of claim 1, further comprising a housing that houses the motor and that allows the drive ram to extend out from the housing.

5. The injector of claim 1, further comprising a console in electronic communication with the sensor and adapted to generate at least one console control signal for the injector.

6. The injector of claim 5, wherein the at least one console control signal is interrupted when the sensor determines that the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the second position.

7. The injector of claim 5, wherein a first signal of the at least one console control signal signals the motor to move the drive ram along the longitudinal axis in a first direction, and wherein the first signal is prevented from being delivered to the motor when the sensor determines that the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the second position.

8. The injector of claim 5, wherein the sensor is adapted to deliver a signal comprising positional information for the first and second members to the console.

9. The injector of claim 1, further comprising software that is adapted to allow manual control of the injector when the sensor determines that the first and second members are in the first position.

10. The injector of claim 1, wherein the syringe has contrast media disposed therein.

11. A contrast media injector comprising:

an injector housing;

a drive ram bi-directionally movable along a longitudinal axis thereof;

a motor located within the injector housing and drivingly coupled to the drive ram;

a syringe cradle integral with the injector housing and designed to support a syringe at a fixed position relative to the motor; and

a syringe mount engageable with a body of a syringe so as to allow the drive ram to cause movement of a plunger of the syringe within and relative to the body of the syringe, wherein;

the syringe mount includes first and second members;

the first member of the syringe mount is pivotable relative to the syringe cradle about a first pivot axis, and the second member of the syringe mount is pivotable relative to the syringe cradle about a second pivot axis different from the first pivot axis;

each of the first and second members of the syringe mount comprises an internal groove designed to accommodate an outwardly extending flange of a syringe;

the first and second members of the syringe mount are pivotable toward and away from each other such that the first and second members may be disposed in an open position and a closed position, and such that, in use, a syringe may be removed from the syringe mount by lifting the syringe away from the syringe mount and the syringe cradle in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive ram when the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the open position; and

a sensor for determining whether at least one of the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the open position or the closed position.

12. The injector of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second members comprises metal.

13. The injector of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second members has an arcuate surface.

14. The injector of claim 11, wherein the first and second members are biased toward each other.

15. The injector of claim 11, wherein the syringe cradle comprises a heating capability for warming contents of a syringe mounted to the injector.

16. The injector of claim 11, wherein the injector is a hand-held injector.

17. The injector of claim 11, further comprising a sensor for determining whether both of the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the open position or the closed position.

18. The injector of claim 17, further comprising a console in electronic communication with the sensor and adapted to generate at least one console control signal for the injector.

19. The injector of claim 18, wherein the at least one console control signal is interrupted when the sensor determines that the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the open position.

20. The injector of claim 18, wherein a first signal of the at least one console control signal signals the motor to move the drive ram along the longitudinal axis in a first direction, and wherein the first signal is prevented from being delivered to the motor when the sensor determines that the first and second members of the syringe mount are in the open position.

21. The injector of claim 18, wherein the sensor is adapted to deliver a signal comprising positional information for the first and second members of the syringe mount to the console.

22. The injector of claim 17, wherein software of the injector is adapted to allow manual control of the injector when the sensor determines that the first and second members are in the open position.

23. The injector of claim 11, further comprising a syringe engaged with the syringe mount.

24. The injector of claim 23, wherein the syringe comprises a body that includes an outwardly extending flange, and a plunger disposed within and movable relative to the body.

25. The injector of claim 24, wherein the flange is integral with a rear end of the body of the syringe.

26. The injector of claim 23, further comprising contrast media disposed within the syringe.

27. The injector of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second members is movable about a pin forming a respective pivot axis for the member.

28. The injector of claim 27, further comprising bias springs journalled about the pins which form the pivot axes for each of the first and second members.

29. The injector of claim 27, wherein the bias springs bias the first and second members such that confronting faces of the members are urged toward each other.

30. The injector of claim 27, wherein once a body of a syringe is inserted in the syringe mount, it cannot be extracted by lifting the syringe away from the syringe mount without opening the first and second gripping members.

31. The injector of claim 27, wherein positive force of the syringe barrel against the first and second gripping members retains the syringe in the gripping members.

32. The injector of claim 23, wherein the syringe cradle extends to support the syringe along the majority of the length of the syringe.