AMBULATORY INFUSION DEVICE WITH SENSOR TESTING UNIT

• US 20130119973A1
• Filed: 01/08/2013
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics International AG (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Lindegger, Stefan, Schrotberger, Reto, Muri, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 9,222,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/76.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/168 Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters ; Monitoring media flow to the body flow control in general G05D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10

Abstract

An ambulatory infusion device for infusion of a liquid drug into a patient'"'"'s body over an extended period of time and methods thereof are disclosed. The device includes a sensor assembly, which produces a sensor assembly output based on an infusion characteristic of the ambulatory infusion device and based on a supply voltage/current, and a supply unit which is coupled to a sensor of the sensor assembly and generates the supply voltage/current. A sensor testing unit detects a failure of the sensor assembly, wherein the sensor testing unit is coupled to the sensor assembly and the supply unit, and the sensor testing unit carries out a sensor testing sequence. The sensor testing sequence includes controlling the supply unit so as to produce a variation of the supply voltage/current, and determining whether the variation of the supply voltage/current produces a corresponding variation of the sensor assembly output.

Claims

1. An infusion device which is operable with a supply voltage/current and a measurement signal, said device comprising:

a sensor which receives the supply voltage/current; and

a measurement circuit which receives the measurement signal from the sensor and determines whether a change in the supply voltage/current causes a corresponding change in the measurement signal, wherein the sensor provides the measurement signal as a function of the received supply voltage/current and a measured characteristic of the infusion device.

2. The infusion device of claim 1, wherein the measured characteristic is a pressure of a liquid drug or a characteristic corresponding to the pressure of the liquid drug.

3. The infusion device of claim 1, further comprising a supply unit coupled to the sensor, wherein the supply unit generates the supply voltage/current.

4. The infusion device of claim 3, wherein the supply unit comprises a variable voltage supply or a variable current supply.

5. The infusion device of claim 3, wherein the supply unit generates a continuously variable supply voltage/current.

6. The infusion device of claim 3, wherein the supply unit produces a variation of the supply voltage/current.

7. The infusion device of claim 6, wherein the variation of the supply voltage/current comprises two or more discrete levels of the supply voltage/current.

8. The infusion device of claim 6, wherein the variation of the supply voltage/current comprises two discrete levels of the supply voltage/current, a first discrete level and a second discrete level.

9. The infusion device of claim 8, wherein the first discrete level is about two times higher than the second discrete level.

10. The infusion device of claim 8, wherein the supply unit comprises at least one dropping resistor used for producing the second discrete level.

11. The infusion device of claim 1, wherein determining whether a change in the supply voltage/current causes a corresponding change in the measurement signal comprises determining whether the corresponding change in the measurement signal is proportional to the change in the supply voltage/current.

12. The infusion device of claim 1, wherein determining whether a change in the supply voltage/current causes a corresponding change in the measurement signal comprises determining whether the corresponding change in the measurement signal falls within an expected range.

13. The infusion device of claim 1, wherein determining whether a change in the supply voltage/current causes a corresponding change in the measurement signal comprises averaging two or more samples of the sensor assembly output.

14. The infusion device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one force-sensitive resistor, pressure-sensitive resistor, or strain gauge.