DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE
First Claim
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1. A drug delivery system comprising:
- a drug delivery device having a body with a mouthpiece and a microphone mounted on the body for sensing sounds made by the drug delivery device during operation; and
processing circuitry operable to process the signal obtained from the microphone to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device;
wherein the processing circuitry comprises;
means for tracking the energy in the acoustic signal received from the microphone during an inhalation;
means for converting the tracked energy into a flow profile for at least part of the inhalation using stored first calibration data;
means for processing the signal obtained from the microphone to detect the timing of the delivery of a medicament during the inhalation; and
means for comparing the detected timing of said delivery relative to said flow profile with stored second calibration data to determine if the delivery of the medicament meets a desired delivery condition.
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Abstract
Drug delivery devices are described that include sensors and processing circuitry that can detect operating events, such as flow rates and drug delivery, in various types of inhalers, such as dry powder inhalers, metered dose inhalers, nasal inhalers and nebulisers. The information determined by the processing circuitry can be used to provide feedback to the user or can be stored or transmitted for subsequent analysis. This information can be used to improve clinical trials by providing information about the way in which the inhalers under test are being used.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A drug delivery system comprising:
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a drug delivery device having a body with a mouthpiece and a microphone mounted on the body for sensing sounds made by the drug delivery device during operation; and processing circuitry operable to process the signal obtained from the microphone to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device; wherein the processing circuitry comprises; means for tracking the energy in the acoustic signal received from the microphone during an inhalation; means for converting the tracked energy into a flow profile for at least part of the inhalation using stored first calibration data; means for processing the signal obtained from the microphone to detect the timing of the delivery of a medicament during the inhalation; and means for comparing the detected timing of said delivery relative to said flow profile with stored second calibration data to determine if the delivery of the medicament meets a desired delivery condition. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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10. A drug delivery system comprising:
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a drug delivery device having a body with a mouthpiece and a microphone mounted on the body for sensing sounds made by the drug delivery device during operation; and processing circuitry operable to process the signal obtained from the microphone to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device; wherein the processing circuitry comprises; means for determining a dominant frequency or a harmonic thereof in the acoustic signal received from the microphone; and means for converting the determined dominant or harmonic frequency into a flow rate value using stored calibration data.
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20. A drug delivery system comprising:
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a drug delivery device having a body with a mouthpiece and a microphone mounted on the body for sensing sounds made by the drug delivery device during operation; and processing circuitry operable to process the signal obtained from the microphone to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device; wherein the processing circuitry is operable to; track the energy in the acoustic signal received from the microphone during an inhalation; convert the tracked energy into a flow profile for at least part of the inhalation using stored first calibration data; process the signal obtained from the microphone to detect the timing of the delivery of a medicament during the inhalation; and compare the detected timing of said delivery relative to said flow profile with stored second calibration data to determine if the delivery of the medicament meets a desired delivery condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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21. A drug delivery system comprising:
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a drug delivery device having a body with a mouthpiece and a microphone mounted on the body for sensing sounds made by the drug delivery device during operation; and processing circuitry operable to process the signal obtained from the microphone to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device; wherein the processing circuitry is operable to; determine a dominant frequency or a harmonic thereof in the acoustic signal received from the microphone; and convert the determined dominant or harmonic frequency into a flow rate value using stored calibration data. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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22. Processing circuitry for use in processing signals obtained from a microphone of a drug delivery device to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device, the processing circuitry being operable to:
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track the energy in the acoustic signal received from the microphone during an inhalation; convert the tracked energy into a flow profile for at least part of the inhalation using stored first calibration data; process the signal obtained from the microphone to detect the timing of the delivery of a medicament during the inhalation; and compare the detected timing of said delivery relative to said flow profile with stored second calibration data to determine if the delivery of the medicament meets a desired delivery condition. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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23. Processing circuitry for use in processing signals obtained from a microphone of a drug delivery device to determine operating conditions of the drug delivery device, the processing circuitry being operable to:
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determine a dominant frequency or harmonics thereof in the acoustic signal received from the microphone; and convert the determined dominant or harmonic frequency into a flow rate value using stored calibration data. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification