Flow Meter

• US 20150002677A1
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Peret, Bob D., Kane, Derek G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,724,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3627 Degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/284 Lever clamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16886 for measuring fluid flow rate, i.e. flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1689 Drip counters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/342 the sensed object being the obturating part
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/00 Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20061 Hough transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20076 Probabilistic image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20182 Noise reduction or smoothing in the temporal domain; Spatio-temporal filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20224 Image subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images

Abstract

An flow meter includes a coupler, a support member, an image sensor, and one or more processors. The coupler is adapted to couple to a drip chamber. The support member is operatively coupled to the coupler. The image sensor has a field of view and is operatively coupled to the support member. The image sensor is positioned to view the drip chamber within its field of view. The one or more processors are operatively coupled to the image sensor to receive data thereform. The one or more processors (1) receive image data from the image sensor, and (2) determine an existence of a free flow condition by identifying an optical distortion of an area behind the free flow condition within the drip chamber using the received image data.

Claims

1. A flow meter, comprising:

a coupler adapted to couple to a drip chamber;

a support member operatively coupled to the coupler;

an image sensor having a field of view and operatively coupled to the support member, wherein the image sensor is positioned to view the drip chamber within the field of view; and

at least one processor operatively coupled to the image sensor to receive data thereform, wherein;

the at least one processor receives image data from the image sensor, and

the at least one processor determines an existence of a free flow condition by identifying an optical distortion of an area behind the free flow condition within the drip chamber using the received image data.

2. The flow meter according to claim 1, further comprising a background pattern positioned within the field of view of the image sensor wherein the drip chamber is between the image sensor and the background pattern.

3. The flow meter according to claim 2, wherein the background pattern includes a repeating pattern that is repeating in at least one direction along the surface of the background pattern on a side of the background pattern facing the image sensor.

4. The flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor estimates at least one parameter using the image data from the image sensor by analyzing a distortion of a background pattern caused by the liquid within the field of view as viewed by the image sensor.

5. The flow meter according to claim 1, further comprising a background pattern having an array of lines having at least one angle relative to an opening of the drip chamber when viewed from the image sensor within the field of view using the image data.

6. The flow meter according to claim 5, wherein the background pattern is positioned on a side of the drip chamber opposite to the image sensor.

7. The flow meter according to claim 5, wherein the at least processor determines a free flow condition exists when the liquid causes the array of lines to change angles by distortion caused by the liquid when in the free flow condition as viewed within the field of view from the image sensor.

8. The flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor compares the image data to a background image to estimate the optical distortion.

9. The flow meter according to claim 8, wherein the at least one processor estimates the optical distortion by determining a difference between the image data to the background image.

10. The flow meter according to claim 8, wherein the at least one processor estimates the optical distortion by determining an absolute difference between the image data to the background image.

11. The flow meter according to claim 8, wherein the at least one processor estimates the optical distortion by determining a squared absolute difference between the image data to the background image.

12. The flow meter according to claim 1, further comprising a non-transitory processor-readable memory in operative communication with the at least one processor, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable memory includes an operative set of processor executable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor, wherein the operative set of processor executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, controls the operation of the at least one processor.

13. A flow meter, comprising:

a coupler adapted to couple to a drip chamber;

a support member operatively coupled to the coupler;

an image sensor having a field of view and operatively coupled to the support member, wherein the image sensor is positioned to view the drip chamber within the field of view;

a background pattern positioned within the field of the view of the image sensor, the background pattern positioned such that the drip chamber is between the background pattern and the image sensor; and

at least one processor operatively coupled to the image sensor to receive image data therefrom, wherein the at least one processor is configured to estimate at least one parameter of liquid within the drip chamber using distortion of the background pattern caused by the liquid as indicated by the image data, wherein the distortion is viewable within the field of view of the image sensor by the image sensor.

14. The flow meter according to claim 13, wherein the at least one parameter is whether a streaming condition exists.

15. The flow meter according to claim 13, wherein the at least one processor determines an existence of a free flow condition using the distortion of the background pattern caused by the liquid as indicated by the image data.

16. The flow meter according to claim 13, wherein the background pattern includes an array of lines having at least one angle relative to an opening of the drip chamber when viewed from the image sensor using the image data.

17. The flow meter according to claim 16, wherein the at least processor determines a free flow condition exists when the liquid causes the array of lines to change angles by distortion caused by the liquid when in the free flow condition as viewed within the field of view of the image sensor.

18. The flow meter according to claim 16, wherein the at least processor determines a free flow condition exists when the liquid causes the array of lines to change angles by distortion caused by the liquid when in the free flow condition as viewed within the field of view of the image sensor.

19. The flow meter according to claim 16, wherein the at least processor determines a free flow condition exists when the liquid causes the array of lines to reverse angles by distortion caused by the liquid when in the free flow condition as viewed within the field of view of the image sensor.

20. The flow meter according to claim 16, wherein the at least processor determines a free flow condition exists when the streaming liquid causes a lensing effect that thereby causes the array of lines to change angles because of the by distortion caused by the liquid when in the free flow condition as viewed within the field of view of the image sensor.

21. The flow meter according to claim 13, further comprising a non-transitory processor-readable memory in operative communication with the at least one processor, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable memory includes an operative set of processor executable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor, wherein the operative set of processor executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, controls the operation of the at least one processor.

22. A flow meter, comprising:

a coupler adapted to couple to a drip chamber;

a support member operatively coupled to the coupler;

an image sensor having a field of view and operatively coupled to the support member, wherein the image sensor is positioned to view the drip chamber within the field of view;

a background pattern positioned within the field of the view of the image sensor, the background pattern positioned such that the drip chamber is between the background pattern and the image sensor; and

at least one processor operatively coupled to the image sensor to receive image data therefrom, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a freeflow condition exists when a template matches a distortion of the background pattern caused by the liquid as indicated by the image data, wherein the distortion is viewable within the field of view of the image sensor by the image sensor.