AUTOMATED METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS BUBBLE DETECTION AND EXPULSION
First Claim
1. A method of detecting and removing air from a syringe containing a volume of liquid and a volume of gas, the method comprising:
- moving a piston in the syringe to expel gas through an orifice of the syringe;
sensing movement of the piston in the syringe; and
determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe based on a change in the sensed movement.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting and removing air from a syringe containing a volume of liquid and a volume of gas is described. The method includes moving a piston in the syringe to expel gas through an orifice of the syringe, sensing a movement of the piston in the syringe, and determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe based on a change in the sensed movement. Moving the piston may include applying oscillating force to the piston using an electromagnetic actuator, and displacement and speed of the piston during each oscillation may be sensed. Determining when the volume of gas is expelled may be based on a change in the sensed movement of the piston during one or more oscillations of the piston or based on a comparison to a given reference value.
15 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of detecting and removing air from a syringe containing a volume of liquid and a volume of gas, the method comprising:
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moving a piston in the syringe to expel gas through an orifice of the syringe; sensing movement of the piston in the syringe; and determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe based on a change in the sensed movement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for detecting and removing air from a syringe, the apparatus comprising:
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a syringe including a piston and an orifice, the syringe having a volume of liquid and a volume of gas disposed in the syringe between the piston and the orifice, the volume of gas being adjacent to the orifice; a position sensor adapted to sense movement of the piston in the syringe; an actuator adapted to move the piston in the syringe; and a controller responsive to the position sensor, the controller causing the actuator to move the piston and drive the one or more bubbles through the orifice, the controller determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe as a function of a change in the sensed movement of the piston. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification