SMART SYRINGE

• US 20190060577A1
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Vallis, Darrin T.
• Application Number:
  US15/851,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20190060577A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3327 Measuring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/582 by tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/587 Lighting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/609 Biometric patient identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/702 automatically during use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8212 with means or measures taken for minimising energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/50 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31511 Piston or piston-rod constructions, e.g. connection of piston with piston-rod A61M5/5066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31568 Means keeping track of the total dose administered, e.g. since the cartridge was inserted
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 : for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/202 : by movable a non-ferromagnetic conductive element G01D5/2033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/26 : by measuring variations of capacity or inductance of capacitors or inductors arising from the presence of liquid or fluent solid material in the electric or electromagnetic fields

Abstract

A smart syringe is described that is capable of measuring a position of a plunger within the barrel of the smart syringe and of communicating the status of a liquid pharmaceutical within the smart syringe to a patient database.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical comprising:

a first electrode disposed on a barrel of a syringe;

a second electrode disposed on a plunger of the syringe, wherein the second electrode is coupled to a measurement circuit disposed on an applicator of the plunger to measure an electrical property of the second electrode, the electrical property of the second electrode alterable by the first electrode;

a temperature sensor disposed on the plunger of the syringe, the temperature sensor coupled to the measurement circuit and for measuring a temperature of the liquid pharmaceutical; and

a wireless communication circuit disposed on the applicator of the plunger in operable communication with a database and configured to communicate a status of the liquid pharmaceutical.

2. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, wherein the status is derived from a linear position of the second electrode along a length of the first electrode.

3. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, wherein the electrical property of the second electrode is inductance and wherein the inductance of the second electrode increases and decreases in response to a position of the plunger within the barrel of the syringe.

4. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, wherein the electrical property of the second electrode is capacitance and wherein the capacitance of the second electrode increases and decreases in response to the position of the plunger within the barrel of the syringe.

5. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuit and the wireless communication circuit are disposed on the same integrated circuit (IC).

6. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuit and the wireless communication circuit are disposed with an applicator connected to a piston, the piston connected to the plunger.

7. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, wherein the second electrode is coupled to the measurement circuit by a sensor interconnect.

8. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 7, wherein the sensor interconnect comprises at least one wire disposed within a piston between the plunger and an applicator.

9. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 1, further comprising a user interface disposed on an applicator, the interface for communicating information about the liquid pharmaceutical to a user.

10. The apparatus for dispensing a liquid pharmaceutical of claim 9, wherein the user interface is an interface element selected from the group consisting of at least one LED, a capacitance sensor, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a fingerprint sensor.

11. (canceled)

12. A method for measuring a dispensed liquid pharmaceutical comprising:

measuring an electrical property of a first electrode, the electrical property of the first electrode operatively altered by an overlap of the first electrode and a second electrode;

converting the measured electrical property to a linear value, the linear value representative of a position of a plunger within a barrel of a syringe;

converting the linear value to a volume of liquid pharmaceutical; and

communicating the volume of liquid pharmaceutical to a database over a wireless protocol.

13. The method for measuring a dispensed liquid pharmaceutical of claim 12, wherein:

the first electrode is disposed on the plunger; and

the second electrode is disposed on the barrel of the syringe.

14. The method of measuring a dispensed liquid pharmaceutical of claim 12, wherein the electrical property of the first electrode is inductance and wherein the inductance of the first electrode increases and decreases in response to the plunger'"'"'s position within the barrel of the syringe.

15. The method of measuring a dispensed liquid pharmaceutical of claim 12, wherein the electrical property of the first electrode is capacitance and wherein the capacitance of the first electrode increases and decreases in response to the plunger'"'"'s position within the barrel of the syringe.

16. A smart syringe comprising:

a first electrode disposed on a plunger of the smart syringe;

a second electrode disposed on a barrel of the smart syringe; and

a temperature sensor disposed on the plunger of the syringe, the temperature sensor coupled to the measurement circuit and for measuring a temperature of the liquid pharmaceutical

a controller disposed on an applicator of the plunger and coupled to the first electrode, the controller for measuring a linear displacement of the plunger within the barrel, the linear displacement derived from an electrical property of the first electrode alterable by an overlap of the first electrode by the second electrode, and coupled to the temperature sensor,

wherein the controller is in operable communication with a database for communication of a status of a liquid pharmaceutical contained within the smart syringe.

17. The smart syringe of claim 16, wherein the electrical property of the first electrode is inductance.

18. The smart syringe of claim 16, wherein the electrical property of the first electrode is capacitance.

19. The smart syringe of claim 16, wherein the second electrode is disposed on the barrel with an adhesive label.

20. The smart syringe of claim 19 further comprising an interface circuit coupled to the controller, the interface circuit for displaying information related to the liquid pharmaceutical to a user.