Injection device comprising an optical sensor

• US 8,197,449 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Nielsen, Preben Mikael, Von Munchow, Bodo, Pedersen, Carsten Bitsch, Pedersen, Per Moelgaard
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Campbell, Victoria P
• Application Number:
  US11/912,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: 604/65, 604/187, 604/189, 604/207
• US Class Current: 604/189
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6063 Optical identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31525 Dosing burettes, pipettes B01L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3155 by rotational movement of dose setting member, e.g. during setting or filling of a syringe
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31556 Accuracy improving means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31568 Means keeping track of the total dose administered, e.g. since the cartridge was inserted
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/3473 Circular or rotary encoders
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/34792 with only digital scales or both digital and incremental scales

Abstract

The present invention relates to an injection device comprising an optically-based sensor for determining the position or setting of a dose setting member arranged to set a dose to be injected from the injection device. In particular, the present invention relates to an injection device comprising a rotatably mounted member having a plurality of optically coded paths arranged on an outer surface thereof. The rotatably mounted member is operatively connected to the dose setting member and is adapted to rotate with the dose setting member.

Claims

1. An injection device comprising:

a dose setting member adapted to set a dose of a medicament to be injected from the injection device,

a position determining arrangement for determining the amount of a set dose or the amount of an injected dose, the position determining arrangement comprising a rotatably mounted member having a plurality of optically coded tracks arranged on an outer surface thereof,

an optic sensor arrangement adapted to sense the optically coded tracks, and

a control circuit coupled to the optic sensor arrangement adapted to determine the position of the rotatably mounted member relative to the optic sensor arrangement,

wherein the optically coded tracks are arranged as helically extending tracks on the rotatably mounted member, and

wherein the device further comprises structure for guiding a plurality of guided light beams, each light beam being guided so as to be incident on one optically coded track.

2. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the optically coded tracks are provided by varying the optical properties along said tracks.

3. The injection device according to claim 2, wherein the optical properties along the tracks are varied by varying an optical reflectivity or transparency of the outer surface of the rotatably mounted member.

4. The injection device according to any of claim 1, wherein six optically coded tracks are arranged on the outer surface of the rotatably mounted member.

5. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the number of guided light beams equals the number of optically coded tracks.

6. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the optic sensor arrangement comprises a plurality of light sensitive elements.

7. The injection device according to claim 6, wherein the number of light sensitive elements equals the number of optically coded tracks.

8. The injection device according to claim 6, further comprising structure for guiding a plurality of light beams reflected from the optically coded tracks to the light sensitive elements.

9. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the light guiding structure arranged to provide light beams to and from the optically coded tracks are arranged as through-going openings in a housing.

10. The injection device according to claim 9, wherein the light guiding structure for guiding light to the optically coded tracks-are arranged so that the light beams are incident onto the optically coded paths under an angle of 40-50 degrees.

11. The injection device according to claim 9, wherein the light guiding structure for guiding light from the optically coded tracks-to the light sensitive elements are arranged so that the light beams leave the optically coded tracks under an angle of 40-50 degrees.

12. The injection device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatably mounted member is at least partly transparent.

13. The injection device according to claim 12, further comprising a light emitter adapted to emit a beam of light into the rotatably mounted member.

14. The injection device according to claim 13, further comprising light detecting structure having a plurality of light sensitive areas, the light detecting structure being arranged to detect light escaping the outer surface of the rotatably mounted member.

15. An injection device according to claim 14, wherein the number of light sensitive areas equals the number of optically coded tracks.