Syringe plunger driver system
First Claim
1. A syringe plunger driver system for accurately measuring a force exerted against a syringe plunger by a plunger driver, the plunger having a plunger piston, a plunger flange, and a plunger stem interconnecting the piston with the flange, and the plunger forming a part of a syringe, the syringe having an outlet and a barrel in which the plunger moves, the syringe plunger driver system comprising:
- a force concentrator including a protruding pushing surface located on the plunger driver such that the plunger flange contacts the plunger driver at the protruding pushing surface, the force concentrator adapted to exert a force against the plunger flange to move the plunger into the syringe barrel;
a force detector located in the plunger driver and adapted to measure the magnitude of the force exerted by the force concentrator against the plunger flange, the force detector outputting a force signal representative of the measured magnitude of the force; and
a moveable flange contact plate, comprising the force concentrator, pivotally mounted about a pivot point on the plunger driver, and the force detector engaging the contact plate between the pivot point and the force concentrator.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A syringe plunger driver system capable of capturing syringes of widely varying sizes comprises a pair of asymmetric plunger retainer arms pivotally mounted to a plunger driver. The system includes a low profile driver having a length that exceeds its width so that it may be mounted adjacent control modules and other operational modules. The arms are biased toward each other and one arm is longer than the other with a notch on an inside edge to receive the tip of the shorter arm when capturing small syringe flanges. A rotation knob mounted to the front surface of the low profile driver forces the arms apart when rotated to a first rotation position. A force sensor is mounted in the driver to detect occlusions in the fluid line. A processor monitors the force sensed by the force sensor and provides an alarm if the force exceeds a threshold. The driver includes a force concentrator that defines a pushing surface adapted to press against a plunger flange so that the force applied to the plunger flange is concentrated at a defined location for more accurate measurement.
26 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A syringe plunger driver system for accurately measuring a force exerted against a syringe plunger by a plunger driver, the plunger having a plunger piston, a plunger flange, and a plunger stem interconnecting the piston with the flange, and the plunger forming a part of a syringe, the syringe having an outlet and a barrel in which the plunger moves, the syringe plunger driver system comprising:
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a force concentrator including a protruding pushing surface located on the plunger driver such that the plunger flange contacts the plunger driver at the protruding pushing surface, the force concentrator adapted to exert a force against the plunger flange to move the plunger into the syringe barrel; a force detector located in the plunger driver and adapted to measure the magnitude of the force exerted by the force concentrator against the plunger flange, the force detector outputting a force signal representative of the measured magnitude of the force; and a moveable flange contact plate, comprising the force concentrator, pivotally mounted about a pivot point on the plunger driver, and the force detector engaging the contact plate between the pivot point and the force concentrator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A syringe plunger driver system for accurately measuring a force exerted against a syringe plunger by a plunger driver to move the syringe plunger into a syringe barrel having an outlet adapted to be connected to a fluid delivery tube, the syringe plunger having an inner side facing the syringe barrel and an outer side facing away from the syringe barrel, the system comprising:
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a plate pivotally mounted about a pivot point on the plunger driver, the plate having a first surface facing the plunger flange and a second surface facing away from the plunger flange; a force concentrator protruding from the first surface of the plate such that the syringe plunger contacts the plunger driver only at the force concentrator, the force concentrator adapted to press against the outer side of the plunger flange to thereby concentrate the force exerted against the plunger; a force detector located in the plunger driver and adapted to contact the second surface of the plate at a position between the pivot point and the force concentrator, the force detector adapted to provide a force signal representative of a measurement of the force exerted by the force concentrator against the plunger flange when the plunger driver is moving the plunger into the syringe barrel; and a processor in communication with the force detector that compares the force signal from the force detector against a threshold and provides an alarm signal if the force signal exceeds the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A syringe plunger driver system for accurately measuring a force exerted against a syringe plunger by a plunger driver to move the syringe plunger into a syringe barrel, the syringe plunger having an inner side facing the syringe barrel and an outer side facing away from the syringe barrel, the system comprising:
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a plunger retainer located on the plunger driver and adapted to capture plunger flanges of varying sizes; a plate pivotally mounted about a pivot point on the plunger driver, the plate having a first surface facing the plunger flange and a second surface facing away from the plunger flange; a force concentrator protruding from the first surface of the plate such that the syringe plunger contacts the plunger driver only at the force concentrator, the force concentrator adapted to press against the outer side of the plunger flange to thereby concentrate the force exerted against the plunger, the force concentrator located at a position on the plate where all plunger flanges regardless of size will be contacted by the plunger driver; and a force detector located in the plunger driver and adapted to contact the second surface of the plate at a position between the pivot point and the force concentrator, the force detector adapted to measure the magnitude of the force exerted by the force concentrator against the plunger flange when the plunger driver is moving the plunger into the syringe barrel, the force detector outputting a force signal representative of the measured magnitude of the force. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification