Acoustic modem for fluid monitoring in medical and industrial applications

• US 9,065,553 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Carter, Stephen S., Bica, Vito R., Guo, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US13/230,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20130064044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/572.1, 340/1.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 367/197, 367/183
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

The various embodiments provide systems, devices, and methods which include an acoustic tag configured to transmit an acoustic signal through a contact medium that may be received by an acoustic modem, with the acoustic signal configured to transmit information. By modulating sound traveling through an acoustic connection between the fluid container and a pump, meter or valve, information such as an identifier of the fluid or container may be transmitted without risk of confusion with other fluid containers in the vicinity. In a medical embodiment, IV fluid and the IV drip tube provide a fluid and plastic acoustic connection to an IV pumping or metering device and an IV bag through which sound may be transmitted. The transmission of identification information through this physical connection may insure that the pumping or metering device only communicates with the IV bag coupled to the pump. Acoustic tags may be active or passive.

Claims

1. A method for receiving information from a fluid container in fluid communication with a fluid conduit, the method comprising:

receiving at a first device on or in the fluid container a first acoustic signal from a second device acoustically coupled to the fluid conduit;

transducing the received first acoustic signal into an electrical signal;

recognizing an acoustic activation signal in the transduced electrical signal;

transmitting from the first device a second acoustic signal into a fluid disposed within the fluid container and the fluid conduit in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal;

receiving the second acoustic signal at the second device acoustically coupled to the fluid conduit; and

taking an action in the second device based on the received second acoustic signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the received second acoustic signal to a signal characteristic stored in a second device memory to identify the fluid; and

determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting for the second device;

wherein taking an action in the second device based on the received acoustic signal comprises alerting an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the transduced electrical signal to a signal characteristic stored in a memory at the fluid container to determine if the transduced electrical signal includes a query signal; and

transmitting the second acoustic signal from the first device only when it is determined that the transduced electrical signal includes a query signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

harvesting energy from the received first acoustic signal

using energy harvested from the received first acoustic signal to generate the second acoustic signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid container is an IV bag, the first device is an acoustic tag coupled on or in the IV bag, and the second device is a medical pump configured to facilitate the administration of the fluid to a patient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid container is a beverage syrup bag, the first device is an acoustic tag coupled on or in the beverage syrup bag, and the second device is a beverage dispenser configured to dispense a beverage.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encoding information into the second acoustic signal transmitted by the first device; and

decoding the information from the second acoustic signal received by the second device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

comparing the information decoded from the second acoustic signal to information stored in a second device memory to identify the fluid; and

determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting for the second device;

wherein taking an action in the second device based on the received second acoustic signal comprises alerting an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting.

9. A method for receiving information from a fluid container in fluid communication with a fluid conduit, the method comprising:

transmitting from a first device an acoustic activation signal into a fluid disposed within the fluid container and the fluid conduit;

receiving the acoustic activation signal in a second device positioned on or in the fluid container;

transducing at the second device the acoustic activation signal into an electrical signal;

recognizing at the second device the acoustic activation signal in the transduced electrical signal;

transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal from the second device to the first device in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal, the RF signal encoding information;

receiving the RF signal at the first device;

decoding the information from the received RF signal; and

taking an action in the first device based on the received RF signal.

10. A method for receiving information from a fluid container in fluid communication with a fluid conduit, the method comprising:

transmitting a first acoustic signal from a device acoustically coupled to the fluid conduit;

reflecting the first acoustic signal into the fluid disposed within the fluid container in a manner that changes an attribute of the first acoustic signal thereby creating a second acoustic signal with harmonic properties different than the first acoustic signal;

receiving the second acoustic signal at the device; and

taking an action in the device based on the second acoustic signal.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

comparing the second acoustic signal to a signal characteristic stored in a device memory; and

determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting for the second device based on the comparison of the second acoustic signal to the signal characteristic stored in the second device memory,

wherein taking an action in the device based on the second acoustic signal comprises alerting an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting for the second device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

comparing the second acoustic signal to the first acoustic signal; and

using the harmonic differences between the first acoustic signal and second acoustic signal to determine information about the fluid or fluid container to the second device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the changed attribute of the first acoustic signal is a frequency component.

14. An acoustic tag configured to be attached to or positioned within a fluid container, the acoustic tag comprising:

a power source;

a controller coupled to the power source;

a pulse generator coupled to the controller and configured to produce electrical pulses in response to signals from the controller;

a first transducer coupled to the pulse generator, the first transducer configured to transmit an acoustic signal into a fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to electrical pulses produced by the pulse generator and to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals;

a signal modifying circuit configured to modify electrical signals received from the first transducer;

an analog to digital converter coupled to the signal modifying circuit and to the controller and configured to convert modified electrical signals received from the signal modifying circuit into corresponding digital signals provided to the controller; and

wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

recognizing an acoustic activation signal in digital signals received from the analog to digital converter; and

activating the pulse generator to cause the first transducer to transmit the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to recognizing an acoustic activation signal.

15. The acoustic tag of claim 14, further comprising:

a switch coupled between the power source and the controller.

16. The acoustic tag of claim 14, wherein the first transducer is further configured to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals, the acoustic tag further comprising a signal modifying circuit configured to receive electrical signals from the first transducer and provide modified signals to the controller, wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

recognizing an acoustic activation signal in signals received from the signal modifying circuit; and

activating the pulse generator to cause the first transducer to transmit the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to recognizing an acoustic activation signal.

17. The acoustic tag of claim 14, further comprising:

a second transducer configured to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals;

an signal modifying circuit configured to modify electrical signals received from the second transducer;

an analog to digital converter coupled to the signal modifying circuit and to the controller and configured to convert modified electrical signals received from the signal modifying circuit into corresponding digital signals provided to the controller; and

wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

recognizing an acoustic activation signal in digital signals received from the analog to digital converter; and

activating the pulse generator to cause the first transducer to transmit the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to recognizing an acoustic activation signal.

18. The acoustic tag of claim 17, wherein the first and second transducers are piezoelectric transducers.

19. The acoustic tag of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

activating the pulse generator in a manner that encodes information into the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container.

20. The acoustic tag of claim 14, the acoustic tag further comprising:

an antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) receiver coupled to the antenna and to the controller;

wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving an RF signal via the RF receiver; and

activating the pulse generator to cause the first transducer to transmit the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to receiving the RF signal at the acoustic tag.

21. The acoustic tag of claim 14, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag.

22. An acoustic tag configured to be attached to a fluid container, the acoustic tag comprising:

a power source;

a controller coupled to the power source;

a transducer configured to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals;

an signal modifying circuit configured to modify electrical signals received from the transducer and provide modified signals to the controller;

an antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter coupled to the antenna and to the controller;

wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

recognizing an activation signal in signals received from the analog to digital converter; and

activating the RF transmitter to cause the antenna to transmit an RF signal from the acoustic tag in response to recognizing the activation signal.

23. The acoustic tag of claim 22, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

a first transducer configured to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals;

a controller;

a signal modifying circuit configured to receive electrical signals from the first transducer and provide modified signals to the controller;

wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

recognizing a first acoustic signal in the signals received from the signal modifying circuit; and

directing a device to take an action in response to recognizing the first acoustic signal;

a pulse generator coupled to the controller and configured to produce electrical pulses in response to signals from the controller; and

a second transducer configured to transmit an acoustic activation signal into a fluid disposed in a fluid conduit in response to electrical pulses produced by the pulse generator.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the device is a pump configured to be fluidically coupled to a fluid container, and wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

identifying a fluid within the fluid container based at least in part on the recognized first acoustic signal; and

determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting of the pump, wherein directing the device to take an action in response to recognizing the first acoustic signal comprises directing the pump to alert an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a pulse generator coupled to the controller and configured to produce electrical pulses in response to signals from the controller; and

wherein the first transducer is further configured to transmit an acoustic activation signal into a fluid disposed in a fluid conduit in response to electrical pulses produced by the pulse generator.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first and second transducers are piezoelectric transducers.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

an antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter coupled to the antenna and the controller;

wherein the controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising;

activating the RF transmitter to cause the antenna to transmit an RF signal.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag, and the pump is one of a medical pump configured to facilitate the administration of the fluid to a patient and a beverage dispenser configured to dispense a beverage.

30. A system for dispensing a fluid, comprising:

a fluid container having a fluid disposed therein;

a fluid dispenser device;

a fluid conduit disposed between the fluid container and the fluid dispenser; and

an acoustic tag, on or in the fluid container, comprising;

a power source;

a first controller coupled to the power source;

a first pulse generator coupled to the first controller and configured to produce electrical pulses in response to signals from the first controller;

a first transducer coupled to the first pulse generator, the first transducer configured to transmit a first acoustic signal into a fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to electrical pulses produced by the first pulse generator and to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals,

wherein the fluid dispenser device comprises;

a second controller;

a second transducer configured to receive acoustic signals from the fluid conduit and generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals; and

a first signal modifying circuit configured to receive electrical signals from the second transducer and provide modified signals to the second controller,

wherein the second controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

recognizing the first acoustic signal in the signals received from the first signal modifying circuit; and

causing the fluid dispenser device to take an action in response to recognizing the first acoustic signal, the action taken selected from the group including dispensing fluid, not dispensing fluid, displaying an identity of the fluid, and sounding an alarm,

wherein the acoustic tag further comprises a second signal modifying circuit configured to receive electrical signals from the first transducer and provide modified signals to the first controller, and

wherein the first controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising;

recognizing an acoustic activation signal in signals received from the second signal modifying circuit; and

activating the first pulse generator to cause the first transducer to transmit the first acoustic signal into the fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal,

wherein the fluid dispenser device further comprises second pulse generator coupled to the second controller and configured to produce electrical pulses in response to signals from the second controller, and

wherein the second transducer is further configured to transmit the acoustic activation signal into the fluid disposed in the fluid conduit in response to electrical pulses produced by the second pulse generator.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the second controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

identifying the fluid disposed in the fluid container based at least in part on the recognized first acoustic signal; and

determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting of the device,

wherein causing the fluid dispenser device to take an action in response to recognizing the first acoustic signal comprises causing the fluid dispenser to sound an alarm to alert an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein:

the acoustic tag further comprises;

a first antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter coupled to the first antenna and the second controller;

the second controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising activating the RF transmitter to cause the first antenna to transmit an RF signal from the acoustic modem;

the acoustic tag further comprises;

a second antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) receiver coupled to the second antenna and to the first controller; and

the first controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising;

receiving an RF signal via the RF receiver; and

activating the first pulse generator to cause the first transducer to transmit the first acoustic signal into the fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to receiving the RF signal at the acoustic tag.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the first controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

activating the first pulse generator in a manner that encodes information into the first acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag, and the fluid dispenser device is one of a medical pump configured to facilitate the administration of the fluid to a patient and a beverage dispenser configured to dispense a beverage.

35. A system for dispensing a fluid, comprising:

a fluid container having a fluid disposed therein;

a fluid dispenser device;

a fluid conduit disposed between the fluid container and the fluid dispenser; and

an acoustic tag, on or in a fluid container, comprising;

a power source;

a first controller coupled to the power source;

a first transducer configured to generate electrical signals in response to received acoustic signals;

a first signal modifying circuit configured to modify electrical signals received from the first transducer and provide modified signals to the first controller;

a first antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter coupled to the first antenna and to the first controller,

wherein the first controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

recognizing an acoustic activation signal in signals received from the first signal modifying circuit; and

activating the RF transmitter to cause the first antenna to transmit an RF signal from the acoustic tag in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal; and

wherein the fluid dispenser device comprises;

a second controller;

a first pulse generator coupled to the second controller and configured to produce electrical pulses in response to signals from the second controller;

a second transducer configured to transmit the acoustic activation signal into the fluid disposed in the fluid conduit in response to electrical pulses produced by the first pulse generator;

a second antenna; and

a radio frequency (RF) receiver coupled to the second antenna and to the second controller,

wherein the second controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving the RF signal via the RF receiver; and

causing the fluid dispenser device to take an action in response to recognizing the first acoustic signal, the action taken selected from the group including dispensing fluid, not dispensing fluid, displaying an identity of the fluid, and sounding an alarm.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag, and the fluid dispenser device is one of a medical pump configured to facilitate the administration of the fluid to a patient and a beverage dispenser configured to dispense a beverage.

37. A system, comprising:

means for receiving at a first device on or in the fluid container a first acoustic signal from a second device acoustically coupled to the fluid conduit;

means for transducing at the first device the first acoustic signal into an electrical signal;

means for recognizing at the first device an acoustic activation signal in the transduced electrical signal;

means for transmitting from the first device a second acoustic signal into a fluid disposed within the fluid container and a fluid conduit in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal;

means for receiving the second acoustic signal at the second device acoustically coupled to the fluid conduit; and

means for taking an action in the second device based on the received second acoustic signal.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

means for comparing the received second acoustic signal to a signal characteristic stored in a second device memory to identify the fluid; and

means for determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting for the second device,

wherein the means for taking an action in the second device based on the received first acoustic signal comprises means for alerting an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting.

39. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

means for comparing the transduced electrical signal to a signal characteristic stored in a memory at the fluid container to determine if the transduced electrical signal includes a query signal; and

means for transmitting the second acoustic signal from the first device when it is determined that the transduced electrical signal includes a query signal.

40. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

means for harvesting energy from the received first acoustic signal; and

means for using energy harvested from the received first acoustic signal to generate the second acoustic signal.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the fluid container is an IV bag, the first device is an acoustic tag coupled on or in the IV bag, and the second device is a medical pump configured to facilitate the administration of the fluid to a patient.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein the fluid container is a beverage syrup bag, the first device is an acoustic tag coupled on or in the beverage syrup bag, and the second device is a beverage dispenser configured to dispense a beverage.

43. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

means for encoding information into the second acoustic signal transmitted by the first device; and

means for decoding the information from the second acoustic signal received by the second device.

44. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

means for comparing the information decoded from the second acoustic signal to information stored in a second device memory to identify the fluid; and

means for determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting for the second device,

wherein means for taking an action in the second device based on the received second acoustic signal comprises means for alerting an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting.

45. A system, comprising:

means for transmitting from a first device an acoustic activation signal into a fluid disposed within a fluid container and a fluid conduit;

means for receiving the acoustic activation signal in a second device positioned on or in the fluid container;

means for transducing at the second device the acoustic activation signal into an electrical signal;

means for recognizing at the second device an acoustic activation signal in the transduced electrical signal;

means for transmitting an RF signal encoding information from the second device to the first device in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal;

means for receiving the RF signal at the first device; and

means for taking an action in the first device based on the received RF signal.

46. A system, comprising:

a fluid container having a fluid disposed therein;

a fluid conduit fluidically coupled to the fluid container;

means for transmitting a first acoustic signal from a device acoustically coupled to the fluid within the fluid conduit;

means for reflecting the first acoustic signal into the fluid disposed within the fluid container in a manner that changes an attribute of the first acoustic signal thereby creating a second acoustic signal with properties different from the first acoustic signal;

means for receiving the second acoustic signal at the device; and

means for taking an action based on the second acoustic signal.

47. The system of claim 46, further comprising:

means for comparing the second acoustic signal to a signal characteristic stored in a device memory; and

means for determining if the fluid matches a fluid setting for the second device based on the comparison of the second acoustic signal to the signal characteristic stored in the second device memory,

wherein means for taking an action in the device based on the second acoustic signal comprises means for alerting an operator if the fluid does not match the fluid setting for the second device.

48. The system of claim 46, further comprising:

means for comparing the second acoustic signal to the first acoustic signal; and

means for using the differences between the first acoustic signal and second acoustic signal to determine information about the fluid or fluid container.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein the changed attribute of the first acoustic signal is a frequency component.

50. An acoustic tag configured to be attached to or positioned within a fluid container, the acoustic tag comprising:

means for transducing an acoustic signal received from the fluid container into an electrical signal;

means for recognizing an activation signal in the transduced electrical signal; and

means for transmitting an acoustic signal into a fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to recognizing the activation signal.

51. The acoustic tag of claim 50, further comprising:

means for encoding information into the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container.

52. The acoustic tag of claim 50, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag.

53. An acoustic tag configured to be attached to or positioned within a fluid container, the acoustic tag comprising:

means for transducing an acoustic signal received from the fluid container into an electrical signal;

means for recognizing an acoustic activation signal in the transduced electrical signal; and

means for transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal.

54. The acoustic tag of claim 53, wherein the fluid container is one of an intravenous (IV) fluid bag and a beverage syrup bag.

55. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause an acoustic tag processor to perform operations comprising:

processing received signals to recognize an activation signal in the received signals; and

transmitting an acoustic signal into a fluid disposed in the fluid container in response to recognizing the activation signal.

56. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 55, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause an acoustic tag processor to perform operations such that:

processing the received signals to recognize an activation signal in the received signals comprises recognizing an acoustic activation signal in the received signals; and

transmitting the acoustic signal into a fluid disposed in the fluid container is performed in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal.

57. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 55, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause an acoustic tag processor to perform operations further comprising:

encoding information into the acoustic signal transmitted into the fluid disposed in the fluid container.

58. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 55, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause an acoustic tag processor to perform operations such that recognizing an activation signal in received signals comprises recognizing an activation signal in a received radio frequency (RF) signal.

59. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause an acoustic tag processor to perform operations comprising:

transducing an acoustic activation signal received from the fluid medium into an electrical signal;

recognizing the acoustic activation signal in the electrical signal; and

transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal in response to recognizing the acoustic activation signal.

60. A method for receiving information from a fluid container, the method comprising:

transmitting an acoustic signal into a fluid disposed within the fluid container;

receiving a reflected acoustic signals from the fluid; and

detecting a particular change in an attribute of the received reflected acoustic signal.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the particular change in an attribute of the received reflected acoustic signal is a change in a frequency component.

62. An acoustic tag, comprising:

an acoustic reflector assembly configured to reflect a first acoustic signal into a fluid disposed within a fluid container in a manner that changes an attribute of the first acoustic signal thereby creating a second acoustic signal with acoustic properties recognizably different from the first acoustic signal.

63. The acoustic tag of claim 62, wherein the acoustic reflective assembly is configured to diminish or suppress an amplitude of a particular frequency in the second acoustic signal.

64. The acoustic tag of claim 63, wherein the acoustic reflective assembly comprises a Helmholtz resonator.