Autonomous vehicle comprising extracorporeal blood treatment machine

• US 9,128,485 B1
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Doyle, Matthew, Tanenbaum, Lee, Tong, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard
• Application Number:
  US14/723,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20150261221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 103 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1601 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/367 Circuit parts not covered by the preceding subgroups of group A61M1/3621
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3379 Masses, volumes, levels of fluids in reservoirs, flow rates
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3393 by weighing the reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3576 with non implanted data transmission devices, e.g. using external transmitter or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3666 using heat loss of a motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/825 using mechanical generation of electricity, e.g. hand cranked generators
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8262 connectable to external power source, e.g. connecting to automobile battery through the cigarette lighter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/08 Supports for equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1886 : Controlling power supply to auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 : related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 : Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00 : Drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 : specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 : Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 : Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 : characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 : relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 : Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle is provided that includes an autonomous vehicle control system, a dialysis machine, and an interface providing an electrical communication between the dialysis machine and the autonomous vehicle control system. The dialysis machine is configured to perform a dialysis treatment on a patient while the autonomous vehicle is under the control of the autonomous vehicle control system. A vehicle is also provided that includes a navigation system, a dialysis machine, and an interface between the navigation system and the dialysis machine. The vehicle can be a car, a train, a plane, or another vehicle.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle comprising an autonomous vehicle control system, a dialysis machine, and an electrical interface providing an electrical communication between the dialysis machine and the autonomous vehicle control system, wherein:

the dialysis machine is configured to perform a dialysis treatment on a patient while the autonomous vehicle is under the control of the autonomous vehicle control system;

the dialysis machine comprises a dialysate fluid flow path; and

the autonomous vehicle further comprises a heater that is in thermal communication with the dialysate fluid flow path to heat dialysate fluid in the dialysate fluid flow path.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises a resistance heater.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises a Peltier heater.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises an electrical heater.

5. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises a radiant heater.

6. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the autonomous vehicle comprises an engine and an engine cooling system; and

the heater comprises a thermal interface configured to use heat from the engine cooling system to heat one or more fluids flowing through the at least one fluid flow path.

7. The autonomous vehicle of claim 6, wherein the engine cooling system comprises an engine coolant flow path and the thermal interface provides a heat-exchange communication between the engine coolant flow path and the at least one fluid flow path of the dialysis machine.

8. The autonomous vehicle of claim 7, wherein the at least one fluid flow path of the dialysis machine comprises a dialysate flow path and the thermal interface comprises a heat exchanger that is in thermal communication with the engine coolant flow path and the dialysate flow path.

9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises an automobile.

10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises an airplane, a train, a submarine, a helicopter, a ship, a boat, or a spacecraft.

11. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the dialysis machine comprises a recirculating dialysate fluid circuit and a sorbent cartridge in fluid communication with the recirculating dialysate fluid circuit.

12. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the dialysate fluid flow path is part of the recirculating dialysate fluid circuit.

13. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the autonomous vehicle control system comprises a first input device configured to accept a destination input, the autonomous vehicle control system configured to calculate a travel duration for the autonomous vehicle to reach the destination;

the dialysis machine comprises a control unit and a second input device configured to accept a prescription therapy input; and

the control unit is configured to accept the travel duration from the autonomous vehicle control system and to calculate a rate of treatment to complete the inputted prescription therapy within the travel duration.

14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle further comprises a floor and a seat, the dialysis machine further comprises a surface for receiving a container of fluid, the surface is built into the floor or the seat, and the heater is in thermal communication with the surface.

15. The autonomous vehicle of claim 14, further comprising a scale integrated into the surface and configured to weigh a container of fluid disposed on the surface.

16. The autonomous vehicle of claim 14, further comprising a conductivity sensor in electromagnetic communication with the surface.

17. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of dialysate fluid in the dialysate fluid flow path.

18. The autonomous vehicle of claim 17, wherein the dialysate fluid flow path comprises a dialyzer, the dialyzer comprises a fluids entry, and the temperature sensor is positioned in the dialysate fluid flow path just prior to the fluids entry of the dialyzer.