Drip chamber with integrated optics

• US 9,234,850 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Hammond, Peter, Munro, James F., Postema, Luke, Bui, Tuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nawaz, Talha
• Application Number:
  US13/829,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1411 Drip chambers A61M5/162, A61M5/1689, A61M5/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1689 Drip counters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/85 Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0402 Cleaning, repairing, or assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5762 With leakage or drip collecting

Abstract

A drip chamber for an infusion tube, including: a first end arranged to receive a drip tube; a second end including an exit port; at least one wall connecting the first and second ends; a space enclosed by the first and second ends and the at least one wall; and at least one lens integral to the at least one wall or directly fixed to the at least one wall.

Claims

1. A drip chamber for an infusion tube, comprising:

a first end arranged to receive a drip tube;

a second end including an exit port;

at least one wall connecting the first and second ends, wherein said at least one wall includes a code integral to the at least one wall, the code including information regarding the drip chamber;

a space enclosed by the first and second ends and the at least one wall; and

first and second lenses each directly fixed to said at least one wall.

2. The drip chamber of claim 1, wherein said first and second lenses are each arranged to:

transmit light to the space or receive light transmitted through the space.

3. The drip chamber of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one wall includes a first wall with at least a flat portion and said first and second lenses are directly fixed to the flat portion.

4. The drip chamber of claim 1, wherein the at least one wall includes an exterior surface and said first and second lenses are directly fixed to the exterior surface.

5. The drip chamber of claim 1, further comprising first and second walls with at least first and second flat portions, respectively, substantially parallel to each other, wherein said first and second lenses are directly fixed to only one of the first or second flat portions.

6. The drip chamber of claim 1, wherein the at least one wall forms a rectangle enclosing the space in a cross-section orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the drip chamber.

7. The drip chamber of claim 1, further comprising first and second walls with at least first and second flat portions, respectively;

the first lens is directly fixed to the first flat portion and the second lens is directly fixed to the second first flat portion.

8. The drip chamber of claim 7, wherein a longitudinal axis for the drip chamber is located between the first and second lenses on a line connecting the first and second lenses.

9. An optical imaging system for use with an infusion device, comprising:

at least one light source for emitting first light;

a drip chamber including at least one wall connecting first and second ends of the drip chamber, a space at least partially enclosed by the at least one wall and the first and second ends, and first and second lenses each directly fixed to the at least one wall, said first and second lenses each arranged to transmit the first light to the space or receive the first light transmitted through the space, wherein said at least one wall includes a code integral to the at least one wall, the code including information regarding the drip chamber;

an optics system including at least one image sensor for receiving the first light from said first and second lenses and transmitting data characterizing the first light received from said first and second lenses; and

at least one specially programmed processor configured to generate at least one image of the space using the data.

10. The optical imaging system of claim 9, wherein the at least one wall includes an exterior surface and the said first and second lenses are directly fixed to the exterior surface.

11. The optical imaging system of claim 9, wherein the at least one wall includes at least a flat portion and said first and second lenses are directly fixed to the flat portion.

12. The optical imaging system of claim 9, wherein the first lens is arranged to transmit the first light to the space and the second lens is arranged to receive the first light transmitted by the first lens through the space and transmit the received first light to the at least one image sensor.

13. The optical imaging system of claim 9, wherein the drip chamber includes a drip tube, an end of the drip tube is located in the space, the at least one image including an image of a drop pendant from the end of the drip tube and the at least one specially programmed processor is configured to calculate a volume of the pendant drop from the image of the drop pendant.

14. The optical imaging system of claim 9, wherein a meniscus for fluid in the drip chamber is located in the space and the at least one specially programmed processor is configured to calculate, from the at least one image, a position of the meniscus within the drip chamber.

15. A drip chamber for an infusion tube, comprising:

a first end including a drip tube;

a second end including an exit port;

first, second, third, and fourth walls connecting the first and second ends, wherein, in a cross-section orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the drip tube, the first, second, third, and fourth walls form a rectangle enclosing a space, wherein one of said first, second, third and fourth walls includes a code integral to said one of said first, second, third and fourth walls, the code including information regarding the drip chamber; and

first and second lenses each directly fixed to one of said first, second, third and fourth walls.

16. A method of forming a drip chamber for an infusion tube, the method comprising:

forming a first end arranged to receive a drip tube;

forming a second end including an exit port;

connecting the first and second ends with at least one wall and enclosing a space with the first and second ends and the at least one wall;

integrally attaching a code to the at least one wall, the code including information regarding the drip chamber; and

directly fixing first and second lenses to the at least one wall.