Automated method for simultaneous bubble detection and expulsion
First Claim
1. A method of automatically detecting and removing air from a syringe containing a volume of liquid and a volume of gas, the method comprising:
- with an actuator controlled by a controller, applying oscillating force to move a piston in the syringe to expel gas through an orifice of the syringe;
sensing a pattern of oscillations of the piston in the syringe and electrically communicating the pattern to the controller;
in the controller, determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe based on a change in the sensed pattern of oscillations; and
stopping movement of the piston upon determining that the volume of gas is expelled from the orifice.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting and removing air from a syringe containing a volume of liquid and a volume of gas is described. The method includes moving a piston in the syringe to expel gas through an orifice of the syringe, sensing a movement of the piston in the syringe, and determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe based on a change in the sensed movement. Moving the piston may include applying oscillating force to the piston using an electromagnetic actuator, and displacement and speed of the piston during each oscillation may be sensed. Determining when the volume of gas is expelled may be based on a change in the sensed movement of the piston during one or more oscillations of the piston or based on a comparison to a given reference value.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of automatically detecting and removing air from a syringe containing a volume of liquid and a volume of gas, the method comprising:
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with an actuator controlled by a controller, applying oscillating force to move a piston in the syringe to expel gas through an orifice of the syringe; sensing a pattern of oscillations of the piston in the syringe and electrically communicating the pattern to the controller; in the controller, determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe based on a change in the sensed pattern of oscillations; and stopping movement of the piston upon determining that the volume of gas is expelled from the orifice. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for detecting and removing air from a syringe, the apparatus comprising:
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said syringe including a piston and an orifice, the syringe having a volume of liquid and a volume of gas disposed in the syringe between the piston and the orifice, the volume of gas being adjacent to the orifice; a position sensor adapted to sense a pattern of oscillations of the piston in the syringe; an actuator adapted to apply an oscillating force to move the piston in the syringe; and a controller responsive to the position sensor, the controller causing the actuator to move the piston and drive gas from the volume of gas through the orifice, the controller determining when the volume of gas is expelled from the syringe as a function of a change in the sensed pattern of oscillations of the piston and stopping movement of the piston upon the determined that the volume of gas is expelled from the orifice. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification