Flow meter and related system and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for regulating fluid flow, comprising:
- a fluid reservoir for infusing fluid contained therein into a patient;
a drip chamber in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir, wherein the drip chamber is configured to allow a drop of the fluid to exit the fluid reservoir and travel through the drip chamber;
a backlight disposed near the drip chamber such that the backlight provides at least partial illumination to the drip chamber;
a valve configured to regulate the fluid flowing from the drip chamber to the patient; and
a flow meter for monitoring the flow rate of the fluid passing through the drip chamber, the flow meter including;
an image sensor configured to capture an image of the drip chamber, anda processor configured to;
determine whether the captured image of the drip chamber contains a match to a template, andapply a blurring function to the image captured by the image sensor of the drip chamber such that the processor can determine if the captured image contains a match to the template.
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Abstract
A flow meter includes an image sensor and a processor. The image sensor is configured to capture an image of a drip chamber. The processor is configured to determine whether the captured image of the drip chamber contains a match to a template, and to apply a blurring function to the image captured by the image sensor of the drip chamber such that the processor can determine if the captured image contains a match to the template.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A system for regulating fluid flow, comprising:
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a fluid reservoir for infusing fluid contained therein into a patient; a drip chamber in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir, wherein the drip chamber is configured to allow a drop of the fluid to exit the fluid reservoir and travel through the drip chamber; a backlight disposed near the drip chamber such that the backlight provides at least partial illumination to the drip chamber; a valve configured to regulate the fluid flowing from the drip chamber to the patient; and a flow meter for monitoring the flow rate of the fluid passing through the drip chamber, the flow meter including; an image sensor configured to capture an image of the drip chamber, and a processor configured to; determine whether the captured image of the drip chamber contains a match to a template, and apply a blurring function to the image captured by the image sensor of the drip chamber such that the processor can determine if the captured image contains a match to the template. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of filtering a captured image of a drip chamber configured to allow a drop of fluid to fall within the drip chamber, the method comprising:
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capturing an image of the drip chamber with an image sensor; determining if the captured image contains a visual obstruction; applying a blurring function to the captured image, the blurring function configured to eliminate an amount of detail in the captured image; and determining if the captured image contains a match to a template. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of capturing an image of a drip chamber, the method comprising:
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illuminating at least a portion of a drip chamber; capturing an image of the drip chamber with an image sensor; determining if there is a visual obstruction in the captured image using a processor operatively coupled to the image sensor; applying a blurring function, using the processor, to the captured image to filter the captured image upon a determination that there is a visual obstruction in the captured image; and determining, using the processor, if there is a match to a template in the captured image. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A flow meter, comprising:
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an image sensor configured to capture an image of a drip chamber; a processor configured to determine whether the captured image of the drip chamber contains a match to a template, and to apply a blurring function to the image captured by the image sensor of the drip chamber such that the processor can determine if the captured image contains a match to the template. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification