Injection site training system

• US 9,922,578 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truinject Corp.
• Original Assignee: Truinject Corp.
• Inventors: Foster, Clark B., Rios, Gabrielle A., Christie, Bruce A., Turner, Khoi
• Primary Examiner(s): Saint-Vil, Eddy
• Application Number:
  US14/598,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20150206456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 434262
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/33 Controlling, regulating or measuring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/332 Force measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/285 for injections, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, sigmoidscopy, insertion of contraceptive devices or enemas
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/30 Anatomical models G09B23/281 - G09B23/288 take precedence

Abstract

An injection apparatus and training system for prophylactic, curative, therapeutic, acupuncture, or cosmetic injection training and certification. In an embodiment, an injection training system is described that includes a testing tool having a needle and a position sensor, where the position sensor is configured to obtain position information of the testing tool. The system also includes an injection apparatus configured to receive a simulated injection by the testing tool. The system includes a display device configured to receive the position information and to display position data reflective of the position information.

Claims

1. An injection training system comprising:

a testing tool having a needle, an optical source, and a position sensor, the position sensor configured to obtain position information of the testing tool;

an injection apparatus configured to receive a simulated injection by the testing tool, the injection apparatus having at least first and second separate internal optical sensors spaced apart from each other, each of the at least first and second optical sensors configured to measure one or more characteristics of light emitted by the optical source, the measurements of the at least first and second optical sensors configured to be combined to generate three-dimensional location information of the testing tool; and

a hardware processor in communication with a display device, the hardware processor configured to receive the position information and the three-dimensional location information and to cause the display device to display position and three-dimensional location data reflective of the position information and the three-dimensional location information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the position sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is configured to measure angular velocity information in three dimensions, linear acceleration information in three dimensions, and magnetic field information in three dimensions.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the testing tool further comprises a radio configured to wirelessly communicate the position information and the three-dimensional location information of the testing tool to the display device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises a sensor fusion processing component configured to process the position information of the testing tool to compute a three-dimensional estimate of a position and orientation of the testing tool.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cradle positioned adjacent to the injection apparatus.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a location of the needle with respect to an injection site on the injection apparatus; and

display the location on the display device, wherein the displayed location of the needle is an animated depiction of the needle passing through the injection site, wherein the animated depiction is a stored video recording of the needle passing through the injection site, wherein the animated depiction is generated based on a stored plurality of locations for the needle, and wherein the animated depiction is further generated based on a display point of view that identifies a virtual location in space from which to view the animated depiction.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the position and three-dimensional location data comprises an image representative of the injection apparatus and the display device is configured to display injection measurement data comprising one or more of a location of the simulated injection, a depth of the simulated injection, an angle of the simulated injection, or a pressure of the simulated injection.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the testing tool further comprises a plunger, the plunger having a second position sensor configured to obtain position information of the plunger.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical source emits light from a needle end of the testing tool.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical source and the position sensor are comprised in an electronic assembly configured to fit within a barrel of the testing tool.

10. A method of tracking a position and a three-dimensional location of a syringe of a testing tool used in an injection training system, the method comprising:

obtaining, through electrical communications, position information of the syringe of the testing tool from one or more sensors included in the syringe of the testing tool and three-dimensional location information from at least two separate optical sensors spaced apart from each other inside a training apparatus of the injection training system, the at least two optical sensors each configured to detect light emitted from an optical source included in the syringe;

determining, using a hardware processor, an estimate of the position and an estimate of the three-dimensional location of the syringe of the testing tool;

transmitting from the hardware processor, through wireless electrical communications, to a display device, data reflective of the estimates of the position and the three-dimensional location of the syringe of the testing tool; and

displaying, on the display device, the data reflective of the estimates of the position and the three-dimensional location of the syringe of the testing tool.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein obtaining position information from one or more sensors further comprises obtaining angular velocity information in three dimensions, obtaining linear acceleration information in three dimensions, and obtaining magnetic field information in three dimensions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining an estimate of the position of the testing tool further comprises:

representing the angular velocity information as a first estimate of the position of the testing tool;

adjusting the first estimate, based on the linear acceleration information and the magnetic field information, to represent an adjusted estimate of the position of the testing tool; and

converting the adjusted representation of the position of the testing tool to position data capable of being displayed on the display device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing the testing tool in a resting cradle to establish a known position and orientation of the testing tool.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein obtaining further comprises obtaining the three-dimensional location information of the syringe by the at least two optical sensors detecting light emitted from the optical source in the syringe at a first location, and obtaining the three-dimensional location information of the syringe by the at least two optical sensors detecting light emitted from the optical source in the syringe at a second location.

14. A method of tracking the position and three-dimensional location of a plunger of a testing tool used in an injection training system, the method comprising:

obtaining, through electronic communications, position information of the plunger from one or more sensors on the plunger and three-dimensional location information of a syringe of the testing tool from at least two separate optical sensors spaced apart from each other inside a training apparatus of the injection training system, the at least two optical sensors configured to detect light emitted from an optical source included in the syringe;

determining, using a hardware processor, an estimate of the position of the plunger and an estimate of the three-dimensional location information of the plunger relative to syringe;

transmitting from the hardware processor, through wireless electrical communications, to a display device, data reflective of the estimates of the position of the plunger and the three-dimensional location information of the plunger relative to the syringe; and

displaying, on the display device, the data reflective of the estimates of the position of the plunger and the three-dimensional location information of the plunger relative to the syringe.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining position information from one or more sensors further comprises obtaining angular velocity information, obtaining linear acceleration information, and obtaining magnetic field information.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining an estimate of the position of the plunger further comprises:

representing the angular velocity information as a first estimate of the position of the plunger;

adjusting the first estimate, based on the linear acceleration information and the magnetic field information, to represent an adjusted estimate of the position of the plunger; and

converting the adjusted representation of the position of the plunger to position data capable of being displayed on a display device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining further comprises obtaining the three-dimensional location information of the plunger relative to the syringe by the at least two optical sensors detecting light emitted from the optical source in the syringe at a first location, and obtaining the three-dimensional location information of the plunger relative to the syringe by the at least two optical sensors detecting light emitted from the optical source in the syringe at a second location.