Systems and methods for intelligent gas source management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10201674-B2
Application number	US-201514709298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 9, 2014
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

Therapy gas delivery systems that provide run-time-to-empty information to a user of the system and methods for administering therapeutic gas to a patient. The therapeutic gas delivery system may include a gas pressure sensor attachable to a therapeutic gas source that communicates therapeutic gas pressure data to a therapeutic gas delivery system controller, a gas temperature sensor positioned to measure gas temperature in the therapeutic gas source that communicates therapeutic gas temperature data to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, at least one flow controller that communicates therapeutic gas flow rate data to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, at least one flow sensor that communicates flow rate data to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, and at least one display that communicates run-time-to-empty to a user of the therapeutic gas delivery system. The therapeutic gas delivery system controller of the system includes a processor that executes an algorithm to calculate the run-time-to-empty from the data received from the gas pressure sensor, temperature sensor, flow controller and flow sensor, and directs the result to the display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A therapeutic gas delivery system, comprising:
at least one gas supply subsystem comprising,
a gas source coupling configured to receive a therapeutic gas source and form a fluid flow connection with the therapeutic gas source;
a gas source valve adjacent to and in fluid communication with the gas source coupling, wherein the gas source valve is configured to have at least an open state and a closed state;
a gas pressure sensor adjacent to and in fluid communication with the gas source valve, wherein the gas source valve provides a gas flow path from the gas source coupling to the gas pressure sensor, and the gas pressure sensor is configured to measure a gas pressure at the gas source coupling at least when the gas source valve is in an open state, to be in communication over a communication path with a therapeutic gas delivery system controller comprising a CPU, and to communicate a pressure value over the communication path to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller;
a therapeutic gas flow regulator down stream from the gas pressure sensor, gas source valve, and gas source coupling, and in fluid communication with the gas source coupling, gas source valve, and gas pressure sensor; and
one or more display(s) configured to be in communication over a communication path with the therapeutic gas delivery system controller,
wherein the CPU of the therapeutic gas delivery system controller is configured to calculate a value for a run-time-to-empty from a volume value, a pressure value communicated from the gas pressure sensor, and an average therapeutic gas consumption rate calculated by the CPU from a gas flow rate value
communicated from a therapeutic gas flow controller, and

wherein the display is configured to display a
calculated run-time-to-empty value.

2. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic gas source has a volume and containing a therapeutic gas at an initial pressure within the volume, wherein the therapeutic gas source is configured to be operatively associated with the gas source coupling, and wherein the volume value of the therapeutic gas source is inputted to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller.

3. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the gas supply subsystem further comprises:
a therapeutic gas conduit having an interior volume that provides a gas flow path at least from the gas source coupling to the gas source valve; and
a temperature sensor operatively associated with the therapeutic gas source or the therapeutic gas conduit, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the therapeutic gas source, the therapeutic gas conduit, or the therapeutic gas, to be in communication over a communication path with a therapeutic gas delivery system controller, and to communicate a temperature value over the communication path to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller.

4. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the gas supply subsystem further comprises:
a gas source identifier attached to the therapeutic gas source, wherein the gas source identifier contains information at least of a gas source volume and the identity of the therapeutic gas supplied by the therapeutic gas source; and
a gas source identifier reader operatively associated with the therapeutic gas delivery system, and in communication over a communication path with the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, wherein the gas source identifier reader is configured to obtain identifying information from the gas source identifier when the therapeutic gas source is properly received by the gas source coupling, and communicate the identifying information to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller.

5. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 4 , wherein the therapeutic gas source is a compressed gas cylinder, and the gas source identifier is selected from the group consisting of RFID, a QR code, a bar code, or combinations thereof, which is affixed to an outer surface of the compressed gas cylinder.

6. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 4 , wherein the gas supply subsystem further comprises:
a therapeutic gas source detector operatively associated with the gas source coupling, wherein the therapeutic gas source detector is configured to detect when the therapeutic gas source is properly received by the gas source coupling, and communicate a signal of the presence of the therapeutic gas source to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller.

7. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the therapeutic gas delivery system controller is configured to obtain identifying information from the gas source identifier when the therapeutic gas source detector detects the therapeutic gas source is properly received by the gas source coupling, and communicate a signal to the gas source valve adjacent to the gas source coupling to transition to an open state, and wherein the therapeutic gas flow regulator is configured to be in communication over a communication path with the therapeutic gas delivery system controller.

8. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 7 , wherein the therapeutic gas delivery system controller is configured to obtain a gas pressure value communicated from the gas pressure sensor, and a gas flow rate value from a flow controller, and calculate a run-time-to-empty value for the therapeutic gas source.

9. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 8 , wherein the therapeutic gas delivery system controller is configured to calculate the run-time-to-empty value for the therapeutic gas source from at least the gas pressure value, the temperature of the therapeutic gas source, the gas source volume, and an average therapeutic gas consumption rate.

10. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the therapeutic gas delivery system controller comprises hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof configured to perform a run-time-to-empty calculation.

11. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more display(s) is a status display that is configured to present at least the run-time-to-empty value.

12. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more display(s) is a status display operatively associated with at least one gas supply subsystem that is configured to present a bar graph, a chart, a numerical display of a value, a visual alarm, identifying information from the gas source identifier, or a combination thereof.

13. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 11 , wherein at least one status display operatively associated with at least one gas supply subsystem is configured to provide a user interface that is configured to provide control of the therapeutic gas delivery system.

14. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the therapeutic gas delivery system controller is configured to include a residual gas pressure value in the calculation of the run-time-to-empty value for the therapeutic gas source.

15. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the gas supply subsystem further comprises:
a gas supply subsystem valve in between and in fluid communication with the gas source valve and the therapeutic gas flow regulator, wherein the gas supply subsystem valve is configured to maintain the therapeutic gas under pressure between the gas supply subsystem valve and the therapeutic gas flow regulator.

16. The therapeutic gas delivery system of claim 15 , wherein the gas supply subsystem valve i

Assignees

• Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Ip Ltd

Inventors

• Acker Jaron M
• Tolmie Craig R
• Roehl Robin
• Schmidt Jeffrey
• Milsap Jeff

Classifications

• A61M2205/52

  with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title

• A61M2205/16

  with back-up system in case of failure · CPC title

• A61M2205/3379

  Masses, volumes, levels of fluids in reservoirs, flow rates · CPC title

• A61M2205/50

  with microprocessors or computers · CPC title