Drug cartridge with acoustic reflector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10732270-B2
Application number	US-201815887700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2018
Priority date	Mar 8, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A drug cartridge to dispense an injectable fluid includes a drug cartridge body with an interior cavity, a neck region, and a bottom region. The neck region is opposite the bottom region and the interior cavity of the drug cartridge narrows in the neck region and is wider than most of the neck region in the bottom region. A transducer is coupled to emit sonic waves into the interior cavity towards the neck region, and the neck region is geometrically oriented to reflect the sonic waves back from the neck region towards the bottom region to be received by the transducer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drug cartridge to dispense an injectable fluid, comprising:
a drug cartridge body with an interior cavity, a neck region, and a bottom region, wherein the neck region is opposite the bottom region, and the interior cavity of the drug cartridge narrows in the neck region and is wider than most of the neck region in the bottom region; and
a transducer coupled to emit sonic waves into the interior cavity towards the neck region, wherein the neck region is geometrically oriented to reflect the sonic waves back from the neck region towards the bottom region to be received by the transducer.

2. The drug cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising a stopper adapted to fit within the interior cavity of the drug cartridge body, wherein the stopper includes:
the transducer; and
a microcontroller coupled to the transducer, wherein in response to a control signal form the microcontroller the transducer emits the sonic waves.

3. The drug cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the neck region includes a reflecting insert disposed to reflect the sonic waves, and wherein at least one hole is disposed in the reflecting insert to permit passage of the injectable fluid through the neck region.

4. The drug cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the reflecting insert includes a plurality of holes disposed proximate to edges of the reflecting insert.

5. The drug cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the reflecting insert is substantially crescent shaped with a rounded section that extends outward from a convex interior edge.

6. The drug cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the reflecting insert includes a circular disk, wherein one or more edges of the circular disk are removed to permit the passage of the injectable fluid into the neck region.

7. The drug cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the neck region includes one or more indentations in the drug cartridge body to reflect the sonic waves.

8. The drug cartridge of claim 7 , wherein the neck region includes a single indentation to form a ledge in the drug cartridge.

9. The drug cartridge of claim 7 , wherein the neck region includes four indentations evenly spaced around the neck region.

10. The drug cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the stopper further comprises:
a power supply coupled to the microcontroller to power the microcontroller; and
a wireless transmitter coupled to the microcontroller, wherein in response to the sonic waves reflecting back to the stopper, the microcontroller calculates an amount of liquid in the drug cartridge, and the wireless transmitter is coupled to the microcontroller to transmit data including information about the amount of liquid.

11. A system for fluid injection, comprising:
a hand-held housing including a chamber configured to receive a drug cartridge, wherein the hand-held housing includes an actuator configured to push the fluid from the drug cartridge;
the drug cartridge, including:
an interior cavity;
a neck region;
a bottom region opposite the neck region, wherein the interior cavity of the drug cartridge narrows in the neck region;
a stopper disposed in the bottom region; and
a transducer disposed in the stopper and coupled to emit sonic waves into the interior cavity towards the neck region, wherein the neck region is geometrically oriented to reflect the sonic waves back from the neck region towards the bottom region to be received by the transducer.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the neck region includes one or more indentations in the drug cartridge to reflect the sonic waves.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more indentations include two or more indentations disposed symmetrically around the neck region, and wherein the one or more indentations include a reflecting surface that is substantially orthogonal to a direction of travel of the sonic waves.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the neck region includes a reflecting insert with at least one hole disposed in the reflecting insert.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the reflecting insert is circular and includes a plurality of holes disposed proximate to edges of the reflecting insert to permit passage of the fluid into the neck region.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the reflecting insert is substantially crescent shaped with a section that extends outward from a convex interior edge.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the reflecting insert includes a circular disk, wherein one or more edges of the circular disk are removed to permit passage of the fluid into the neck region.

18. A method of monitoring a quantity of fluid in a drug cartridge, comprising:
emitting sonic waves into an interior cavity of the drug cartridge with a transducer, wherein the sonic waves travel from the transducer towards a neck region of the drug cartridge which is opposite a bottom region of the drug cartridge, and wherein the interior cavity narrows proximate to the neck region through which the fluid is dispensable;
reflecting the sonic waves with the neck region, wherein the neck region is geometrically oriented to reflect the sonic waves back from the neck region towards the bottom region to be received by the transducer; and
receiving the sonic waves with the transducer after the sonic waves are reflected, wherein the transducer is coupled to a microcontroller; and
calculating, with the microcontroller, the quantity of fluid in the drug cartridge in response to the transducer receiving the sonic waves.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein reflecting the sonic waves includes using one or more indentations disposed in the neck region of the drug cartridge to reflect the sonic waves.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the one or more indentations include a surface that is substantially orthogonal to a direction of emission of the sonic waves from the transducer.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein reflecting the sonic waves includes using a reflecting insert disposed in the neck region of the drug cartridge to reflect the sonic waves.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the reflecting insert includes one or more holes disposed in the reflecting insert to permit passage of the fluid into the neck region.

Assignees

• Verily Life Sciences Llc

Inventors

• Schleicher Brett
• Krasnow Benjamin

Classifications

• A61M5/31568 Primary

  Means keeping track of the total dose administered, e.g. since the cartridge was inserted · CPC title

• A61M2205/3561

  local, e.g. within room or hospital · CPC title

• G01S15/08

  Systems for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S15/46) · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title

• G01F23/296

  Acoustic waves · CPC title