Power management techniques for an infusion pump system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9415158-B2
Application number	US-201213613160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2012
Priority date	Sep 7, 2007
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Some embodiments of an infusion pump system can employ a number of power management techniques to avoid using substantially excessive power during operation of the pump drive system. Thus, the infusion pump system can draw upon the energy supply in an efficient manner that extends the useful life on the power supply. Furthermore, the infusion pump system can be configured estimate an amount of power remaining to operate the pump system without the requirement of directly detecting the remaining charge on power supply device (e.g., without detecting the remaining charge on a battery). As such, the infusion pump system can readily inform a user of a particular estimated amount of time remaining for medicine dispensing operations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable infusion pump system, comprising:
a pump device including a drive system to dispense medicine from the pump device, the drive system defining an energy requirement profile to perform a medicine dispensing operation, wherein the energy requirement profile includes a gradual increase in the amount of energy delivered to the drive system during the medicine dispensing operation;
a memory for storing the energy requirement profile of the drive system;
an energy storage source to deliver electrical energy to the drive system; and
a controller device configured to access the memory for retrieving the energy requirement profile and to initiate the medicine dispensing operation by supplying a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy storage source to the drive system, the pattern of voltage pulses being correlated to the energy requirement profile of the drive system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller device adjusts the pattern of voltage pulses based on a detected voltage output of the energy storage source.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller detects a time period for completing a medicine dispensing operation, adjusts the energy requirement profile of the drive system based on the detected time period for completing the medicine dispensing operation and a predetermined actuation time, and supplies a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy storage source to provide a pattern of voltage pulses to the drive system in a subsequent medicine dispensing operation that correlates to the adjusted energy requirement profile of the drive system.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy requirement profile includes an initial period of higher energy supply to overcome static forces of the drive system followed by a second period of lower energy.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller device comprises a pulse-width modulation controller to supply the pattern of voltage pulses.

6. A method of administering medicinal fluid to a patient, the method comprising:
delivering a pattern of voltage pulses from an energy source to a drive system of a portable infusion pump device, the pattern of voltage pulses being correlated to an energy requirement profile defined by the drive system, wherein the energy requirement profile is stored in a memory of an infusion pump system that includes the portable infusion pump device;
actuating one or more components of the drive system in response to the delivery of the pattern of voltage pulses so as to dispense a medicinal fluid from the portable infusion pump device;
detecting a time interval for the drive system to complete the medicine dispensing operation;
adjusting the energy requirement profile defined by the drive system based on the detected time interval and a predetermined actuation time;
storing the adjusted energy requirement profile in the memory of the infusion pump system that includes the portable infusion pump device; and
delivering a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy source to the drive system of the portable infusion pump device that correlates to the adjusted energy requirement profile defined by the drive system.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises adjusting the pattern of voltage pulses based on a detected voltage output of the energy source.

8. A wearable infusion pump system, comprising:
a disposable and non-reusable pump device defining a space to receive a medicine cartridge and including a drive system to dispense medicine from the pump device, the drive system defining an energy requirement profile to perform a medicine dispensing operation;
a memory for storing the energy requirement profile of the drive system; and
a reusable controller device including a pulse-width modulation controller and an energy storage source to deliver electrical energy to the drive system, the pulse-width modulation controller providing a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy storage source to the drive system, the pattern of voltage pulses being correlated to the energy requirement profile of the drive system;
wherein the energy requirement profile includes an initial period of higher energy supply to overcome static forces of the drive system followed by a second period of lower energy.

9. A wearable infusion pump system, comprising:
a pump device including a drive system to dispense medicine from the pump device, the drive system defining an energy requirement profile to perform a medicine dispensing operation;
a memory for storing the energy requirement profile of the drive system;
an energy storage source to deliver electrical energy to the drive system; and
a controller device configured to access the memory to retrieve the energy requirement profile and to initiate the medicine dispensing operation by supplying a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy storage source to the drive system, the controller device detecting a voltage output level of the energy storage source and adjusting the frequency or duration of the voltage pulses based on the detected voltage output level;
wherein the controller is configured to detect a time period for completing a medicine dispensing operation, adjust the energy requirement profile of the drive system based on the detected time period for completing the medicine dispensing operation and a predetermined actuation time, and supply a pattern of voltage pulses from the energy storage source to provide a pattern of voltage pulses to the drive system in a subsequent medicine dispensing operation that correlates to the adjusted energy requirement profile of the drive system.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller device comprises a pulse-width modulation controller to supply the pattern of voltage pulses.

11. A method of administering medicinal fluid to a patient, the method comprising:
detecting a voltage output of an energy source electrically connected to a drive system of a portable infusion pump system, the portable infusion pump system comprising a medicine dispensed to a user when one or more components of the drive system are actuated, the portable infusion pump system actuating one or more components of the drive system by supplying patterns of voltage pulses from the energy source to the drive system;
determining, by a controller of an infusion pump system, a pattern of voltage pulses to be supplied to the drive system based on the detected voltage output; and
delivering the determined pattern of voltage pulses from the energy source to the drive system of the portable infusion pump system to actuate one or more components of the drive system to dispense a medicinal fluid from a portable infusion pump device of the portable infusion pump system;
wherein the drive system defines an energy requirement profile to perform a medicine dispensing operation, the energy requirement profile is stored in a memory of the portable infusion pump system, the energy requirement profile includes a gradual increase in the amount of energy delivered to the drive system during the medicine dispensing operation, and the determined pattern of voltage pulses is correlated to the energy requirement profile of the drive system.

Assignees

• Miller Steve
• Mochel Ken
• Rich David
• Bigfoot Biomedical Inc

Inventors

• Miller Steve
• Mochel Ken
• Rich David

Classifications

• H02J7/825

  Detection of fully charged condition · CPC title

• H02J7/342

  The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68) · CPC title

• A61M2005/1402

  Priming · CPC title

• A61M2005/14268

  with a reusable and a disposable component · CPC title

• A61M5/14566

  with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump · CPC title