Metering system and method for fluid delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550033-B2
Application number	US-201514799054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2003
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for metering the delivery of an aerosol. The apparatus has a variable acoustic source and a microphone, both acoustically coupled to a volume having a fluid region and an air region. The apparatus may also include a processor to determine a volume of the air region based on signals received from the microphone and the variable acoustic source. A fluid valve is coupled to the processor, and is configured to allow an amount of fluid to exit the fluid region associated with the volume of the air region. An atomizer, coupled to the fluid region, is configured to aerosolize at least a portion of the fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for determining the fluid volume output from a fluid region, the apparatus comprising:
a housing containing a first volume and a second volume, the second volume including an air region, the air region containing an air volume and a fluid region containing a fluid volume, the first volume and the air region form at least part of an acoustic system;
a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board defining the first volume within the housing and the printed circuit board including:
an acoustic source acoustically exciting the acoustic system,
a first microphone acoustically coupled to the first volume, the first microphone producing a first signal based on a response of the first volume to excitement by the acoustic source, and
a second microphone acoustically coupled to the air region, the second microphone producing a first signal based on a response of the air region to excitement by the acoustic source;

a processor in communication with the acoustic source, the first microphone and the second microphone, the processor comprising:
determining a first air volume associated with the first signal and second signal at a first instance,
determining a second air volume associated with the first signal and second signal at a second instance,
determining the fluid volume output from a fluid region associated with the difference between the first air volume and the second air volume.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board comprising the processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone is attached to the printed circuit board.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air region is separated from the fluid region by a diaphragm, and wherein the air region and the fluid region form a fixed volume.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a detachable cassette defining the fluid region of the second volume.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a valve, the valve is in fluid communication with the fluid region.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor comprises:
driving the acoustic source at fixed frequency;
receiving a first signal from the first microphone;
receiving a second signal from the second microphone; and
outputting a control signal to the valve, the control signal being associated with the first signal and the second signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the control signal comprises information associated with releasing the fluid volume.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board comprises a hole for pressure equalization between the first volume and the second volume.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic source comprises a piezoelectric speaker.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board forms an air-tight seal with the housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor being in communication with the processor.

13. An apparatus for determining the chamber volume of a variable-volume chamber, the apparatus comprising:
a housing including are fixed volume and the variable-volume chamber, the variable-volume chamber having a chamber volume, the variable-volume chamber being defined at least in part by the housing, the variable-volume chamber and fixed volume form at least part of an acoustic system;
an acoustic source exciting the acoustic system;
a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board defining the fixed volume within the housing, the printed circuit board including:
a first microphone acoustically coupled to the fixed volume, the first microphone producing a first signal associated with a acoustic response of the fixed volume to excitement by the acoustic source,
a second microphone acoustically coupled to the variable-volume chamber, the second microphone producing a second signal associated with an acoustic response of the variable-volume chamber to excitement by the acoustic source; and

a processor including:
driving the acoustic source,
receiving the first signal and the second signal, and
determining the chamber volume associated with the first signal and second signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the printed circuit board separates the fixed volume from the variable-volume chamber.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processor comprises determining the chamber volume associated with a resonant frequency of the acoustic system.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein either of the first microphone or the second microphone is attached to the printed circuit board.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the printed circuit board forms an air-tight seal with the housing.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor being in communication with the processor.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the processor comprises:
receiving a third signal from the temperature sensor, and
determining the chamber volume associated with the first signal, second signal and third signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the acoustic source comprises a piezoelectric speaker.

21. The apparatus claim 13 , further comprising a detachable cassette mounted to the housing, the detachable cassette comprising a fluid region that is separated from the variable-volume chamber by a diaphragm.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the variable-volume chamber and the fluid region form a constant volume.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising a valve in communication with the fluid region.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the valve is in communication with the processor.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the processor outputs a control signal to the valve, the control signal being associated with the chamber volume.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the control signal comprises information associated with releasing a fluid volume from the fluid region.

27. An apparatus to control the flow of liquid, the apparatus comprising:
a housing containing a valve, a first volume and a second volume, the second volume including a gas region, the gas region containing a gas volume and a liquid region containing a liquid volume, the valve being in fluid communication with the liquid region, the first volume and gas-region form at least part of an acoustic system;
an acoustic source exciting the acoustic system;
a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board and housing defining the first volume and the printed circuit board including:
a first microphone acoustically coupled to the first volume, the first microphone producing a first signal associated with a response of the first volume to excitement by the acoustic source, and
a second microphone acoustically coupled to the gas region, the second microphone producing a first signal associated with a response of the gas region to excitement by the acoustic source; and

a processor including:
driving the acoustic source;
receiving the first signal,
receiving the second signal,
determining the gas volume associated with the first signal and second signal, and

Assignees

• Deka Products Lp

Inventors

• Beavis Russell H
• Gray Larry B
• Kane Derek G

Classifications

• A61M15/0065

  Inhalators with dosage or measuring devices (A61M15/0028 takes precedence; dosage devices incorporated in aerosol cans B65D83/52) · CPC title

• A61M2205/52

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

• G10K9/04

  by compressed gases, e.g. compressed air · CPC title

• A61M15/0048

  the dosages being arranged in a plane, e.g. on diskettes · CPC title

• G01H3/00

  Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations by using a detector in a fluid (G01H7/00, G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence) · CPC title