System, method, and apparatus for estimating liquid delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636455-B2
Application number	US-201213723251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2012
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A pump, related system, and related method are provided. The pump includes a reservoir, a port, and a plunger. The reservoir delivers a liquid by discharging the liquid through the port coupled to the reservoir. The plunger has a piston coupled to a shaft and is disposed within the reservoir in sliding engagement with an inner surface of the reservoir. The piston defines a liquid side of the reservoir and a non-liquid side of the reservoir whereby movement of the plunger towards the liquid side of the reservoir discharges liquid through the port. The pump also includes a reference-volume assembly and/or a linear position sensor. The reference-volume assembly is coupled to the reservoir at an opposite end of the reservoir relative to the port and includes a reference-volume chamber in acoustic communication with the non-liquid side of the reservoir, a speaker disposed within the reference-volume chamber, and a reference microphone disposed within the reference-volume chamber. The reference-volume assembly and/or linear position sensor may be used to estimate the amount of liquid discharged from the reservoir.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pump, comprising:
a reservoir configured to deliver a liquid;
a port coupled to the reservoir and configured to discharge the liquid;
a plunger having a piston coupled to a shaft, wherein the piston is disposed within the reservoir in sliding engagement with an inner surface of the reservoir, wherein the piston defines a liquid side of the reservoir and a non-liquid side of the reservoir whereby movement of the plunger towards the liquid side of the reservoir discharges liquid through the port; and
a reference-volume assembly coupled to the reservoir, wherein the reference-volume assembly comprises:
a reference-volume chamber in acoustic communication with the non-liquid side of the reservoir;
a speaker disposed within the reference-volume chamber; and
a reference microphone disposed within the reference-volume chamber;

an actuator coupled to the shaft;
a linear position sensor coupled to the shaft and configured to sense a position of the shaft; and
a processor operatively coupled to the actuator and the linear position sensor, wherein the processor is configured to estimate a volume of discharged liquid as a function of the position of the shaft.

2. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the reference-volume assembly is coupled to the reservoir at an opposite end of the reservoir relative to the port.

3. The pump according to claim 1 , further comprising a variable-volume microphone disposed within the reservoir configured to sense a sound wave within the reservoir.

4. The pump according to claim 1 , further comprising a variable-volume microphone disposed on the reference-volume assembly configured to sense a sound wave within the reservoir.

5. A pump, comprising:
a reservoir configured to deliver a liquid;
a port coupled to the reservoir and configured to discharge the liquid;
a plunger having a piston coupled to a shaft, wherein the piston is disposed within the reservoir in sliding engagement with an inner surface of the reservoir, wherein the piston defines a liquid side of the reservoir and a non-liquid side of the reservoir whereby movement of the plunger towards the liquid side of the reservoir discharges liquid through the port;
an additional reservoir configured to deliver an additional liquid;
an additional port coupled to the additional reservoir and configured to discharge the additional liquid;
an additional plunger having an additional piston coupled to an additional shaft, wherein the additional piston is disposed within the additional reservoir in sliding engagement with an inner surface of the additional reservoir, wherein the additional piston defines a liquid side of the additional reservoir and a non-liquid side of the additional reservoir whereby movement of the additional plunger towards the liquid side of the additional reservoir discharges liquid through the additional port; and
a reference-volume assembly coupled to the reservoir at an opposite end of the reservoir relative to the port, wherein the reference-volume assembly is further coupled to the additional reservoir at an opposite end of the additional reservoir relative to the additional port, and wherein the reference-volume assembly comprises:
a reference-volume chamber in acoustic communication with the non-liquid side of the reservoir, wherein the reference-volume chamber is further in acoustic communication with the non-liquid side of the additional reservoir;
a speaker disposed within the reference-volume chamber; and
a reference microphone disposed within the reference-volume chamber.

6. The pump according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the reservoir and the additional reservoir are attachable to the reference-volume assembly.

7. The pump according to claim 5 , further comprising a manifold, the manifold comprising:
a first connector port coupled to the port;
a second connector port coupled to the additional port;
a discharge port; and
a liquid path fluidly connecting together the first and second connector ports to the discharge port.

8. The pump according to claim 7 , wherein the manifold is attachable to the first and second connector ports.

9. The pump according to claim 5 , further comprising a variable-volume microphone disposed within the reservoir configured to sense a sound wave within the reservoir.

10. The pump according to claim 9 , further comprising an additional variable-volume microphone disposed within the additional reservoir configured to sense the sound wave within the additional reservoir.

11. The pump according to claim 5 , further comprising a variable-volume microphone disposed on the reference-volume assembly configured to sense a sound wave within the reservoir.

12. The pump according to claim 11 , further comprising an additional variable-volume microphone disposed on the reference-volume assembly configured to sense the sound wave within the additional reservoir.

13. A pump, comprising:
an acoustic housing;
a reservoir configured to deliver a liquid, wherein the reservoir is disposed within the acoustic housing;
a port coupled to the reservoir and configured to discharge the liquid;
a plunger having a piston coupled to a shaft, wherein the plunger is disposed within the acoustic housing, wherein the piston is disposed within the reservoir in sliding engagement with an inner surface of the reservoir, wherein the piston defines a liquid side of the reservoir and a non-liquid side of the reservoir whereby movement of the plunger towards the liquid side of the reservoir discharges liquid through the port;
a reference-volume assembly coupled to the acoustic housing through an acoustic port, wherein the reference-volume assembly comprises:
a reference-volume chamber in acoustic communication with the acoustic housing via the acoustic port;
a speaker disposed within the reference-volume chamber; and

a reference microphone disposed within the reference-volume chamber;
an additional reservoir configured to deliver an additional liquid, wherein the additional reservoir is disposed within the acoustic housing;
an additional port coupled to the additional reservoir and configured to discharge the additional liquid; and
an additional plunger having an additional piston coupled to an additional shaft, wherein the additional plunger is disposed within the acoustic housing, wherein the additional piston is disposed within the additional reservoir in sliding engagement with an inner surface of the additional reservoir, wherein the additional piston defines a liquid side of the additional reservoir and a non-liquid side of the additional reservoir whereby movement of the additional plunger towards the liquid side of the additional reservoir discharges liquid through the additional port.

14. The pump according to claim 13 , further comprising an actuator coupled to the shaft to actuate the plunger.

15. The pump according to claim 14 , wherein the actuator is disposed within the acoustic housing.

16. The pump according to claim 13 , further comprising a manifold, the manifold comprising:
a first connector port coupled to the port;
a second connector port coupled to the additional port;
a discharge port; and
a liquid path fluidly connecting together the first and second connector ports to the discharge port.

17. The pump according to claim 16 , wherein the manifold is attachable to the first and second connector ports.

18. A pump comprising:
an acoustic housing;
a reservoir configured to deliver a liquid, wherein the reservoir is disposed within the acoustic housing;
a p

Assignees

• Deka Products Lp

Inventors

• Kamen Dean
• Kerwin John M
• Murphy Colin H

Classifications

• A61M2205/581

  by audible feedback · CPC title

• A61M5/1452

  pressurised by means of pistons · CPC title

• A61M2205/3592

  using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission · CPC title

• A61M2205/18

  with alarm · CPC title

• A61M2205/50

  with microprocessors or computers · CPC title