Rotary sensor module with resynchronization feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9649448-B2
Application number	US-201415037602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Nov 21, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Drug delivery device comprising expelling means allowing a user to set a dose corresponding to a number of increments from an initial state, an indication member adapted to rotate in a first direction corresponding to the set dose, and rotate in an opposed second direction corresponding to an expelled dose, the indication member having an initial rotational position corresponding to both the initial state and the fully expelled dose state. Sensor means having an incremental counter synchronized with the rotational position of the indication member and having a reference point corresponding to the initial rotational position of the indication member. After detecting an error state the sensor means is adapted to re-synchronize by detecting the number of rotational increments for a set dose and for a subsequent expelled dose. If the numbers are identical the reference point is reset corresponding to the current rotational position of the indication member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drug delivery device comprising:
a housing,
a drug-filled cartridge or structure for receiving a drug-filled cartridge, the cartridge comprising an axially displaceable piston and a distal outlet portion,
drug expelling structure comprising:
dose setting structure allowing a user to set a dose of drug to be expelled, the dose corresponding to a number of increments from an initial state,
an axially displaceable piston rod adapted to move the piston of a cartridge in a distal direction to thereby expel drug from a cartridge,
an indication member adapted to rotate in a first direction relative to the housing and corresponding to the set dose, and rotate in an opposed second direction relative to the housing and corresponding to an expelled dose, the indication member having an initial rotational position corresponding to both the initial state and the fully expelled dose state, and
actuation structure for expelling a set dose, the drug expelling structure being in an expelling state during expelling of a dose,
sensor structure having a synchronized state in which an incremental counter is synchronized with the rotational position of the indication member and has a reference point corresponding to the initial rotational position of the indication member, the sensor structure being adapted to detect:
the number of rotational increments performed by the indication member in the first direction corresponding to a set dose,
the number of rotational increments performed by the indication member in the second direction corresponding to an expelled dose,
an expelling state for the expelling structure, and
a non-synchronized error state,

wherein, when a non-synchronized error state is detected, the sensor structure means is adapted to automatically re-synchronize by:
detecting the number of rotational increments for a set dose,
in the expelling state, detecting the number of rotational increments for a subsequent expelled dose, and
if the two numbers of increments are the same, reset the reference point corresponding to the current rotational position of the indication member.

2. A drug delivery device as in claim 1 , wherein the sensor structure is in the form of a sensor assembly comprising:
(i) a first portion comprising a first rotary sensor part, the first rotary sensor part comprising a surface with a plurality of individual electrically conducting rotational position sensor segments arranged in a pattern,
(ii) a second portion comprising a second rotary sensor part arranged rotationally relative to the first portion, the second rotary sensor part comprising a plurality of rotational position contact structures adapted to be in contact with conducting rotational position sensor segments on the first sensor rotary part,
wherein the rotational position contact structures are configured to engage and connect different rotational position sensor segments as the first and second rotary sensor part of the sensor assembly rotate relative to each, the created connections being indicative of a rotational position between the first and second sensor assembly portions.

3. A drug delivery device as in claim 2 , wherein:
the first rotary sensor part surface further comprises an electrically conducting axial position sensor segment,
the second rotary sensor part further comprises an axial position contact structure adapted to be in contact with the conducting axial position sensor segment on the first rotary sensor part,
the axial position contact structure comprises an axial position contact having a connected position in which the axial position contact is in contact with the axial position sensor segment, and a dis-connected position in which the axial position contact is not in contact with an axial position sensor segment, and
the connected position corresponds to the expelling state, the drug delivery device further comprising actuator structure for axially moving the axial position contact between the connected and the dis-connected position.

4. A drug delivery device as in claim 3 , wherein the second rotary sensor part is in the form of a metallic disc member comprising a plurality of integrally formed flexible arms forming the contact structures, at least one of the flexible arms being axially moveable to form a flexible switch arm comprising the axial position contact.

5. A drug delivery device as in claim 3 , wherein:
the first portion is arranged rotationally relative to the housing,
the second portion is arranged non-rotationally relative to the housing, and
at least one of the first and second portions are arranged axially moveable relative to the housing, and
the actuator structure is arranged between the housing and the second portion.

6. A drug delivery device as in claim 4 , wherein the actuator structure is in the form of a mechanical connection formed between the housing and the flexible switch arm, whereby relative axial movement between the housing and the flexible switch arm moves the axial position contact between the connected and dis-connected positions.

7. A drug delivery device as in claim 6 , wherein the first portion of the sensor assembly is mounted to and rotates with the indication member, the first portion comprising electronic circuitry adapted to estimate an amount of expelled drug based on detection of rotational movement between the first and second portions corresponding to a set and/or expelled dose.

8. A drug delivery device as in claim 6 , wherein the indication member is adapted to move axially between an initial and an actuated position, the first portion of the sensor assembly being mounted to move axially with the indication member.

9. A drug delivery device as in claim 8 , wherein also the second portion is mounted to move axially with the indication member.

10. A drug delivery device as in claim 6 , wherein the electronic circuitry comprises logging structure adapted to create a log for dose amounts of drug expelled from a cartridge by the drug expelling structure, wherein the dose amounts are calculated based on relative rotation between the first and second rotary sensor parts during setting and/or expelling of a dose of drug.

11. A drug delivery device as in claim 6 , wherein the first portion comprises a display.

12. A drug delivery device as in claim 11 , wherein the display is turned off during rotation of the first portion.

13. A drug delivery device as in claim 6 , wherein the electronic circuitry comprises transmitter structure adapted to transmit stored data to an external receiver.

Assignees

• Novo Nordisk As

Inventors

• Madsen John Oestergaard

Classifications

• A61M5/20

  Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically (A61M5/142 {, A61M5/46} take precedence; {hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54}) · CPC title

• A61M5/31568 Primary

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

• A61M5/24

  Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic {(ampoules or carpules A61J1/06)} · CPC title

• G01D5/1655

  more than one point of contact or actuation on one or more tracks · CPC title

• A61M5/31

  Details · CPC title