Blockage sensor for pump assembly

Abstract

A drug delivery system (1) and method for determining an occlusion, comprising a reservoir (4) carrying a drug, a pump (3) connected to the reservoir (4) for drawing the drug from the reservoir (4) for drug delivery, and an occlusion sensor (600) connected to the reservoir (4) for sensing whether an occlusion is present, the occlusion sensor (600) being secured to an exterior surface of the reservoir (4), the occlusion sensor (600) providing a resistance output (630) to control electronics (8), the control electronics (8) determining whether an occlusion is present based on the resistance output (630). The occlusion sensor (600) may be a strain gauge bonded to a central portion of the exterior surface of the flexible reservoir (4) to provide a sensitive strain reading.

Claims

1. A drug delivery system A flexible reservoir for transporting drugs, A pump connected to the flexible reservoir for drawing the drug from the flexible reservoir for drug delivery, An obstruction sensor connected to the flexible reservoir for sensing whether an obstruction exists, Includes, The blockage sensor is coupled to the central portion of the outer surface of the flexible reservoir, The drug delivery system is characterized in that the obstruction sensor is insensitive to lateral forces across the flexible reservoir.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the blockage sensor includes a strain gauge.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the blockage sensor does not come into contact with the drug.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the blockage sensor does not detect pressure.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the blockage sensor does not detect current draw.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the blockage sensor outputs resistance to the control electronic device.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that when the drug leaves the flexible reservoir when there is no obstruction, the resistance is reduced.

8. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the blockage is detected when the resistance does not decay according to a specified pattern.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the drug leaves the flexible reservoir, the surface of the flexible reservoir is compressed and the occlusion sensor senses a change in force across the flexible reservoir.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the drug leaves the flexible reservoir, the tension on the surface of the flexible reservoir decreases.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the tension is measured axially across the reservoir.

12. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the obstruction prevents the drug from leaving the flexible reservoir.

13. A method for determining occlusion in a drug delivery system including a flexible reservoir and control electronic equipment, The control electronic equipment provides a current to the blockage sensor to operate the blockage sensor, the blockage sensor is coupled to the central portion of the outer surface of the flexible reservoir, and the blockage sensor measures the resistance on the outer surface of the flexible reservoir. The control electronic device receives a resistance output from the blockage sensor and determines whether a blockage exists based on the resistance output. Includes, The method is characterized in that the blockage sensor is insensitive to lateral forces crossing the flexible reservoir, and resistance is determined by measuring the axial tension and axial compression on the outer surface of the flexible reservoir.

14. The method according to 13, further comprising determining whether the blockage exists based on the attenuation of the resistor output.

15. The aforementioned lateral force is positioned on the lateral surface of the outer surface of the flexible reservoir, and the lateral surface is perpendicular to the axial plane. The receptacle is connected to the flexible reservoir and configured to distribute the drug, The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the axial plane connects the receptacle to the opposing surface of the flexible reservoir, and the axial plane is parallel to the flow direction of the drug when the drug is distributed.

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