	US 12,076,531 B2
	Acoustic flow sensor for continuous medication flow measurements and feedback control of infusion
Gary David Shubinsky, San Clemente, CA (US); Jeffrey Donald Merwin, San Clemente, CA (US); Tamas R. Ban, San Clemente, CA (US); and Ion Vergil Nicolaescu, San Clemente, CA (US)
Assigned to ICU Medical, Inc., San Clemente, CA (US)
Filed by ICU Medical, Inc., San Clemente, CA (US)
Filed on May 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/662,221.
Application 17/662,221 is a continuation of application No. 16/308,425, granted, now 11,324,888, previously published as PCT/US2017/036619, filed on Jun. 8, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/348,301, filed on Jun. 10, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0331518 A1, Oct. 20, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61M 5/172 (2006.01); A61M 5/142 (2006.01)

CPC A61M 5/172 (2013.01) [A61M 5/14212 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3334 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3375 (2013.01); A61M 2205/52 (2013.01)]

13 Claims

1. An infusion system for automatically detecting and adjusting a volumetric flow rate delivered by an infusion pump comprising:

an infusion pump configured to pump infusion fluid;

a flow path along which the infusion fluid is configured to be delivered by the infusion pump;

at least one upstream acoustic sensor located at an upstream location of the flow path;

at least one downstream acoustic sensor located at a downstream location of the flow path;

wherein the at least one downstream acoustic sensor is configured to detect an upstream acoustic signal emitted by the at least one upstream acoustic sensor parallel to the flow path, and the at least one upstream acoustic sensor is configured to detect a downstream acoustic signal emitted by the at least one downstream acoustic sensor parallel to the flow path;

at least one processor in electronic communication with the infusion pump, the at least one upstream acoustic sensor, and the at least one downstream acoustic sensor; and

at least one memory in electronic communication with the at least one processor, wherein the memory comprises programming code for execution by the at least one processor, and the programming code is configured to determine a volumetric flow rate of the infusion fluid along the flow path based on the upstream acoustic signal detected by the at least one downstream acoustic sensor and on the downstream acoustic signal detected by the at least one upstream acoustic sensor, and to automatically adjust the infusion pump based on the determined volumetric flow rate, to achieve a desired volumetric flow rate of the infusion fluid along the flow path;

wherein the programming code is configured to determine the volumetric flow rate of the infusion fluid along the flow path based on a first phase delay of the upstream acoustic signal between the at least one upstream acoustic sensor and the at least one downstream acoustic sensor, or on a second phase delay of the downstream acoustic signal between the at least one downstream acoustic sensor and the at least one upstream acoustic sensor.