Air detection system and method for detecting air in a pump of an infusion system
Inventors
Ruchti, Timothy L. • Markey, Brian G. • Belkin, Anatoly S. • Kotnik, Paul T. • Khair, Mohammad M.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12571665-B2
Publication Date
2026-03-10
Expiration Date
Abstract
Various systems and methods for detecting air in a chamber of an infusion system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a determination is made that air is contained in the chamber on the basis of a change in the average force exerted against the plunger utilizing a derivative spike for event detection and a systematic reduction in the average force to confirm the nature of the change. In another embodiment, a determination is made that the chamber contains air when a difference between the current force profile and a baseline force profile crosses a threshold. In an additional embodiment, a force profile is classified as being an air force profile or a liquid force profile based on extracted features of the force profile.
Core Innovation
The disclosed invention detects air in a chamber of an infusion system using a force profile based on force acting on a plunger as it moves against fluid in the chamber. The force profile is preprocessed, features comprising a shape of the force profile are extracted, and the force profile is classified as an air force profile or a liquid force profile based on the extracted features.
The system and method also identify derivative-spike event detection, comparison with a liquid-baseline force profile, resampling, and angle selection. Classification uses principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis, k-nearest neighbor analysis, or support vector machines, with processing and thresholds adapted to infusion rate to enable processor-based air determination and alarm activation.
Claims Coverage
The claim coverage includes two inventive features directed to a method and a processor-based system for detecting air in an infusion-system chamber.
Method for detecting air in an infusion-system chamber
Preprocess a force profile based on a measurement of force acting on a plunger as the plunger moves against a chamber containing fluid; extract features from the force profile, wherein the extracted features comprise a shape of the force profile; and classify the force profile as an air force profile or a liquid force profile based on the extracted features.
Processor-based system for detecting air in an infusion-system chamber
One or more hardware processors configured to preprocess a force profile based on detected force acting on a plunger as the plunger moves against a chamber containing fluid, extract features comprising a shape of the force profile, and classify the force profile as an air force profile or a liquid force profile based on the extracted features.
The independent claims cover method and processor-based system implementations of air detection using preprocessing and shape-based classification of a plunger force profile as air or liquid.
Stated Advantages
Force sensing can supplement existing air sensors without additional hardware modifications.
Reported testing of the event-detection approach included 472 data sets with no false positives and one false negative; testing of the baseline-profile approach reported no false negatives.
Documented Applications
Detecting air in a chamber of an infusion system by classifying a plunger force profile as an air force profile or a liquid force profile.
Triggering an air alarm or shutting down an infusion pump when air is determined to be present.
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