The present invention is related to the mechanical field wherein the injectors are used in various applications. This invention has discussed a new way to operate the injectors automatically through computer programming.
Background
[0002] The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Auto-injectors or pen-injectors have been on the market for many years. One of the first autoinjectors was developed for war-times, which was activated by pressing the injector against a body part for activating it. The main concern was to have the medicament injected as fast as possible, without much concern for the patient or for handling safety aspects. In recent years, some medicaments have been developed such that these have to be injected by the patients themselves. Therefore, depending on the intended use and type of medicament, have also been developed injection devices having varying degrees of automatic functions to facilitate the injection of medicaments reliably and safely for patients and even for trained personnel; e.g., physicians, nurses.
[0004] Auto-injector devices having an automated injection function often comprises a housing, a spirally wound compression spring acting on a plunger rod which in its turn acts on a stopper inside a medicament container for expelling the medicament through an attached needle to the container. Normally, one end of the spring is often abutting an inner end surface of the housing, which means that the housing has to be dimensioned to the force of the spring. When fluids with high viscosity are to be injected using an auto-injector, high forces are required to expel the medicament through a fine needle. Consequently, the spring becomes very large both regarding the diameter of the wound spring and also the diameter of the thread of the wire. The size of the spring means that the device becomes large, and for some applications and customers, such sizes of the devices are not acceptable.
[0005] Furthermore, in particular, when injection of medicament takes a long time, for example when a high viscous liquid is injected and/or a needle having a small diameter is used, the user of the injection device wants to know whether or not the injection is still proceeding. In more detail, the user self-administering a medicament needs to be informed when the injection is completed and it is safe to remove the injector from the injection site.
[0006] WO 2010/066592 discloses an injection device comprising a delivery indication mechanism having a flexible band arranged with different indications. The housing has an opening through which the indications are visible. The band has a first end that is connected to the drive unit of the injection device. When the drive unit is released, the band will pass the opening.
[0007] The further background art is shown in WO 2004/020028. It describes an injection device having a closed scale band. When administering a product, a required dosage is set on the injection device by rotating a rotational button. This transports the scale band by setting a dosage, such that once the dosage setting rotation is complete, the corresponding dosage unit can be read through a window. Such scale band for dosage indication does however not show the progress of injection.
[0008] An injection device having a band type indicator as suggested in WO 2004/020028 is, however, complex to assemble. Moreover, the movement of the band is visible to the user from one direction or viewing angle (or a small band of viewing angles) only. Furthermore, slow injections may be difficult to detect by a user.
[0009] US20050234407A1 The fluid delivery system generally includes a source of injection fluid, a pump device a fluid path set disposed of between the source of injection fluid and the pump device, and a fluid control device. The fluid path set includes a multi-position valve. The fluid control device is operatively associated with the fluid path set and includes a valve actuator adapted to operate the multi-position valve.
[0010] US20170281877A1 is a patent work that discussed skin Sensors and automatic Injectors for Injectable Syringes Having Skin Sensors. The system shown a skin sensing system for a drug delivery device includes a control unit and a skin sensor comprising one or more electrodes.
[0011] US10894128B2 is about the automatic injector includes a housing having a guide, a drive control mechanism, a transmission assembly, a motor, and an energy source. The housing may further include a cartridge cover. A drive control mechanism includes a drive screw, a cartridge carrier, a plunger carrier, and one or more control transfer instruments, such as a puck or cylinder. The drive screw interfaces and connects with the plunger carrier. The automatic injector is configured to accept a variety of syringes as cartridges for drug delivery.
[0012] The injection device further comprises a container driver that is arranged for being connectable to the container holder and threadedly connected to a plunger rod. The container driver is operationally associated with an energy accumulating member (described in detail below) such that due to an output axial force from said second energy accumulating member, the container holder and the plunger rod are axially moveable about the housing a predetermined distance towards the proximal end of the injection device from an initial locked position to a second position whereby a needle penetration is performed.
[0013] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
[0014] In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters outlined in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values outlined in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[0015] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context dictates otherwise.
[0016] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.

Objects of the Invention

[0017] The present invention is related to the mechanical field wherein the injectors are used in various applications. This invention has discussed a new way to operate the injectors automatically through computer programming.
[0018] The injection device further comprises a container driver that is arranged for being connectable to the container holder and threadedly connected to a plunger rod. The container driver is operationally associated with an energy accumulating member (described in detail below) such that due to an output axial force from said second energy accumulating member, the container holder and the plunger rod are axially moveable about the housing a predetermined distance towards the proximal end of the injection device from an initial locked position to a second position whereby a needle penetration is performed.

Summary
[0019] The present invention is about automated computer systems, particularly an event-driven artificial intelligence-based system with refinement for insurance and risk management.
[0020] To overcome one or several of the above-mentioned problems, an injection device according to independent claim 1 is provided. Further aspects, improvements, and variations are disclosed in the dependent claims, the figures, and the description.
[0021] The injection device of the present invention comprises a housing and a container holder arranged within the housing. The container holder is configured for accommodating a medicament container.
[0022] The housing may comprise a proximal housing part, a distal housing part, a proximal intermediate housing part, and a distal intermediate housing part. In the assembled state of the injection device, the proximal housing part, the distal housing part, and the distal intermediate housing part may form the outer surface or appearance of the injection device. However, the invention also encompasses configurations where the housing comprises less or additional housing parts. The housing parts may have a generally cylindrical configuration, such as a circular, elliptical, square, or substantially square cylindrical configuration.
Brief Description of the Drawing

[0023] Figure 1 represents the step-by-step process of the present invention thereof.

Detailed Description:

[0024] An embodiment of the invention shows a schematic flow of one embodiment of the inventive method. The embodiment of the inventive method described in more detail below has application to internal combustion engines, through computerized injectors. The method starts in step 100. Then is performed step 102.
[0025] In step 102, a startup of the internal combustion engine is performed. For this purpose, the individual cylinders of the engine are supplied with fuel, so that a homogeneous acceleration of the internal combustion engine results during the plurality of work cycles of the internal combustion engine comprising startup. The rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is so increased from a start value, which corresponds to an idle speed to a maximum value. The starting value of the rotational speed and the maximum value of the rotational speed is detected by sensors and stored for later use by the control device. After reaching the maximum speed of the internal combustion engine without injection of fuel is braked by its inner friction again until the rotational speed has reached the value of the idle speed. By measuring the time points of the start of the ramp-up, reaching the maximum speed and again reaching the idling speed, a first slope of the speed curve, which describes the startup of the rotational speed, and a second slope of the speed curve, which describes the breaking of the internal combustion engine, calculated and stored, Thereafter, step 104 is performed. The injected at step 102 in each cylinder fuel amount is determined by the electronic control unit. For this purpose, a target injection amount is corrected by an injector-correction value which is stored in a memory of the electronic control unit. The injector-correction value is updated using the below-described method steps.
[0026] In step 104, each cylinder of the internal combustion engine cylinder-specific acceleration contributions is assigned. For this is such basis of a known engine position is determined, which contributes cylinder at a given contribution to the acceleration of the internal combustion engine by checking is time to speed matching in an expansion stroke. Each component of acceleration, which is visible in a profile of the high-speed rotational speed may thus be assigned to one cylinder and consequently an injector. Thereafter, step 106 is performed.
[0027] In step 106, a mean value of the detected as belonging in step 104, acceleration contributions are formed for each injector. For each injector, there is thus an injector spezifischer mean. The injector-average values are stored. Thereafter, step 108 is performed.
[0028] In step 108, a total acceleration average is calculated by taking an average of all injector-acceleration average values are formed. The total accelerant value is stored. Thereafter, step 110 is performed.
[0029] In step 110, a difference between the corresponding to the injector injector-accelerating agent and the value calculated in step 108 the total acceleration average is calculated for each injector. This difference forms an injector deviation. Thereafter, step 112 is performed.
[0030] In step 112, each injector deviation using an injector-correction value is converted to an injection quantity. The injector-correction values; for the injection quantity are stored and available for the following runs out the method. Thereafter, step 114 is performed.
[0031] In step 114 it is checked whether all determined in step 106 injector-Means within a predeterminable tolerance are similar. This can be checked whether the injector-average values; within a predetermined tolerance band around the total acceleration average value calculated in step 108 are. If this is the case, go to step 116, If this is not the case proceed to step 102
[0032] In step 116, a total injection quantity is M in using the starting value of the speed n_min and the maximum value of the rotational speed n_max and the first (al) and the second lead (a2), which were determined in step 102, according to the formula calculated. f (z n) designates a constant which represents both an efficient, as well as a moment of inertia of the internal combustion engine. The value for f (z n) can for example be stored in the memory of the electronic control unit.
[0033] Similarly, the automated working starts 180, and the computer has full control of the injectors.
[0034] Corresponding to the calculated total injection quantity of a desired total injection quantity 120, the method, the calculated total injection quantity does not end. corresponds to the desired total injection quantity is determined from a comparison of the total injection quantity to the target total injection quantity, an absolute correction value is additive with each injector-correction value. The new injector-correction values are stored. Thereafter, step 102 is performed.
[0035] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the indicated embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0036] The term “non-transitory storage device” or “storage” or “memory,” as used herein relates to random access memory, read-only memory, and variants thereof, in which a computer can store data or software for any duration.
[0037] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C …. and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

Advantages of the Invention
[0038] The main advantage of the present invention is the complete solution of the event-based management of the above-said issues thereof. [0039] It is advantageous if the equality comprises determining an injector-correction value for the injection quantity of each injector of the engine.
[0040] It is advantageous if one of determining the injector-correction values will ramp test performed. A ramp test in the sense of the present invention is an acceleration of the internal combustion engine from an idle speed to a maximum speed. Here are all the cylinders of Engine fired.
[0041] It is advantageous if the absolute correction has to determine a total injection quantity and compare the total injection quantity with a target total injection quantity.
[0042] It is advantageous if the determination of the total injection quantity using a occurs slope of a speed characteristic.
[0043] It is advantageous if it is at the rotational speed course for the speed profile of the run-up test, the total injection quantity of the second consists of a first slope, which characterizes a run-up phase of the engine, and from a Slope characterizing a freefall phase of the internal combustion engine is determined.
[0044] It is advantageous if the injectors are affected using equality, that the acceleration contributions of the injectors satisfy the equality criterion. In an advantageous refinement of this, one injector-target injection quantity is corrected by an injector-correction value.
[0045] It is advantageous if is closed from the determined injection quantity of the injector if the injector is to be replaced.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A method for determining an injection quantity of an injector, which is associated with a cylinder of an internal combustion engine.
2. The method according to the claim, is characterized in that the equality comprising determining an injector-correction value for the injection quantity of each injector of the engine.
3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, is characterized in that the absolute correction comprises determining a total injection quantity and to compare the total injection quantity with a target total injection amount.
4. The method according to claim 3, is characterized in that the determination of the total injection quantity by using a slope of a speed characteristic occurs.
5. A method according to any one of claims 3 and claim 4, characterized in that the absolute correction is only carried out if acceleration contributions of the injectors perform an equality criterion in a ramp test. The same proportion is fetched to get the exact value for injection.
6. The method according to claims 1 to 5, is the fully automated system that is driven by the computer to inject the exact proportion of value.
7. A computer program adapted to each step of the method according to one of claims 1 to 6;
8. A storage medium on which the computer program is stored. In addition to this, the electronic control unit sums up the to-storage medium.