IP Library Granted Patent US 12708707
Granted Patent B2
US 12708707 · App. 17/527,667 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

System and method for pressure management for a drug delivery device

Inventors: Steve Beguin (Rathdrum, IE); Michael Yarger (Chapel Hill, NC); Simon O'Reilly (Dublin, IE)
Assignee: Becton, Dickinson and Company
A61M5/14244A61M2005/14208A61M2205/3331A61M2205/50A61M2205/8212
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12708707
App. No.
17/527,667
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A drug delivery device includes a power source, a reservoir configured to receive a fluid, a fluid line in fluid communication with the reservoir, a pump configured to deliver a fluid from the reservoir to the fluid line, and a power limitation subsystem configured to limit a power level supplied to the pump.

Claims (28)

1 . A method of pressure management for a drug delivery device comprising electronics circuitry, a reservoir, a pump, a fluid line, and a power source, the method comprising:

delivering fluid through the fluid line via the pump at a first power level;

detecting a pressure within the fluid line by measuring a current of the drug delivery device during actuation of the pump;

determining whether the pressure within the fluid line exceeds a high pressure threshold level;

delivering fluid through the fluid line via the pump at a second power level until a predetermined condition is satisfied, the second power level is lower than the first power level and the second power level is provided by modulating the voltage supplied to the pump; and

resuming the delivery of the fluid through the fluid line at the first power level after the predetermined condition is satisfied.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition comprises a predetermined pressure level within the fluid line.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second power level is provided via a current limiter subsystem.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the current limiter subsystem comprises transistors or an operational amplifier.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure within the fluid line is detected by measuring a current of the drug delivery device during actuation of the pump.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the measuring of the current of the drug delivery device comprises subtracting a reference current value from a peak current value during an actuation cycle of the pump to determine a stroke current value.

7 . A computer program product for a method of pressure management for a drug delivery device comprising a microcontroller, a reservoir, a pump, a fluid line, and a power source, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by the microcontroller, cause the drug delivery device to:

deliver fluid through the fluid line via the pump at a first power level;

detect a pressure within the fluid line by measuring a current of the drug delivery device during actuation of the pump;

determine whether the pressure within the fluid line exceeds a high pressure threshold level;

deliver fluid through the fluid line via the pump at a second power level until a predetermined condition is satisfied, the second power level is lower than the first power level, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes program instructions that, when executed by the microcontroller, cause the microcontroller to modulate voltage supplied to the pump to provide the second power level; and

resume the delivery of the fluid through the fluid line at the first power level after the predetermined condition is satisfied.

8 . The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined condition comprises a predetermined pressure level within the fluid line.

9 . The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes program instructions that, when executed by the microcontroller, cause the drug delivery device to:

measure the current of the drug delivery device during actuation of the pump to detect the pressure within the fluid line.

10 . The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the measuring of the current of the drug delivery device comprises subtracting a reference current value from a peak current value during an actuation cycle of the pump to determine a stroke current value.

11 . A method of pressure management for a drug delivery device comprising electronics circuitry, a reservoir, a pump, a fluid line, and a power source, the method comprising:

moving the cannula from a retracted position positioned within the device to an extended position where a cannula extends outside of the device;

delivering fluid through the fluid line via the pump at a first power level;

detecting a pressure within the fluid line;

determining whether the pressure within the fluid line exceeds a high pressure threshold level;

delivering fluid from the reservoir to the cannula through the fluid line via the pump at a second power level until a predetermined condition is satisfied, the second power level is lower than the first power level and the second power level is provided by modulating the voltage supplied to the pump; and

resuming the delivery of the fluid through the fluid line at the first power level after the predetermined condition is satisfied.