IP Library Granted Patent US 12,434,191
Granted Patent B2
US 12,434,191 · App. 16/763,311 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

Examination of a reverse-osmosis device for the usage with dialysis devices

Inventors: Christian Ruff (Oberursel, DE); Thomas Pohl (Friedrichsdorf, DE); Michael Wild (Bad Homburg, DE)
Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH
B01D61/025A61M1/1601A61M1/1656A61M1/1694B01D61/12B01D61/243B01D61/58G16H20/40G16H40/20G16H40/60G16H40/63A61M1/168
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,434,191
App. No.
16/763,311
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic safety system includes a RO-device configured to produce ultrapure water. The RO-device has a sensor unit for collecting sensor data. The RO-device comprises an electronic data interface in order to send the sensor data collected by the sensor unit. The system also includes an analysis unit which is configured to analyse a water sample with regards to safety requirements and with regard to contamination and to generate result data. The analysis unit includes an analysis interface in order to send the generated result data in electronic form. The system also includes a network for the data exchange between the medical-technical entities, for example, between the RO-device and the analysis unit.

Claims (34)

1. An electronic safety system for a reverse osmosis device (RO-device), the electronic safety system comprising:

the RO-device, wherein:

the RO-device comprises a sensor unit for collecting sensor data, the sensor data comprising measurements of feed water conductivity, permeate conductivity, retention, and water temperature,

the RO-device is configured to produce ultrapure water for a dialysis machine and;

the RO-device comprises an electronic data interface configured to send the sensor data collected by the sensor unit;

a water supply unit having a measuring unit to determine water consumption data,

the water supply unit having an electronic data interface configured to forward the determined water consumption data;

a laboratory system comprising:

a laboratory apparatus; and

an analysis unit having an analysis interface, wherein:

the laboratory apparatus is configured to analyze a contamination level of a water sample from the RO-device, and

the analysis unit is configured to generate and transmit result data based on the analysis of the laboratory apparatus;

an evaluation unit having access to a rule base comprising rules that define actions to be taken based on the collected sensor data, on the water consumption data, and on the result data; and

a network in electronic communication with the RO-device, the water supply unit, the evaluation unit, and the analysis unit of the laboratory system, wherein:

the network is configured to exchange the sensor data between the RO-device and the evaluation unit, the network is configured to exchange the water consumption data between the water supply unit and the evaluation unit, and the network is configured to exchange the result data between the analysis unit and the evaluation unit, and

the electronic safety system is configured to automatically control a flow of ultrapure water from the RO-device to the dialysis machine based on results of the evaluation unit according to a PUSH protocol.

2. The safety system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a server configured to receive the sensor data of the RO-device.

3. The safety system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a server configured to receive the result data of the analysis unit.

4. The safety system according to claim 3 , wherein the server is configured to send the result data to the RO-device and to a medical-technical device for the purpose of open loop control and closed loop control.

5. The safety system according to claim 3 , wherein the server is configured to send the result data to the RO-device or to a medical-technical device for the purpose of open loop control or closed loop control.

6. The safety system according to claim 3 , wherein the server is configured to send the result data to the RO-device or a medical-technical device for the purpose of open loop control and closed loop control.

7. The safety system according to claim 3 , wherein the server is configured to send the result data to the RO-device and a medical-technical device for the purpose of open loop control or closed loop control.

8. The safety system according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring unit comprises:

a Bus interface to send the collected water consumption data.

9. The safety system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor data comprise parameters regarding the conductivity and parameters regarding the retention.

10. The safety system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor data comprise parameters regarding the conductivity or parameters regarding the retention.

11. The safety system according to claim 1 , wherein a preliminary result is calculated locally from the sensor data and sent to the analysis unit to be validated or falsified in the analysis unit based on the water sample.

12. A reverse osmosis device (RO-device) configured to produce ultra-pure water for a dialysis machine, the RO-device comprising:

a sensor unit configured to collect sensor data based on the produced water, the sensor data comprising measurements of feed water conductivity, permeate conductivity, retention, and water temperature; and

an electronic data interface communicably coupled to an evaluation unit remote from the RO-device via a network and configured to transmit the sensor data collected by the sensor unit to the evaluation unit via the network;

a control unit communicably coupled to the evaluation unit via the network and configured to receive result data from the evaluation unit via the network, wherein the control unit is configured to automatically control a flow of ultrapure water from the RO-device to the dialysis machine based on a preliminary result by the evaluation unit, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to provide the preliminary result according to a PUSH protocol, the evaluation unit having access to a rule base comprising rules that define actions to be taken based on the collected sensor data, on water consumption data, and on validated result data generated and transmitted based on an analysis, by an analysis unit of a laboratory system, of a contamination level of periodically sampled water samples produced from the RO-device.

13. The RO-device according to claim 12 , wherein the preliminary result is calculated locally from the sensor data and sent to the analysis unit to be validated or falsified in the analysis unit based on the water sample.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2020
From: RUFF, CHRISTIAN; POHL, THOMAS; WILD, MICHAEL
To: FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Reel/Frame 053023/0729 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 102017126592.9 · Nov 13, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200294648A1 · Sep 17, 2020
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