Flow control system and method with variable pressure and variable resistance

1. A fluid delivery apparatus for maintaining a desired flow rate of a fluid from a fluid source along a fluid path, comprising:

an inflatable bladder bearing against the fluid source to drive the fluid from the fluid source along the fluid path, the flow rate being responsive to varying pressure in said inflatable bladder;

an adjustable flow resistor for varying flow resistance in the fluid path, the flow rate being responsive to adjustment of said flow resistor;

an inline flow sensor capable of operating over a wide flow rate range for detecting an actual flow rate of the fluid;

a processor coupled to said adjustable flow resistor and said flow sensor for comparing the actual flow rate of the fluid with the desired flow rate of the fluid to determine a difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate;

means for adjusting the flow resistor; and

means for varying the pressure in said inflatable bladder.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

said adjustable flow resistor including a valve member in the flow path coupled to an adjustment member, the valve member movable between a first, closed position and a second, fully open position in response to adjustment of said adjustment member.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

said adjustable flow resistor including a rotatable housing and a valve member in the flow path coupled to the rotatable housing, the valve member movable between a first, closed position and a second, fully open position in response to rotation of said rotatable housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:

means for rotating said rotatable housing responsive to the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate to reduce the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said means for rotating said rotatable housing includes a motor controllably coupled to said processor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said means for varying the pressure in said inflatable bladder includes a pump fluidically coupled to said bladder for increasing the pressure in the inflatable bladder and a vent valve fluidically coupled to said inflatable bladder for reducing the pressure in said inflatable bladder.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:

means for selectively increasing and decreasing the pressure in said bladder responsive to the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate to reduce the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is selected from a medication fluid and intravenous solution.

9. A method for maintaining a desired flow rate of a fluid in a fluid delivery device, the fluid flowing from a fluid source along a fluid path, comprising:

inflating an inflatable bladder that bears against the fluid source to drive the fluid from the fluid source along the fluid path, the flow rate being responsive to varying pressure in said inflatable bladder;

determining an actual flow rate with an inline flow sensor adapted to sense a real time flow rate over a wide flow rate range and comparing the actual flow rate to the desired flow rate;

if the actual flow rate is not equal to the desired flow rate, adjusting one or both of pressure in the inflatable bladder and an adjustable flow resistor to reduce the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate; and

said adjustable flow resistor for varying flow resistance in the fluid path, the flow rate being responsive to adjustment of said flow resistor.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising one or both of:

monitoring a volume of fluid flowing from the fluid source as a function of time; and

monitoring a rate of pressure decay in said bladder.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining whether the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate is within a first threshold value;

if the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate is not within the first threshold value, adjusting the adjustable flow resistor;

determining whether the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate is within a second threshold value; and

if the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate is not within the second threshold value, adjusting the driving pressure in the inflatable bladder.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second threshold value is less than the first threshold value.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

calculating a volume of fluid in the fluid source to be infused;

determining a prespecified time at which at said calculated volume of fluid in the source is to be completed; and

varying the actual flow rate by adjusting one or both of pressure in the inflatable bladder and the adjustable flow resistor to cause the infusion of the calculated volume of fluid to be completed at said prespecified time.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said prespecified time is determined by one or more of:

input of the prespecified time via a user interface of a computer-based information handling system; and

calculating a completion time based on said calculated volume of fluid and the desired flow rate.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

said adjustable flow resistor including a rotatable housing and a valve member in the flow path coupled to the rotatable housing, the valve member movable between a first, closed position and a second, fully open position in response to rotation of said rotatable housing.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

if the actual flow rate is not equal to the desired flow rate, generating a control signal for rotating said rotatable housing proportional to the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate to reduce the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

said adjustable flow resistor is adjusted by rotating said rotatable housing a stepper motor coupled to said processor.

18. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

said inflatable bladder including a pump fluidically coupled to said bladder for increasing the pressure in the inflatable bladder and a vent valve fluidically coupled to said inflatable bladder for reducing the pressure in said inflatable bladder.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

if the actual flow rate is not equal to the desired flow rate, selectively increasing and decreasing the pressure in said bladder responsive to the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate to reduce the difference between the actual flow rate and the desired flow rate.

20. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fluid is selected from a medication fluid and intravenous solution.