CN-108463259-B - Electrical sensor for fluid

CN108463259BCN 108463259 BCN108463259 BCN 108463259BCN-108463259-B

Abstract

An electrical sensor for sensing an electromagnetic property of a treatment fluid in a dialysis machine or similar medical device may include a probe made of an electronic textile material for interfacing with the fluid. The electronic textile probe may include one or more conductors embedded in a non-conductive textile layer. The electronic textile probe is housed in a housing that establishes a flow path relative to the probe to establish fluid contact between the treatment fluid and the conductor. The conductors may apply or sense current and/or voltage with respect to the fluid. A portion of the electronic textile probe may be disposed outside of the housing to provide electronic communication outside of the housing.

Inventors

C. Weaver
E. ALBERT
P.S. JAMES
D. SCHMIDT

Assignees

费森尤斯医疗保健控股公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20161229
Priority Date: 20151229

Claims (14)

1. An electrical sensor for a medical instrument, comprising: An electronic textile probe having a non-conductive textile layer and a plurality of conductors embedded in the textile layer including first and second conductors spaced apart from each other and including respective first and second terminals exposed proximate a peripheral edge of the textile layer; A housing closing a fluid chamber defining a flow path for a fluid between a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the housing being adapted to house the electronic textile probe, the first conductor and the second conductor being arranged in the flow path and being provided in electrical communication via the fluid to sense an electrical characteristic of the fluid, the first terminal and the second terminal being accessible outside the housing, and An electrical connector configured to connect the plurality of conductors within the fluid chamber to an electronic controller external to the fluid chamber; wherein the electrical sensor has a cross-flow configuration, a fluid inlet is arranged at an entrance area of the fluid chamber, a fluid outlet is arranged at an exit area of the fluid chamber, and the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are directed towards the same surface of the fabric layer; wherein the fluid chamber has an oblong shape, the entry region being arranged at a first end and the exit region being arranged at a second end, and Wherein the electronic textile probe is received within a recess disposed in a plane of the housing to maintain a planar configuration of the electronic textile probe.
2. The electrical sensor of claim 1, wherein the fabric layer is a non-conductive mesh and the first conductor and the second conductor are formed as conductive wires embedded in the non-conductive mesh.
3. The electrical sensor of claim 2, wherein the electrical sensor measures the electrical conductivity of the fluid.
4. The electrical sensor of claim 3, wherein the electrical sensor measures a voltage drop corresponding to the fluid, and wherein the electronic controller is configured to utilize the voltage drop to determine the resistivity and/or conductivity of the fluid.
5. The electrical sensor of claim 1, wherein the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are configured as hose fittings, and wherein the electrical sensor is removable from the medical instrument.
6. The electrical sensor of claim 5, wherein the housing is made of molded plastic and includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion that are detachable to access the fluid chamber and remove and replace the electronic textile probe.
7. A dialysis machine comprising: a dialyzer defining a dialysate side and a blood side separated by a membrane; a fluid source for supplying a fluid in a liquid phase; at least one fluid line that communicates the fluid to the dialyzer; A pump disposed in the at least one fluid line for directing fluid to or from the dialyzer; An electrical sensor disposed in the at least one fluid line, the electrical sensor comprising an electrical textile probe housed in a housing, the housing closing a fluid chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet coupled to the at least one fluid line, the electrical textile probe having a non-conductive textile layer with first and second conductors embedded therein, the first and second conductors disposed in a flow path defined by the housing and spaced apart from each other, and the electrical sensor further comprising an electrical connector configured to connect the first and second conductors to an electronic controller external to the fluid line, and The electronic controller being electrically connected to the electrical sensor and in electronic communication with the first conductor and the second conductor, the electronic controller being operatively associated with a human-machine interface for displaying information about the fluid, the information being determined by the electrical communication between the first conductor and the second conductor via the fluid, wherein the electronic controller is configured to determine the resistivity and/or conductivity of the fluid based on the parameters of the fluid measured by the first conductor and the second conductor; Wherein the electrical sensor has a cross-flow configuration, the fluid inlet is arranged at an entrance area of the fluid chamber, the fluid outlet is arranged at an exit area of the fluid chamber, and the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are directed towards the same surface of the fabric layer; wherein the fluid chamber has an oblong shape, the entry region being arranged at a first end and the exit region being arranged at a second end; Wherein the electronic textile probe is received within a recess disposed in a plane of the housing to maintain a planar configuration of the electronic textile probe.
8. The dialysis machine of claim 7, wherein the fabric layer is a non-conductive mesh and the first conductor and the second conductor are formed as conductive wires embedded in the non-conductive mesh.
9. The dialysis machine of claim 7, wherein the electrical sensor measures a voltage drop corresponding to the fluid.
10. The dialysis machine of claim 7, wherein the electrical sensor is removable from the fluid line.
11. The dialysis machine of claim 10, wherein the housing is made of molded plastic and comprises a first housing portion and a second housing portion that are detachable to access the fluid chamber and remove and replace the electronic textile probe.
12. A method of monitoring fluid flowing in a fluid line of an electrical instrument for non-therapeutic purposes, the method comprising: Connecting an electrical sensor to an electronic controller operably associated with the electrical instrument via an electrical connector of the electrical sensor, the electrical sensor including an electronic textile probe housed in a fluid chamber defined by a housing of the electrical sensor; Directing the fluid into the fluid chamber through a fluid inlet of the housing; Applying a current or voltage to the fluid in the fluid chamber via a first conductor embedded in a fabric layer of the electronic textile probe, a second conductor disposed in the fabric layer of the electronic textile probe and spaced apart from the first conductor; measuring voltage drops across the first and second conductors of the electronic textile probe; sensing resistivity and/or conductivity of the fluid in the fluid chamber via the second conductor based on the measured voltage drop, and Discarding the electronic textile probe after use; wherein the electrical sensor has a cross-flow configuration, the fluid inlet is arranged at an entrance area of the fluid chamber, the fluid outlet is arranged at an exit area of the fluid chamber, and the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are directed towards the same surface of the fabric layer; wherein the fluid chamber has an oblong shape, the entry region being arranged at a first end and the exit region being arranged at a second end, and Wherein the electronic textile probe is received within a recess disposed in a plane of the housing to maintain a planar configuration of the electronic textile probe.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: replacing the discarded electronic textile probe with another electronic textile probe and reassembling the housing of the electrical sensor.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the fabric layer is a non-conductive mesh and the first conductor and the second conductor are formed as conductive wires embedded in the non-conductive mesh.

Description

Electrical sensor for fluid Background Hemodialysis is a medical procedure for treating patients suffering from renal failure, renal problems, or other related conditions in which the kidneys are unable to adequately remove impurities and waste from the patient's blood. In hemodialysis, a dialysis system or machine removes blood from a patient and directs it through a filter device called a dialyzer, which filters the purified blood back to the patient. The filtration process is performed by directing a liquid solution (commonly referred to as dialysate) through a dialyzer, the dialysate being separated from the blood in the dialyzer by a membrane such that waste is drawn into or diffused into the dialysate. To facilitate treatment of different patients in different situations, the composition of the dialysate can be adjusted or regulated during the dialysis process by means of a dialysis machine, for example by introducing different additives into the solution. To facilitate the preparation and adjustment of the dialysate solution, various sensors and control devices are incorporated into the dialysis machine to monitor the preparation process and the composition of the dialysate solution. By using these sensors and controls, the dialysis machine can be designed to automatically adjust during the dialysis treatment or the healthcare technician monitoring the sensors and controls can make the necessary adjustments. Thus, the sensors and control devices may play an important role in the course of the dialysis treatment. However, because the dialysis process necessarily involves human biological substances, the sensors and control devices must be incorporated into the dialysis machine in a manner that isolates them or cleans and/or sterilizes them. The present disclosure relates to supplementing and improving the operation and function of sensors and control devices associated with dialysis machines or similar medical devices. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure provides an electrical or electromechanical sensor for analyzing a treatment fluid in a dialysis machine or similar medical device by measuring or sensing certain electromagnetic properties associated with the fluid. For direct communication with a fluid, the electrical or electromechanical sensor may utilize an electronic textile probe having conductive properties made of a flexible non-conductive textile layer having one or more electrical conductors attached to the flexible non-conductive textile layer in an exposed manner. The conductors may be attached to the fabric layer by weaving, stitching, carding, braiding, or other suitable methods. This type of electronic fabric may also be referred to as an electronic textile or smart fabric. The electronic textile probe may be cut or trimmed to shape and disposed inside a non-conductive housing defining a fluid chamber. Treatment fluid may be directed into the fluid chamber to electrically contact the exposed conductors of the electronic textile probe. Thus, a voltage and/or current may be applied to the treatment fluid in the fluid chamber by using conductors in the electronic textile probe. To establish electrical communication with the conductors, a portion of the electronic textile probe may extend outside of the housing. In an embodiment, the housing may be formed of molded plastic or the like and may be easily disassembled to enable removal of the electronic textile probe. A possible advantage is that the present disclosure provides an electrical sensor that can detect electromagnetic properties, such as electromagnetic field properties, associated with treatment fluid in a dialysis machine or similar device, through the use of a conductive electronic fabric. The electronic textile probe may be cut from a larger strip of electronic textile material, providing the unique manufacturing benefits associated with the present disclosure. Another possible advantage is that the electrical sensor can be easily removed from the dialysis machine and discarded in its entirety, or the electronic textile probe can be removed from the housing and replaced, since the housing can be made of low cost molded plastic and easily disassembled. This advantage can be readily appreciated in view of the exposure of the electrical sensor to treatment fluids that may present a biohazard. In another aspect, the present disclosure describes various uses of an electronic textile probe to measure different properties of a fluid in a fluid circuit, such as flow rate or fluid pressure. Electrode conductors embedded in the non-conductive fabric layer may be arranged to measure these fluid properties based on the electrical characteristics of the electronic fabric probe associated with the conductor arrangement. On the other hand, the conductor arrangement may provide identification or verification features that convey information about the electronic textile probe, for example, to ensure that the electronic textile probe