| 摘要 |
Some embodiments are directed to a device for monitoring patient usage of a medicament inhaler, being adapted to deliver doses of medicament, and including parts which move during the dispensing of a dose of medicament. The device includes a housing, for releasable attachment to the medicament inhaler, and an optical dose counter associated with said housing, being adapted to determine when a dose of medicament has been dispensed by transmitting optical signals through the medicament inhaler. The device is attachable to the medicament inhaler, and is subsequently operable without any modifications being required to be made to the medicament inhaler. The device may also include an electronic control module which is in communication with the optical dose counter, the electronic control module being adapted to monitor and/or store data relating to patient usage of the medicament inhaler. |
| 主权项 |
1. A device for monitoring patient usage of a medicament inhaler having an exterior surface, the medicament inhaler being configured to deliver doses of medicament, the medicament inhaler including a medicament container and at least one moving part(s) configured to move to enable delivery of at least one dose of medicament from the medicament container, the device comprising:
a) a housing releasably attachable to the exterior surface of the medicament inhaler, the housing being usable on the medicament inhaler without requiring any physical modifications to the medicament inhaler; and b) an optical dose counter coupled to the housing, the optical dose counter being configured to determine when a dose of medicament is being dispensed by the medicament inhaler by transmitting electromagnetic signals directed towards at least a portion of the medicament inhaler from a position outside of the outermost surface of the medicament inhaler, the optical dose counter including:
i) at least one electromagnetic signal transmitter configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal from a position outside of the outermost surface of the medicament inhaler;ii) at least one electromagnetic signal receiver configured to receive the electromagnetic signal from a position outside of the outermost surface of the medicament inhaler; andiii) an electronic control module associated with the housing, the electronic control module including, or being in communication with the optical dose counter, the electronic control module being adapted to monitor and/or store data relating to patient usage of the medicament inhaler, wherein, when a first moving part of the at least one moving part(s) of the medicament inhaler is in a rest position, the electromagnetic signal emitted from the transmitter includes a beam directed towards a first portion of the medicament inhaler and the electromagnetic signal receiver detects a rest characteristic of the electromagnetic signal; and when the first moving part is rotated to a dose-dispensing position, the electromagnetic signal emitted from the transmitter includes a beam directed towards at least a second portion of the medicament inhaler and the electromagnetic signal receiver detects a dose-dispensing characteristic of the electromagnetic signal, wherein the electronic control module detects a change between the rest characteristic and the dose-dispensing characteristic of the electromagnetic signal to determine that a dose of medicament is being dispensed. |
