Patent Description:
Electronic injection devices allow patients to safely administer a medicament, without the need for constant supervision by medical staff, while enabling transmission of treatment data to the medical staff. Electronic injection devices can include a medicament reservoir like a cartridge or syringe, a sensor, an electric component, a drive system, and an energy supply. The sensor can be integrated in the plunger stopper to determine a plunger position inside a cartridge or the syringe. Further, the sensor can include an ultrasound emitting/receiving sensor.

The stopper is typically made of a material (e.g., an elastomeric material such as butyl rubber) that damps the transmission of the ultrasound signal. Strong ultrasound signals that can be transmitted through the elastomeric material require high energy. Consumption of high energy can be a problem for battery capacity. Further, the thickness of a rubber layer in front of the ultrasound emitting/receiving sensor needs to be very thin and limited in its variability. Conventional rubber molding processes may lack the required precision and thin rubber walls may not be sufficiently stable to withstand manufacturing processes.

Some known mechanical ventricular assist devices have been disclosed in U. Patent Publication Nos. <CIT>, and <CIT>. These documents disclose ultrasound probes that are integrated in different medical devices such that the surface of the probe is in direct contact with the fluid (e.g., medicament or patient blood stream). The contact of the fluid with the surface of the ultrasound probes systems poses chemical and medical challenges. Common complications of the contact of the fluid with the surface of the ultrasound probes include chemical interactions and contamination of the fluid.

<CIT> discloses systems and methods of drug administration using a syringe with a smart plunger head, wherein the plunger head includes an ultrasound probe, an antenna and a microcontroller. The transducer, the antenna, and the microcontroller may be encapsulated in an elastomer housing that fits within a barrel of the syringe.

Implementations of the present disclosure include mechanisms and systems configured for measuring an amount of medicament within injection devices. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an electronic injection device includes: a medicament reservoir; a stopper including (i) a rigid core made of at least one of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP), (ii) a set of elastomeric rings that provide firm mounting of the rigid core within the medicament reservoir, and (iii) and an ultrasound probe configured to transmit an emitted_ultrasound signal through the rigid core along a longitudinal direction of the rigid core into a medicament reservoir and to receive an ultrasound signal generated by reflections of the emitted ultrasound signal, the reflections including at least a reflection from a distal end of the medicament reservoir; a control component configured to be electronically coupled with the ultrasound probe and to process the ultrasound signal to generate injection device data; and an antenna configured to be electronically coupled with the control component and to transmit the injection device data to an external computing device.

In some implementations, the ultrasound signal is within the frequency range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The ultrasound probe is attached to an inner wall of a closed end of the stopper. The ultrasound probe is coupled to the inner wall of a closed end of the stopper by at least one of a mechanical press fit and a coupling agent. The ultrasound probe is molded within an inner wall of the closed end of the stopper. The ultrasound probe is at a predetermined distance from the outer wall of the stopper in order to detect an amount of medicament within a cartridge included in the injection device. The injection device can include an energy source configured to provide energy to the ultrasound probe and the control component. The injection device data includes an electric signal associated with an amount of medicament within a cartridge included in the injection device. A portion of the rigid core between the ultrasound probe and the medicament reservoir has a thickness from about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The ultrasound probe transmits the ultrasound signal after dispensing a portion of a medicament.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a medicament injection system includes: an injection device as defined above and an external computing device. The external computing device is configured to receive, process, and display the injection device data.

In some implementations, the external computing device includes one of a mobile device, a smart watch, a tablet, and a laptop. The ultrasound signal is within the frequency range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The ultrasound probe is attached to an inner wall of the closed end of the stopper. The ultrasound probe is coupled to an inner wall of the closed end of the stopper by at least one of a mechanical press fit and a coupling agent. The ultrasound probe is molded within an inner wall of the closed end of the stopper. The ultrasound probe is at a predetermined distance from the outer wall of the stopper in order to detect an amount of medicament within a cartridge included in the injection device. The medicament injection system can further include an energy source configured to provide energy to the ultrasound probe and the control component. The injection device data includes an electric signal associated with an amount of medicament within a cartridge included in the injection device.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for detecting an amount of medicament within an injection device includes generating a trigger associated with an operation of the injection device, in response to generating the trigger, transmitting, by an ultrasound probe, an emitted ultrasound signal that is directed towards a medicament reservoir included in the injection device, the medicament reservoir being separated by a rigid portion of a stopper from the ultrasound probe, the rigid portion of the stopper being made of at least one of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP), and receiving, by the ultrasound probe, an ultrasound signal generated by reflections of the emitted ultrasound signal, the reflections including at least a reflection from a distal end of the medicament reservoir, processing the ultrasound signal to generate injection device data, and transmitting the injection device data to an external computing device configured to receive, process, and display the injection device data.

The details of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.

Implementations of the present disclosure are generally directed to mechanisms and systems configured for measuring an amount of medicament within injection devices. More particularly, implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a technique for using radio frequency (RF) signals to determine a volume of a medicament reservoir.

Traditional elastomeric materials, such as butyl rubber, used for plunger stoppers affect the transmission of ultrasound signals. As described in further detail herein, implementations of the present disclosure address this challenge. For example, in accordance with implementations described herein, the plunger stopper can include an ultrasound probe embedded in a rigid material. The composition and the configuration of the plunger stopper provide a plurality of advantages. For example, the features of the plunger stopper optimize functionality and robust performance of an ultrasound probe. The configuration of the plunger stopper is associated with minimum energy consumption. The plunger stopper can include a miniaturized ultrasound probe that has a minimal impact on the overall geometry and size of the plunger stopper. Low dependency of ultrasound signal amplitude on plunger stopper thickness and thickness variation can facilitate production processes. Further, the plunger stopper and ultrasound probe can be manufactured as separate elements (e.g., assembled before or after fill/finish operation of primary container). The separate manufacture can avoid issues associated with heat treatment of sensitive electronic components in an ultrasound probe, such as sterilization processes required for components used in aseptic manufacturing processes. The separate manufacture can avoid issues associated with complex plunger stopper manufacturing processes, such as embedding electronic assemblies as part of stopper forming processes.

<FIG> illustrate an example system <NUM> that can be used to execute implementations of the present disclosure. For example, the example system <NUM> can be used for transmission and reception of ultrasound signals to determine an amount of medicament within an injection device <NUM>. The example system <NUM> includes one or more injection devices <NUM>, an external device <NUM>, a network <NUM>, and a server system <NUM>.

<FIG> depict an exploded view of an injection device <NUM> and a close-up view of a cross section of a plunger stopper <NUM>. The injection device <NUM> can be a pre-filled, disposable injection pen or the injection device <NUM> can be a reusable injection pen. For example, the injection device <NUM> can be configured to communicate with the external device <NUM> and to transmit injection device data to the external device <NUM>; data such as operational data (e.g., date and time of start of usage of injection device <NUM> and sensor measurements) and corresponding treatment data (e.g., amount of medicament within the injection device <NUM>). In some implementations, the injection device <NUM> can be associated with an identifier that is used by the external device <NUM> to uniquely identify the injection device <NUM>.

The injection device <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> (e.g., cartridge holder of the injection device <NUM>) and a needle assembly <NUM>. The housing <NUM> contains a medicament reservoir <NUM> (primary container system of the cartridge with closures), the plunger stopper <NUM>, and an electronic module <NUM>, and can further contain a plunger rod <NUM>, a plunger head <NUM>, a bearing <NUM>, a dosage knob <NUM>, a dosage window <NUM>, and an injection button <NUM>. The housing <NUM> can be molded from a medical grade plastic material. The medicament reservoir <NUM> can be molded from glass material, such as borosilicate or can be made of medical grade plastic material, such as a polymer including cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) or cyclo-olefin polymer (COP). The medicament reservoir <NUM> can have a tubular (cylindrical) shape.

The medicament reservoir <NUM> can be configured to contain a fluid medicament. The medicament can include a pharmaceutical formulation containing at least one pharmaceutically active compound. The medicament can include insulin analogs, insulin derivatives, analgesics, hormones, beta agonists, corticosteroids, or a combination of any of the above-mentioned drugs. The medicament reservoir <NUM> can be a conventional, generally cylindrical, disposable container like a cartridge or a syringe used to package prepared fluids such as medicaments, anesthetics, and the like. The medicament reservoir <NUM> can be provided with a pair of ends, one end having a pierceable membrane, which receives an inward end of needle <NUM> in a liquid tight sealing engagement and the other end being displaceable by the stopper <NUM>.

A dose of the contained medicament can be ejected from the injection device <NUM> by turning the dosage knob <NUM>. The selected dose is displayed by a dosage window <NUM>, for instance in multiples of so-called International Units (IU), wherein one IU is the biological equivalent of about <NUM> micrograms of pure crystalline medicament (<NUM>/<NUM>). An example of a selected dose displayed in dosage window <NUM> may for instance be <NUM> IUs. Turning the dosage knob <NUM> can cause a mechanical click sound to provide acoustical feedback to a user. The numbers displayed in dosage window <NUM> can be printed on a sleeve that is contained in housing <NUM> and mechanically interacts with a plunger head <NUM> that is fixed at the end of the plunger rod <NUM> and pushes the plunger stopper <NUM> of the medicament reservoir <NUM>. In some implementations, the selected dose can be displayed differently, for instance by an electronic display (e.g., the dosage window <NUM> may take the form of an electronic display). The bearing <NUM> can provide firm mounting to one or both ends of the plunger rod <NUM>. The plunger head <NUM> (e.g., a back end of the plunger) can be configured to expel a portion of the fluid by displacing the plunger stopper <NUM> contained within the medicament reservoir <NUM>, such that a position of the plunger stopper <NUM> is associated with an amount of the fluid within the injection device <NUM>.

The plunger stopper <NUM> includes the electronic module <NUM>, a housing <NUM>, and a set of elastomeric rings 126a, 126b, and can further include a sealing plug 127a, a bearing <NUM> and a filling <NUM>. One or more features of the plunger stopper <NUM> can be configured to optimize the operations of the electronic module <NUM>. For example, the housing <NUM> can be formed of a rigid material that optimizes transmission of the ultrasound signals (e.g., minimizes relative attenuation to approximately under <NUM>%) through the housing <NUM>, as illustrated in Table <NUM>. Accordingly, the housing <NUM> is sometimes referred to as a rigid core. The rigid material of the housing <NUM> can include a medical grade plastic material, such as a COC or COP (e.g., ZEONEX®). Table <NUM> includes results of relative attenuation measurements of the exponential decay of reflections generated by shoulder of the cartridge and the needle pierceable end of the medicament reservoir <NUM>. The results of Table <NUM> were generated using piezoelectric elements of varying diameters embedded in elastomeric or rigid materials of various thicknesses. The results of Table <NUM> indicate dependency of ultrasound signal amplitude on plunger stopper thickness for butyl rubber and low (e.g., less than <NUM>%) dependency of ultrasound signal amplitude on plunger stopper thickness for cycloolefin polymer COP (ZEONEX®).

In some implementations, a thickness of the housing <NUM> at the closed end can be selected to maintain a particular distance between the electronic module <NUM> and the medicament reservoir <NUM>. The distance can be selected based on one or more characteristics of the electronic module <NUM> (e.g., nearfield of ultrasound probe <NUM>). For example, the thickness of the housing <NUM> at the closed end can be in the range of approximately <NUM> to approximately <NUM>. A preferred thickness of the housing <NUM> is between <NUM> and <NUM>, a range that provides mechanical stability during processing (e.g. transport, storage, feeding on filling lines, and insertion into cartridge), enables manufacturability of the stopper shell, and prevents attenuation of the ultrasound signal. For example, for rubber molding, the thickness may be about <NUM> whereas for injection molding of COC or COP the thickness may be less than <NUM>.

The thickness of the housing <NUM> at the closed end can preferably be approximately <NUM> for an ultrasound frequency of <NUM>. In some implementations, a thickness of the lateral walls of the housing <NUM> can be primarily determined by manufacturability of the housing and mechanical stability during processing (e.g., transport, storage, feeding on filling lines, and insertion into cartridge). In some implementations, the thickness of the lateral walls of the housing <NUM> can be selected to withstand a force applied during stopper shell insertion into the cartridge and a dispense force applied by the plunger head during dosing of the medicament.

The elastomeric rings 126a, 126b provide firm mounting of the housing <NUM> within the medicament reservoir <NUM> by preventing radial displacement of the housing <NUM>. The bearing <NUM> can provide firm mounting to the ends of the plunger stopper <NUM> that is proximal to the plunger head <NUM>. The filling <NUM> (illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>) or the filling layers 129a, 129b (illustrated in <FIG>) can be configured to keep the electronic module <NUM> in a firm position within the plunger stopper <NUM>. The sealing plug 127a (illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>) or the sealing membrane 127b (illustrated in <FIG>) can be optionally fitted on top of the electronic module <NUM> and can provide a liquid tight sealing engagement to protect the electronic module <NUM> from humidity or liquid damage. The sealing plug 127a can be fabricated from materials such as medical grade of thermoplastic elastomers, rubber elastomers, and a combination thereof. The plunger stopper <NUM> can be of a sufficient length so that the plunger stopper <NUM> is not ripped or twisted when being engaged by the plunger head <NUM>. Further details regarding the plunger stopper <NUM> are provided with reference to <FIG>.

The needle assembly <NUM> includes a needle <NUM> that can be affixed to the housing <NUM>. The needle <NUM> can be covered by an inner needle cap <NUM> and an outer needle cap <NUM>, which in turn can be covered by a cap <NUM>. When the needle <NUM> is inserted subcutaneously or intramuscular in a patient, and the injection button <NUM> is pushed, the medicament dose displayed in display window <NUM> can be ejected from injection device <NUM>. When the needle <NUM> of injection device <NUM> remains inserted in the patient for several seconds after the injection button <NUM> is pushed, a high percentage (e.g., approximately <NUM>%) of the dose is injected into the patient's body. Ejection of the medicament dose can generate a mechanical click sound, which can be different from the sounds produced when using dosage knob <NUM>.

The injection device <NUM> can be used for several injection processes until either medicament reservoir <NUM> is empty or the expiration date of injection device <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> days after the first use) is reached. Before using injection device <NUM> for the first time, it may be necessary to perform a priming operation to get the plunger head <NUM> or bearing <NUM> in contact with the stopper and remove air from medicament reservoir <NUM> and needle <NUM>. For instance, the priming operation can include selecting two units of medicament and pressing injection button <NUM> while holding injection device <NUM> with the needle <NUM> upwards. The impulse generated by selecting two units of medicament or pressing injection button <NUM> can initiate an operation of the electronic module <NUM> and/or communication between the injection device <NUM> and the external device <NUM>.

The electronic module <NUM> can be configured to perform and/or assist with one or more functions of the injection device <NUM> (e.g., the ejection of the medicament). The electronic module <NUM> can be molded, fitted, or welded within the plunger stopper <NUM> of the injection device <NUM>. The electronic module <NUM> includes a housing <NUM>, an ultrasound probe <NUM>, and auxiliary components <NUM>, and can further include a battery <NUM>. The auxiliary components <NUM> include a control component 124a and an antenna 124c, and can further include a sensor 124b.

The housing <NUM> can be a hermetically closable structure configured to be fitted within a cavity formed in the plunger stopper <NUM>. The housing <NUM> can enable simultaneous insertion of all components of the electronic module <NUM> in the plunger stopper <NUM>. The housing <NUM> can be formed of a rigid material including a medical grade plastic material such as a COC or COP. In some implementations, the thickness of the housing <NUM> and the thickness of the bottom layer <NUM> of the plunger stopper <NUM> can be selected to be substantially equal to or larger than a near field length of the ultrasound probe <NUM>. For example, the thickness of the housing <NUM> with the thickness of the bottom layer <NUM> of the plunger stopper <NUM> can be larger than approximately <NUM>.

The ultrasound probe <NUM> can be one or more low power single element ultrasound transducers including piezoelectric elements. The ultrasound probe <NUM> can be powered by the battery <NUM> to generate an ultrasound signal and to detect a reflection of the ultrasound signal. The diameter of the ultrasound probe <NUM> can be proportional with the intensity of the generated ultrasound signal, such that increasing the diameter of the ultrasound probe <NUM> increases the intensity of the generated ultrasound signal (see Table <NUM>). The ultrasound probe <NUM> can have a diameter of approximately <NUM> to approximately <NUM>. The ultrasound probe <NUM> can be configured to generate noninvasive ultrasound signals with a frequency of <NUM> to <NUM>. In some implementations, multiple ultrasound probes <NUM>, each having a particular frequency can be used, such that the frequency of the ultrasound signal can be changed based on a pre-measured volume of medicament, to increase an accuracy of measurement. The ultrasound signal can be directed towards the medicament reservoir <NUM>. The reflection of the ultrasound signal is associated with the amount of medicament within the medicament reservoir <NUM>. The reflection of the ultrasound signal indicates the reflections generated by each material transition areas intersected by the ultrasound signal, including the boundaries of the medicament reservoir <NUM>. The ultrasound probe <NUM> can transmit the ultrasound signal to the control component 124a to determine a medicament volume. For example, the stopper position inside the cartridge can be determined by evaluation of the time of flight changes when the stopper moves from a first position to a second position. The displacement (difference between the first and second positions) can be correlated to the dispensed medicament volume and thus to the dispensed dose. The sensor 124b can include one or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air quality sensor, a light intensity sensor, or other environmental sensors. The sensor 124b can be powered by the battery <NUM> to generate sensor data and to transmit the sensor data to the control component 124a.

Coupling of the ultrasound probe to the stopper shell can be done by form fit and mechanical pressure between ultrasound probe and stopper shell. As a further method, coupling agents such as liquid or semi-liquid materials (e.g., silicone oil of different viscosity or silicone gels, wax, hydrocarbons, paraffin and the like) may be used to fill the space between stopper shell and ultrasound probe. In some implementations, adhesives or glues can be used to generate a strong bond between ultrasound probe and stopper shell.

The control component 124a can be an ultra-low power (µW) platform chip and can be configured to control the operations of the electronic module <NUM>. For example, control component <NUM> can control when the battery <NUM> powers the ultrasound probe, the sensor 124b, and the antenna 124c. The control component <NUM> can retrieve energy from the battery <NUM> to process the ultrasound signal and the sensor data to generate injection device data. The injection device data can include the amount of the fluid in the medicament reservoir <NUM>, additional environmental values measured by the sensor 124b, and an identifier of the injection device <NUM>. The control component <NUM> can transmit injection device data to the antenna 124c, which can transmit injection device data to the external device <NUM>. The antenna 124c can be a radio frequency (RF) antenna, a bluetooth antenna, a millimeter wave antenna, or any other type of antenna configured for short-range communications within the communication field <NUM>. The communication field <NUM> can enable communication between the injection device <NUM> and the external device <NUM>.

The external device <NUM> can communicate with the injection device <NUM> over the communication field <NUM> and with one or more of the server devices <NUM> over the network <NUM>. In some implementations, the external device <NUM> can include any appropriate type of computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a network appliance, a camera, a smart phone, an enhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, or an appropriate combination of any two or more of these devices, or other data processing devices.

The external device <NUM> can include a transceiver <NUM>, a processor <NUM> and a display <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> can be configured to transmit signals to activate and/or power the injection device <NUM> and receive signals from the injection device <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> can be configured to spontaneously transmit signals to the injection device <NUM> at a pre-set frequency during pre-set time intervals. The processor <NUM> can be configured to process the data transmitted by the injection device <NUM>. The external device <NUM> can be configured to enable a user to interact with the display <NUM> (e.g., through a graphical user interface) to initiate a communication between the external device <NUM> and the injection device <NUM> (e.g., generate a trigger signal to initiate treatment and select a medicament dose). The display <NUM> can be configured to display the data received from the injection device <NUM> and processed by the external processor <NUM>.

In some implementations, the server device <NUM> includes at least one server <NUM> and at least one data store <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, the server device <NUM> is intended to represent various forms of servers including, but not limited to a web server, an application server, a proxy server, a network server, and/or a server pool. In general, server systems accept requests for application services and provide such services to any number of client devices (e.g., the external device <NUM>) over the network <NUM> to support monitoring of usage of the injection device <NUM>. In some implementations, a user (such as a patient or a healthcare provider) can access the application services to analyze past and present data associated with the usage of the injection device <NUM>. The past and present data associated with the usage of the injection device <NUM> can include dates of medicament injection, expelled doses per date and remaining amount of medicament within the injection device <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate examples of stoppers 200a, 200b, 200c that can be used in implementations of the present disclosure. For example, the stoppers 200a, 200b, 200c may be examples of the plunger stopper <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. The example stoppers 200a, 200b, 200c can be configured to optimize transmission of RF signals from and to the ultrasound probe <NUM>, across a closed end <NUM> of the housing <NUM> in a longitudinal direction <NUM> aligned with an axial direction of the medicament reservoir <NUM>. Further, the ultrasound probe <NUM> can be attached to an inner wall of the closed end <NUM> of the stoppers 200a, 200b, 200c.

For example, the housing <NUM> can be formed of a rigid material that optimizes transmission of the ultrasound signals through the housing <NUM>. The housing <NUM> can have a cylindrical shape or flat cone shape with a closed end <NUM> and an open end <NUM>. The diameter of the housing <NUM> is adapted to the inner diameter of the medicament reservoir <NUM>, e.g. a standard cartridge of <NUM> or <NUM> nominal fill volume, and to accommodate positioning of sealing rings in the interface between housing <NUM> and medicament reservoir <NUM>. The outer diameter of the housing <NUM> is thus typically smaller than the inner diameter of the medicament reservoir <NUM>. In the example shown, the housing <NUM> is circumferentially surrounded by a set of elastomeric rings 126a, 126b. The elastomeric rings 126a, 126b can have a diameter between approximately <NUM> and <NUM>. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, both elastomeric rings 126a, 126b can have an equal diameter of approximately <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, elastomeric ring 126a can have a diameter of approximately <NUM> or <NUM>, which can be larger than the diameter of the elastomeric ring 126b (e.g., approximately <NUM>).

The sealing plug 127a (illustrated in <FIG>) or the sealing membrane 127b (illustrated in <FIG>) can be configured to seal the open end <NUM> of the housing <NUM> to protect the ultrasound probe <NUM> from moisture and gas contamination. The sealing plug 127a (illustrated in <FIG>) can be configured to be fitted or welded within the open end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The fit may be form fit, positive fit, snap-fit, force closure, closed linkage, bonding, or any combination thereof. The sealing plug 127a can seal the open end <NUM> of the housing <NUM> with the same material as used for the housing <NUM> or with a different material (e.g., elastomeric material). The sealing membrane 127b (illustrated in <FIG>) can be a sealing film including one or more protection layers. The protection layers of the sealing membrane 127b can include a ceramis layer, a polymer layer and a silicon oxide coating. The sealing membrane 127b can have a thickness of approximately <NUM> to approximately <NUM>, such as approximately <NUM>. The sealing membrane 127b can be attached to the open end <NUM> of the housing <NUM> using an adhesive or an attachment feature.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an example process <NUM> that can be carried out, for example, by devices and systems described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. The process <NUM> begins by receiving a trigger signal (<NUM>). The trigger signal can include a priming operation on an injection device having an ultrasound probe inserted in a rigid plunger stopper. The priming operation can be initiated by a user of the injection device or a user of an external device communicating with the injection device. An example of a priming operation performed with the injection device can include selecting a particular quantity (e.g., one or two) of units of medicament and pressing an injection button while holding the injection device with the needle upwards. Another example of a priming operation performed with the injection device can include pressing a priming button of the injection device configured as an electric switch. In some implementations, the trigger signal can include an interrogation signal generated by an external device. The interrogation signal can be automatically generated by the external device based on one or more conditions. The conditions can include a transmission frequency, a transmission time and/ or a time interval. For example, a medicament treatment can be scheduled to be performed within a particular time interval, during which the external device can generate interrogation signals at a given frequency. The signal can be generated by the external device in response to a user input on the external device. For example, a user can interact with an external device to initiate a medicament dispensing service. The trigger signal can include at least one of a mechanical signal, an acoustic signal and an electric signal. The trigger signal can include a command to generate an ultrasound signal.

In response to receiving the trigger signal, an ultrasound signal can be generated by an ultrasound probe located in a rigid plunger stopper of the injection device (<NUM>). In some implementations, the frequency of the emitted ultrasound signal can be selected based on a length of a medicament reservoir or a pre-measured or expected volume of medicament. For example, an ultrasound signal with a low frequency (e.g., <NUM>) can be used for large volumes of medicament and an ultrasound signal with a high frequency (e.g., <NUM>) can be used for small volumes of medicament. The emitted ultrasound signal is transmitted in a direction parallel with a longitudinal central axis of the stopper and the injection device towards a closed end of the stopper formed of a rigid material. The transmission of the emitted ultrasound signal can include transmission through the rigid material of the stopper and transmission through the medicament stored within the medicament reservoir.

A reflected ultrasound signal is received by the ultrasound probe (<NUM>). The reflected ultrasound signal can include reflection from the rigid material of the stopper, reflection from the medicament stored within the medicament reservoir and reflection from a distal end of the medicament reservoir. The terms "distal", "distally" and "distal end" refer to the end of an injection device towards which a needle is provided and which also includes the shoulder area of a cartridge or syringe. The terms "proximal", "proximally" and "proximal end" refer to the opposite end of the injection device, towards which an injection button or dosage knob is provided. One or more features of the reflected ultrasound signal can be indicative of an amount of medicament contained by the medicament reservoir and existence of air bubbles. For example, the reflection from the medicament stored within the medicament reservoir and the reflection from the distal end (e.g., the needle pierceable end) of the medicament reservoir are indicative of an amount of medicament contained by the medicament reservoir.

In response to receiving the reflected ultrasound signal, an electric signal can be generated by the ultrasound probe (<NUM>). The electric signal can be used by a processor to generate injection device data (<NUM>). The injection device data can include the electric signal, a unique identifier for the injection device, a sensor measurement (e.g., a medicament temperature), an internal clock measurement (e.g., a timestamp of receipt of the ultrasound signal), a location, and/or a situation specific data for the injection device.

The injection device data are transmitted to an external device to analyze one or more parameters associated with the administration of the medicament and the operational conditions of the injection device (<NUM>). The injection device data can be transmitted using radio frequency (RF) communication, Bluetooth communication, a millimeter wave communication, or any other appropriate type of short-range communications. The injection device data can be processed by a processor of the external device to generate result data (<NUM>). In response to obtaining result data, the result data can be stored for future references and displayed by a graphical user interface of the external device (<NUM>). In some implementations, the process <NUM> is executed before a medicament is expelled by the injection device and repeated after the medicament is expelled by the injection device.

<FIG> shows a schematic diagram of an example computing system <NUM>. The system <NUM> can be used for the operations described in association with the implementations described herein. For example, the system <NUM> may be included in any or all of the server components discussed herein (e.g., the server device <NUM> of <FIG>). The system <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a storage device <NUM>, and an input/output device <NUM>. Each of the components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are interconnected using a system bus <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system <NUM>. In one implementation, the processor <NUM> is a single-threaded processor. In another implementation, the processor <NUM> is a multi-threaded processor. The processor <NUM> is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory <NUM> or on the storage device <NUM> to display graphical information for a user interface on the input/output device <NUM>.

In another implementation, the input/output device <NUM> includes a display unit for displaying graphical user interfaces that enable a user to access data related to an item that is collected, stored and queried as described with reference to <FIG>.

The features described can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The apparatus can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the described implementations by operating on input data and generating output. The described features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result.

In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claim 1:
An injection device (<NUM>) comprising: a medicament reservoir (<NUM>); a stopper (<NUM>, 200a, 200b, 200c) comprising (i) a rigid core (<NUM>) made of at least one of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) or a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP), (ii) a set of elastomeric rings (126a, 126b) that provide firm mounting of the rigid core (<NUM>) within the medicament reservoir (<NUM>), and (iii) an ultrasound probe (<NUM>) disposed in a housing (<NUM>), the ultrasound probe (<NUM>) configured to transmit an emitted ultrasound signal through the rigid core (<NUM>) along a longitudinal direction (<NUM>) of the rigid core (<NUM>) into the medicament reservoir (<NUM>) and to receive an ultrasound signal generated by reflections of the emitted ultrasound signal, the reflections comprising at least a reflection from a distal end of the medicament reservoir (<NUM>); a control component (124a) configured to be electronically coupled with the ultrasound probe (<NUM>) and to process the ultrasound signal to generate injection device data; and an antenna (124c) configured to be electronically coupled with the control component (124a) and to transmit the injection device data to an external computing device (<NUM>).