According to GlobalData’s company profile on Investor, distributed control systems was a key innovation area identified from patents. Investor's grant share as of June 2023 was 1%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Mobile negative pressure wound therapy (npwt) device with control circuitry

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office(USPTO). Credit: Investor AB

A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230201442A1) describes a mobile negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) device. The device includes an inlet connected to a wound site, a canister for collecting liquid from the wound site, a pump for creating negative pressure in the canister, a pressure sensor to monitor the pressure in the canister, and control circuitry to manage the device's operation.

The control circuitry is designed to receive a start-up request and initiate a start-up test sequence. If the pressure sensor indicates a pressure less negative than a predefined threshold, the pump operates for a specific time period, and a second signal is acquired from the pressure sensor. The start-up test sequence continues unless the device fails to meet predefined criteria. If the pressure sensor indicates a pressure more negative than the threshold, the start-up test sequence proceeds without pump operation, and the device transitions to therapy mode unless it fails the test.

In addition, the control unit evaluates signals from the pressure sensor after the device transitions to therapy mode. If the signals constantly indicate the minimum or maximum value, alternate between the minimum and maximum values, or indicate a constant or increasing pressure while the pump is operating, the control unit determines that the pressure sensor is non-functional.

The NPWT device also includes a battery and a speaker. The control circuitry controls the speaker to emit a sound and measures the drop in battery voltage during speaker operation. If the drop in voltage is below a predetermined value, the device fulfills a criterion in the predefined criteria.

The patent also describes a method for testing the mobile NPWT device, which includes initiating a start-up test sequence, acquiring signals from the pressure sensor, and evaluating the acquired signals. The method determines whether the device passes the start-up test based on the acquired signals and predefined criteria. It also includes steps for evaluating the second signal acquired from the pressure sensor and determining if the pressure sensor is non-functional.

Furthermore, the patent includes a computer program that enables the control unit of the NPWT device to carry out the steps of the testing method when the program is run on the control unit.

Lastly, the patent describes a negative pressure wound therapy system that includes the NPWT device, a chamber for establishing negative pressure at the wound site, and tubing connecting the chamber and the device. The chamber has an inlet connected to the ambient through a filter to allow continuous air leakage into the chamber.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.