Gas/fluid detector for contained fluid systems

The present invention provides an improved gas/fluid detector for use in contained fluid systems, and is particularly apt for medical applications wherein fluids are transfused to a patient. The invention includes directing energy pulses into a fluid containment region of interest, detecting energy at the region of interest during each of a plurality of intervals associated with the energy pulse, generating a multi-component detection output utilizing the detected energy for each of the time intervals and separately employing each of the components of the multi-component detection output to determine whether a predetermined condition exists within the contained region of interest. Such predetermined condition may be one of the absence/presence of fluid/gas. Preferably, a multi-component detection signature is provided in the form of a digital serial output and compared with a reference signature that is provided in a corresponding digital serial output. The reference signature reflects the detection signature that should be generated for the predetermined condition of interest. The invention allows for the utilization of a single acoustic or ultrasonic transducer for pulse transmission and energy detection in a pulse/ echo implementation, thereby facilitating a single-sided mount arrangement with disposable fluid-containing structures commonly employed in medical applications.