Magnetically Supported Blood Pump Rotor for Compact Axial Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blood pumps with magnetically supported rotors face challenges in miniaturization due to the complexity of their magnetic bearing structures, which hinders their ability to maintain performance, controllability, safety, and hemocompatibility.
Innovation Solution
A pump design featuring a magnetically supported rotor with a disc-like impeller and a control coil system that uses a combination of magnetic bearings and a control unit to maintain the rotor's position, allowing for efficient fluid flow while minimizing size and maintaining performance, controllability, and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If magnetic bearing structures are used to support the rotor, then the rotor can be positioned accurately and the pump can maintain performance and controllability, but the device complexity increases and miniaturization is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the magnetic bearing function with the pump chamber wall by integrating magnets directly into the wall structure. This merging eliminates separate bearing components, reduces overall device complexity, and enables miniaturization while maintaining reliable rotor positioning and pump performance through the integrated magnetic field support system.
2Volume of moving object
If the pump size is reduced for miniaturization, then the device becomes more compact and implantable, but the magnetic bearing structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the magnetic bearing functionality within the pump chamber wall structure itself, with magnets embedded directly into the wall. This nesting approach allows the magnetic support system to be contained within the compact pump volume, enabling miniaturization without proportionally increasing complexity, as the bearing function is integrated rather than added as a separate subsystem.
3Reliability
If a control coil system is added to maintain rotor position, then controllability and safety are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control coil system is designed to serve multiple functions: maintaining rotor position, preventing thrombosis through controlled fluid flow, and enabling safety monitoring. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate control mechanisms, thereby improving controllability and safety while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enables further miniaturization of blood pumps while maintaining essential functional properties, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of thrombosis through controlled fluid flow and magnetic bearing configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a control coil (6), in particular a winding arranged at the wall around the pump chamber, is provided, which is configured to generate a magnetic field by means of a control current, which magnetic field is configured to exert a controllable axial force at the rotor
Implementation Method 2
the motor stator comprises at least one motor coil, which is configured to provide a motor magnetic field, which is configured to interact with a magnetic field of a motor magnet arranged at the impeller in order to rotationally drive the impeller
Implementation Method 3
Blood pumps with a magnetically mounted rotor, in brief magnetically mounted blood pumps
Data Source
AI summary
A pump, such as a blood pump, includes a pump chamber with a wall and a fluid connection between an inlet and an outlet, along with an impeller, a motor stator, and a control coil arranged on the pump chamber for exerting, together with first rotor magnets, a controllable axial force on the rotor. A control unit provides a control current for the control coil, in order to hold the rotor in a position which is spaced apart axially from the wall of the pump chamber. A first chamber magnet is arranged close to the winding of the control coil and opposite the first rotor magnet, in order to provide, together with the first rotor magnet, a force between the first rotor magnet and the first chamber magnet, and in order to orient the rotor relative to the wall of the pump chamber.