Expandable Blood Pump Housing for Higher Flow With Tight Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood pumps are inefficient in terms of pumping capacity with the same motor power, limiting their effectiveness in delivering blood to difficult-to-access locations within the body.
Innovation Solution
A blood pump design featuring an axially extending drive shaft with a pumping element and a housing that expands automatically, incorporating an inlet area, a liquid-tight area, and an outlet area with openings, allowing the pumping element to protrude into the outlet area, and utilizing a grid structure with shape-memory materials and elastic coverings to enhance flow efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pumping element is completely enclosed within the housing in a liquid-tight manner, then sealing efficiency is improved, but pumping capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into three functional zones with different sealing characteristics: the inlet area is open to allow fluid entry, the liquid-tight area provides complete sealing around the pumping element, and the outlet area is partially open to enhance discharge. This local differentiation of sealing quality allows the pump to achieve both high sealing efficiency where needed and high pumping capacity where fluid movement is prioritized.
2Reliability
If the housing is designed with complete liquid-tight enclosure, then fluid leakage is prevented, but flow efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into distinct functional areas: an inlet area with openings for fluid entry, a liquid-tight area that completely encloses the pumping element to prevent leakage, and an outlet area with openings to enhance discharge efficiency. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its specific function without compromising the others.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the housing have different sealing properties tailored to their specific functions. The liquid-tight area provides complete sealing where fluid containment is critical, while the inlet and outlet areas provide controlled openness to maximize flow efficiency. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between leakage prevention and flow efficiency.
3Reliability
If the pumping element is fully enclosed, then containment is improved, but pumping performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The housing provides localized containment in the liquid-tight area where the pumping element is completely enclosed to ensure reliable operation and prevent fluid leakage. Simultaneously, the inlet and outlet areas maintain controlled openness to optimize fluid entry and discharge, thereby maximizing overall pumping performance while maintaining necessary containment.
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 significantly increases pumping capacity by up to 50% with the same motor power, minimizing blood damage and improving delivery performance through optimized flow conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The housing (5) includes a grid (19), particularly in the outlet area (24). The grid (19) may be made of a shape-memory material or a suitable shape-memory alloy, ensuring reliable expandability and compressibility.
Implementation Method 2
The foldable housing may have an elastic covering. The housing (5) typically features an elastic covering (21).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
The application relates to a pump, in particular a blood pump. The pump comprises an axially extending drive shaft (3), a pumping element (6) connected to the drive shaft (3) at its distal end, and a housing (5) surrounding the pumping element (6). The pumping element (6) and the housing (5) are designed to expand automatically after compression. The housing (5) also has an inlet area (22) with at least one inlet opening (23), a fluid-tight area (20) surrounding a portion of the pumping element (5), and an outlet area (24) with at least one opening (23) for the discharge of a pumping medium. The pumping element (6) is arranged to project into the outlet area (24).