Fluid Pump Driving Circuit for Quiet MEMS Pump Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional motor-based fluid transportation devices are difficult to miniaturize and generate noise, making them unsuitable for portable medical devices like breast pumps, which require improved noise reduction and compatibility with MEMS pumps without modifying the existing driving control architecture.
Innovation Solution
A driving circuit for fluid pump modules that integrates input signals from conventional motors with MEMS pump control architectures using a filter, microprocessor, primary boost circuit, and pump driving circuits to provide compatible voltage and pulse-width modulation signals, allowing seamless replacement of conventional motors with MEMS pumps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional motor is used as the core component for driving the fluid transportation device, then sufficient fluid flow can be provided, but the device cannot be miniaturized and generates high noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional motor-driven mechanical system with a MEMS pump driven by piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric element converts electrical energy directly to mechanical motion at the micro-scale, eliminating the need for large motor components while maintaining fluid pumping capability. This substitution enables miniaturization of the fluid transportation device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters from conventional motor speeds and torques to piezoelectric actuation frequencies and voltages. The MEMS pump operates at higher frequencies with smaller displacement amplitudes, achieving sufficient fluid flow through rapid micro-motions rather than large-scale mechanical movement, thus enabling compact device design.
2Productivity
If a conventional motor is used as the core component for driving the fluid transportation device, then sufficient fluid flow can be provided, but severe noise is generated during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the motor-driven system with a piezoelectrically-driven MEMS pump. The piezoelectric actuation generates silent micro-motions that drive fluid flow without the mechanical noise inherent in motor operations, thereby eliminating the harmful noise while maintaining fluid transportation functionality.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the core component is replaced from a conventional motor to a MEMS pump, then noise is reduced and miniaturization is achieved, but compatibility with the original driving control architecture becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the MEMS pump and its driving circuit to be compatible with the existing control architecture of conventional motor-based devices. The control circuit can interpret standard control signals and adapt them to drive the piezoelectric MEMS pump, making the system multi-functional and compatible with both motor and MEMS pump configurations without requiring complete architectural redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control circuit that acts as a translator between the original control architecture and the MEMS pump. This intermediary component receives control signals designed for conventional motors and converts them into appropriate drive signals for the piezoelectric MEMS pump, enabling seamless integration and compatibility.
4Volume of moving object
If the fluid transportation device is miniaturized, then portability is improved, but heat dissipation and vibration suppression become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the motor system with a piezoelectric MEMS pump that generates minimal heat during operation. The piezoelectric effect is highly efficient with low energy loss as heat, and the small mass of the MEMS components results in negligible vibrational heating, effectively solving heat dissipation challenges in miniaturized devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The MEMS pump operates through rapid periodic actuation of the piezoelectric element, creating high-frequency micro-motions that pump fluid efficiently. This periodic action distributes energy input over time, preventing localized heat accumulation and reducing vibrational effects compared to continuous motor operation.
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
Enables the use of MEMS pumps in breast pumps, reducing noise, improving stability, and maintaining sufficient fluid flow, while allowing for easier integration and upgrading of fluid pump modules, resulting in a thinner, lighter, and more efficient device with enhanced heat dissipation and vibration suppression.
Implementation Method 1
the piezoelectric element is a driving element of the diaphragm
Data Source
AI summary
A driving circuit of fluid pump module includes a microprocessor, a primary boost circuit, and a pump driving circuit is provided. The microprocessor receives an output signal with a large-width variable rectangular waveform, a driving voltage, a first detection current-feedback signal, and a second detection current-feedback signal. The primary boost circuit converts an inputted driving voltage into a direct current with a certain high voltage. The pump driving circuit receives the certain high voltage and is connected with the microprocessor to receive the voltage control signal and the pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal. The secondary boost circuit receives the certain high voltage to boost the certain high voltage into a working voltage for the fluid pump. The operation driving circuit receives the working voltage and provides the pulse-width modulation signal for the fluid pump through the second detection current-feedback signal.