Magnetically Balanced Peristaltic Pump for Jamming Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing peristaltic pumps face issues with jamming due to poor alignment or out-of-tolerance tubes, leading to wasted energy and limited volume per rotation, as well as inefficiencies in energy consumption and mechanical wear.
Innovation Solution
A magnetically balanced finger-type peristaltic pump design featuring tailored cams with crescent forms and balancing magnets that minimize pressing forces between the cam and fingers, allowing for reduced friction and energy consumption, and ensuring complete tube shutoff with minimal mechanical stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanically compensated cam with compliant spring is used, then jamming due to poor alignment or out-of-tolerance tubes is eliminated, but energy consumption increases due to wasted energy in the spring mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the compliant spring mechanism from the system entirely. Instead of using a spring to compensate for alignment issues, the invention uses a magnetically balanced finger design where magnetic forces directly compensate for variations in tube dimensions and alignment, eliminating the need for mechanical spring compensation and its associated energy waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical spring-based compensation system with a magnetic field-based compensation system. Magnets are positioned to create magnetic forces that automatically adjust to compensate for tube tolerance variations and alignment issues, substituting the mechanical spring system and eliminating its energy waste.
2Device complexity
If an eccentric circle cam design is used, then the structure is simple, but the volume pumped per camshaft revolution is limited due to sinusoidal finger trajectory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the cam design by adding localized magnetic compensation elements (magnets) at specific positions on the camshaft or fingers. This allows the cam to maintain its overall simple eccentric circle structure while incorporating local magnetic fields that enable non-sinusoidal finger trajectories, thereby increasing volume per rotation without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite system combining mechanical cam components with magnetic elements. The camshaft and fingers are equipped with magnets or magnetic materials that interact to produce the desired magnetic balancing forces, creating a hybrid mechanical-magnetic system that achieves both structural simplicity and enhanced pumping volume.
3Strength
If pressing forces between fingers and tube are reduced, then mechanical wear and tube degradation are minimized, but the pumping action may become insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces magnetic fields as an intermediary force between the camshaft and the tube. The magnetic forces act as a mediator that provides the necessary pressing action on the tube while being adjustable and controllable, allowing optimization of the balance between sufficient pumping action and minimal mechanical wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of force application from purely mechanical contact forces to magnetic forces. By adjusting magnetic field strength and distribution, the system can optimize the pressing forces on the tube to achieve sufficient pumping action while minimizing mechanical wear and tube degradation.
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 solution reduces energy consumption, mechanical wear, and tube degradation, while enabling increased volume per rotation and improved accuracy, allowing for extended battery life and reduced sensitivity to contamination and tube tolerances.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of balancing magnets providing balancing forces upon said moving fingers, said balancing forces at each point along the path of motion of the moving member being of approximately equal magnitude to that of said obstructive forces at the point
Data Source
AI summary
A peristaltic pump includes a plurality of effecters, actuated in a periodic manner upon by obstructive forces of a flexible infusion tube so as flow of infusion fluid is provided along said infusion tube, the magnitude of the obstructive forces being dependent upon the displacement of said moving effecters; and a plurality of balancing magnets providing balancing forces upon one or all the moving effecters, the balancing forces at each point along the path of motion of the moving effecters being of approximately equal magnitude to that of the obstructive forces at the point; such that the parasitic output due to work performed against the obstructive forces is approximately zero and yield is maximized.