Peristaltic Pump Deformable Bearing Surface Tubing Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Peristaltic pumps face inefficiencies due to variations in deformable tubing properties, such as thickness and material changes over time, leading to sealing issues and increased operational torque, and require easy and automatic adjustment to accommodate different tubing types, especially in medical applications where hygiene and cost-effectiveness are critical.
Innovation Solution
A peristaltic pump design featuring a movable bearing surface with an intermediate deformable portion and rigid side arms that can adjust its radius automatically to accommodate tubing of varying thickness, ensuring consistent sealing without manual adjustment, and allowing for easy replacement and reuse of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the pump uses a fixed bearing surface, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to tubing variations causing sealing issues
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing surface is made movable relative to the rollers, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position to accommodate variations in tubing thickness. The bearing surface can shift radially to maintain optimal sealing contact with the tubing outer surface despite manufacturing tolerances and wear, transforming a static structure into an adaptive one.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump structure is divided into independent components: the bearing surface is separated from the frame and rollers, allowing it to move independently. This segmentation enables the bearing surface to adapt to tubing variations without requiring the entire pump structure to be complex or adjustable.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment is required for tubing changes, then adaptability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing surface automatically adjusts its position relative to the rollers based on the tubing thickness it encounters. The system performs the adaptation function itself through mechanical interaction with the tubing, eliminating the need for user intervention or manual adjustment when changing tubing types.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing surface position is allowed to vary as a parameter in response to tubing variations. Instead of requiring manual parameter adjustment, the system permits the bearing surface to change its radial position automatically, adapting to different tubing thicknesses and material properties.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the pump body tubing is completely replaced for each application, then hygiene is improved, but loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design enables the tubing to be the disposable component while the pump body is reused. The bearing surface and frame are constructed to withstand multiple tubing changes, allowing only the consumable tubing to be discarded after each application, thereby reducing waste of expensive pump components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to discard only the tubing after each use while recovering and reusing the pump body, bearing surface, and frame. This selective discarding approach maintains hygiene by replacing the component that contacts the fluid while preserving valuable pump components for multiple applications.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the bearing surface is made movable to adapt to tubing, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Only the bearing surface is made movable, while the frame and rollers remain fixed. This localized mobility provides the necessary adaptability without requiring the entire pump mechanism to be complex or adjustable, maintaining simplicity in the majority of the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing surface acts as an intermediary element between the fixed frame/rollers and the variable tubing. It absorbs the complexity of adaptation by itself, allowing the main pump structure to remain simple while still achieving automatic adjustment to tubing variations.
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 pump automatically adapts to tubing variations, ensuring reliable sealing and efficient operation across different tubing types, reducing waste and operational costs by allowing reuse of motor and frame components, and simplifying the replacement process.
Implementation Method 1
the bearing surface comprises an intermediate deformable portion with an intermediate inner surface having the shape of a cylinder
Implementation Method 2
The rollers are in contact with a deformable tubing that they compress until it is sealed. The angular displacement of the point of sealing causes, behind the compressed zone, a vacuum in the tubing that immediately fills with fluid.
Data Source
AI summary
A peristaltic pump includes a removable carrier against which a flexible tube is pressed by rollers. The carrier includes an intermediate deformable section having an internal cylindrical surface whose axis coincides with the main axis of rotation of the rollers and lateral rigid arms arranged on both sides of the intermediate section. The free ends of the lateral arms include guides. The pump case is provided with paths on which the guides are slidable. The path directions are predefined in order to constrain the displacement of the free ends of the lateral arms and to deform the intermediate section in such a way that the radius of the internal face is modified keeping the axis thereof coinciding with the main axis, thereby making it possible to use a tube having variable characteristics.