Peristaltic Pump Rotor with Optical Encoder for Dead Zone Compensation

The patent introduces an optical encoder wheel with equispaced sectors as an intermediary device between the motor driver and the position detection system. This encoder wheel mechanically couples to the rotor shaft and provides direct optical measurement of angular position, serving as a mediator that translates mechanical rotation into precise positional information without relying on electronic driver signals.

The patent replaces the electronic driver-based position determination system with a mechanical-optical measurement system. Instead of using electronic signals from the motor driver to infer rotor position, the system uses a mechanically coupled encoder wheel with optical sensors to directly measure the angular position, substituting electronic inference with mechanical-optical measurement.

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the optical encoder continuously monitors the rotor's angular position and provides this information to a control system. The control system uses this feedback to calculate and compensate for the dead zone volume by adjusting the pump operation parameters, creating a closed-loop system that maintains precision without requiring complex mechanical modifications.

The patent compensates for the dead zone by dynamically changing operational parameters of the pump based on the measured rotor position. The control system adjusts flow rate, timing, or pressure parameters to account for the dead zone volume, transforming a fixed mechanical limitation into a variable that can be corrected through parameter optimization.