Peristaltic Pump Conveying Screw Tube Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing peristaltic pumps lack improved properties for efficient and accurate transport of medical fluids, particularly in micro-fluidics, where gentle handling and precise dosing are critical, and often suffer from misalignment issues during tube exchange.

Innovation Solution

A peristaltic pump design featuring a conveying screw with a screw thread that rotates around a rotation axis, driven by an engine via gear wheels, and a squeeze element system with a circulation mechanism to ensure constant speed and accurate dosing, while allowing for easy tube alignment and exchange.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a conventional peristaltic pump design is used, then the pump can transport medical fluids, but it suffers from misalignment issues during tube exchange and lacks precision in dosing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedosing accuracyVSAvoidtube alignment difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The tube features self-aligning structures including alignment ribs that guide the tube into the correct position during installation, and the pump head automatically positions the tube without requiring manual alignment adjustments, enabling the system to self-correct alignment issues

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs visual indicators such as colored alignment marks or transparent sections on the tube and corresponding markers on the pump housing to guide proper tube installation and alignment, making the alignment process intuitive and error-free

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

2Productivity

If the pump operates at high speed, then productivity increases, but the treatment of the material becomes rough and dosing accuracy decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepumping speedVSAvoidmaterial handling gentleness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pump employs dynamically adjustable parameters including variable speed control that allows the pumping speed to be optimized based on the specific application requirements, and the peristaltic mechanism naturally provides pulsation-free flow through its inherent design that maintains gentle material handling across different operating speeds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes parameter optimization by carefully selecting the pitch and diameter of the conveying screw, as well as the compression force applied by the roller, to achieve the optimal balance between pumping speed and material handling gentleness for each specific application

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If the tube is configured with curved sections to improve flexibility, then the pump can adapt to different positions, but tube alignment during exchange becomes difficult and misalignment risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposition adaptabilityVSAvoidtube alignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The tube is designed as a modular system with distinct functional sections: a straight alignment section with rigid characteristics for precise positioning during installation, and a flexible section with controlled curvature for adaptability, allowing each section to perform its specific function optimally

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The tube features asymmetric design elements including one-sided alignment ribs or asymmetric curvature patterns that provide natural alignment guidance in the critical installation zone while maintaining flexibility in other sections, creating a directional alignment mechanism that prevents misalignment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

4Adaptability or versatility

If variable speed pumping is used to increase flexibility, then the pump can adapt to different flow requirements, but dosing accuracy and reproducibility decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed variabilityVSAvoiddosing reproducibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The pump incorporates feedback mechanisms including flow sensors or position sensors that monitor the actual pumping performance and provide real-time information to the control system, enabling automatic compensation for speed variations to maintain consistent dosing accuracy across different operating conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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 achieves gentle and precise transport of medical fluids, ensuring high reproducibility and safety by maintaining constant pumping speed and preventing misalignment, thus enhancing dose accuracy and safety.

Implementation Method 1

The conveying screw is configured to cause a transport of the material by effecting a squeezing of the tube along the transport direction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPeristalsis: Peristalsis

Implementation Method 2

the conveying screw effects a squeezing of the tube along the transport direction when it is rotated around a rotation axis

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectArchimedes screw: Archimedes Screw

Data Source

PatentUS10309387B2Peristaltic pump

Publication Date: 2019.06.04 SANOFI AVENTIS DEUT GMBH

AI summary

A peristaltic pump comprises a tube to transport a material in a transport direction and a conveying screw, which is configured to cause a transport of the material by causing a successive squeezing of the tube along the transport direction.