Peristaltic Pump Rotor Translation for Tube Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Peristaltic pumps used in patient temperature control systems face a trade-off between ease of loading and high performance, where easier loading results in lower performance and more complex loading is required for higher performance, especially with thick and inflexible IV tubes.
Innovation Solution
A peristaltic pump design featuring an arcuate raceway with a concave inner surface extending through at least 180 degrees, allowing for a rotor to be both rotatable and translationally movable between pump and tube load positions, with a motor and positioning mechanism to prevent stopping at critical angular positions, facilitating easier tube loading while maintaining high performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the raceway is made movable away from the rollers to facilitate easy tube loading, then the ease of operation is improved, but the pumping pressure and fluid flow performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor is made translationally movable relative to the raceway between a pump position and a tube load position. During tube loading, the rotor moves to the tube load position where it is spaced from the raceway midpoint, allowing easy insertion. During pumping, the rotor moves to the pump position where it is closer to the midpoint, ensuring proper compression and high performance. This dynamic repositioning resolves the contradiction between ease of loading and pumping performance.
2Power
If the raceway arc is extended beyond 180 degrees to improve pumping performance, then the power and fluid flow are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is divided into two functional states: tube loading mode and pumping mode. The arcuate raceway with more than 180 degrees is optimized for pumping performance, while the translational movement capability separates the loading function from the pumping function. This segmentation allows the raceway to maintain its complex geometry for high performance without making the entire system permanently complex, as the complexity is only active during pumping operation.
3Power
If the rotor is positioned closer to the raceway midpoint for high performance pumping, then the pumping pressure is improved, but the tube loading becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor's translational movement capability allows it to dynamically adjust its position relative to the raceway. During tube loading, the rotor moves to the tube load position where it is spaced farther from the midpoint, creating space for easy tube insertion. During pumping, the rotor moves to the pump position where it is closer to the midpoint, ensuring optimal compression and pumping pressure. This dynamic positioning resolves the spatial conflict between loading ease and pumping performance.
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 enables easier tube loading while maintaining high pumping pressure and fluid flow, reducing internal leakage and pulsatility, and preventing kinking or excessive wear of the tubing.
Implementation Method 1
a peristaltic pump acting on IV tubing in the fluid circuit path
Data Source
AI summary
A peristaltic pump has an arcuate raceway with a partially concave inner surface extending through an arc of at least one hundred eighty degrees (180°). The arc defines a midpoint, and a rotor faces the inner surface of the raceway and is both rotatable relative to the raceway and translationally movable relative to the raceway between a pump position, wherein the rotor is spaced from the midpoint a first distance, and a tube load position, wherein the rotor is spaced from the midpoint a second distance greater than the first distance. A motor is coupled to the rotor to rotate the rotor plural are rollers arranged on the rotor to contact tubing disposed between the rotor and the raceway when the rotor is in the pump position. The motor is prevented from stopping at a predetermined angular position to facilitate loading and unloading tubing.