Variable-Diameter Fluid Pump Rotor for Minimally Invasive Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid pumps with expandable rotors require complex mechanisms for expansion and compression, often using pivot mechanisms or fluid counterpressure, which can damage blood vessels and are not easily miniaturized for medical applications.
Innovation Solution
A rotor blade with differential material properties and configurations on its leading and trailing sides allows deformation under fluid counterpressure during operation, eliminating the need for external actuation elements and ensuring defined shape and reliability, enabling simple construction and biocompatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex pivot mechanisms or fluid counterpressure are used for rotor expansion, then the rotor can be expanded for operation, but the device complexity increases and reliability decreases due to potential vessel damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex pivot mechanisms and external actuation elements from the system. The rotor blades are directly integrated into the rotor hub without separate articulation mechanisms, eliminating the need for external expansion actuators and reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable operation through fluid counterpressure alone
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor blades are merged with the rotor hub as a single integrated structure rather than separate articulated components. This integration eliminates the need for separate pivot mechanisms and reduces the number of moving parts, thereby reducing device complexity and improving reliability
2Ease of operation
If the rotor is expanded for operation, then pumping power is improved, but the pump cannot be minimally invasive for insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor is designed with dynamic expandability, transitioning from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state during operation. The rotor blades can deform and extend radially under fluid counterpressure, allowing the pump to adapt its size according to operational requirements while maintaining minimal invasiveness during insertion
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor diameter is changed as a variable parameter rather than a fixed dimension. The rotor can change its radial dimensions from a compressed configuration for insertion to an expanded configuration for operation, enabling both minimal invasiveness and adequate pumping power at different stages
3Strength
If rotor blades are made rigid for reliable operation, then structural strength is improved, but the rotor cannot be compressed for insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor blades are designed with dynamic deformability, allowing them to compress radially during insertion and then expand under fluid counterpressure during operation. The blades maintain sufficient structural strength through their design while accommodating dimensional changes, enabling both compression for insertion and expansion for reliable operation
4Ease of operation
If external actuation elements are used for rotor expansion, then expansion control is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor system is designed to be self-actuating through fluid counterpressure generated during normal pump operation. The fluid pressure automatically expands the rotor blades without requiring external actuation elements, simplifying construction and manufacturing while maintaining ease of operation through automatic expansion control
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 provides a simple, reliable, and biocompatible pump rotor that can be compressed for minimally invasive insertion and expanded for operation, minimizing vessel damage and facilitating easy removal, while optimizing fluid conveyance.
Implementation Method 1
The rotor blade is transferable from the first state into the second state by the fluid counterpressure which occurs during rotation of the rotor during the pump operation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a fluid pump, in particular to a liquid pump having a rotor with at last one rotor blade for conveying the fluid, the rotor being variable with respect to its diameter between a first, compressed state and a second expanded state. In order to produce a simple compressibility and expandability of the rotor of the pump, it is provided according to the invention that at least one rotor blade is deformable between a first state which it assumes in the compressed state of the rotor and a second state which it assumes in the expanded state of the rotor by means of a fluid counterpressure during a rotation of the rotor during pump operation.