VOLUMETRIC FLUIDICS PUMP

• US 20090035164A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Medical Optics Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Edwards, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 8,162,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/477.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00736 Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments A61F9/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/72 Cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/82 Membrane pumps, e.g. bulbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/12 with interchangeable cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0201 Cassettes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0208 before use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0212 after use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/022 Volume; Flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0258 by means of electric pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1253 by using two or more rollers as squeezing elements, the rollers moving on an arc of a circle during squeezing
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1269 the rotary axes of the rollers lying in a plane perpendicular to the rotary axis of the driving motor
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1276 Means for pushing the rollers against the tubular flexible member

Abstract

A pump for moving a fluid through a fluidics system includes a surface and channel disposed along at least a portion of the surface. The pump also includes a driving mechanism having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of haptics operably coupled to the shaft. A closed portion is formed in the channel as the channel is compressed between the surface and at least one of the haptics, the closed portion having a thickness between the surface the haptic. The pump additionally has a circular path and a shaft path. The haptics are completely disposed inside the circular path and traversing the circular path during operation of the driving mechanism. The shaft path is traversed by shaft during operation of the driving mechanism, such at least one of the haptics is always in contact with the channel. The surface has a radius of curvature in the vicinity of the closed potion that is greater than the sum of a radius of the circular path and the thickness of the closed portion.

Claims

1. A pump, comprising:

a surface;

a driving mechanism comprising a rotatable shaft and a plurality of haptics operably coupled to the shaft;

a channel disposed along the surface, the channel configured to have a closed portion when compressed between the surface and one of the haptics, the closed portion having a thickness defined by a distance between the surface and the haptic that closes the channel;

a circular path traversed by the haptics during operation of the pump, the haptics being completely disposed inside the circular path; and

a shaft path traversed by the shaft during operation of the pump;

the surface having a radius of curvature in the vicinity of the channel that is greater than the sum of a radius of the circular path and the thickness of the closed portion.

2. The pump of claim 1, wherein the motion of the haptics during operation of the pump is a combination of the circular path and the shaft path.

3. The pump of claim 1, wherein the channel is continually closed between the surface and at least one of the haptics when the shaft moves along the shaft path.

4. The pump of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptics comprises two haptics, three haptics, or four haptics.

5. The pump of claim 1, wherein the shaft path is at least one of a linear path and an arcuate path.

6. The pump of claim 1, wherein a line along the shaft path and intersecting the surface is substantially perpendicular to the surface.

7. The pump of claim 1, wherein a line along the shaft path intersects the surface, the line being within about ±

20 degree of a normal of the surface.

8. The pump of claim 1, further comprising a biasing mechanism configured to bias at least one of the haptics against the channel.

9. The pump of claim 8, wherein the biasing mechanism comprises at least one of a spring and a cam.

10. The pump of claim 1, further comprising a second closed portion compressed between the surface and a second haptic from the plurality of the haptics.

11. The pump of claim 10, wherein the channel comprises a closed fluid volume disposed between the closed portions.

12. The pump of claim 1, wherein the surface is planar in the vicinity of the channel.

13. The pump of claim 1, wherein the rotatable shaft is a rotor of a motor.

14. The pump of claim 13, wherein the motor is an electric motor.

15. A pump, comprising:

a surface;

a driver comprising a shaft, the shaft configured to move relative to the surface along a path during operation of the pump; and

two or more haptics operably coupled to the shaft;

wherein the channel is continually closed between the surface and at least one of the haptics when the shaft moves along the path.

16. The pump of claim 15, wherein the path is at least one of a linear path and an arcuate path.

17. The pump of claim 15, wherein a line along the shaft path and intersecting the surface is substantially perpendicular to the surface.

18. The pump of claim 15, wherein the haptic move along a circular path, the closed portion has a thickness between the surface and the at least one haptic, and the surface has a radius of curvature in the vicinity of the channel that is greater than the sum of a radius of the circular path and the thickness of the closed portion.

19. A method of pumping a fluid, comprising:

providing a surface, a shaft, and a plurality of haptics operably coupled to the shaft;

disposing a channel between the surface and the haptics;

moving the haptics along a circular path about the shaft;

moving the shaft relative to the surface;

while moving the haptics and the shaft, traversing at least one of the haptics along the surface so that the at least one haptic maintains the channel in a closed condition.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, traversing a first haptic of the plurality and a second haptic of the plurality along the surface so as to produce a closed fluid volume within the channel, the closed fluid volume being disposed between the first haptic and the second haptic.