PERISTALTIC PUMP

• US 20140086771A1
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capmatic Limited
• Original Assignee: Capmatic Limited
• Inventors: BASSANI, Loris
• Granted Patent: US 9,810,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/474
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/12 having peristaltic action
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1261 the rollers being placed at the outside of the tubular flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1284 Means for pushing the backing-plate against the tubular flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1292 Pumps specially adapted for several tubular flexible members

Abstract

The invention provides a peristaltic pump. The pump has a cavity for receiving a rotor and a flexible conduit, the rotor engaging the flexible conduit to displace fluid therein. A conduit retainer mechanism is provided for engaging the flexible conduit to assist with retention of the conduit in the cavity against displacement resulting from engagement between the conduit and the rotor. The conduit retainer mechanism including first and second jaws opposite to one another, defining between them a passageway for receiving the conduit, wherein one of the first and second jaws are spring biased to resiliently engage the conduit.

Claims

1. A peristaltic pump, comprising:

a. a cavity receiving a rotor and a flexible conduit, the rotor engaging the flexible conduit to displace fluid therein;

b. a conduit retainer mechanism for engaging the flexible conduit to assist with retention of the conduit in the cavity against displacement resulting from engagement between the conduit and the rotor, the conduit retainer mechanism including;

c. first and second jaws opposite to one another, defining between them a passageway for receiving the conduit;

d. one of the first and second jaws being spring biased to resiliently engage the conduit.

2. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 1, wherein the rotor has a side-wall with a plurality of lobes for engaging the flexible conduit and wherein the pump has a pump body defining the cavity, the pump body including two mating components separable from one another to open the cavity and expose the side wall of the rotor, allowing placement of the flexible conduit on the side wall of the rotor.

3. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 2, wherein the first jaw is mounted on a first of the mating components and the second jaw is mounted to a second of the two mating components.

4. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 3, wherein the first and the second jaws are spring biased toward each other.

5. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 1, wherein the first jaw is movable against a resiliency of a spring with relation to the pump body.

6. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 1, wherein the second jaw is movable against a resiliency of a spring with relation to the pump body.

7. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 2, wherein the first and the second jaws have a pair of opposite mating faces for engaging the flexible conduit therebetween from opposite sides.

8. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 7, wearing each face has first and second edges in a spaced apart relationship, the face engaging the flexible tube over the extent of the face defined between the first and the second edges.

9. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 8, wherein at least one of the faces has a groove for receiving the flexible conduit.

10. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 9, wherein the groove extends from the first edge to the second edge.

11. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 7, wherein the mating faces are configured such that an imaginary straight line taken through a section of the flexible conduit engaged between the mating faces does not intersect a periphery of the rotor.

12. A peristaltic pump, comprising:

a. a pump body defining a cavity receiving a rotor and a flexible conduit, the rotor engaging the flexible conduit to displace fluid therein;

b. the pump body including a pump body base and a pump body cover, the pump body cover being separable from the pump body base to open the cavity and expose a side wall of the rotor, allowing placement of the flexible conduit on the side wall of the rotor;

c. a lifting handle on the cover configured to be gripped with one hand for lifting the cover from the pump body base.

13. A peristaltic pump as defined claim 12, including a locking mechanism for retaining the cover to the pump body base.

14. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 13, wherein the locking mechanism includes a pair of interlocking components mounted to the cover and to the pump body base, respectively.

15. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 14, wherein the locking mechanism is releasable by a single hand operation.

16. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 15, wherein the locking mechanism includes a first interlocking component mounted to the cover and a second interlocking component mounted to the pump body base.

17. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 16, wherein the first interlocking component includes a locking pin.

18. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 17, wherein the second interlocking component includes a quick-release receiver for releasably receiving the locking pin.

19. A peristaltic pump as defined in claim 18, wherein the quick release receiver is manually depressible in the pump body base to release the locking pin.

20. A pumping apparatus for simultaneously delivering measured amounts of different liquids to a plurality of container filling machines, the pumping apparatus including:

a. a plurality of peristaltic pumps, each pump capable to deliver measured amounts of liquid to a respective container filling machine;

b. an instrument for measuring an amount of liquid delivered from two or more pumps from the plurality of pumps;

c. a pump control for performing calibration of the two or more pumps from the plurality of pumps, the pump control being configured for;

i. issuing a control signal to a pump selected among the plurality of pumps to deliver an amount of liquid to the instrument;

ii. receiving from the instrument data indicative of the actual quantity of liquid delivered;

iii. processing the data to determine if an error in the amount of liquid delivered exists and generating a corrected control signal for operating the pump such as to reduce a magnitude of the error.

21. A pumping assembly as defined in claim 20, wherein the instrument is a weighing scale and outputs data to the pump control indicative of a weight of the amount of liquid delivered.

22. A pumping assembly as defined in claim 21, wherein the pump control includes an input for receiving data indicative of a density of the liquid delivered.

23. A pumping assembly as defined in claim 21, wherein the pump control includes a valve, the valve being responsive to a control signal from the pump control for establishing a fluid path between an output of the pump selected among the plurality of pumps and the weighing scale.

24. A pumping assembly as defined in claim 23, wherein the pumping assembly includes a plurality of valves, each valve being associated with a respective pump of the plurality of pumps.

25. A pumping assembly as defined in claim 23, wherein the plurality of pumps, the valve and the instrument are mounted in a common housing.

27. A pumping station as defined in claim 25, wherein the pump control is configured for generating a third control signal for directing the empty container feed station to resume feeding empty containers when the procedure for comparing an actual amount of liquid delivered by the peristaltic pump to a pre-set amount is completed.

26. A pumping station for use in a container filling machine including an empty container filling station, the pumping station including:

a. a peristaltic pump for pumping measured amounts of liquid and dispensing the measured amounts of liquid in empty containers fed by the container filing station;

b. a pump control for performing a procedure for comparing an actual amount of liquid delivered by the peristaltic pump to a pre-set amount, the pump control being configured for;

c. generating a first control signal to the empty container filling station to direct the empty container filling station to stop feeding empty containers;

d. generating a second control signal for causing the pump to discharge an amount of liquid to an instrument for measuring a quantity of liquid discharged.

28. A pumping station as defined in claim 26, wherein the first control signal causes the empty container filling station to create a container-less interval in a stream of empty containers in which measured amounts of liquids are to be dispensed at a dispensing station, the pump discharging the amount of liquid to the instrument when the container-less interval reaches the dispensing station.

29. A pumping station as defined in claim 26, wherein the instrument is a weighing scale.

30. A pumping station as defined in claim 29, wherein the weighing scale generates data indicative of a weight of the amount of liquid discharged and communicates the data to the pump control.

31. A pumping station as defined in claim 30, wherein the pump control compares the data indicative of a weight of the amount of liquid actually discharged to a preset amount.

32. A pumping station as defined in claim 31, wherein the pump control adjusts the amount of liquid discharged by the pump to diminish a difference between the present amount and the weight of the amount of liquid actually discharged.