PERISTALTIC PUMP WITH STACKED COMPONENTS

• US 3,723,030 A
• Filed: 03/03/1971
• Issued: 03/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Labconco Corp.
• Original Assignee: Daniel Gelfand
• Inventors: Gelfand, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Croyle, Carlton R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gluck, Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US05/120,644
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 417/475,476,477,238
• US Class Current: 417/475
• 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 roller member and/or the arcuate support member for the tubes of a peristaltic pump are stacked to accommodate a number of tubes. The rotor is stacked from disks having rollers along one surface so that the disks may be assembled in back-to-back relationship to accommodate large-diameter flexible tubing or in a series relationship to accommodate tubing of smaller diameter. The support is similarly made up of flanged members which may be stacked back to back or in series (face-to-back).

Claims

1. In a peristaltic pump having a rotatable head adapted to peristaltically compress elastic tubing against a pressure member, the improvement wherein said head comprises a plurality of axially stacked substantially identical rotating segments, each comprising a substantially circular disk and an array of rollers angularly equispaced about said disk and rotatable about respective axes, parallel to the axis of rotation of said head, said rollers of each disk being located along one side thereof, and keying means for positioning said disks selectively with the roller arrays of adjoining disks in contact and in an axially aligned relationship to define relatively wide tube-receiving channels between the disk and with nonroller sides in contact with the roller arrays of adjoining disks defining relatively narrow tube-receiving channels.

2. The improvement defined in claim 1 wherein said pressure member comprises a stack of substantially identical pressure bars of crescent configuration, each having a recess adapted to accommodate a respective one of said disks and a ledge extending inwardly toward said rollers whereby the side along which the ledge lies constitutes its back and the other side of each crescent bar is its face, and means for positioning said pressure bars selectively in face-to-face relationship when said head is formed with said relatively wide tubes receiving channels and a face-to-back relation when said head is formed with said relatively narrow tube-receiving channels.

3. The improvement defined in claim 2 wherein said pressure bars are each formed with bores extending generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said head and at each end of the respective crescent, at least one bore of each of said pressure bars being aligned with bores of the other pressure bars, the last-mentioned means including a hinge pin extending through the aligned bores and permitting swinging movement of said bars about said hinge pin and an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said head.

4. The improvement defined in claim 3, further comprising at least one swivel clamp engageable with an end of one of said crescents remote from said pin.

5. The improvement defined in claim 3, further comprising a rod extending through the other bores of all of said pressure bars for joint swinging movement thereof, and clamp means engageable with at least one of said bars for retaining same in a predetermined position relative to said head.

6. The improvement defined in claim 3 wherein each of said disks is formed with a central noncircular opening, said pump further comprising a shaft of noncircular cross-section passing through said openings and constituting said keying means.

7. The improvement defined in claim 6 wherein said shaft and said openings are provided with complementary flats along chords over a segment and said rollers are arrayed mirror-symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to said disks through the center thereof and the respective chord of the opening perpendicular thereto and with respect to a further plane through said center perpendicular to the first-mentioned plane.

8. The improvement defined in claim 7, further comprising a flexible strip extending around the rollers of each of said disks and interposable between said rollers and a tube disposed between said rollers and the respective pressure bar, and means for anchoring said strip against rotation with said head.

9. The improvement defined in claim 8 wherein said strips are composed of nylon.

10. In a peristaltic pump having a rotatable head with an annular array of equispaced rollers and a pressure member for retaining a flexible tube between itself and said rollers and extending over an arc of said head, the improvement which comprises a flexible strip extending around said rollers over said arc and interposable between said rollers and said tube, and means for anchoring said strip against rotation, said head being formed with a plurality of axially spaced channels each provided with an array of said rollers, said pressure member bearing upon a respective tube received in each of said channels, said pump being provided with such anchored flexible strips between each array of rollers and a respective tube.

11. The improvement defined in claim 10 wherein said strips are composed of nylon.

12. The improvement definEd in claim 11 wherein said means for anchoring said strip comprises a body spaced from said head and a resilient plate having at least one finger deflectable upon insertion of said strip between said body and said finger and clamping said strip against said body.