Micro-feed pump for an artificial pancreas

• US 4,636,144 A
• Filed: 04/03/1986
• Issued: 01/13/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Astellas Pharma Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Astellas Pharma Incorporated)
• Inventors: Abe, Hiroshi, Higuchi, Mamoru, Kawamori, Ryuzo, Okamoto, Norihiko, Takagi, Kiyotaka, Shichiri, Motoaki, Ichoh, Tasuku, Okudaira, Toshiyuki, Iwatani, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Vrablik, John J.
• Application Number:
  US06/847,114
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 417/63, 417/475-477, 604/67, 604/153, 128/DIG. 12
• US Class Current: 417/63
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00

Abstract

An artificial pancreas includes a blood sugar determination unit for measuring the blood sugar of the living body, an injection unit including a container for a blood sugar control agent and a feed pump for the control agent and adapted to inject the control agent into the living body and an arithmetic control unit for calculating the dose of the control agent and controlling the pump of the injection unit in accordance with the results of the calculation. The pump includes a disc-shaped roller holder which holds a plurality of rollers around its periphery. Each roller includes flanges at opposite ends. An elastic tube extends around the rollers under tension. Magnets are embedded along the periphery of the roller supports and are sensed to determine the amount of pumping which has occurred. Tubular stoppers are provided within stepped grooves in the pump housing to receive the ends of the elastic tubes.

Claims

1. A micro-feed pump for an artificial pancreas used for medical care comprising:

a roller holder, which is connected to a motor to be rotated, including a pair of disc-like roller supports opposed to each other and having center portions thereof connected to each other in fixed relation;

a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted near the peripheral portion of said roller holder, the opposite ends of each roller being rotatably supported on said roller supports;

an elastic tube having an intermediate portion reeved around said rollers under tension;

a plurality of flanges provided at opposite ends of said rollers for preventing the elastic tube from zigzagging and slipping off;

a plurality of permanent magnets equidistantly embedded in the outer peripheral portion of one of said roller supports;

a fixed pump housing surrounding said roller holder;

a magnetic sensor mounted on said pump housing;

tubular stoppers fixed to an intermediate portion of said elastic tube at two positions, each tubular stopper having an outer diameter larger than that of said tube; and

two stepped grooves, each of which is open at its opposite ends and partially open on top, are provided in said pump housing, the elastic tube being secured under tension with the use of said two stoppers and said two stepped grooves, each of said stepped grooves having a tube insertion portion with an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of said tube, and a stopper insertion portion having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of said stopper, both of said portions being essentially circular in section, said tube insertion portion being at the end of said stepped groove nearer said roller holder;

wherein two stoppers are each engaged in fitting relation with a different one of said stopper insertion portions and opposite ends of said intermediate portion of said tube are engaged in fitting relation with each of said tube insertion portions.