Peristaltic pump having means for reducing flow pulsation

• US 5,257,917 A
• Filed: 10/02/1992
• Issued: 11/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cole-Parmer Instrument Company (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cole-Parmer Instrument Company (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Beck, James E., Minarik, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gluck, Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US07/955,925
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 417/475, 417/477
• US Class Current: 417/475
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1276 Means for pushing the rollers against the tubular flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1292 Pumps specially adapted for several tubular flexible members

Abstract

A peristaltic pump comprising a rotor and a plurality of removable cartridges associated with the rotor, wherein the occlusion beds of the cartridges are configured to enable the outflow characteristics of the pump to be varied by manipulation or interchanging of the cartridges, such that the pump may, in one mode of operation, have synchronous flow to all of its parallel flow channels, or may in a second mode of operation, have non-synchronous phase-offset flow to respective ones of the parallel flow channels. In the second mode of operation, manifolding of the output flow from respective ones of the parallel flow channels can be employed to provide flow of substantially reduced pulsation. Each of the cartridges preferably comprises a cartridge frame and a separate occlusion bed supported on the cartridge frame. In the second mode of operation, the occlusion beds of the cartridges preferably have regions of maximum occlusion offset relative to one another.

Claims

1. A peristaltic pump comprising:

a drive unit including a stationary frame and a rotor supported on said frame for rotation;

a plurality of removable cartridges disposed side-by-side on said drive unit;

each of said removable cartridges comprising a cartridge frame and an occlusion bed;

said rotor having a generally horizontal axis and including rotatable support means and a plurality of elongated, parallel rollers, said rollers being carried by said rotatable support means in a circular path about the axis of said rotor, each roller further having its own axis of rotation and being rotatable thereabout;

each of said removable cartridges being configured for cooperation with said drive unit so that for each cartridge a length of flexible tubing may be supported between the occlusion bed and the rotor to enable effectuation of peristaltic pumping of fluid through said length of tubing by rotation of said rotor;

a first one of said cartridges having a region of maximum occlusion on its occlusion bed;

a second one of said cartridges having a region of maximum occlusion on its occlusion bed substantially offset from said region of maximum occlusion on said first cartridge, whereby flow through tubing associated with said first cartridge is substantially non-synchronous with flow through tubing associated with said second cartridge; and

means for manifolding said lengths of flexible tubing to combine outflow therefrom so as to provide a combined flow having reduced pulsation as compared with flow through one of said lengths of flexible tubing;

wherein the offset between the regions of maximum occlusion in the occlusion beds of said first cartridge and said second cartridge, expressed in degrees, is an odd integral multiple of 180°

/n, where n is equal to the number of said rollers.

2. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 1 wherein the occlusion beds of said first and second ones of said cartridges have substantially similar shape, except that the occlusion bed of said second cartridge is reversed relative to the occlusion bed of said first cartridge, said reversal causing the respective regions of maximum occlusion of said first cartridge and said second cartridge to be substantially offset.

3. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 1 having at least one cartridge with at least a portion of said occlusion bed therein substantially cylindrical, coaxial with said rotor, so as to provide substantially uniform occlusion over said portion of said occlusion bed.

4. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said occlusion surfaces comprises a combination of at least one substantially arcuate surface and at least one substantially planar surface.

5. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 1 wherein n=6.

6. A peristaltic pump comprising:

a drive unit including a stationary frame and a rotor supported on said frame for rotation;

a plurality of removable cartridges disposed side-by-side on said drive unit;

each of said removable cartridges comprising a cartridge frame and an occlusion bed;

said rotor having a generally horizontal axis and including rotatable support means and a plurality of elongated, parallel rollers, said rollers being carried by said rotatable support means in a circular path about the axis of said rotor, each roller further having its own axis of rotation and being rotatable thereabout;

each of said removable cartridges being configured for cooperation with said drive unit so that for each cartridge a length of flexible tubing may be supported between the occlusion bed nd the rotor to enable effectuation of peristaltic pumping of fluid through said length of tubing by rotation of said rotor;

each of said cartridges having a region of maximum occlusion on its occlusion bed;

each of said cartridges being reversible and having its region of maximum occlusion disposed asymmetrically on its occlusion bed such that reversal of one of said cartridges relative to another of said cartridges results in phase-shifted flow through respective lengths of tubing associated with the respective cartridges; and

means for manifolding lengths of flexible tubing emanating from the outputs of said cartridges so as to combine the outflows therefrom;

wherein the offset between the regions of maximum occlusion on adjacent cartridges, expressed in degrees, is an odd integral multiple of 180/n where n is equal to the number of said rollers.

7. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 6 wherein said cartridges are disposed in alternating fashion such that each cartridge is reversed relative to each other cartridge adjacent thereto.

8. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 6 wherein each of said occlusion beds is slidably displaceable in rectilinear travel on its associated cartridge frame for purposes of adjusting occlusion.

9. A peristaltic pump comprising:

a drive unit including a stationary frame and a rotor supported on said stationary frame for rotation thereon, said rotor comprising a plurality of rollers;

a plurality of removable cartridges, each of said cartridges comprising a cartridge frame and a separate occlusion bed, said occlusion bed being supported on said cartridge frame, said cartridge frames being substantially similar to one another, each of said occlusion beds having an occlusion surface thereon;

a plurality of lengths of flexible tubing, each of said lengths of flexible tubing being supported between said rotor and a respective one of said occlusion surfaces;

each of said occlusion surfaces being configured for cooperation with said drive unit so that for each occlusion surface a length of flexible tubing may be supported between the occlusion surface and the rotor such that flow through said lengths of flexible tubing is effected by rotation of the rotor; and

at least two of said occlusion surface being configured such that flow through one of the lengths of flexible tubing associated with said at least two of said occlusion surfaces is non-synchronous with flow through at least one other of said lengths of tubing; and

means for manifolding said lengths of flexible tubing to combine outflow therefrom;

said at least two occlusion surfaces each having a region of maximum occlusion, said regions of maximum occlusion being arranged to define an offset therebetween;

wherein the offset between the regions of maximum occlusion of said at least two occlusion surfaces, expressed in degrees, is 360 (kz+1)/nz, where "n" is equal to the number of rollers, "z" is equal to the number of angular orientations of maximum region of occlusion employed, and "k" is any non-negative integer less than n.

10. A peristaltic pump comprising:

a drive unit including a stationary frame and a rotor supported on said stationary frame for rotation thereon, said rotor comprising a plurality of rollers;

a plurality of removable cartridges, each of said cartridges comprising a cartridge frame and a separate occlusion bed, said occlusion bed being supported on said cartridge frame, said cartridge frames being substantially similar to one another, each of said occlusion beds having an occlusion surface thereon;

a plurality of lengths of flexible tubing, each of said lengths of flexible tubing being supported between said rotor and a respective one of said occlusion surfaces;

each of said occlusion surfaces being configured for cooperation with said drive unit so that for each occlusion surface a length of flexible tubing may be supported between the occlusion surface and the rotor such that flow through said lengths of flexible tubing is effected by rotation of the rotor; and

at least two of said occlusion surfaces being configured such that flow through one of the lengths of flexible tubing associated with said at least two of said occlusion surfaces is non-synchronous with flow through at least one another of said lengths of tubing; and

means for manifolding said lengths of flexible tubing to combine outflow therefrom;

said at least two occlusion surfaces each having a region of maximum occlusion, said regions of maximum occlusion being arranged to define an offset therebetween;

wherein the offset between the regions of maximum occlusion in the occlusion surfaces of said at least two occlusion surfaces, expressed in degrees, is an odd integral multiple of 180°

/n, where n is equal to the number of said rollers.

11. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 10 wherein at least one of said occlusion surfaces comprises a combination of at least one substantially arcuate surface and at least one substantially planar surface.

12. A peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 10 wherein n=6.