Hydroimpedance pump

• US 7,163,385 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Gharib, Morteza, Zhou, Jijie, Noca, Flavio, Iwaniec, Anna
• Primary Examiner(s): FREAY, CHARLES GRANT
• Application Number:
  US10/382,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20040101414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 417/474, 417/478, 417/479, 417/475, 417/471.1, 417/477.1
• US Class Current: 417/474
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/08 having tubular flexible members F04B43/12 takes precedence

Abstract

A hydro-elastic pumping system formed from an elastic tube element having attached end members with different hydroimpedance properties, wherein the elastic element is pinched with certain frequency and duty cycle to form asymmetric forces that pump fluid.

Claims

1. A method for pumping fluid, comprising:

pinching a portion of an elastic element in a way which increases a pressure in a first end member of the elastic element more than a pressure in a second end member of the elastic element without valve action, to create pressure waves wherein the end members have different hydroimpedance; and

controlling said pinching, using a controlling part that adjusts all of the timing of said pinching, frequency of said pinching and displacement of said pinching, based on a sensing of a flow and pressure, and wherein said controlling operates to control times of the pinching in a way to sum a plurality of said pressure waves such that a reflected pressure wave is summed with a created pressure wave, to cause a net pressure differential that moves fluid between said first and second end members.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said elastic element is an elastic tube.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of pinching the elastic element is carried out by compressing only a single portion of the elastic element.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of compressing is carried out by a pneumatic pincher.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of compressing is carried out by electricity that is converted from body heat based on Peltier effects.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of compressing is carried out by electricity that is converted from mechanical motion of muscles based on piezoelectric mechanism.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first end member has a diameter larger than a diameter of the elastic element.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first end member has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the elastic element.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said controlling controls said frequency to an optimum frequency which causes a maximum amount of pump rate based on specific characteristics of the elastic element.

10. A valveless pump, comprising:

an elastic element having a length with a first end and a second end;

a first end member attached to said first end of the elastic element and a second end member attached to said second end, wherein said first end member has an impedance different from an impedance of the second end member; and

a pressure change element that induces a pressure increase and a pressure decrease into the first and second end members, in a way which creates pressure waves between said first and second end members, and a controller that controls said pressure change element to adjust both the timing of the pressure increase and decrease, and frequency of the pressure increase and pressure decrease, said controlling being carried out in a way that sums at least one of said pressure waves with at least one reflected pressure wave to form a pumping effect that is based on specific characteristics of the elastic element, in a way to cause a net pressure differential and causes a pumping action based on said pressure differential.

11. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein the impedance of the first end member is different from an impedance of the elastic element.

12. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein the elastic element is an elastic tube.

13. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein the first end member has a diameter larger than a diameter of the elastic element.

14. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein the first end member has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the elastic element.

15. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein said pressure change element compresses a portion of the elastic element.

16. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein said pressure change element comprises a pincher that compresses a portion of the elastic element by a pincher.

17. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein the pressure change element comprises portion of the elastic element using electricity that is converted from body heat based on Peltier effects.

18. The valveless pump according to claim 10, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element by electricity that is converted from mechanical motion of muscles based on piezoelectric mechanism.

19. A pump as in claim 10, wherein said maximum pumping effect is one of a maximum speed of pumping or a maximum flow rate.

20. A valveless pump, comprising:

an elastic element having a length with a first flexible wall segment and a spaced apart second flexible wall segment;

a first external chamber mounted over the first flexible wall segment and a second external chamber mounted over the second flexible wall segment, wherein a pressure is applied through the first external chamber onto the first flexible wall segment that is different from a pressure applied onto the second flexible wall segment through the second external chamber;

a pressure change part that induces a pressure increase and a pressure decrease into the first and second flexible wall segments; and

a control part that controls said pressure change part in a way which causes a pressure difference between said first and second segments by using a characteristic for the pressure increase and pressure decrease which sums at least one of the pressure waves produced by the pressure change part with at least one reflected pressure wave, and causes a pumping action based on said summed pressure waves.

21. The valveless pump according to claim 20, wherein the elastic element is an elastic tube.

22. The valveless pump according to claim 20, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element, wherein said portion is between the first and second flexible wall segments.

23. The valveless pump according to claim 20, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element by a pincher, wherein said portion is between the first and second flexible wall segments.

24. The valveless pump according to claim 20, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element using electricity that is converted from body heat based on Peltier effects, wherein said portion is between the first and second flexible wall segments.

25. The valveless pump according to claim 20, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element using electricity that is converted from mechanical motion of muscles based on piezoelectric mechanism, wherein said portion is between the first and second flexible wall segments.

26. A pump as in claim 20, wherein said maximum pumping effect is one of a maximum speed of pumping or a maximum flow rate.

27. A valveless pump, comprising:

an elastic element having a length with a first end and a second end;

a first pressure changing element disposed at about the first end and a second pressure changing element disposed at about the second end;

auxiliary pressure change means for inducing a pressure increase and a pressure decrease into areas near the first and second ends, in a way which causes a pressure difference between said first and second ends, and causes a pumping action based on said pressure difference, wherein the first and second pressure changing elements are capable of producing partial or complete pinch-off to reflect waves generated by said pressure change means and a controller that adjusts a frequency of the pressure increase and pressure decrease to sum at least one of the pressure waves created by the pressure increase and pressure decrease with at least one reflected pressure wave in a way to cause a net pressure differential and causes a pumping action based on said pressure differential.

28. The valveless pump according to claim 27, wherein the elastic element is an elastic tube.

29. The valveless pump according to claim 27, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element.

30. The valveless pump according to claim 27, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element by a pincher.

31. The valveless pump according to claim 27, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element by electricity that is converted from body heat based on Peltier effects.

32. The valveless pump according to claim 27, wherein the pressure change means comprises compressing a portion of the elastic element by electricity that is converted from mechanical motion of muscles based on piezoelectric mechanism.

33. A pump as in claim 27, wherein said maximum pumping effect is one of maximum speed of pumping or a maximum flow rate.