Axial flow pump with multi-grooved rotor
First Claim
1. An axial flow blood pump comprising:
- an impeller rotatable on a rotation axis within a cylindrical lumen, the impeller having a radially projection-free cylindrical circumference with a blood upstream and a blood downstream end and a plurality of spaced apart grooves each extending substantially axially along said cylindrical circumference from a blood entrance opening to a blood exit opening, each groove being defined by adjacent sidewalls as boundaries for peripheral surface areas of the impeller between said grooves, the width of each groove at circumferential axial positions on the impeller being substantially smaller than the width of adjacent peripheral surfaces areas at such positions, said sidewalls of each groove converging to establish a relatively narrowing portion thereof not parallel to said rotation axis between said blood entrance and blood exit openings, said sidewalls thereafter diverging to establish a widening axially oriented portion terminating at said blood exit opening;
said peripheral surface areas being magnetically coupled with proximal magnetic stator elements and defining hydrodynamic thrust bearing surfaces to enable said impeller to rotate freely within the blood contained in said lumen.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An axial-flow blood pump for pumping blood includes a substantially cylindrical outer enclosure. A tubular housing concentric with and located within the outer enclosure has at one end an inlet and at an opposite end an outlet. A motor stator is concentric with and located between the outer enclosure and the tubular housing. An impeller is concentric with and located within the tubular housing. The impeller is suspended in operation by a combination of passive magnetic forces between magnets within the impeller or magnetized regions of the impeller and the motor stator and hydrodynamic thrust forces generated as blood flows between the tubular housing and a plurality of hydrodynamic thrust bearing surfaces located on the impeller. A volute may be in fluid-tight connection with the outlet of the tubular housing for receiving blood in the axial direction and directing blood in a direction normal to the axial direction. The volute has a flow-improving member extending axially from the volute and into and coaxially with the tubular housing.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An axial flow blood pump comprising:
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an impeller rotatable on a rotation axis within a cylindrical lumen, the impeller having a radially projection-free cylindrical circumference with a blood upstream and a blood downstream end and a plurality of spaced apart grooves each extending substantially axially along said cylindrical circumference from a blood entrance opening to a blood exit opening, each groove being defined by adjacent sidewalls as boundaries for peripheral surface areas of the impeller between said grooves, the width of each groove at circumferential axial positions on the impeller being substantially smaller than the width of adjacent peripheral surfaces areas at such positions, said sidewalls of each groove converging to establish a relatively narrowing portion thereof not parallel to said rotation axis between said blood entrance and blood exit openings, said sidewalls thereafter diverging to establish a widening axially oriented portion terminating at said blood exit opening; said peripheral surface areas being magnetically coupled with proximal magnetic stator elements and defining hydrodynamic thrust bearing surfaces to enable said impeller to rotate freely within the blood contained in said lumen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification