Start-up algorithm for an implantable blood pump

• US 9,731,058 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Siebenhaar, Andre, Fleischli, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): MAHMOOD, NADIA AHMAD
• Application Number:
  US15/219,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20160331881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 600 16, 41742312
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/232 Centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/419 the force acting on the blood contacting member being permanent magnetic, e.g. from a rotating magnetic coupling between driving and driven magnets
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/422 the force acting on the blood contacting member being electromagnetic, e.g. using canned motor pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/538 Regulation using real-time blood pump operational parameter data, e.g. motor current
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/585 User interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/814 Volutes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/822 specially adapted for being actively controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/88 Percutaneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/0421 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 1/00 Radial-flow pumps, e.g. centrifugal pumps; Helico-centrifugal pumps adapted for pumping specific fluids F04D7/00; priming or boosting F04D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/024 a magnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/00 Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/426 especially adapted for liquid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 7/02 of centrifugal type
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/14 Casings, housings, nacelles, gondels or the like, protecting or supporting assemblies there within
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/30 Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/10 Purpose of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/404 active, predictive, or anticipative

Abstract

A system and a method for starting a rotor of an implantable blood pump are described. For example, a blood pump system includes a rotary motor having a stator and a rotor. The rotor has permanent magnetic poles for magnetic levitation of the rotor, and the stator has a plurality of pole pieces arranged circumferentially at intervals. The blood pump system includes a controller configured to control a start phase of the rotor, wherein the start phase is prior to the rotor being positioned in a predefined geometric volume for pumping blood and wherein the start phase includes performing a rotation of the rotor by an angle larger than an angle corresponding to a quarter of an angular distance between two neighboring magnetic poles of the rotor.

Claims

1. A method for starting a rotor of an implantable blood pump, the method comprising:

performing an initial rotation of the rotor by an angle larger than an angle corresponding to a quarter of an angular distance between two neighboring magnetic poles of the rotor; and

after the performing, rolling the rotor, while the rotor remains in contact with a dividing wall defining a blood flow conduit in which the rotor is disposed, from a first start position to a first target position prior to magnetic levitation of the rotor to position the rotor within the blood flow conduit for pumping blood, wherein a magnet of the rotor experiences a reduced magnetic attraction at the first target position compared to the first start position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the angle of the rotation is about half of the angular distance between two neighboring magnetic poles of the rotor or a multiple thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the angle of the initial rotation is between about 45 and about 270 degrees.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the angle of the initial rotation is about 90 degrees.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current position of the rotor by using one or more Hall sensors;

performing a take-off operation attempting to move the rotor into the predefined geometric volume; and

determining if the rotor is positioned within the predefined geometric volume after performing the take-off operation.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining if the rotor is positioned within the predefined geometric volume, and if the rotor is not positioned within the predefined geometric volume, performing the additional operations of;

performing a second rotation of the rotor corresponding substantially to an angle of twice the interval between two neighboring pole pieces of a stator of the implantable blood pump;

rolling the rotor from a second start position to a second target position, wherein the magnet of the rotor experiences a reduced magnetic attraction at the second target position compared to the second start position; and

performing a second take-off operation attempting to move the rotor into the predefined geometric volume.

7. A method comprising:

performing a rotation of a rotor of an implantable blood pump, the rotation of the rotor moving the rotor from a first position to a second position;

after performing the rotation of the rotor, waiting for a period of time with the rotor in the second position; and

after waiting for the period of time with the rotor in the second position, rolling the rotor from the second position to a take-off position for moving the rotor into a predefined geometric volume.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that a rotor of an implantable is not positioned within a predefined geometric volume of the blood pump;

and

wherein performing the rotation of the rotor occurs in response to determining that the rotor is not positioned within the predefined geometric volume.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining a target position of the rotor with respect to a stator of the implantable blood pump;

wherein rolling the rotor from the second position to the take-off position comprises rolling the rotor to the target position.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising, after rolling the rotor to the take-off position, performing a take-off operation attempting to move the rotor into the predefined geometric volume.