Peristaltic pump and cassette

Abstract: A peristaltic pump and cassette assembly comprises a pump having a rotatable roller head (12,14,16) adapted to engage and pinch a portion of a flexibly walled fluid channel (26) contained in the cassette (18) and to be in operative association therewith to push fluid contained therein along the channel. The roller head (14) is attached to a rotatable shaft (24) and has one or more rollers (16) with longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of the rollers being generally normal to the axis of the shaft. The flexibly walled fluid channel is formed by at least one molded channel (26) defined in a flexible sheet (20) attached to a planar exterior substrate (22) on the cassette (18).

Description: Background of the Invention The present invention relates generally to peristaltic pumps and more specifically to peristaltic pumps used in ophthalmic surgical equipment. Most prior art peristaltic pumps work by compressing or squeezing a length of flexible tubing (sometimes between a fixed race) using a rotating roller head. As the roller head rotates, the rollers pinch off a portion of the tubing and push any fluid trapped in the tubing between the rollers in the direction of rotation. Peristaltic pumps are widely used in medical applications because of their predictable, constant flow properties. These prior art systems, however, typically require manual connection of the pump tube segment around the rotating roller head. Prior art peristaltic pumps using rotating roller heads also typically impart unwanted pressure pulsations. Several pulsation damping devices have been developed to address this problem (see e.g ., U.S. Patent No.4,921,477 (Davis)). Accordingly, a need continues to exist for a peristaltic pump that reduces pressure pulsations and that is simpler and more economical to manufacture and use. FR-A-2,466,641 describes a rotary roller head peristaltic pump assembly in which the flexible walled fluid channel that coacts with the rollers is an arcuate section of tubing, of uniform cross-section, which must be held tightly against the rollers for them to perform a pinching action. US-A-4,923,375 describes a transitioning mechanism in the context of a rotary peristaltic pump assembly, in which the volume flow discharged by the pump is constant per unit of time, by compensating the disengagement of one roller with the engagement of the following roller with the tube, which is of a constant or uniform cross-section. This is achieved by varying the depth of the track in which the tube is held, and overcompressing the tube where the depth of the track is slightly smaller than the double tube wall thickness to squeeze it extra hard before one roller disengages and the after the following one engages. US-A-5,429,485 describes what could be termed a tubeless arrangement and discloses a "cassette", but not a rigid cassette, and the preferred pumping mechanism is not a peristaltic pump, but this could be used. The flexible walled fluid channel is formed between two plastic sheets, along with diaphragm chambers, by vacuum forming or blow molding, forming a low cost disposable "cassette". Brief Summary of the Invention The present invention improves upon prior art peristaltic pumps by providing a peristaltic pump having a molded flow channel contained on an elastomeric sheet that is bonded or mechanically attached to a rigid substrate. The pump head rollers are mounted radially from the axis of rotation of the pump motor and compress the elastomeric flow channels against the rigid substrate. One objective of the present invention is to provide a peristaltic pump that uses molded elastomeric flow channels. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a peristaltic pump having radially oriented pump rollers. Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a peristaltic pump having pump rollers that compress elastomeric flow channels against a rigid substrate. These and other advantages and objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description, drawings and claims that follow. Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a schematic top plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention, with the motor and roller head removed for clarity. FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of a first embodiment of the present invention, with the motor and roller head removed for clarity. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention taken at line 3-3 in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention, with the motor and roller head removed for clarity. FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention, with the motor and roller head removed for clarity. FIG. 6 is a schematic front elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention, with the motor and roller head removed for clarity. Detailed Description of the Invention As best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, in a first embodiment of the present invention, pump 10 of the present invention generally includes pump motor 12, roller head 14, containing one or more rollers 16 and cassette 18 having elastomeric sheet 20 applied to the exterior of relatively rigid body or substrate 22. Pump motor 12 preferably is a stepper or D.C. servo motor. Roller head 14 is attached to shaft 24 of motor 12 so that motor 12 rotates roller head 14 in a plane generally normal to the axis of shaft 24, and the longitudinal axes of rollers 16 are generally radial to the axis of shaft 24. Sheet 20 contains molded fluid channel 26 that is generally planar, arcuate in shape (within the plane) and having a radius approximating that of rollers 16 about shaft 24. Fluid channel 26 fluidly connects ports 28 and 30. Sheet 20 may be made of any suitably flexible, easily molded material such as silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. Sheet 20 is attached or bonded to substrate 22 by any suitable technique such as adhesive, heat fusion or mechanical crimping. Substrate 22 preferably is made of a material that is rigid with respect to sheet 20, such as a rigid thermoplastic, and may be made by any suitable method, such as machining or injection molding. In use, cassette 18 is held in close proximity to roller head 14 so that rollers 16 compress channel 26 against substrate 22 as roller head 14 rotates. The longitudinal axes of the rollers are arranged so that roller 16 contact with channel 26 is generally parallel with the plane of channel 26. Such an arrangement eliminates the need to loop a length of flexible tubing over the pump roller head and thus simplifies the loading of pump channel 26 against pump roller head 14. Rollers 16 may be tapered along their axial length to accommodate the difference in path length traveled by the inner and outer sections of rollers 16 as roller head 14 rotates. Unwanted pressure pulsations could be minimized by providing channel transition regions 46 and 47 having internal cross-sections that taper from zero to the full cross-section of channel 26. These regions minimize the abrupt change in displaced volume as rollers 16 transition on or off of channel 26. As best seen in FIGS. 4-6, in a second embodiment of the present invention, cassette 18' may contain additional fluid channels that provide control of irrigation fluid as well as aspiration fluid. For example, cassette 18' may contain aspiration inlet port 32 and aspiration outlet port 34 that are connected through channel 26'. Downstream of port 32, cassette 18' may contain pressure sensor 36, which may be any of a variety of non-invasive pressure sensors such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,910,110 (Bastable) and U.S. Patent No. 5,470,312 (Zanger, et al.), the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference. Cassette 18' may also contain a vent pinch valve site 38 for allowing the venting of any vacuum from channel 26'. Irrigation fluid enters cassette 18' through port 40 and exits cassette 18' through port 42 and is controlled by valve or pinch valve site 44, which may be actuated by a plunger (not shown). Vent 38 may be operated in a similar method. In addition, between port 40 and irrigation pinch valve site 44, cassette 18' may contain irrigation pressure interface 50. Pressure interface 50 may be made from a thin molded membrane contained within elastomeric sheet 20' over a fluid chamber (not shown) contained within substrate 22'. Such an interface allows detection of irrigation pressure in a non-invasive manner using a surface contact pressure transducer or calibrated load cell. This description is given for purposes of illustration and explanation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that modifications may be made to the invention as herein described without departing from its scope.

Claims: A cassette (18) for operative association with a peristaltic pump, the cassette having a relatively rigid body defining an exterior substrate (22), the pump comprising rotatable roller means (12,14,16) adapted to engage and pinch a portion of a flexibly walled fluid channel (26) against the substrate (22) so as to push fluid contained therein along the channel, characterized in that said fluid channel is formed between said rigid exterior substrate (22) and an elastomeric sheet (20) attached to the substrate (22), said elastomeric sheet having at least one channel (26) molded into and contained thereon, said moulded channel or channels projecting outwardly from the exterior substrate (22). The cassette of claim 1, wherein the channel or channels (26) define at least one transition region (46,47) having an internal cross-section that tapers from zero to full cross-section of the channel, adapted to minimize abrupt changes in displaced fluid volume as the roller transition on or off the channel during rotation of the roller means, in use. The cassette of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sheet (20) defines a molded aspiration fluid channel (26') and a molded irrigation fluid channel. The cassette of claim 3, comprising at least one pinch valve site (38,44). The cassette of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substrate (22) and the sheet (20) together define at least one pressure interface (50) enabling detection of irrigation pressure within the cassette.

Inventors: AKKAS TAMER, SORENSEN GARY P, AKKAS, TAMER, SORENSEN, GARY P.
Applicants: ALCON INC, ALCON, INC
Application year: 2000
Main classification: F04B43
IPC codes: F04B43, A61F9, A61M1, F04C5