Patent ID: 7985057

Claim:
A micropump for peristaltic pumping of a liquid medium, the micropump comprising: at least one flow channel with a wall element, the flow channel having a cross-sectional area which, at least in subportions of the flow channel, can be altered by the exertion of a force on the wall element of the flow channel; actuators arranged in such a manner that they are able to exert the force on the wall element of the flow channel in at least two subportions of the channel to reduce the cross-sectional area in those subportions of the channel so that no liquid medium is detected in those subportions with reduced cross-sectional area; at least one sensor arrangement for detecting a quantity of liquid medium in the portion of the channel between the at least two subportions of the channel with reduced cross-sectional area and for calculating a volume of the liquid medium in the portion of the channel, the sensor arrangement being located outside the flow channel; and at least two further sensor arrangements for detecting the quantity of the liquid medium in the at least two subportions of the channel with reduced cross-sectional area, the at least two further sensor arrangements being located outside the flow channel.