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US-20260126039-A1 - PERISTALTIC PUMP AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SUCH A PUMP

US20260126039A1US 20260126039 A1US20260126039 A1US 20260126039A1US-20260126039-A1

Abstract

This invention relates to a peristaltic pump comprising a casing ( 11 ), a support ( 12 ) comprising an outer face, said support ( 12 ) having a flexible intermediate support part from which rigid support arms ( 14 , 15 ) extend on either side of it, the free end of each of these side arms having at least one guide element ( 16 ), said casing comprising tracks ( 17 ) on which these guide elements are able to slide in order to constrain the movement of the free ends of the rigid side arms in such a way as to deform the intermediate support part. According to the invention, said support ( 12 ) is made of plastic, said outer face comprising one or more housings ( 18 ) extending in the direction of pumping, at least one of these housings being equipped with an anti-creep device to prevent the deformation of said intermediate support part.

Inventors

  • Bertrand Malbec

Assignees

  • Bertrand Malbec

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251020
Priority Date
20241021

Claims (16)

  1. 1 . A peristaltic pump comprising a casing ( 11 ), a support ( 12 ) comprising an inner and an outer face, said support ( 12 ) comprising an intermediate support part from which support arms ( 14 , 15 ) extend on either side, said intermediate support part being flexible, the inner face of said intermediate support part having a semi-cylindrical symmetry around an axis that coincides with the said pump's main axis, said support arms ( 14 , 15 ) being rigid, the free end of each of these side arms ( 14 , 15 ) having at least one guide element ( 16 ), said casing having tracks ( 17 ) on which the guide elements are able to slide in order to constrain the movement of the free ends of the rigid side arms thereby altering the shape of the intermediate support part, the radius of its inner face being thus modified while leaving the axis of the intermediate inner face in a position where it coincides with the said pump's main axis, characterized in that the support ( 12 ) being made of a plastic material, said casing ( 11 ) comprising two parts of the casing body ( 11 ) between which said support is placed, said pump comprising at least one anti-creep device connecting said two parts of the casing body ( 11 ) by resting on the outer face of the support ( 12 ) to prevent the deformation of said intermediate support part.
  2. 2 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 1 , characterized in that the outer face of said support ( 12 ) comprises one or more housings ( 18 ) extending in the direction of pumping, an anti-creep device being placed in at least one of these housings to prevent deformation of said intermediate support part.
  3. 3 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 2 , characterized in that said or at least one of said anti-creep devices is an elastic spring-forming element.
  4. 4 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that said or at least one of said anti-creep devices is a rigid U-clip ( 20 ) resting on the outer face of said support ( 12 ).
  5. 5 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 4 , characterized in that said U-clip ( 20 ) connects said two casing parts ( 11 ) by covering a portion of the outer surface of said intermediate support part.
  6. 6 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims , characterized in that it comprises at least one adjustment element for applying an adjustable constraint on the outer face of said intermediate support part, ensuring an adjustment of the deformation of the latter.
  7. 7 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 6 , characterized in that said anti-creep device being a U-clip ( 20 ), said U-clip ( 20 ) carries a screw ( 21 ) the free end of which passes through said U-clip ( 20 ) and rests on the outer face of the intermediate support part.
  8. 8 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims , characterized in that, having a rotor that rotates about the said pump's main axis, said peristaltic pump comprises an electric motor to drive said rotating rotor, said electric motor being chosen from among a stepper motor, a direct current motor or an alternating current motor, possibly with epicycloidal gear trains.
  9. 9 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims , characterized in that it comprises at least one hollow, flexible pump conduit, said pump conduit being obtained by molding.
  10. 10 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims , characterized in that it comprises at least one hollow, flexible pump conduit, said pump conduit having an inlet and an outlet, and, in that this pump conduit has different thickness ratios between its inlet and outlet, the thickness ratio of the duct at its outlet being greater than the thickness ratio of the duct at its inlet.
  11. 11 . The peristaltic pump in accordance with claim 9 or 10 , characterized in that the pump conduit is conical in shape.
  12. 12 . A method for managing a peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of claims 4 to 11 , characterized in that an adjustment element ( 20 , 21 ) exerting a constraint on the outer face of the intermediate support by creating two portions of the intermediate support located on either side of said adjustment element, the guide element(s) ( 16 ) placed at the free end of only one of the rigid side arms of said support ( 12 ) are slid along the corresponding tracks ( 17 ) of the casing ( 11 ) so as to deform the corresponding portion of the intermediate support portion while leaving the other rigid support arm unchanged so that the other portion of the intermediate support is left unchanged.
  13. 13 . The method for managing a peristaltic pump in accordance with the preceding claim , characterized in that this adjustment element is placed at the top of said peristaltic pump to create two approximately equal portions of the intermediate support part on either side of said regulating element.
  14. 14 . The management method in accordance with any one of claims 12 or 13 , characterized in that said flexible tube is selected in advance so that its hardness is higher or lower than the range of hardness values provided for ensuring the nominal airtightness rating of the said pump.
  15. 15 . The management method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the guide element(s) placed at the free end of the single rigid side arm, placed on the side of the outlet of the peristaltic pump, i.e., on the discharge side, is/are slid in such a way as to maintain a higher pressure.
  16. 16 . A computer-readable medium comprising a set of software instructions which, when executed by a processor, facilitate the method for managing a peristaltic pump in accordance with any one of claims 12 to 15 .

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to French Patent Application No. 2411398, filed on Oct. 21, 2024, in the French Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL AREA This invention falls within the technical area of volumetric pumps, and more specifically that of peristaltic pumps with flexible tubes. This invention also relates to a process for managing such a peristaltic pump. PREVIOUS TECHNOLOGY Peristaltic pumps are well known and used in many technical fields, for example the chemical industry, the cosmetics industry, the oil industry, the food industry, and in medicine, in particular for conveying blood or other fluids administered by infusion, . . . A peristaltic pump consists of a frame to which is fixed a motor whose axis drives a cage consisting of a number of wheels, also called rollers. These rollers, which move freely on their axis, successively compress a flexible tube until it is airtight. The alternation of pressure and release on the walls of the flexible tube creates a vacuum and suction so that a fluid trapped between the rollers in the flexible tube is thus pushed along the length of the tube. A fluid pumped from one open end of the flexible tube, known as the inlet or upstream end, is thus advanced to the other end of the flexible tube, known as the discharge or downstream end. A main advantage of this peristaltic pump is that the fluid thus displaced remains intact during its transfer since it is not in contact with the rollers at any time but only with the inner wall of the flexible tube. The peristaltic pump is therefore a particularly healthy pumping solution. A large majority of peristaltic pumps have a casing with a cylindrical internal face, known as a support face, against which the flexible tube is compressed by the rollers to ensure the airtightness of the tube. This support can take the form of a metal blade which features a certain elasticity, the said support having a unique predetermined shape. Alternatively, this support can be made of a plastic material which can be obtained, for example, by molding. An obvious advantage of this type of support is that it is possible to give any desired shape to the inner face of this support against which the flexible tube rests when compressed by the rollers. However, in peristaltic pumps equipped with such a plastic support, a progressive deformation of the latter is observed over time, a phenomenon known as “creep”. This creep may have several causes and can, in particular, result from the repeated mechanical actions exerted on the support, during the compressing of the flexible tube, but also from the thermal environment in which the peristaltic pump is immersed when brought into use. The inside face of the support may then show surface alterations over time, which can lead to a loss of airtightness in the peristaltic pump. There is therefore a pressing need for a peristaltic pump with a plastic support, the original design of which overcomes the disadvantages of the previous technology described above. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The purpose of this invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the previous technology by proposing a peristaltic pump, simple in its design and in its operating method, whose inner support surface is not affected by creep-related deformation. Another purpose of this invention is a peristaltic pump of the type described that allows adjustment of the deformation of the intermediate support part, obtained by displacing the lateral arms of the support relative to the main axis of this peristaltic pump. Another purpose of this invention is a peristaltic pump of the type described that features greater diversity in terms of how it functions. Another purpose of this invention is a method for managing a peristaltic pump of the type described, allowing to control the deformation of its support for particular requirements. INVENTION DISCLOSURE For this purpose, the invention takes the form of a peristaltic pump comprising a casing, a support comprising an inner face and an outer face, said support comprising an intermediate support part from which support arms extend on either side, said intermediate support part being flexible, the inner face of this intermediate support part featuring a semi-cylindrical symmetry around an axis coinciding with the said pump's main axis, said support arms being rigid, the free end of each of the side arms having at least one guide element, said casing having tracks on which these guide elements are able to slide in order to constrain movement of the free ends of the rigid side arms in such a way as to deform the intermediate support part, the radius of its inner face being thus modified while leaving the axis of the intermediate inner face in a position that coincides with the main axis of the said pump. According to the invention, this s