Multicellular pump and fluid delivery device
AssigneeSensirion AG
InventorFelix MAYER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The pump is provided with a plurality of pumping chambers and electrically activatable valves. An elastic membrane is arranged in each pumping chamber and divides the same into a first and a second chamber section. Each valve is connected to the second chamber section of a pumping chamber. When a pressure drop is applied over the valve and the valve is activated (i.e. opened), the pressure in the second chamber section changes, which causes the membrane to move, which in turn leads to a change of the volumes of both chamber sections. This e.g. allows to pump well-defined amounts of fluid from the chamber sections to a drug dispensing device.
Claims31
A multicellular pump, in particular a multicellular fluid delivery device, comprising
- a reservoir holding the fluid to be delivered,
- a plurality of pumping chambers,
- a deformable membrane arranged in each pumping chamber dividing the pumping chamber into a first and a second chamber section,
- a channel connected to all said first chamber sections,
- a plurality of elastic energy storage means, each of said energy storage means being retained by an electrically releasable retaining mechanism in an elastically deformed state and being releasable by an electric signal to relax from said deformed state to a relaxed state,
- wherein by releasing said energy storage means said membrane is moved from a first position to a second position thereby decreasing a volume of said first chamber section and increasing a volume of said second chamber section, and
- wherein said reservoir is formed by said first chamber sections,
- wherein said retaining mechanisms are formed by a plurality of electrically activatable valves, each valve being connected to one of said second chamber sections, such that the membrane separating the first chamber section from the second chamber section is movable by activating said valve in the presence of a pressure drop over said valve, and
- wherein each valve comprises a thermally removable blocking body and a heating means arranged in thermal contact with said blocking body.
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A multicellular pump, in particular a multicellular fluid delivery device comprising
- a plurality of pumping chambers,
- a deformable membrane arranged in each pumping chamber dividing the pumping chamber into a first and a second chamber section,
- a plurality of electrically activatable valves, each valve being connected to a second chamber section, such that the membrane separating the first chamber section from the second chamber section is movable by activating said valve in the presence of a pressure drop over said valve, and
- wherein each valve comprises a thermally removable blocking body and a heating means arranged in thermal contact with said blocking body.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.