Micro-feed pump for an artificial pancreas

A micro-feed pump for an artificial pancreas used for medical care comprising:

• a roller holder, which is connected to a motor to be rotated, including a pair of disc-like roller supports opposed to each other and having center portions thereof connected to each other in fixed relation;
• a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted near the peripheral portion of said roller holder, the opposite ends of each roller being rotatably supported on said roller supports;
• an elastic tube having an intermediate portion reeved around said rollers under tension;
• a plurality of flanges provided at opposite ends of said rollers for preventing the elastic tube from zigzagging and slipping off;
• a plurality of permanent magnets equidistantly embedded in the outer peripheral portion of one of said roller supports;
• a fixed pump housing surrounding said roller holder;
• a magnetic sensor mounted on said pump housing;
• tubular stoppers fixed to an intermediate portion of said elastic tube at two positions, each tubular stopper having an outer diameter larger than that of said tube;
• and
• two stepped grooves, each of which is open at its opposite ends and partially open on top, are provided in said pump housing, the elastic tube being secured under tension with the use of said two stoppers and said two stepped grooves, each of said stepped grooves having a tube insertion portion with an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of said tube, and a stopper insertion portion having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of said stopper, both of said portions being essentially circular in section, said tube insertion portion being at the end of said stepped groove nearer said roller holder;
• wherein two stoppers are each engaged in fitting relation with a different one of said stopper insertion portions and opposite ends of said intermediate portion of said tube are engaged in fitting relation with each of said tube insertion portions.