Occlusion detection means for a persistaltic pump
OwnerAlton K. Alleninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A peristaltic pump delivering a medicant through a plastic tube with an appropriate wall thickness to withstand external rubbing contact with the rotating rotor of the pump, in which downstream of the rotor a tubing length is used in the plastic tube having a thinner wall thickness so that when a downstream occulsion is detected, the pressure build-up transmitted upstream to the tubing length more readily causes it to undergo an expansion radially because of its thinner wall to actuate an on-off switch of the peristaltic pump.
Claims6
An occlusion detector for a peristaltic pump comprising a peristaltic pump having a circular rotor journalled for rotation, an electric motor operatively connected to power said rotor in rotation so as to cause a directional flow of a medicant, a switch housing having walls bounding a semi-circular compartment and in said directional flow a first encountered inlet opening into said compartment and a second encountered outlet opening out of said compartment, a first hollow length of tube of a specified wall thickness of an extent effective to obviate damage thereto during pumping service of said peristaltic pump having an inlet opening in communication with a source of said medicant and after a helical turn about said rotor having an outlet opening located adjacent to said switch housing inlet opening, a second hollow length of tube of said similar specified wall thickness having an inlet opening in communication with said switch housing outlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with a site of use of said medicant, a switch means projected into said switch housing compartment operatively effective to be urged in descending movement in response to a pressure build-up as caused by an occlusion in said second tube length, and a third hollow length of tube connected to extend through said switch housing compartment in contact with said switch means and characterized by a reduced wall thickness of half the thickness of said specified wall thickness of said first and second tube lengths and having a first end in communication with said first tube outlet opening and a second end in communication with said second tube inlet, whereby there is minimal resistance of said third tube wall thickness to said occlusion-detecting descending movement of said switch means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.