Pump drive decoupler
AssigneeDyax Corp.
InventorsPeter C. Van Davelaar, Jeffrey A. Horsman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pump drive assembly is disclosed. The assembly includes a driver, a pump drive member driven by the driver, and a decoupler that decouples the drive member from the driver when a force acting upon the drive member exceeds a threshold force. The pump drive member can be a piston rod, and the decoupler can be a magnet attached to the piston rod and coupled to a magnetically attracted plate driven by the driver. When a force resisting movement of the piston rod exceeds the magnetic force coupling the magnet to the plate, the magnet decouples from the plate, and the pumping operation ceases.
Claims22
A pump drive assembly comprising:
- a driver;
- a plurality of drive members that are driven by said driver;
- a plurality of pumps driven by respective said drive members;
- and
- a plurality of decouplers, each decoupler separately decoupling a respective said drive member from said driver when a force exerted upon said respective drive member exceeds a threshold force.
A pump assembly comprising:
- a driver;
- a plurality of pumps, each said pump including a drive member and a pumping member driven by said drive member;
- a plate comprising a magnetizable material, said plate driven by said driver;
- a plurality of magnets, each said magnet coupled to said plate by magnetic force, and each said pump drive member having structure for coupling to a respective said magnet;
- wherein a respective said magnet decouples from said plate when a force resisting movement of said drive member exceeds a threshold force.
A pump drive assembly comprising:
- a driver;
- a pump drive member driven by said driver;
- a decoupler that decouples said drive member from said driver when a force acting on said drive member exceeds a threshold force, wherein said decoupler comprises a deformable structure and said deformable structure deforms when said force acting upon said drive member exceeds said threshold force, decoupling said decoupler from said drive member.
A method of ceasing one of a plurality of pumping operations upon exceeding a threshold resistance to said one pumping operation, the method comprising:
- providing a driver, a plurality of pump drive members driven by said driver, a plurality of decouplers coupling said pump drive members to said driver, and a plurality of pumps driven by respective said pump drive members;
- pumping fluids in said pumps by said driver and drive members so long as pressure in said fluids pumped by said pumps is below a threshold value, and
- decoupling a said decoupler from said driver when pressure in a said fluid exceeds said threshold value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.