Apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in a peristaltic pump mechanism

A peristaltic pump, comprising:

• a drive means;
• a cam shaft driven by said drive means;
• a plurality of cams positioned at spaced intervals around the circumference of said cam shaft;
• a plurality of elongate fingers cooperating with said cams, said fingers capable of at least partly occluding an intravenous drip tube at multiple points along said tube's path;
• and
• a power feedback control system, further comprising:
• a variable output power supply, which controls power supplied to said drive means;
• a transducer for measuring excess power at said drive means;
• and
• a controller, capable of dynamically adjusting said variable output power supply by processing the measured excess power and a predetermined desired power,
• such that in use said power feedback control system optimally adjusts the power supplied to said drive means so as to reduce overall power consumption of said pump.

A peristaltic pump, comprising:

• a stepper motor;
• a cam shaft driven by said motor;
• a plurality of cams positioned at spaced intervals around the circumference of said cam shaft;
• a plurality of elongate fingers cooperating with said cams, said fingers capable of at least partly occluding an intravenous drip tube at multiple points along said tube's path;
• and
• a torque compensation system, further comprising:
• at least one torque compensation cam positioned on said cam shaft;
• at least one torque compensation cam follower operatively connected to said torque compensation cam;
• and
• an energy storage element operatively connected to said torque compensation cam follower, which forcibly engages said torque compensation cam follower against said torque compensation cam;
• and
• a power feedback control system, further comprising:
• a variable output power supply, which controls power supplied to said stepper motor;
• a transducer for measuring excess power at said drive means;
• and
• a controller, capable of dynamically adjusting said variable output power supply by processing the measured excess power and a predetermined desired power,
• such that in use said power feedback control system optimally adjusts the power supplied to said power source and said torque compensation system decreases torque produced at said motor, the combination of said power feedback control system and said torque compensation system, reducing overall power consumption of said pump.

A method of controlling the operation of a peristaltic infusion pump, in order to reduce said pump's power consumption, comprising the steps of:

• determining a desired power value;
• measuring an excess power value caused by torque loading on a drive means;
• processing said predetermined desired power value and said excess power value to form a new value;
• and
• adjusting power supplied to said drive means in accordance with said new value.