Rotary pump with exclusively hydrodynamically suspended impeller
AssigneeVentrassist PTY Ltd. and University of Technology at Sydney
InventorsJohn C. Woodard, Peter A. Watterson, Geoffrey D. Tansley
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Abstract
A pump assembly 1, 33, 200 adapted for continuous flow pumping of blood. In a particular form the pump 1, 200 is a centrifugal pump wherein the impeller 100, 204 is entirely sealed within the pump housing 2, 201 and is exclusively hydrodynamically suspended therein as the impeller rotates within the fluid 105 urged by electromagnetic means external to the pump cavity 106, 203. Hydrodynamic suspension is assisted by the impeller 100, 204 having deformities therein such as blades 8 with surfaces tapered from the leading edges 102, 223 to the trailing edges 103, 224 of bottom and top edges 221, 222 thereof.
Claims21
A rotary blood pump including:
- a pump housing, wherein said housing includes an inlet and an outlet;
- an impeller, wherein said impeller is rotatably arranged within said housing and said impeller, and when in use, is urged to rotate by an electric motor;
- said said electric motor including a plurality of electric coils mounted on, in or about said housing and a plurality of magnets included within the impeller, wherein said impeller includes at least three blades having faces, wherein said blades include hydrodynamic lifting surfaces on said faces of said blades, said hydrodynamic lifting surfaces including a taper.
A blood pump comprising:
- a pump housing having an inner surface;
- an impeller having an axis of rotation and a plurality of blades, each of said blades having a first face facing said inner surface of said pump housing,
- each said first including a deformed surface thereon, each said deformed surface including a taper,
- each said deformed surface forming a wedge-shaped restriction between each said blade and said inner surface of said pump housing,
- wherein fluid passing through each said wedge-shaped restriction generates a force in a direction substantially parallel to said axis of rotation.
A blood pump having an impeller, the impeller having a plurality of blades, each said blade having at least two substantially linear edges, a first of said edges having a first length, and a second of said edges having a second length, the first length being less than the second length, wherein for a first blade and a second blade that are adjacent, a first edge of said first blade having said first length is closer to a second edge of said second blade having said second length than to a first edge of said second blade having said first length.
A blood pump having an impeller, the impeller having a plurality of blades, each said blade having at least two substantially linear edges, a first of said edges having a first length, and a second of said edges having a second length, the first length being less than the second length, wherein the blades are separated by grooves and wherein material disposed within said grooves forms an incline.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.