IP Library Granted Patent US 7,748,964
Granted Patent B2
US 7,748,964 · App. 11/087,851 · Granted Jul 6, 2010

Blood pump apparatus

Assignees: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha; NTN Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,748,964
App. No.
11/087,851
Granted
Jul 6, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A blood pump apparatus comprises a housing, a centrifugal pump section including an impeller and rotating inside the housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force, an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller and rotating said impeller; and a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section, each of the grooves for hydrodynamic bearing having a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other; said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs are different from each other.

Claims (30)

1. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus comprising:

a housing having a blood inlet port and a blood outlet port;

a centrifugal pump section including an impeller having a magnetic material and rotating inside said housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force generated during a rotation thereof;

an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller of said centrifugal pump section and rotating said impeller; and

a portion, in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed, provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section or a surface of said impeller at said side of said impeller rotational torque generation section,

said impeller being rotated without contacting said housing,

wherein a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing are formed on said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed;

each of said grooves for hydrodynamic bearing has a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other;

said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs are different from each other;

a value relating to a groove depth ratio a (a=h 1 /h 2 ) computed from a distance h 1 between said impeller and said housing in said groove for hydrodynamic bearing of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed during a rotation of said impeller and from a distance h 2 between said impeller and said housing in a hydrodynamic bearing groove-non-present portion of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed during said rotation of said impeller is in a range of 1.5 to 2.5; and

a value relating to a groove width ratio s (s=B 0 /B) computed from a width B 0 of a peripheral portion of each groove for hydrodynamic bearing and a sum B (B=B 0 +B 1 ) of said width B 0 and a width B 1 of a hydrodynamic bearing groove-non-present portion between peripheral portions of adjacent grooves for hydrodynamic bearing is in a range of 0.6 to 0.8.

2. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein 6 to 36 grooves for hydrodynamic bearing are formed on said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed.

3. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein four corners of said groove for hydrodynamic bearing are rounded.

4. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said third side and said fourth side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that said circular arcs have a same center and different radii.

5. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said impeller rotational torque generation section has a rotor having a magnet for attracting thereto said magnetic material of said impeller and a motor for rotating said rotor; and said groove for hydrodynamic bearing is provided on a rotor-side inner surface of said housing or a rotor-side surface of said impeller.

6. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said impeller rotational torque generation section comprises a plurality of stator coils, disposed circumferentially, for attracting said magnetic material of said impeller and rotating said impeller; and said groove for hydrodynamic bearing is provided on a stator coil-side inner surface of said housing or a stator coil-side surface of said impeller.

7. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus comprising:

a housing having a blood inlet port and a blood outlet port;

a centrifugal pump section including an impeller having a magnetic material and rotating inside said housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force generated during a rotation thereof;

an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller of said centrifugal pump section and rotating said impeller; and

a portion, in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed, provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section or a surface of said impeller at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section,

said impeller being rotated without contacting said housing,

wherein a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing are formed on said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed;

each of said grooves for hydrodynamic bearing has a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other;

said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs are different from each other; and

four corners composed of said four sides are rounded.

8. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said four corners of said groove for hydrodynamic bearing are rounded at not less than 0.1 mm.

9. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said third side and said fourth side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that said circular arcs have a same center and different radii.

10. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said impeller rotational torque generation section has a rotor having a magnet for attracting thereto said magnetic material of said impeller and a motor for rotating said rotor; and said groove for hydrodynamic bearing is provided on a rotor-side inner surface of said housing or a rotor-side surface of said impeller.

11. A centrifugal blood pump apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said impeller rotational torque generation section comprises a plurality of stator coils, disposed circumferentially, for attracting said magnetic material of said impeller and rotating said impeller; and said groove for hydrodynamic bearing is provided on a stator coil-side inner surface of said housing or a stator coil-side surface of said impeller.

Assignments (5)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 19, 2017
From: THORATEC CORPORATION
To: THORATEC LLC
Reel/Frame 041428/0327 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2017
From: THORATEC LLC
To: TC1 LLC
Reel/Frame 041428/0685 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2013
From: TERUMO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: THORATEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 030964/0955 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2013
From: NTN CORPORATION
To: TERUMO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 030884/0538 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 6, 2005
From: YAEGASHI, MITSUTOSHI; ASADA, TAKEHIKO; MORI, TAKEHISA; OZAKI, TAKAYOSHI; SUZUKI, KENICHI
To: TERUMO KABUSHIKI KAISHA; NTN CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 016736/0191 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2004-088108 · Mar 24, 2004 · national
JP 2004-103573 · Mar 31, 2004 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20050287022A1 · Dec 29, 2005