Pump tester

1. A pump tester comprising:

a light-transmissive fluid conduit comprising an outflow path and an inflow path relative to a manifold configured for bubble insertion;

a carriage translatably disposed along at least one of: the outflow path of the conduit and the inflow path of the conduit, the carriage comprising: a first light emitting unit and a first photo-receptor;

a motor having linkage configured to translate the carriage; and

a signal processing unit comprising at least one of: (a) a circuit and (b) a microprocessor comprising a central processor and addressable memory; the signal processing unit configured to: output motor command signals based on input signals from the first photo-receptor; detect, via inserted bubble tracking, one or more pushes of a pump based on a time-interval of carriage motion; detect one or more pauses of a pump based on time-interval of carriage motion less than a threshold; collect flow data through each push-pause cycle of the pump; and add, by the signal processing unit, the collected flow data to an average value when a pause is detected following a push detection.

2. The pump tester of claim 1 wherein the linkage comprises a belt engaging a guide pulley and a drive pulley driven by a motor, wherein the translatable carriage is attached to the belt.

3. A pump tester comprising:

a light-transmissive fluid conduit configured for bubble insertion;

a translatable carriage disposed along the light-transmissive fluid conduit, the translatable carriage comprising at least one light emitting unit and at least one photo-receptor;

a motor configured to translate the translatable carriage in a translational motion relative to the light-transmissive fluid conduit; and

a signal processing unit comprising a central processor and addressable memory, the signal processing unit configured to:

detect, via at least one input signal from the at least one photo-receptor, a bubble in the light-transmissive fluid conduit;

track, via at least one output signal to the motor configured to translate the translatable carriage, the motion of the detected bubble in the light-transmissive fluid conduit; and

detect, via the tracked motion of the detected bubble in the light-transmissive fluid conduit, at least one of: one or more pushes of a pump based on a time-interval of motion by the translatable carriage, and one or more pauses of the pump based on a time-interval of motion by the translatable carriage less than a threshold.

4. The pump tester of claim 3 wherein the light-transmissive fluid conduit is a U-shaped tube configured to mate with a manifold.

5. The pump tester of claim 3 wherein the signal processing unit is further configured to:

collect flow data during at least one of: the one or more pushes of the pump based on the time-interval of motion by the translatable carriage, and the one or more pauses of the pump based on the time-interval of motion by the translatable carriage less than the threshold.

6. A pump tester comprising:

a light-transmissive U-shaped fluid conduit configured for bubble insertion;

a translatable carriage disposed along the light-transmissive fluid conduit, the translatable carriage comprising at least one light emitting unit and at least one photo-receptor;

a stepper motor configured to translate the translatable carriage in a translational motion relative to the light-transmissive U-shaped fluid conduit at a resolution smaller than a minimum spacing of multiple fixed photo-receptors; and

a signal processing unit comprising a central processor and addressable memory, the signal processing unit configured to:

detect, via at least one input signal from the at least one photo-receptor, a bubble in the light-transmissive fluid conduit; and

track, via at least one output signal to the stepper motor configured to translate the translatable carriage, the motion of the detected bubble in the light-transmissive fluid conduit, wherein the translatable carriage is translated by the stepper motor to keep the leading edge of the detected bubble proximate to a centerline of the translatable carriage; and

add flow data to an average value when a pause is detected following a push detection.

7. The pump tester of claim 6 wherein the push is detected by one or more pushes of a pump based on a time-interval of carriage motion, and the pause is detected by one or more pauses of the pump based on time-interval of carriage motion less than a threshold.