IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,371,150
Granted Patent B2
US 10,371,150 · App. 15/696,610 · Granted Aug 6, 2019

Blood pump with separate mixed-flow and axial-flow impeller stages, components therefor and related methods

Inventors: Jingchun Wu (Irvine, CA); Josiah Verkaik (Lompoc, CA)
Assignee: WorldHeart Corp.
F04D3/00A61M1/101A61M1/125A61M1/1012A61M1/122Y10T29/49245
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,371,150
App. No.
15/696,610
Granted
Aug 6, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A rotordynamic pump for delivering continuous flow of fluids, such as blood, is provided. In one embodiment, the pump includes a stator housing having an inlet and an outlet. A rotor hub is disposed within the stator housing having a first, mixed-stage impeller and a second, axial-flow stage impellers. One or more stator vanes and extend radially inwardly from the stator housing. In one particular embodiment, the second stage impeller is disposed nearer to the outlet than to the inlet. The stator vanes may include a first set of stator vanes disposed between the first and second stage impellers, and a second set of stator vanes positioned between the second stage impellers and the outlet.

Claims (38)

1. An implantable blood pump comprising:

including a stator housing having a diverging inlet and a converging outlet;

a rotor including a rotor hub defining an annulus between the rotor hub and the stator housing, the rotor hub having a leading portion proximate the inlet and a trailing portion proximate the outlet;

a first stage impeller blade coupled to the rotor hub at the leading portion;

a second stage impeller blade coupled to the rotor hub between the leading portion and the trailing portion, the second stage impeller blade defining a second stage impeller blade clearance between the second stage impeller blade and the stator housing; and

a stator vane extending inwardly from the stator housing proximate the outlet and defining a stator vane clearance within the annulus between the stator vane and the rotor hub, the stator vane clearance including a length greater than a length of the second stage impeller blade clearance.

2. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor includes a mixed-flow first stage including the first stage impeller blade.

3. The implantable blood pump of claim 2 , wherein the rotor includes a single axial-flow second stage including the second stage impeller blade.

4. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor hub is configured to operate at a speed of approximately 14,000 rotations per minute.

5. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor hub includes a diameter between 12 to 13 millimeters.

6. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , wherein leading portion and the trailing portion of the rotor hub include a conical geometry.

7. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the second stage impeller blade clearance and the stator vane clearance include a width of 0.1 to 0.2 millimeters.

8. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor hub includes a length of approximately 106 millimeters.

9. The implantable blood pump of claim 1 , further comprising a shroud coupled to the first stage impeller blade.

10. An implantable blood pump comprising:

including a stator housing having a diverging inlet and a converging outlet and defining a fluid pathway from the inlet to the outlet;

a rotor including a rotor hub disposed within the stator housing and defining an annulus between the rotor hub and the stator housing, the rotor hub having a diameter between approximately 12 to 13 millimeters, a leading portion proximate the inlet, a trailing portion proximate the outlet, and an intermediate portion spanning between the leading portion and the trailing portion;

a plurality of first stage impeller blades coupled to the leading portion of the rotor hub;

a plurality of second stage impeller blades coupled to the intermediate portion of the rotor hub, the plurality of second stage impeller blades defining an impeller blade clearance between each of the plurality of second stage impeller blades and the stator housing; and

a plurality of stator vanes extending from the stator housing proximate the outlet and defining a stator vane clearance between each of the plurality of stator vanes and the rotor hub, the impeller blade clearance being of a length less than a length of the stator vane clearance.

11. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the rotor includes a mixed-flow stage including the plurality of first stage impeller blades.

12. The implantable blood pump of claim 11 , wherein the rotor includes an axial-flow stage including the plurality of second stage impeller blades.

13. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , further comprising a shroud coupled to the plurality of first stage impeller blades.

14. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of first stage impeller blades are configured to increase a pressure within the stator housing to a first pressure and the plurality of second stage impeller blades are configured to increase the pressure within the stator housing to a second pressure, the second pressure being greater than the first pressure.

15. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the rotor hub includes an operational speed of approximately 14,000 rotations per minute.

16. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the impeller blade clearance and the stator vane clearance include a width of 0.1 to 0.2 millimeters.

17. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the rotor hub is of a cylindrical shape and the leading portion and the trailing portion each include a conical geometry.

18. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the rotor hub includes a length of approximately 106 millimeters.

19. The implantable blood pump of claim 10 , wherein the leading portion of the rotor hub includes a width increasing in a direction toward the outlet, and the trailing portion of the rotor hub includes a width decreasing in the direction toward the outlet.

20. An implantable blood pump configured to provide continuous fluid flow comprising:

including a stator housing having a diverging inlet and a converging outlet;

a rotor including a rotor hub defining an annulus between the rotor hub and the stator housing, the rotor hub configured to rotate at a speed of approximately 14,000 rotations per minute and having:

a diameter between 12 to 13 millimeters;

a leading portion proximate the inlet including a mixed-flow first stage impeller blade coupled thereto;

a trailing portion proximate the outlet;

an intermediate portion spanning between the leading portion and the trailing portion, the intermediate portion including an axial-flow second stage impeller blade coupled thereto, the axial-flow second stage impeller blade defining an impeller blade clearance between the rotor hub and the stator housing within the annulus; and

a stator vane extending from the stator housing proximate the outlet and defining a stator vane clearance between the stator vane and the rotor hub; and

including the impeller blade clearance being of a length less than a length of the stator vane clearance.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 3, 2017
From: WU, JINGCHUN; VERKAIK, JOSIAH
To: HEARTWARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 043769/0068 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 13275912 · Oct 18, 2011
Provisional Application 61394213 · Oct 18, 2010
Provisional Application 61394220 · Oct 18, 2010
Related Publication 20180100507A1 · Apr 12, 2018
Cited By (15)
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