Undulating-membrane fluid circulator
The present invention relates to an undulating-membrane fluid circulator having an intake port ( 3 ), a pump housing ( 4 ) delimiting a propulsion chamber ( 5 ), a discharge port ( 6 ), and an undulating membrane ( 2 ) paired with a drive means permitting an undulating movement of the membrane ( 2 ) between the upstream ( 8 ) and downstream ( 9 ) edges thereof, the undulating membrane ( 2 ) being capable of moving a fluid towards the discharge port ( 6 ). According to the invention, the circulator further comprises at least one means ( 7 ) for guiding the fluid, said means being disposed in the fluid propulsion chamber ( 5 ) near one of the edges ( 8, 9 ) of the undulating membrane ( 2 ) and making it possible to channel the fluid flow in a direction substantially parallel to the displacement of the wave along the membrane ( 2 ).
1. An undulating-membrane fluid circulator comprising:
at least one intake port, a pump housing delimiting a propulsion chamber,
at least one discharge port, and
a deformable membrane paired with an actuator configured to generate an undulating movement of the deformable membrane between a first edge and a second edge, the deformable membrane configured to undulate in a wave-like manner and move a fluid towards the discharge port,
wherein the fluid circulator comprises a first guiding structure disposed in the fluid propulsion chamber coupled to an edge of the deformable membrane, wherein the first guiding structure is configured to guide the fluid from a first direction substantially parallel to the deformable membrane to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the first guiding structure is positioned between the deformable membrane and at least a portion of the actuator.
2. The fluid circulator according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid circulator comprises a second guiding structure, wherein the first guiding structure is disposed near a first edge of the deformable membrane and wherein the second guiding structure is disposed near a second edge of the deformable membrane.
3. The fluid circulator according to claim 2 , wherein the first guiding structure comprises a baffle.
4. The fluid circulator according to claim 3 , wherein the baffle is flexible.
5. The fluid circulator according to claim 3 , wherein the baffle is disposed substantially parallel to the deformable membrane.
6. The fluid circulator according to claim 2 , wherein the second guiding structure is elastically connected to a movable portion of the actuator, such that the second guiding structure is guided in an elastically deformable manner relative to the movable portion.
7. The fluid circulator according to claim 2 , wherein the second guiding structure comprises a baffle and the baffle is secured to the pump housing.
8. The fluid circulator according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding structure comprises at least one heat transfer element that is capable of varying the temperature of the fluid.
9. The fluid circulator according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding structure is disposed at a distance from the first or second edge of the deformable membrane of less than one fiftieth of a length separating the first and second edges of the deformable membrane.
10. The fluid circulator according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid circulator comprises a second guiding structure connected via a flexible connection to the first edge or the second edge of the deformable membrane, the second guiding structure, together with the deformable membrane and the flexible connection, forming a tight barrier between two different spaces of the propulsion chamber separated from one another by the deformable membrane.
11. An undulating-membrane fluid circulator comprising:
at least one intake port,
a pump housing delimiting a propulsion chamber,
at least one discharge port, and
a deformable membrane paired with a drive configured to generate an undulating movement of the deformable membrane between a first edge and a second edge, the deformable membrane configured to undulate in a wave-like manner and move a fluid towards the discharge port,
wherein the fluid circulator comprises a first guiding structure configured to guide the fluid disposed in the fluid propulsion chamber, coupled to an edge of the deformable membrane, positioned between at least a portion of the drive and the deformable membrane, and configured to cause the fluid to transition from a first direction to a second direction different than the first direction and substantially parallel to the deformable membrane.
12. The fluid circulator according to claim 11 , further comprising a second guiding structure disposed in the fluid propulsion chamber, wherein the first guiding structure is disposed near a first edge of the deformable membrane and wherein the second guiding structure is disposed near a second edge of the deformable membrane.
13. The fluid circulator according to claim 11 , wherein the second guiding structure comprises a baffle.