JP2022138906A - Pump device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a small pump device having good responsiveness.SOLUTION: A pump device 1 includes: a base member 40 extending along a flow direction F; a flexible film member 50 having flexibility; a fixed frame 31A located at the opposite side of the base member 40 with respect to the film member 50; and multiple film control units 60 arranged along the flow direction F. The film member 50 forms a passage 15 with the base member 40 along the flow direction F. Each of the multiple film control units 60 includes: a linear member 70 formed of a shape memory alloy which contracts by heating; and a spring member 80 disposed between the fixed frame 31A and the film member 50. The linear member 70 connects the fixed frame 31A with the film member 50. The spring member 80 is configured to bias a portion of the film member 50, which is deformed by contraction of the linear member 70, toward the base member 40. The pump device 1 further includes a current control unit 100 configured to supply electric current to the linear members 70 of the multiple film control units 60 along the flow direction F sequentially.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a pump device, and more particularly to a small pump device using shape memory alloys.

Various types of pumps have been developed in the past, but in recent years, in order to make the pumps more compact, shape memory alloys that can generate energy with a simple structure have also been used ( For example, see Patent Document 1). Improving the responsiveness of pumps using such shape memory alloys is a problem.

JP 2011-226358 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly responsive, compact pump device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a compact pump device with good responsiveness is provided. This pump device includes a base member extending along the flow direction, a flexible membrane member, a fixed frame located on the opposite side of the membrane member from the base member, and arranged along the flow direction. and a plurality of membrane controllers. The membrane member forms a channel with the base member along the flow direction. Each of the plurality of membrane controllers includes a linear member made of a shape memory alloy that contracts when heated, and a spring member arranged between the fixed frame and the membrane member. The linear member connects the fixed frame and the film member. The spring member is configured to bias the portion of the membrane member deformed by the contraction of the linear member toward the base member. The pump device further includes a current control section configured to sequentially supply a current to the linear members of the plurality of membrane control sections along the flow direction.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a pump device according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the pump device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the pump device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the pump device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a membrane control unit in the pump device of FIG. 1. FIG.

An embodiment of a pump device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the same or corresponding constituent elements are given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted. In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 3, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated, and some components may be omitted. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish components from each other and indicate a particular rank or order. not a thing

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a pump device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Such a pump device 1 may be, for example, a small portable pump device used for administering medicine, but is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 1, the pump device 1 includes a storage portion 10 that stores a fluid to be transferred (for example, a drug), an output portion 20 to which the fluid from the storage portion 10 is transferred, and a fluid flow inside the storage portion 10. and a pump body 30 that conveys along direction F to the output 20 .

The pump body 30 includes a housing 31, a base member 40 housed inside the housing 31, a membrane member 50 arranged inside the housing 31 apart from the base member 40, and a deformation of the membrane member 50. and a plurality of membrane controllers 60 (60A to 60C) for controlling the The membrane member 50 is made of a flexible material such as rubber. Both the base member 40 and the membrane member 50 extend along the flow direction F, thereby forming the channel 15 along the flow direction F between the base member 40 and the membrane member 50 .

A plurality of membrane controllers 60 are arranged apart from each other along the flow direction F. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, three film control units 60 are arranged apart from each other along the flow direction F, but the number of film control units 60 is not limited to this. Each film control unit 60 includes linear members 70 (70A to 70C) made of a shape memory alloy that shrinks when heated, and spring members 80 (80A to 80C) that are arranged in pairs with the linear members 70. , and hard members 90 ( 90 A to 90 C) made of a material harder than the membrane member 50 and fixed on the membrane member 50 .

As the linear member 70, for example, a thin wire having a diameter of about 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm made of a shape memory alloy made of an alloy of nickel and titanium can be used. One end of the linear member 70 is connected to a portion 31A (hereinafter referred to as a fixed frame) located on the side opposite to the base member 40 with respect to the film member 50 among the portions constituting the housing 31, and the other end is rigid. It is connected to member 90 . When the linear member 70 is energized, the linear member 70 is heated and shrinks due to the heating. For example, heating the linear member 70 causes the length of the linear member 70 to shrink by about 5%. As a result, the portion of the film member 50 to which the linear member 70 is connected is lifted.

One end of the spring member 80 is connected to the fixed frame 31A of the housing 31, and the other end is connected to the rigid member 90. As shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the spring member 80 is in a state of being compressed and storing force. That is, the membrane member 50 is pressed against the base member 40 by the spring member 80 . The linear member 70 and the spring member 80 are configured such that the contraction force of the linear member 70 due to heating is greater than the elastic force of the spring member 80 . The spring member 80 in this embodiment is made of an electrically conductive metal, and the hard member 90 is similarly made of an electrically conductive metal. Note that in other embodiments, the spring member 80 in the state shown in FIG. 1 may have a natural length.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pump device 1 has a current control section 100 that controls the power supplied to each of the linear members 70A-70C. A linear member 70 connected to the fixed frame 31A is connected to the current control unit 100 via an electric wire 102, and a spring member 80 connected to the fixed frame 31A is connected to the current control unit 100 via an electric wire 104. It is connected. In this embodiment, since the hard member 90 and the linear member 70 are conductive, an electric circuit is configured by the electric wire 102, the linear member 70, the hard member 90, the spring member 80, and the electric wire 104. Current can be supplied to the linear member 70 of each film control unit 60 . By using the hard member 90 and the spring member 80 also as part of the electric circuit in this way, the number of parts of the pump device 1 can be reduced.

Next, the operation of the pump device 1 having such a configuration will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, when current is passed through the linear member 70A of the membrane control unit 60A by the current control unit 100, the linear member 70A is heated and contracts. Along with the contraction of the linear member 70A, the portion 50A of the membrane member 50 to which the linear member 70A is connected is lifted, and the flow path 15A at that portion expands. As a result, part of the fluid in reservoir 10 flows into channel 15A.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the current control unit 100 applies a current to the linear member 70B of the film control unit 60B and simultaneously stops the current flowing to the linear member 70A of the film control unit 60A, the line The shaped member 70A returns to its original length in a short period of time by receiving the biasing force of the spring member 80A in addition to its shape memory effect, and the flow path 15A returns to its original size. Also, the linear member 70B is heated and contracted by the energization of the linear member 70B, the portion 50B of the film member 50 to which the linear member 70B is connected is lifted, and the channel 15B of that portion is widened. In this way, the widened flow path 15A returns to its original state and the flow path 15B adjacent to this flow path 15A widens, so that the fluid existing in the flow path 15A moves to the flow path 15B.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2C, when the current control unit 100 causes the current to flow through the linear member 70C of the film control unit 60C and simultaneously stops the current flowing through the linear member 70B of the film control unit 60B, the linear The member 70B receives the biasing force of the spring member 80B in addition to its shape memory action, and returns to its original length in a short period of time, and the flow path 15B returns to its original size. Also, the linear member 70C is heated and contracted by the energization of the linear member 70C, and the portion 50C of the film member 50 to which the linear member 70C is connected is lifted, and the flow path 15C of that portion is widened. In this way, the widened flow path 15B returns to its original state and the flow path 15C adjacent to this flow path 15B widens, so that the fluid existing in the flow path 15B moves to the flow path 15C.

Then, when the current flowing through the linear member 70C of the membrane control unit 60C is stopped, the linear member 70C receives the biasing force of the spring member 80C in addition to the shape memory effect, and returns to its original length in a short time. Then, the channel 15C returns to its original size (the state shown in FIG. 1). As a result, the fluid in the flow path 15C is pushed out to the output section 20, and the fluid is transferred to the output section 20. As shown in FIG.

In this manner, the current control unit 100 repeats the sequential supply of current to the linear members 70A, 70B, and 70C of the membrane control units 60A, 60B, and 60C, thereby pulsating the membrane member 50 and of fluid can be transferred to the output 20 . At this time, the flow rate of the fluid transferred from the storage section 10 to the output section 20 can be adjusted by adjusting the cycle frequency of the electric currents that are sequentially supplied to the linear members 70A, 70B, and 70C.

In addition, when the current is no longer supplied, the linear member 70 contracted by the current supplied by the current control unit 100 receives the biasing force of the spring member 80 in addition to the shape memory effect, so that the linear member 70 returns to its original state. The time to return to the length of is shortened, and the response of the pump device 1 is improved.

In this embodiment, the linear member 70 and the spring member 80 are connected to the film member 50 via the hard member 90. They may be directly linked. However, if the linear member 70 and the spring member 80 are connected to the film member 50 via the hard member 90, the hard member 90 is fixed to the region where the force acts on the film member 50 from the linear member 70 and the spring member 80. The membrane member 50 can be deformed to increase the space for transferring the fluid.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, each membrane control part 60 is illustrated as having one linear member 70 and one spring member 80 for easy understanding. As shown in the figure, each film control unit 60 may include a rectangular plate-shaped rigid member 90 and a plurality of linear members 70 and a plurality of spring members 80 fixed to the rigid member 90 . In the example shown in FIG. 3, three linear members 70 are arranged in the central portion of each hard member 90, and two spring members 80 are arranged so as to sandwich these linear members 70 therebetween.

In the above-described embodiment, the spring member 80 and the hard member 90 are made of a conductive material, and the electrical circuit is formed by the electric wire 102, the linear member 70, the hard member 90, the spring member 80, and the electric wire 104. Spring member 80 and rigid member 90 do not have to be made of an electrically conductive material. For example, by forming only the spring member 80 from a conductive material and electrically connecting the spring member 80 to the linear member 70, an electric circuit is formed by the electric wire 102, the linear member 70, the spring member 80, and the electric wire 104. may be formed. If neither the spring member 80 nor the hard member 90 is made of a conductive material, the electric wire 104 is connected to the end of the linear member 70 on the hard member 90 side.

In the illustrated example, the hard member 90 is arranged on the membrane member 50, but the hard member 90 may be embedded in the membrane member 50 and fixed.

As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, a small-sized pump device with good responsiveness is provided. This pump device includes a base member extending along the flow direction, a flexible membrane member, a fixed frame located on the opposite side of the membrane member from the base member, and arranged along the flow direction. and a plurality of membrane controllers. The membrane member forms a channel with the base member along the flow direction. Each of the plurality of membrane controllers includes a linear member made of a shape memory alloy that contracts when heated, and a spring member arranged between the fixed frame and the membrane member. The linear member connects the fixed frame and the film member. The spring member is configured to bias the portion of the membrane member deformed by the contraction of the linear member toward the base member. The pump device further includes a current control section configured to sequentially supply a current to the linear members of the plurality of membrane control sections along the flow direction.

According to such a configuration, by sequentially supplying a current to the linear members of the plurality of membrane controllers by the current control section, the linear members of the plurality of membrane controllers can be heated and contracted in order. can. As a result, the portions of the membrane member to which the linear members are connected can be sequentially deformed to pulsate the membrane member, so that the fluid in the flow path can be transferred along the flow direction. In addition, when the current is no longer supplied to the contracted linear member, the linear member receives the biasing force of the spring member in addition to its shape memory effect. Improves responsiveness.

Each of the plurality of film control units may further include a hard member made of a material harder than the film member. The rigid member is fixed to the film member and connected to the linear member and the spring member. By connecting the linear member and the spring member to such a hard member, the area where the linear member and the spring member exert force on the membrane member can be expanded to the area where the hard member is fixed, and the membrane member can be expanded. It can be deformed to increase the space for transferring fluid.

The spring member and the hard member of each of the plurality of membrane control units may have electrical conductivity. In this case, the current control section may be configured to supply the current to the linear member via the spring member and the hard member of each of the plurality of film control sections.

Each of the spring members of the plurality of membrane controllers may have electrical conductivity. In this case, the current control section may be configured to supply the current to the linear member via the respective spring members of the plurality of film control sections.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be embodied in various forms within the scope of its technical concept.

Reference Signs List 1 pump device 10 reservoir 15 channel 20 output 30 pump body 31 housing 31A fixed frame 40 base member 50 membrane member 60 membrane control section 70 linear member 80 spring member 90 hard member 100 current control section F flow direction

Claims (4)

a base member extending along the direction of flow;
a membrane member having flexibility, the membrane member forming a channel between itself and the base member along the flow direction;
a fixed frame located on the side opposite to the base member with respect to the membrane member;
A plurality of membrane control units arranged along the flow direction,
a linear member formed of a shape memory alloy that shrinks when heated, the linear member connecting the fixed frame and the film member;
a plurality of spring members arranged between the fixed frame and the membrane member and configured to bias the portion of the membrane member deformed by the contraction of the linear member toward the base member. a membrane controller of
and a current control unit configured to sequentially supply a current to the linear members of the plurality of membrane control units along the flow direction. Each of the plurality of film control units further includes a hard member formed of a material harder than the film member, fixed to the film member, and connected to the linear member and the spring member. 2. The pumping device of claim 1, comprising: the spring member and the hard member of each of the plurality of membrane control units have electrical conductivity;
The current control unit is configured to supply the current to the linear member via the spring member and the hard member of each of the plurality of membrane control units.
3. Pumping device according to claim 2. each of the spring members of the plurality of membrane control units has conductivity,
The current control unit is configured to supply the current to the linear member via the spring member of each of the plurality of membrane control units.
3. Pumping device according to claim 1 or 2.

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