Debiotech S.a.

Eric Chappel

Frédéric Neftel

Niklaus Schneeberger

Ricardo Allendes

Stephan Proennecke

Dimitry Dumont-Fillon

Véronique Vallet

André Noth

The invention relates to a pumping device including a pump () comprising&#x2014;a pumping chamber () having a variable volume, &#x2014;an inlet () communicating with the pumping chamber () and comprising a valve, &#x2014;an outlet () communicating with the pumping chamber and comprising a valve, &#x2014;an actuator adapted to change the volume of the pumping chamber, &#x2014;a fluidic pathway comprising said inlet (), said pumping chamber (), said outlet () and a downstream line () situated downstream of the outlet valve, &#x2014;a pressure sensor () for measuring the pressure between the valves of said pathway, &#x2014;processing means for processing the received pressure data from the pressure sensor (). The invention also covers a method for detecting a dysfunction in a pumping device as defined above.

MEMS fluid pump with integrated pressure sensor for dysfunction detection

The present invention concerns a medical pump comprising: a. A hard housing comprising a top () and bottom () hard shells, within which a rigid wall () and a movable membrane () create three distinct chambers; wherein i. said movable membrane tightly separates said second () and third () chambers ii. said first and third chambers have a watertight interface iii. said second chamber () is designed to contain a fluid iv. said first chamber () comprises a first venting mean () which is arranged to provide a fluidic communication between said first chamber () and the external environment; v. said third chamber () comprises a second venting mean which is arranged to provide a fluidic communication between said third chamber () and the external environment b. A pumping element () located in the first chamber () c. A least one pressure sensor which measure the pressure gradient between the first chamber () and the second chamber () d. A fluid pathway which permits: i. a first fluid connection () between said second chamber () and said pumping element ii. a second fluid connection () between said pumping element and a patient line ().

Vented reservoir for medical pump

The present invention describes the improvements due to alternated actuation cycles to reduce the delivery errors related to the pumping chamber elasticity, the actuator relaxation or hysteresis. The method actuates a pumping device with an optimal driving voltage profile, wherein the pumping device comprises a pumping chamber including a pumping membrane and a voltage controlled actuator connected to said membrane; the movement of said membrane being defined by three positions, namely a rest, a bottom and a top position. The method includes the actuation of the membrane with a pumping pattern including at least two different cycles: Cycle A: rest-bottom-rest-top-rest Cycle B: rest-top-rest-bottom-rest. The invention also relates to a device to carry out the method.

Method for accurate and low-consumption MEMS micropump actuation and device for carrying out said method

The device presented is designed to cause, in a mode of operation referred to as 'normal' mode, a fluid to flow along this fluid path successively through the first cavity, the filter, the second cavity then the flow restrictor. The device is also designed to cause, in a mode of operation referred to as 'purge' mode, a fluid to flow along this same fluid path through the filter but in the opposite direction to the normal flow of the fluid (in the normal mode of operation). Thanks to the &#x201c;purge&#x201d; mode, the fluid will detach impurities that have become trapped on the filter in order to clean same.

System and method for cleaning a filter

Method for detecting failure including possible under or over delivery of a micropump having at least an inlet valve, a pumping chamber with an inner pressure sensor and an outlet valve, said method comprising the determination of the pump tightness via the measurement of the pressure by said inner pressure sensor in said pumping chamber at least at certain intervals when the pump is inactive and the comparison with a value of reference.

Method and system for detecting malfunction of a MEMS micropump

The invention concerns a pumping device that includes a pump having a pumping chamber with a variable volume, an inlet that communicates with the pumping chamber and a valve, an outlet that communicates with the pumping chamber and a valve, and an actuator adapted to change the volume of the pumping chamber. A fluidic pathway in the pumping device includes the inlet, the pumping chamber, the outlet, and a downstream line situated downstream of the outlet valve. The pumping device also includes a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure between the valves of the pathway, and a processing means for processing the received pressure data from the pressure sensor. The invention also concerns a method for detecting a dysfunction in the pumping device.

An adjustable passive flow regulator may be used in the field of drug delivery (liquid or gaseous, e.g. for pain management) or for draining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for hydrocephalus patient.

Adjustable passive flow regulator

The present invention describes a valve for controlling the passage of a microfluidic system. Said valve comprises a first valve element () and a second valve element () with respective first and second contact surfaces which are placed opposite to each other in such a way as to control a fluid flow through said passage. Said first valve element comprising a flexible part and a rigid part.

Microfluidic valve having improved tolerance to particles

Sensor for dynamically detecting the residual fluid volume Vof a collapsible reservoir () characterized by the fact that it is adapted to detect a threshold pressure Pwhich corresponds to a phase within said reservoir () when only said residual fluid volume Vremains, said residual volume Vcorresponding to a safety volume sufficient to ensure a safety margin to alert the user before the reservoir () is empty.

Pumping device having improved emptying detection features

The invention concerns a flow regulator, made of a stack of 3 plates, respectively a top plate including a flexible membrane (), a middle plate () with pillars and through holes and a bottom plate () with fluidic ports, micro channels and through holes (). The principle is based on the deformation of the membrane due to the pressure of the liquid. The membrane goes in contact with the pillars of the middle plate, obstructing gradually the through holes of the pillars. The device is designed to keep the flow constant in a predefined range of pressure. The device is dedicated to ultra low flow rate up to 1 ml per day or below, typically for drug infusion. Plastic flow regulators comprise preferably several independent valves coupled in parallel. The membrane plate is therefore made of several flexible membranes obstructing gradually the flow by increasing the pressure. Stress limiters are used to avoid plastic deformation of the membrane. For implanted pump, the use of a flow regulator instead of a flow restrictor has several advantages, including the possibility to reduce significantly the reservoir pressure and to generate directly the pressure during the pump filling by using an elastic drug reservoir.

Micromechanic passive flow regulator

A micropump in the form of a stack comprising, in succession, a flexible diaphragm, a pumping chamber and a closing-off plate, said pumping chamber communicating with the outside, for example via the flexible diaphragm; said diaphragm being furthermore secured to an actuator arranged outside the micropump, characterized in that said diaphragm is secured to the actuator by way of at least one element in the form of a strip, which is rigid along its main axis and flexible in the direction perpendicular to its main axis.

Growing community of inventors

Versonnex, France

Eric Chappel