Calon Cardio Technology Limited

Marine Power Systems Limited

Berlin Heart Gmbh

Hi-lex Cable System Company Limited

University of London

Graham Foster

Gareth Stockman

John Chapman

Hendryk Richert

Kevin Fernquest

Adam Richards

Ashley Norman

Robyn Williams

Alessandra Molteni

Bryony Redfearn

Peter Hill

Christopher Moriarty

Me Cunningham

Alia Javaid

John Christopher Chapman

Gareth Ian Stockman

A wave energy capturing device arranged to capture and convert wave energy to useful energy when positioned in an operating mode. The device includes a pivot point and a buoyant wave energy absorber affixed to the pivot point. The device has an operating mode where the device is arranged to capture wave energy. In the operating mode the pivot point is supported above the surface of a body of water and is held substantially stationary relative to wave movement. The buoyant absorber is engaged with the surface of the body of water at an operating location positioned downwave of the pivot point and wherein the absorber is arranged to rotate about the pivot point. The rotation defining a rotation arc of the absorber along which the absorber is arranged to reciprocate in the operating mode. The disclosure aims to provide improved capture of wave energy for conversion to useful energy.

Wave energy capturing device

A drive assembly is provided suitable for aiding in the conversion of wave energy to useful energy. The drive assembly of the present invention is arranged to transfer wave energy to an energy converter, the drive assembly comprising a wave energy capturing member; and a lever arm coupled to the wave energy capturing member, the lever arm being movable between a first stroke position and a second stroke position to define a working stroke; wherein the lever arm is arranged to be coupled to an energy converter and is further arranged to transfer energy from the wave energy capturing member to said energy converter; further wherein the wave energy capturing member is arranged to move the lever arm between the first stroke position and the second stroke position; and wherein the first stroke position and the second stroke position define distal end points of the working stroke; the working stroke arranged so as to drive said energy converter.

Drive assembly

A drive assembly is provided suitable for aiding in the conversion of wave energy to useful energy. The drive assembly of the present invention is arranged to transfer wave energy to an energy converter, the drive assembly comprising, an actuating member having an actuating length. The drive assembly further comprises a movable energy transfer member arranged to be coupled to an energy converter and arranged to transfer energy from the actuating member to said energy converter. The drive assembly further comprises an energy storing member comprising a biasing member coupled to one or more of: the actuating member, the energy transfer member; the energy storing member being arranged to cause the actuating member or the energy transfer member to move position. The actuating member is arranged to move the energy transfer member from a first stroke position to a second stroke position; and the first stroke position and the second stroke position define distal end points of a working stroke; the working stroke arranged so as to drive said energy converter.

Assembly for transferring wave energy to an energy converter

A fluid pump for conveying a fluid is provided comprising: a housing with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a rotor which is disposed rotatably about an axis of rotation in the housing, and a rotor body and at least one conveying element connected rigidly to the rotor body in order to convey the fluid from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, the rotor being mounted in the housing radially to the axis of rotation by means of a passive magnetic bearing and also axially and radially by means of a mechanical and/or hydrodynamic bearing disposed on the inlet side or outlet side. A safety bearing is disposed on one side of the rotor situated opposite the mechanical and/or hydrodynamic bearing, wherein the safety bearing has a first safety bearing component connected rigidly to the rotor and a second safety bearing component connected rigidly to the housing.

Fluid pump

A cardiac pump includes a plain bearing assembly having a first plain bearing portion that is coupled to a cardiac pump rotor and a second lain bearing portion that is coupled to a cardiac pump housing. The plain bearing assembly is configured to rotatably support the cardiac pump rotor within the cardiac pump housing in at least an axial direction of the cardiac pump rotor. A magnetic bearing assembly includes a first magnetic bearing portion that is coupled to the cardiac pump rotor and a second magnetic bearing portion that is coupled to the cardiac pump housing. The magnetic bearing assembly is configured to rotatably support the cardiac pump rotor within the cardiac pump housing in a radial direction of the cardiac pump rotor and bias the cardiac pump rotor in the axial direction such that the magnetic bearing assembly provides a preload force to preload the plain bearing assembly.

Cardiac pump

A plain bearing assembly for a cardiac pump, the plain bearing assembly comprising; a rotational portion which, in use, rotates with a cardiac pump rotor, the rotational portion configured to engage a stationary portion of a cardiac pump housing, the stationary portion comprising one or more first bearing surfaces and the rotational portion comprising one or more second bearing surfaces, the one or more second bearing surfaces configured so as to be in contact with the one or more first bearing surfaces, therein defining a bearing interface between the one or more first bearing surfaces and the one or more second bearing surfaces during rotation of the rotational portion, wherein the rotational portion comprises one or more first flow channels configured to interrupt the bearing interface and permit blood to flow between an outside of the plain bearing assembly and a center of the plain bearing assembly.

Bearing for a cardiac pump

The generator comprises: at least one energy capturing float () which is movable in response to wave motion; a reaction member () to be positioned below the energy capturing float; connecting lines () for connecting the at least one energy capturing float to the reaction member and defining a spacing (D) between the energy capturing float and the reaction member; energy converters () for converting relative movement between the reaction member and at least one respective energy capturing float to useful energy. The generator includes depth setting means such as adjustable lines () connected to auxiliary floats () or adjustable mooring lines () securing the reaction member to the sea bed B for setting the depth (D) of the reaction member in the sea.

Wave powered generator

A subsurface reaction body arranged for use in apparatus for converting wave motion in a body of water to useful energy is provided. The subsurface reaction body is arranged to be selectively filled with air to a maximum buoyancy configuration and to be filled with water to a minimum buoyancy configuration. The subsurface reaction body has an arrangement of chambers therein to inhibit free flow of water through the reaction body and to define at least one further preset buoyancy configuration between the respective maximum and minimum configuration.

Reaction body for wave energy apparatus

The cardiac pump, which is suitable for implantation into a ventricle of a human heart, has a primary blood flow path through a housing, a rotatable pump member disposed within the housing for causing blood to flow along the primary flow path, the pump member being rotatably coupled to the housing about an upstream bearing and a downstream bearing. The pump member includes an impeller shroud defining a secondary flow path in fluid communication with the primary flow path. The downstream bearing comprises a rotational bearing member and a stationary bearing seat for the bearing member, there being a circumferential transition between the bearing seat and the bearing member, the circumferential transition being disposed in the secondary flow path and arranged to be washed by blood passing along the secondary flow path.

The generator comprises a float () which is movable in response to wave motion in a body of water, a submersible reaction member () of adjustable buoyancy, with at least two buoyancy configurations, connected to the float and arranged to resist movement of the float caused by the wave motion, an energy converter () for converting such reciprocal movement to useful energy; and biasing means such as a springfor directionally biasing the reciprocal movement. Displacement of the float relative to the reaction member is permitted and reciprocal movement generated in response to such displacement.

The pump is of an axial flow rotary type suitable for implantation into the human heart or vascular system. The pump has an elongate tubular casing () including an electric motor () and defining an inlet () for blood, an outlet () for blood longitudinally spaced from the inlet and a substantially axial blood flow path () from the inlet to the outlet. An elongate rotatable element () is arranged to fit within the casing with spacing () between an outer surface of the rotatable element and an inner surface of the casing; the rotatable element comprises an electric motor rotor portion () arranged to be driven by the electric motor stator and a primary substantially axial blood flow path along the inside of the rotatable element. A rotary impeller () is provided axially spaced from the rotor portion for impelling blood along the primary flow path.

Reduced diameter axial rotary pump for cardiac assist

An anchoring device for anchoring an elongate member to a fixed member having a slot leading to an edge thereof, wherein the elongate member passes through the slot; the anchoring device comprising a sleeve which is fixable coaxially around said elongate member and which is provided with a peripheral groove that has an axial length sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the fixed member at said slot and has an outer dimension being less than the inner dimension of the slot; the anchoring device further comprising a collar member which is carried by, and axially moveable along, said sleeve, said collar member having a leading edge which extends into said groove and engages the edge of the slot when the anchoring device is located within said slot, the collar member being arranged such that the leading edge of the collar is withdrawn from the groove by moving the collar member along the sleeve in an axial direction away from the slot.

Anchoring means for the sheath of a bowden cable

The apparatus for implantation into a human heart comprises a pump () having an electrical motor (), an inlet () for blood to be located in a first chamber of the heart; an outlet () for blood to be located in a second chamber of the heart; fixing means () for fixing the apparatus to a wall of the heart with the inlet in the first chamber and the outlet in the second chamber, an elongate conduit () which extends from the fixing means to the pump, and an electrical conductor () for connecting to the motor, the conductor extending along the conduit.

Heart assist apparatus

The apparatus is a ventricular assist device comprising: a pump with a housing having therein radial a impeller, and a rotor for driving the impeller, both the rotor and the impeller being hydrodynamically suspended within the housing in us, the pump further including a stator for driving the rotor; an inlet cannula section arranged to extend from an internal part of the ventricle to straddle the wall of the ventricle, the stator being within the inlet cannula section to be located in the internal part of the ventricle; and an outlet for blood driven by the impeller such that the pump is a radial pump. Both the outlet and the impeller are arranged to reside outside of the heart.

Growing community of inventors

Swansea, United Kingdom

Graham Foster