HK1215061B - Tube stabilizer and tube pump - Google Patents

Description

Tube fixing member and tube pump

This application is a divisional application of application No. 201080051251.2 filed on 11/5/2012.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a tube pump in which rollers pressing a tube are moved along the tube and the liquid inside the tube is transported by peristaltic movement of the tube.

Background

As a device for conveying a small amount of liquid, a tube pump (tube pump) which moves a roller pressing a tube along the tube and conveys the liquid inside the tube by peristaltic movement of the tube (tube) as described in U.S. patent publication No. 5, 356, 267 (hereinafter, referred to as patent document 1) is widely used.

Fig. 10 is a side sectional view of a tube pump of a conventional structure. As shown in fig. 10, the tube pump 201 includes a drive motor 210, a gear box 220, and a pump main body 300. A rotary shaft 211 of the driving motor 210 is connected to a gear box 220. The gear box 220 transmits the rotational motion of the rotary shaft 211 to an output shaft 221 of the gear box 220 while reducing the speed.

The pump body 300 includes a cover 310, a rotor 320, and a base 340. The cap 310 has a substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface 311. The pipe 360 of the tube pump 201 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface 311 of the cap 310.

The rotor 320 includes a rotor body 321, a roller 322, and a roller presser 323. The rotor main body 321 includes a disk portion 321g and a main support shaft 321f extending from substantially the center of the disk portion 321g toward the cover 310. The roller presser member 323 is a substantially disk-shaped member disposed on the cover 310 side with respect to the rotor body 321, and sandwiches and holds the roller 322 between the rotor body 321 and the roller presser member 323. The rotor 320 is rotatably supported with respect to the cover 310, and the rollers 322 revolve along the inner circumferential surface 311 of the cover 310 by rotating the rotor 320. When the rotor 320 rotates, the tube 360 is pressed between the roller 322 and the inner circumferential surface 311 of the cover 310 to perform a peristaltic motion, and transports the liquid inside the tube 360.

The base 340 is fixed to the gear case 220 by bolts not shown. The cover 310 is detachably attached to the base 340. When the cover 310 housing the pipe 360 and the rotor 320 is attached to the base 340, the output shaft of the gear box 220 is engaged with the rotor body 321, and the rotor 320 can be rotated by driving the drive motor 210.

On the other hand, in a tube pump that moves a roller for flattening a flexible tube along the tube to convey a liquid in the tube, the tube may be often pushed by the roller and pulled in a moving direction of the roller. When the tube is dragged, the extra length of the upstream tube is gradually shortened, and therefore, the tube needs to be straightened periodically. Therefore, a tube fixing member that fixes the upstream side and/or the downstream side of the tube to the tube pump main body is used, so that such dragging of the tube does not occur. Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2007-198150 (hereinafter, referred to as patent document 2) discloses a tube pump using a tube fixing member (support member 4d) formed by bending a wire (wire) in a gate shape. In the tube pump of patent document 2, two circular holes are formed in the front surface of a main body housing (housing) that houses a drive motor, and both ends of a tube holder are inserted into the two circular holes, whereby a tube is fixed between the tube holder and the main body housing. The pipe fixing device of patent document 2 has a small number of parts (consisting of only one part), and the fixing/fixing release of the outer pipe can be completed only by the extraction and insertion (1 process) of the pipe fixing device, and therefore, is excellent in terms of part cost and workability.

Disclosure of Invention

In the tube pump 201 of the conventional configuration shown in fig. 10, a protrusion 341 protruding toward the cover 310 side is formed on the base 340. The protrusion 341 is provided between the packing roller 322 and the inner circumferential surface 311 of the cover 310 so that the tube 360 is not detached from the roller 322 even if the tube 360 moves to the base 340 side.

As described above, in the tube pump of the conventional structure, the base 340 is provided with the protrusion 341 which is a mechanism for preventing the tube 360 from bulging. Since the protruding portion 341 is inserted between the roller 322 and the inner circumferential surface 311 of the cover 310, in order to ensure the rigidity of the protruding portion 341, the distance between the roller 322 and the inner circumferential surface 311 of the cover 310 needs to be increased. That is, in the tube pump of the conventional configuration, when the bulging of the tube is suppressed, the size of the tube pump inevitably increases, and it is difficult to downsize the tube pump.

In the tube pump 201 of the conventional configuration, the tube 360 contacts the projection 341 to generate a force in a direction of pulling the cover 310 away from the base 340, and the cover 310, particularly the claw 314 for engaging the cover 310 with the base 340 may be damaged by the force.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, a first object of the present invention is to provide a tube pump which is small and less likely to cause damage to a cap.

In addition, the tube pump 201 of the conventional configuration shown in fig. 10 applies a large torque to the main support shaft 321 f. Therefore, the diameter of the main support shaft 321f is enlarged. Therefore, when the size of the tube pump 201 is reduced, the diameter of the roller 322 has to be reduced. Also, when the diameter of the roller 322 is small, the contact area of the roller 322 and the tube 360 becomes small. As a result, a concentrated load is applied to the tube 360, and the tube is fatigued in a short period of time.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, a second object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized tube pump capable of increasing the diameter of a roller for pressing a tube.

In the tube pump 201 of the conventional configuration shown in fig. 10, the output shaft 221 of the gear box 220 is fixed to an engagement hole 321e formed in the disk portion 321g of the rotor body 321. The cross-sectional shapes of the output shaft 221 and the engagement hole 321e are non-circular in order to transmit a large torque from the output shaft 221 to the rotor body 321. Therefore, when the output shaft 221 of the gear box is attached to the rotor, the output shaft 221 needs to be accommodated in the engagement hole 321e by positional sliding engagement. In order to efficiently perform the sliding fit at such a position, it is preferable to perform the sliding fit in a state where the gear case 220 is separated from the rotor body 321 to some extent. That is, the output shaft 221 and the engagement hole 321e are preferably sufficiently long in the longitudinal direction. When the tube pump can be made large in size, the longitudinal dimensions of the output shaft 221 and the engagement hole 321e can be made large. However, in a small-sized tube pump, the longitudinal dimensions of the output shaft 221 and the engagement hole 321e cannot be made large. Therefore, in the small-sized tube pump 201 shown in fig. 10, in order to fit the output shaft 221 into the engagement hole 321e, it is necessary to perform the sliding engagement of the output shaft 221 and the rotor body 321 in a state where the cover 310 is brought close to the base 340. Since such a slip-fitting operation is not a simple operation, the conventional tube pump takes a relatively long time in the assembling process.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, a third object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized tube pump capable of coupling a drive unit including a drive motor and a gear box to a rotor with a simple operation.

The tube pump described in patent document 2 takes the following problems into consideration. That is, in the conventional fixing method disclosed in patent document 2, the force for holding the pipe by the pipe fixing (in other words, the amount of deformation of the pipe) greatly varies depending on the amount of insertion of both ends of the pipe fixing into the circular hole. Since it is difficult to accurately control the amount of insertion of the tube fastener into the circular hole, large variations cannot be avoided in the tube holding force generated by the conventional tube fastener as described in patent document 2. Therefore, the pipe is insufficiently fixed by the pipe fixing member, and the pipe is dragged, or conversely, the pipe is excessively pressed to reduce the flow rate, and there are often problems such as deterioration and damage of the pipe.

In order to achieve the first object, a tube pump according to the present invention includes a rotor having a roller and held so as to be capable of revolving along an inner peripheral surface of a cover, the rotor having a disk portion holding the roller on a base side, a tube holding member provided on an outer peripheral portion of the disk portion, the tube holding member engaging with the disk portion so as not to move to the base side of the disk portion, covering a gap with the inner peripheral surface of the cover, and being capable of rotating along the outer peripheral portion of the disk portion.

According to the above configuration, since the tube is prevented from bulging by the tube pressing member attached to the rotor, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for preventing the tube from bulging on the base. Thus, a small-sized tube pump is realized. When the pipe abuts against the pipe pressing member, the pipe pressing member is brought into a stationary state by a frictional force acting between the pipe and the pipe pressing member. Therefore, even if the rotor rotates, the tube is not dragged by the tube press, and the load applied to the tube and the tube press is small. In the structure in which the bulging of the tube is suppressed by the rotor itself, the tube is dragged by the rotor when the tube abuts against the rotor, and the tube may be damaged.

The outer peripheral surface of the disk portion may be formed with a step portion having a large diameter on the base side, and the pipe pressing member may be an annular member having a step portion formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof to engage with the step portion of the disk portion.

The rotor may have a roller presser member for sandwiching and holding the roller between the rotor and the disk portion. In this case, a rotor support shaft extending toward the base may be formed on the cover, a main support shaft extending toward the roller presser member may be formed substantially at the center of the disk portion, and a bearing hole into which the rotor support shaft is inserted so that the rotor is rotatable about the rotor support shaft may be formed in the roller presser member and the main support shaft of the disk portion.

The rotor may have a roller holding member for holding the roller between the rotor and the disk portion, a main support shaft extending toward the roller holding member and having a tip end portion abutting against the roller holding member may be formed substantially at the center of the disk portion, and a rib may be formed between the disk portion and the main support shaft.

The rib may be provided with an engaging portion that engages with the roller presser member and transmits the rotational motion of the disk portion to the roller presser member.

The engaging portion of the rib may be a protruding portion protruding toward the roller presser member. In this case, a hole for accommodating the protruding portion is formed in the roller presser member.

A hole extending in the axial direction may be formed in the center portion of the roller, and a roller support shaft extending toward the roller presser member and received in the hole of the roller to rotatably support the roller may be formed in the disk portion.

The tube pump may further have: a drive unit fixed to the base and configured to rotationally move the rotor so as to cause the roller to perform revolution movement; and a connecting shaft that transmits the rotational motion of the output shaft of the drive unit to the rotor. In this case, the rotor includes a roller presser member for holding the roller between the rotor and the disk portion, a main support shaft extending toward the roller presser member and having a tip portion abutting on the roller presser member is formed substantially at the center of the disk portion, a positioning shaft portion having a non-circular cross section is formed at an end portion of the coupling shaft on the rotor side, and an engagement shaft portion having a non-circular cross section larger in diameter than the positioning shaft portion is formed at a portion of the coupling shaft on the drive unit side than the positioning shaft portion. Further, a positioning hole portion engageable with the positioning shaft portion may be formed in the main support shaft, and an engagement hole portion engageable with the engagement shaft portion may be formed in the disk portion.

The positioning shaft portion may have a Y-shaped cross section extending radially from the central axis of the connecting shaft.

The engaging shaft portion may have a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape.

A claw protruding outward in the radial direction may be formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cover, a concave portion for housing the cover may be formed in the base, and a claw may be formed in the concave portion of the base and engaged with the claw of the cover to hold the cover against coming off from the base. In this case, the claws of the base abut against the outer peripheral surface of the cover, and the cover is reinforced from the outside in the radial direction by the claws of the base.

A locking projection may be provided on one of the outer peripheral surface of the cover and the claw of the base, with which the claw of the base abuts, and a locking recess that engages with the locking projection may be provided on the other.

The locking projection may be formed in a pin shape extending in the axial direction of the cover.

In order to achieve the second object, a tube pump according to the present invention includes a rotor having a roller and holding the roller along an inner circumferential surface of a cover so as to be capable of revolving, the rotor including a disk portion holding the roller on a base side and a roller pressing member holding the roller between the disk portion, a main support shaft extending toward the roller pressing member and having a tip portion abutting against the roller pressing member is formed substantially at a center of the disk portion, and a rib is formed between the disk portion and the main support shaft.

According to the tube pump having the above configuration, since the main support shaft is reinforced by the ribs, the diameter of the main support shaft can be reduced and the diameter of the roller can be increased even in a small-sized tube pump.

In order to achieve the third object, a tube pump according to the present invention includes a rotor having a roller and rotatably holding the roller along an inner peripheral surface of a cover, the tube pump including a base to which the cover is attached, a drive unit fixed to the base and rotatably moving the roller so as to revolve the roller, and a coupling shaft transmitting a rotational motion of an output shaft of the drive unit to the rotor, the rotor including a disk portion holding the roller on a base side and a roller holding member holding the roller between the disk portion and the disk portion, a main support shaft extending toward the roller holding member and having a tip portion abutting the roller holding member is formed substantially at a center of the disk portion, a positioning shaft portion having a non-circular cross section is formed at an end portion of the coupling shaft on the rotor side, and a portion of the coupling shaft on the drive unit side of the positioning shaft portion, an engagement shaft portion having a non-circular cross section larger than the diameter of the positioning shaft portion is formed, a positioning hole portion engageable with the positioning shaft portion is formed in the main support shaft, and an engagement hole portion engageable with the engagement shaft portion is formed in the disk portion.

According to the tube pump having the above configuration, the drive unit can be coupled to the rotor only by moving the cover toward the base from a state in which the positioning shaft portion of the coupling shaft is engaged with the positioning hole portion provided in the main support shaft. The positioning shaft and the positioning hole can be engaged with each other in a state where the cover is separated from the base. Therefore, according to the present invention, even in a small-sized tube pump, the drive unit and the rotor can be coupled by a simple operation.

In view of the above, a tube fixing according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. In a tube pump for conveying a liquid in a flexible tube by continuously pressing a part of the flexible tube arranged along a wall surface between the tube and the wall surface by elastic deformation using a roller moving along the wall surface, a tube fixing tool according to an embodiment of the present invention is a tube fixing tool for fixing the flexible tube to a casing of the tube pump. The pipe fixing member includes: a first holding portion for holding the flexible tube between the first holding portion and the casing of the tube pump; and an engaging portion that protrudes from the first holding portion, engages with the housing of the tube pump, and urges the first holding portion toward the housing of the tube pump.

According to the pipe fixing tool using such a structure, since the pipe can be held with a certain holding force of an appropriate magnitude, there is no problem that the pipe is excessively deformed to be damaged or, conversely, the pipe cannot be reliably prevented from being dragged due to an excessively small holding force. Further, since the tube fixing member can be attached and detached by a simple operation, the tube pump can be efficiently assembled and maintained.

Preferably, the first holding portion is formed with a recess portion that abuts against the flexible tube. Preferably, the concave portion is formed in a concave curved surface shape having substantially the same curvature as the flexible tube.

By providing such a recess, the flexible tube can be accurately positioned, and particularly, when a flexible tube made of a soft material or a tube having a small diameter is used, the life of the flexible tube can be increased. In addition, when the concave portion is formed in a concave curved surface shape having the same curvature as the side surface of the flexible tube, the holding force applied to the side surface of the flexible tube is uniform, and extreme stress concentration is not generated, so that the life of the flexible tube can be further improved.

Preferably, the engaging portion protrudes in a direction facing the recess. Typically, a second engagement structure that engages with a first engagement structure formed in the casing of the tube pump is formed near the tip of the engagement portion in the protruding direction. For example, the first engaging structure and the second engaging structure are an engaging protrusion and an engaging claw, or an engaging claw and an engaging protrusion, respectively.

With this configuration, the pipe fixing can be strongly attached to the housing.

The recess may include a first recess abutting against the first end of the flexible tube and a second recess abutting against the second end of the flexible tube. In this case, the engaging portion preferably protrudes from a position intermediate between the position of the first recess and the position of the second recess.

In this way, by adopting the structure in which both ends of the flexible pipe are fixed by one pipe fixing member, the number of parts can be reduced and the size can be reduced, and the number of man-hours for attaching the pipe fixing member can be significantly reduced.

Preferably, the engaging portion includes a first portion projecting perpendicularly from the first surface of the first holding portion and a second portion projecting from a tip of the first portion in a front direction facing the recess, and the first portion front-most surface is formed to be offset to the back surface side with respect to the first holding portion front-most surface.

In this way, by biasing the foremost surface of the first portion rearward relative to the foremost surface of the first holding portion, the first portion can be stably engaged with the rear end of the support portion such as the flat plate portion. Thus, the installation work of the pipe fixing tool is efficient, and the pipe is stably held by the pipe fixing tool.

The tube pump may further include a second holding portion disposed between the casing of the tube pump and the first holding portion, and configured to hold the flexible tube therebetween.

By using such a second holding portion, the flexible tube can be held without applying a shearing force, and particularly in the case of using a tube having a small diameter or a tube made of a soft material, the problem that the tube is buckled by the action of the shearing force is eliminated. In addition, the pipe can be arranged at a more appropriate position according to the shape, size, and the like.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a tube pump including a housing to which the tube fixing member can be attached. In the tube pump according to the embodiment of the present invention, the housing is formed with the support portion that supports the first holding portion and the first engagement structure that engages with the second engagement structure formed in the engagement portion of the tube fixing member.

Typically, the support portion includes a first flat plate portion sandwiched by the first holding portion and the engaging portion of the tube fixing member. The support portion may include a second flat plate portion that is provided in parallel with the first flat plate portion and sandwiches the first holding portion of the tube fixing member between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion.

The tube pump according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a drive unit and a pump core that is detachable from the drive unit. Typically, the pump cartridge includes rollers, a flexible tube, and a pump cassette in which a wall surface of the flexible tube is pressed between the rollers. In this case, the housing is preferably a pump cassette.

In this way, the tube pump having the structure in which the pump core is detachably attached to the drive unit remarkably improves the maintenance workability of the pump mechanism (pump core) more frequently than the drive unit. In the case where the present invention is applied to the tube pump having such a configuration, the end portion of the flexible tube is fixed to the pump cassette, which is a casing of the pump cartridge, so that the workability in attaching the pump cartridge to the driving portion can be improved.

The tube pump generally further includes a rotor that rotatably supports the plurality of rollers. In this case, the wall surface is a first cylindrical inner wall surface formed on the pump cassette, and a rotor support shaft that extends on a center axis of the first cylindrical inner wall surface and supports the rotor so as to be rotatable is provided on a second inner wall surface formed substantially perpendicular to the first inner wall surface of the pump cassette.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a front view of a tube pump according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the tube pump of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the tube pump of the first embodiment;

fig. 4 is a perspective view of a coupling shaft of the tube pump of the first embodiment;

fig. 5 is a front view of a coupling shaft of the tube pump of the first embodiment;

fig. 6 is a rear view of the rotor body of the tube pump of the first embodiment;

fig. 7 is a perspective view of a rotor body of the tube pump of the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of a tube pump according to another example of the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of a tube pump according to still another example of the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a tube pump of prior art construction;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a tube pump according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a tube pump of the second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tube pump of the second embodiment;

fig. 14 is a rear view of a pump cassette (pump cassette) of the tube pump of the second embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of a pump cassette of the tube pump of the second embodiment;

fig. 16 is an external view of a tube stabilizer according to a second embodiment, in which fig. 16(a) is a rear view, fig. 16(b) is a plan view, fig. 16(c) is a front view, and fig. 16(d) is a side view;

fig. 17 is a plan view of a modification of the tube stabilizer of the second embodiment;

fig. 18 is a view illustrating a disassembly method of the tube stabilizer of the second embodiment;

fig. 19 is a view showing a modification of the tube stabilizer according to the second embodiment;

fig. 20 is a view showing a modification of the tube stabilizer according to the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First embodiment

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 and 2 are a front view and a side sectional view, respectively, of a tube pump of a first embodiment. Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the tube pump of the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the tube pump 1 of the present embodiment includes a drive motor 10, a gear box 20, and a pump main body 100.

In the following description, a certain side of the pump body 100 (the front side of the drawing in fig. 1, the left side in fig. 2, and the lower left side in fig. 3) is defined as the "near side", and a certain side of the drive motor 10 (the rear side of the drawing in fig. 1, the right side in fig. 2, and the upper right side in fig. 3) is defined as the "far side". In addition, a direction from the near side to the far side and a direction from the far side to the near side are defined as a depth direction.

The pump body 100 includes a cover 110, a rotor 120, a tube pressing ring 130 (fig. 2 and 3), a base 140, a fixing plate 150, and a plate holding cylinder 170.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the fixing plate 150 is held by being sandwiched by the base 140 and the plate holding cylinder 170. That is, the plate holding cylinder 170 is fixed to the base 140, and the fixing plate 150 is fixed to the base 140. As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the fixing plate 150 is provided with a pair of through holes 151. When the tube pump 1 is fixed to a frame or the like of an apparatus using the tube pump 1, bolts are inserted through the through holes 151 to couple the fixing plate 150 to the frame or the like.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the fixing plate 150 for fixing the tube pump 1 is detachable. Therefore, the tube pump 1 can be mounted to various apparatuses by using the fixing plate 150 having an appropriate shape according to the shape of the frame or the like to which the tube pump 1 is mounted.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cap 110 is formed into a substantially cylindrical surface, and the pipe 160 is disposed along the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cap 110 (that is, the longitudinal direction of the pipe 160 is a direction substantially along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface 111). As shown in fig. 1, a first opening 112a and a second opening 112b are provided at a lower side of the cover 110, and a first end 161 and a second end 162 of the tube 160 protrude from an outside of the cover 110 through the first opening 112a and the second opening 112b, respectively.

As shown in fig. 3, the rotor 120 has a rotor body 121, three sets of rollers 122, and a rotor presser 123. As shown in fig. 2, a rotor support shaft 114 extending from the near side to the far side is formed at the center of a top portion 113 of the cover 110 located on the near side. Engagement holes 121a and 123a into which the rotor support shaft 114 is inserted are formed in the rotor body 121 and the rotor pressing member 123, and the rotor body 121 and the rotor pressing member 123 are rotatably supported by the rotor support shaft 114.

The rotor body 121 includes a disc portion 121g and three roller support shafts 121b extending from a near side surface of the disc portion 121g to the near side. The roller support shaft 121b is formed on a circumference centered on the engagement hole 121 a. The engagement hole 121a of the rotor body 121 is formed inside a main support shaft 121f extending from substantially the center of the near side surface of the disc portion 121g toward the near side. The roller 122 has a cylindrical shape, and a hole 122c extending toward the other end surface 122b (near side) is formed in the center of one end surface (far side) 122 a. The hole 122c has a diameter large enough to slidably receive the roller support shaft 121b of the rotor body 121. Further, a cylindrical protrusion 122d is formed on the end surface 122b of the roller 122. Further, three recesses 123c that slidably receive the protruding portions 122d of the rollers 122 are formed on the rear end face 123b of the rotor holding member 123 on the circumference centering on the engaging hole 123 a.

The roller support shaft 121b of the rotor body 121 is inserted into the hole 122c of the roller 122, the protruding portion 122d of the roller 122 is received in the recessed portion 123c of the rotor pressing member 123, and the rotor support shaft 114 of the cover 110 is inserted into the engaging holes 123a and 121a of the rotor pressing member 123 and the rotor body, whereby the entire rotor 120 can be rotated about the rotor support shaft 112, and the rollers 122 can be rotated about the roller support shaft 121b of the rotor body 121. At this time, the main support shaft 121f of the rotor body 121 abuts the rotor pressing member 123.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the tube 160 is pressed and deformed between the roller 122 and the inner peripheral surface of the cover 110, and when the rotor 120 rotates around the rotor support shaft 114 of the cover 110, the roller 122 revolves along the inner peripheral surface 111 of the cover 110 while pressing the tube 160. As a result, peristaltic movement of the tube 160 occurs, moving the contents of the tube 160. For example, when the rotor 120 is rotated clockwise in fig. 1, the contents of the tube 160 are sent out from the first end 161 protruding from the first opening 112a at the lower left in fig. 1 toward the second end 162 protruding from the second opening 112b at the lower right in fig. 1. By driving the rotor 120 in this way, the contents of the tube 160 can be discharged.

The cover 110 is fixed to the base 140. When the cover 110 is fixed to the base 140, the rotor 120 is clampingly held between the cover 110 and the base 140.

As shown in fig. 2, a tube pressing ring 130 having a slightly larger diameter than the rotor body 121 is disposed on the radially outer side of the rotor body 121. An inner peripheral surface 131, which is a cylindrical surface of the tube pressing ring 130, is formed with a step 132 having a small diameter portion 132a on the near side and a large diameter portion 132b on the far side. Further, a step 121d having a small diameter portion 121d1 on the near side and a large diameter portion 121d2 on the far side is formed on the outer peripheral surface 121c as the cylindrical surface of the rotor body 121. The small-diameter portion 132a of the tube pressing ring 130 is slightly larger in diameter than the small-diameter portion 121d1 of the rotor body 121 and smaller in diameter than the large-diameter portion 121d 2. Further, the diameter of the large-diameter portion 132b of the tube pressing ring 130 is slightly larger than the diameter of the large-diameter portion 121d2 of the rotor body 121. Therefore, in a state where the tube pressure ring 130 is attached to the rotor body 121, the step 121d of the rotor body 121 and the step 132b of the tube pressure ring 130 are engaged with each other, and the tube pressure ring 130 is not moved to the back side of the rotor body 121 and the tube pressure ring 130 is rotatable while being slidable with respect to the rotor body 121. The centers of the outer peripheral surface 121c of the rotor body 121 and the inner peripheral surface 131 of the pipe pressure ring 130 in a state where the cover 110 and the pipe pressure ring 130 are attached to the rotor body 121 are substantially aligned with the central axis of the rotor support shaft 114 of the cover 110.

As shown in fig. 2, the pipe pressure ring 130 is disposed to fill a gap between the roller 122 of the rotor 120 and the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cover 110. Thus, even if the tube 160 moves to the back side during the operation of the tube pump 1, the tube 160 does not bulge out from the gap between the roller 122 and the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cap 110.

In a configuration in which the tube pump 1 does not include the tube pressing ring 130 but the disc portion 121g of the rotor body 121 has a size such that the gap between the packing roller 122 and the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cover 110 is filled, when the tube 160 moves to the back side and comes into contact with the disc portion 121g of the rotor body 121, the tube 160 is pulled in the revolution direction of the roller 122 by the frictional force acting between the tube 160 and the disc portion 121g, and the tube may be damaged.

In contrast, in the tube pump 1 of the present embodiment, the tube 160 is prevented from protruding from the gap between the roller 122 and the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cover 110 by the tube pressure ring 130 that is rotatable with respect to the disc portion 121g of the rotor body 121. In this configuration, when the tube 160 moves to the back side and abuts against the tube pressing ring 130, the tube pressing ring 130 is in a stationary state without following the rotation of the rotor body 121 due to the frictional force generated between the tube 160 and the tube pressing ring 130, and the tube 160 is not pulled in the revolving direction of the roller 122 by the rotation of the rotor 120 and is not damaged.

As described above, in the tube pump 1 of the present embodiment, the gap between the roller 122 of the rotor 120 and the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cap 110 is closed by the tube pressing ring 130 attached to the rotor body 121, the rotor body 121 to which the tube pressing ring 130 is attached, the roller 122, and the rotor pressing member 123 are combined to form the rotor 120, the tube 160 is disposed around the roller 122 of the rotor 120, and then the tube 160 can be assembled into the tube pump 1 by a simple operation of pressing the tube 160 together with the rotor 120 and the tube pressing ring 130 into the cap 110.

Next, an attachment mechanism for attaching the cover 110 to the base 140 will be described. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, four sets of claws 115 protruding outward in the radial direction in a flange shape are formed at equal intervals (i.e., at every 90 °) at the inner end of the outer circumferential cylindrical surface 116 of the cap 110. Further, a concave portion 141 for accommodating the back side portion of the cap 110 and the claws 115 is formed in the base 140, and four sets of claws 143 protruding radially inward are formed at equal intervals (i.e., at 90 ° intervals) at the near-front end portion of the inner circumferential cylindrical surface 142 of the concave portion 141. The radial tips of the four claws 115 of the cap 110 are arranged on a circle concentric with the outer circumferential cylindrical surface 116 of the cap 110, and the diameter of the circle is slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner circumferential cylindrical surface 142 of the base 140. The tips of the four sets of claws 143 of the base 140 in the radial direction are arranged on a circle concentric with the inner circumferential cylindrical surface 142 of the base 140, and the diameter of the circle is substantially the same as the diameter of the outer circumferential cylindrical surface of the cap 110 and is smaller than the diameter of the circle on which the four sets of claws 115 of the cap 110 are positioned. The circumferential dimension of the claws 115 of the cap 110 is much smaller than the circumferential interval of the claws 143 of the base 140 (i.e., the circumferential length of each of the four portions of the inner circumferential cylindrical surface 142 where the claws 143 are not provided).

The cap 110 is inserted into the recess 141 of the base 140 so that the claws 115 thereof do not interfere with the claws 143 of the base 140, and then the cap 110 is rotated clockwise in fig. 1 about the rotor support shaft 114 to move the claws 115 of the cap 110 toward positions aligned in the depth direction with the claws 143 of the base 140, thereby being attached to the base 140. In the claw 115 of the cover 110 shown in fig. 1 and 2, the claw 115 of the cover 110 and the claw 143 of the base 140 are engaged with each other in a state of being aligned in the depth direction with the claw 143 of the base 140, and even if the cover 110 is pulled toward the near side with respect to the base 140, the cover 110 is not detached from the base 140.

In the tube pump 1, the tube 160 is pressed against the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cap 110 by the rotor 120, and a load in the radial outer direction is normally applied to the cap 110. In the present embodiment, as described above, in a state where the cap 110 is attached to the base 140, the claws 143 of the base 140 abut the outer circumferential cylindrical surface 116 of the cap 110. Therefore, the claws 143 reinforce the cover 110 from the outside in the radial direction, and the deformation of the cover 110 due to the load outward in the radial direction is alleviated.

Further, a pin-shaped locking protrusion 117 (fig. 1 and 3) protruding outward in the radial direction and extending in the depth direction is provided on a portion of the outer circumferential cylindrical surface 116 of the cover 110 located on the near side of the claw 115. Further, the claw 143 of the base 140 is formed with a locking recess 144 recessed outward in the radial direction. Further, an inclined surface 145 is formed at one circumferential end (counterclockwise in fig. 1) of the claw 143 of the base 140 so as to approach the inner circumferential cylindrical surface 142 of the base 140 in the counterclockwise direction. Therefore, when the cover 110 is inserted (fitted) into the recess 141 of the base 140 and then the cover 110 is rotated clockwise in fig. 1, the locking projection 117 of the cover 110 moves along the inclined surface 145 of the claw 143 of the base 140 and is finally accommodated in the locking recess 144. In a state where the locking projection 117 is accommodated in the locking recess 144, the locking projection 117 and the locking recess 144 are engaged with each other, and the cover 110 is not disengaged without being strongly rotated in the counterclockwise direction. That is, the cover 110 is locked to the base 140 by the engagement of the locking projection 117 and the locking recess 144.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the cap 110 is locked to the base 140 by the locking projection 117 provided on the outer circumferential cylindrical surface 116 of the cap 110. In the conventional structure in which the locking protrusion and the locking recess are formed in the claw, which is a portion of the cap having low rigidity, the claw may be damaged by a large load applied thereto when the cap is locked, but in the structure of the present embodiment, the locking protrusion 117 is provided on the outer circumferential cylindrical surface 116 having high rigidity, so that the cap 110 is not easily damaged when the cap 110 is locked.

A stopper 146 (fig. 1 and 3) having a small diameter is formed on the inner peripheral cylindrical surface 142 of the base 140 at a portion located on the other end (counterclockwise side in fig. 1) side in the circumferential direction of the pawl 143. When the cap 110 is further rotated clockwise in fig. 1 from the state in which the locking projection 117 is accommodated in the locking recess 144 shown in fig. 1, for example, even if the engagement between the locking projection 117 and the locking recess 144 is released, the claw 115 of the cap 110 interferes with the stopper 146, and the cap 110 does not further move clockwise. That is, the stopper 146 functions as a stopper for preventing the cover 110 from moving clockwise in fig. 1 from the state where the locking projection 117 is accommodated in the locking recess 144.

In the present embodiment, the locking protrusion 117 is provided on the cover 110 and the locking recess is provided on the base 140, but a locking recess that is recessed inward in the radial direction of the cover 110 may be provided on the cover 110 and a locking protrusion that protrudes inward in the radial direction of the base 140 may be provided on the base 140.

Next, a mechanism for rotating the rotor 120 of the pump body 100 will be described. As shown in fig. 2, the rotary shaft 11 of the drive motor 10 is connected to a gear box 20. The gear box 20 transmits the rotational motion of the rotary shaft of the drive motor 10 to the output shaft 21 of the gear box 20 while reducing the speed. A coupling shaft 30 for transmitting the rotational motion of the output shaft 20 to the rotor body 121 of the rotor 120 is connected to the output shaft 21 of the gear box 20.

Next, a coupling mechanism for coupling the shaft 30 and the rotor body 121 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the connecting shaft 30. Fig. 5 is a front view of the coupling shaft 30 as viewed from the near side (lower left side in fig. 4). As shown in fig. 4, a positioning shaft portion 31 having a Y-shaped cross-sectional shape (i.e., a shape in which arm portions 31a, 31b, and 31c extend radially from a central axis 30A of the connecting shaft) is formed at a front end portion on the near side of the connecting shaft 30 (i.e., on the rotor body 121 side).

In the coupling shaft 30, an engagement shaft portion 32 is formed at a portion adjacent to the back side of the positioning shaft portion 31. The engaging shaft portion 32 is formed in a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape as a whole, and includes: three flat surface portions 32a1, 32a2, and 32a3 formed by cutting a cylindrical shaft at the position of the tip end portion of each arm portion 31a, 31b, 31c of the positioning shaft portion 31 by a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of each arm portion; and cylindrical surfaces 32b1, 32b2, and 32b3 respectively disposed between the planar portions 32a1 and 32a2, 32a2 and 32a3, and 32a3 and 32a 1.

In the present embodiment, the positioning of the coupling shaft 30 with respect to the rotor body 121 about the axis is performed by the positioning shaft 31 disposed on the near side, and the coupling shaft 30 and the rotor body 121 can be rotated integrally by the engagement shaft 32. Fig. 6 shows a rear view of the rotor body 121. As shown in the sectional view of fig. 2 and the rear view of fig. 6, an engagement hole 121e for engaging with the coupling shaft is formed in the rotor body 121.

As shown in the sectional view of fig. 2, the engagement hole 121e is a stepped hole having a positioning hole 121e1 located on the near side and an engagement hole 121e2 located on the far side. The engagement hole 121e2 has a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape substantially identical to the engagement shaft 32 of the coupling shaft 30, and the rotor body 121 and the coupling shaft 30 can rotate integrally by engagement of the flat surface portions 32a1, 32a2, and 32a3 (fig. 4 and 5) of the engagement shaft 32 with the engagement hole 121e 2. On the other hand, the positioning hole 121e1 has substantially the same Y-shaped cross-sectional shape as the positioning shaft 31 (fig. 4 and 5) of the connecting shaft 30, and after the positioning shaft 31 is inserted into the positioning hole 121e1, the engagement shaft 32 can be engaged with the engagement hole 121e2 simply by moving the connecting shaft 30 toward the rotor body 121 along the positioning hole 121e 1.

After the tube 160 is fitted between the cap 110 and the roller 122 (fig. 1 and 2), the cap 110, the rotor 120, the tube 160, and the tube pressing ring 130 form an integrated pump-side unit by the frictional force between the cap 110 and the tube 160 acting between the roller 122 and the tube 160. When the coupling shaft 30 is attached to the unit, the coupling shaft 30 is first fixed to the output shaft 21 of the gear case 20, and then the base 140 is fixed to the gear case 20 by a bolt not shown to form a gear case side unit. Then, the engagement shaft 32 of the coupling shaft 30 is engaged with the engagement hole 121e2 of the rotor body 121, and finally the cover 110 is fixed to the base 140.

The positioning of the engagement shaft 32 of the coupling shaft 30 and the engagement hole 121e2 of the rotor body 121 is preferably performed in a state where the cover 110 and the rotor body 121 do not interfere with the base 140, that is, the cover 110 is separated from the base 140 to some extent. In a large-sized tube pump in which the dimensions in the depth direction of the cover 110 and the rotor 120 are increased, even when the positioning shaft portion is not provided in the connecting portion, the engagement shaft portion 32 is extended, and positioning can be performed in a state in which the cover 110 is separated from the base 140 to some extent (the engagement shaft portion 32 functions as the positioning shaft portion). However, in a small-sized tube pump in which the dimension in the depth direction of the cap 110 and the rotor 120 is not increased, in a structure in which the positioning shaft portion 31 is not provided in the connecting portion 30, the dimension in the depth direction of the engagement shaft portion 32 cannot be increased, and the engagement shaft portion 32 needs to be positioned while being brought into contact with the base 121 and being in sliding engagement, so that the cap 110 and the base 140 inevitably come close to each other. Therefore, interference between the cover 110 and the rotor body 121 with the base 140 is likely to occur, and the positioning operation of the engagement shaft portion 32 of the coupling shaft 30 and the engagement hole 121e2 of the rotor body 121 is not likely to be performed. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the positioning shaft portion 31 is formed in the connecting shaft 30, the positioning operation of the engaging shaft portion 32 of the connecting shaft 30 and the engaging hole portion 121e2 of the rotor body 121 can be easily performed. Further, the positioning shaft 31 does not need to transmit torque from the gear case 20 to the rotor 120, and therefore, it is not necessary to increase the diameter thereof. Therefore, the diameter of the main support shaft 121f that houses the positioning shaft 31 can be reduced.

Next, the shape of the rotor body 121 will be described. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the rotor body 121 of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, 2, and 7, three sets of ribs 121h are formed between the main support shaft 121f and the disc part 121g of the rotor body 121. As shown in fig. 1, the three sets of ribs are respectively disposed between the rollers 122.

Further, an engagement projection 121i projecting toward the near side is provided on the near side end surface of the rib 121 h. As shown in fig. 2, the rotor pressing member 123 is provided with a through hole 123d for accommodating the engaging projection 121 i.

In the structure in which the ribs 121h are not provided on the rotor main body 121, a large torque is applied to the main support shaft 121 f. Therefore, the main support shaft 121f needs to be thickened so that the main support shaft 121f is not damaged. In the present embodiment, the main support shaft 121f is reinforced by the ribs 121h, and since the rotor presser 123 and the ribs 121h are coupled via the engaging protrusions 121i, the main support shaft 121f is not damaged even if the main support shaft 121f is thinned. Thus, since the main support shaft 121f can be made thin, the diameter of the roller support shaft 121b can be increased. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the roller support shaft 121b can be made large as described above. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in the sectional view of fig. 8, the roller 122 can be supported by one arm only by the roller support shaft 121b without providing the protruding portion 122d to the roller 122. Alternatively, as shown in the sectional view of fig. 9, a hole 122c of the roller 122 may penetrate the roller 122, and the roller support shaft 121b may protrude from the near-side end surface 122b of the roller 122 and be accommodated in the recess 123c of the rotor pressing member 123 (that is, the roller support shaft 121b may also function as the protrusion 122 d).

In the present embodiment, since the diameter of the roller 122 can be increased, the contact area between the roller 122 and the tube 160 can be increased, and the load applied to the tube 160 can be dispersed. As a result, the extension of the tube 160 becomes relatively small, and the tube 160 is not easily broken (that is, the tube 160 can have a long life).

In the configuration of the present embodiment, since the usable roller 122 has a wide range of diameters, the roller 122 having an appropriate diameter can be selected according to the thickness, material, thickness (thickness) and the like of the pipe 160.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a long-life tube pump in which a tube or the like is not easily broken, a tube pump in which the diameter of a roller can be increased, and a tube pump in which a drive unit and a rotor can be connected by a simple operation.

Second embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements as those in the first embodiment in each drawing. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a tube pump 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 and 13 are a front view and a longitudinal sectional view of the tube pump 1, respectively. Fig. 14 and 15 are a back view and a bottom view of the pump cassette 110 shown in fig. 11, respectively.

As shown in fig. 11, the tube pump 1 includes a drive motor 10, a gear box 20, and a pump main body 100. The torque of the shaft output generated by the driving motor 10 is increased by the gear box 20 and is supplied to the pump body 100.

In the following description, the pump body 100 side (the lower left side in fig. 11, the front side in fig. 12, and the left side in fig. 13) of the tube pump 1 is defined as the "near side", and the drive motor 10 side (the upper right side in fig. 11, the back side in fig. 12, and the right side in fig. 13) is defined as the "back side". In addition, a direction from the near side to the far side (or from the far side to the near side) is defined as a depth direction. In addition, the upper side of fig. 12 and 13 is defined as "upper side", and the lower side is defined as "lower side".

The pump body 100 includes a pump cassette 110, a rotor 120, a base 140, a fixing plate 150, a tube 160, a plate holding cylinder 170, and a tube stabilizer (tube fixing member) 230 of the present embodiment. A part of the tube 160 and the rotor 120 are disposed in a working chamber surrounded by the pump cassette 110 and the base 140.

The pump cassette 110 is a bowl-shaped member formed by injection molding of a transparent resin such as pp (polypropylene). The material of the pump cassette 110 is not limited to transparent resin, and a general structural material can be used. However, since the internal state can be easily observed by using the transparent resin, the maintenance manageability can be improved. The pump cassette 110 is attached with the tube 160, the rotor 120, and the tube stabilizer 230, and forms a pump core that is detachable from the base 140. The configuration of each part of the pump cassette 110 will be described later.

The fixing plate 150 is formed of a metal plate such as a steel plate, and is held between the base 140 and the plate holding cylinder 170 as shown in fig. 13. The side surface (outer peripheral surface) of the base 140 is formed in a substantially cylindrical surface shape, and a step is formed in the middle, and the outer diameter of the rear side is slightly smaller than that of the front side. A male screw (not shown) is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the base 140 on the back side. The plate holding cylinder 170 is a substantially cylindrical member having an inner diameter equal to the diameter of the outer peripheral surface on the back side of the base 140, and a female screw (not shown) that engages with a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the base 140 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the plate holding cylinder 170. The fixing plate 150 is formed with a circular hole having the same size as the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the back side of the base 140. When the base 140 is passed through the circular hole of the fixing plate 150 from the back side, the step on the outer peripheral surface of the base 140 catches the circular hole of the fixing plate 150. Next, the plate holding cylinder 170 is screwed into the outer peripheral surface of the base 140 on which the male screw is formed, whereby the fixing plate 150 is held between the step of the outer peripheral surface of the base 140 and the plate holding cylinder 170, and is fixed to the base 140. Then, the plate holding cylinder 170 is removed, whereby the fixing plate 150 can be removed from the base 140.

As shown in fig. 11 to 13, the fixing plate 150 is provided with a pair of mounting holes 151. When the tube pump 1 is mounted on a frame or the like of a device (e.g., a cleaning device) for assembling the tube pump 1, bolts are inserted into the mounting holes 151, and the fixing plate 150 is fixed to the frame or the like.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the fixing plate 150 for fixing the tube pump 1 is detachable. Therefore, the tube pump 1 can be mounted on various apparatuses by using the fixing plate 150 having a shape suitable for mounting a frame or the like of the tube pump 1.

The rotor 120 includes a rotor body 121, three sets of rollers 122, and a rotor pressing member 123. The three sets of rollers 122 are supported between the rotor body 121 and the rotor presser member 123 so as to be rotatable about the axis. As shown in fig. 13, a rotor support shaft 114 extending toward the rear side is formed in the center of a top portion 119 located on the near side of the pump cassette 110. The rotor body 121 and the rotor pressing member 123 are respectively formed with engagement holes 121a and 123a into which the rotor support shaft 114 is inserted, and the rotor body 121 and the rotor pressing member 123 are rotatably supported by the rotor support shaft 114.

As shown in fig. 12 to 14, the pump cassette 110 has a substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface 111, and a part of the pipe 160 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface 111 (specifically, the longitudinal direction is disposed along the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface 111). The tube 160 is pressed between the roller 122 and the inner circumferential surface 111 of the pump cassette 110, and when the rotor 120 rotates around the rotor support shaft 114 of the pump cassette 110, the roller 122 revolves along the inner circumferential surface 111 of the pump cassette 110 while pressing the tube 160. As a result, peristaltic motion of the tube 160 is produced and the contents of the tube 160 are displaced. For example, when the rotor 120 is rotated clockwise in fig. 12, the contents of the tube 160 are sent out from the first end 161 at the lower left in fig. 12 toward the second end 162 at the lower right in fig. 12. By driving the rotor 120 in this way, the contents of the pipe 160 can be delivered.

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, two flat plate portions 212 and 213 that extend parallel to the paper surface of fig. 15 are formed on the lower side of the pump cassette 110. The flat plate portions 212 and 213 are formed with a pair of grooves 212a and 212b, and 213a and 213b, respectively, extending from the end portions on the back side toward the near side. The first end 161 of the tube 160 passes through the grooves 212a and 213a, and the second end 162 of the tube 160 passes through the grooves 212b and 213b, respectively, to protrude from the inside to the outside of the working chamber of the pump cassette 110. The width of each of the grooves 212a, 212b, 213a, 213b is set to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the thickest tube 160 among the tubes 160 that can be attached to the tube pump 1. The bottom (the end on the forefront side) of each groove is set at a position such that the pipe 160 adheres to the cylindrical surface of the roller 122 (fig. 13) even if the pipe 160 is pushed into the bottom of the groove.

The tube stabilizer 230 (specifically, the holding portion 231) of the present embodiment is inserted into the gap formed between the two flat plate portions 212 and 213, and the tube 160 is held between the tube stabilizer 230 and the flat plate portions 212 and 213, whereby the tube 160 is fixed and positioned. Fig. 16 is an external view of the tube stabilizer 230. Fig. 16(a) is a rear view, fig. 16(b) is a plan view, fig. 16(c) is a front view, and fig. 16(d) is a side view. The tube stabilizer 230 is a member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped holding portion 231 and a hook 232 protruding from the lower surface of the holding portion 231 toward the near side, and has flexibility to such an extent that an engagement/disengagement operation described later can be performed. The tube stabilizer 230 of the present embodiment is formed of resin such as pet (polyethylene terephthalate) and/or PP by injection molding. A pair of concave portions 231a and 231b are formed on the front surface near both ends in the width direction (the left-right direction in fig. 16 (b)) of the holding portion 231. An engagement claw 233 protruding upward toward the rear side is formed on the upper surface of the hook 232 near the tip end thereof. The engaging claw 233 has an elongated triangular prism-like configuration extending in the width direction, and a tip projecting upward inward is formed at an acute angle. As shown in fig. 16 d, the hook 232 is formed in an L-shape in vertical section (a section parallel to the paper surface of fig. 16 d), and a surface 232d on the near side of the short-sized portion of the L (hereinafter referred to as an "offset surface 232 d") is offset to the far side from the surface 231c on the near side of the holding portion 231. In the present embodiment, the offset surface 232d extends to the holding portion 231, and an offset surface 231d connected to the offset surface 232d is formed. Further, the offset surface 231d of the holding portion 231 is designed for the purpose of improving the efficiency of injection molding and reducing the amount of resin used, and it is not necessary to design the offset surface 231d in the holding portion 231. The opening 234 penetrating the tube stabilizer 230 in the depth direction has a structure provided according to the state of processing, and the opening 234 does not need to be provided according to the processing method.

When the tube stabilizer 230 is attached to the pump cassette 110, the holding portion 231 is inserted into the gap formed between the flat plate portions 212 and 213. The thickness of the portion protruding to the near side from the offset surface 232d of the holding portion 231 (the vertical dimension in fig. 16 (d)) is set to be substantially the same as the interval between the flat plate portions 212 and 213, and is sandwiched between the flat plate portions 212 and 213 substantially without a gap. Further, the hook 232 of the tube stabilizer 230 is disposed along the flat plate portion 212 below the flat plate portion 212. In fig. 16 d, the height of the offset surface 232d (in other words, the distance between the lower surface of the holding portion 231 and the upper surface of the offset surface 232) is set to be substantially equal to the thickness of the flat plate portion 212, and the upper surface of the hook 232 is substantially in close contact with the lower surface of the flat plate portion 212. Further, an engaging projection 118a is formed at the lower end of the front center portion of the pump cassette 110, and an engaging claw 233 formed near the front end of the hook 232 of the tube stabilizer 230 engages with the engaging projection 118a so that the tube stabilizer 230 is not detached from the pump cassette 110.

The first end 161 of the tube 160 is held by the groove 212a of the plate portion 212, the groove 213a of the plate portion 213, and the recess 231a of the tube stabilizer 230, and is fixed so as not to move in the longitudinal direction. The second end 162 of the tube 160 is sandwiched by the groove 212b of the plate portion 212, the groove 213b of the plate portion 213, and the recess 231b of the tube stabilizer 230, and is fixed so as not to move in the longitudinal direction. The force (i.e., the amount of tube deformation) to hold the tube 160 between the pump cassette 110 and the tube stabilizer 230 is determined by the depth of the grooves 212a, 212b, 213a, 213b of the pump cassette 110, the depth of the recesses 231a, 231b of the tube stabilizer 230, and the amount of offset of the offset surface 232d (the distance between the plane including the offset surface 232d and the plane including the foremost surface 231c of the holding portion 231). These parameters are determined by the machining dimensions of the pump cassette 110 and the tube stabilizer 230, and therefore, the tube 160 can be held with a predetermined constant holding force by using the same tube 160. Therefore, the tube 160 is not excessively deformed to be deteriorated or the tube 160 is not moved in the longitudinal direction by an insufficient holding force. Further, by setting the size and shape of the concave portions 231a, 231b in accordance with the size and material (hardness) of the tube 160, various kinds of tubes (tubes) can be held with an appropriate holding force. Fig. 17(a) to 17(c) show modified examples of the shapes of the concave portions 231a and 231 b. Fig. 17(a) shows an example of a tube stabilizer 230 suitable for a small-diameter tube 160, and semicircular recesses 231a and 231b having a small radius are formed in the same manner as the tube. Fig. 17(b) is an example of the tube stabilizer 230 suitable for a harder thick-diameter tube, and the depth of the concave portions 231a, 231b is formed shallower to reduce the contact area with the tube. With this shape, the tube can be held with a strong force. Fig. 17(c) shows an example in which the recesses 231a and 231b are formed deep and the width is further increased. By setting such a shape, when the tube 160 is fixed by the tube stabilizer 230, the tube 160 is easily introduced into the recesses 231a, 231b and the grooves 212a, 212b, 213a, 213b of the pump cassette 110.

Pump cassette 110 accommodates tube 160 and rotor 120, and is fixed to base 140 in a state where tube 160 is fixed to pump cassette 110 by tube stabilizer 230. Since the tube 160 is fixed to the lower end of the pump cassette 110 by the tube stabilizer 230, handling of the tube 160 when the pump cassette 110 is fixed to the base 140 is facilitated.

When the pump cassette 110 is fixed to the base 140, the rotor 120 is sandwiched and held between the pump cassette 110 and the base 140. The output shaft 30 of the gear box 20 is connected to the rotor 120, and the output shaft 30 can be rotationally driven.

Next, a method of attaching and detaching the tube stabilizer 230 of the present embodiment will be described. As described above, after pump cassette 110 is housed in tube 160 and rotor 120, tube stabilizer 230 is attached to pump cassette 110. When the tube stabilizer 230 is attached, first, the first end 161 of the tube 160 is passed through the groove 212a of the flat plate portion 212 and the groove 213a of the flat plate portion 213, and the second end 162 is passed through the groove 212b of the flat plate portion 212 and the groove 213b of the flat plate portion 213. Next, the holding portion 231 of the tube stabilizer 230 is inserted into the gap between the flat plate portion 212 and the flat plate portion 213. Further, when the lower portion of the back surface of the hook 232 is pushed in toward the near side (the direction of arrow a in fig. 16 (d)) (when the back surface of the hook 232 is pushed in toward the near side and the tip end of the hook 232 is further lifted upward according to circumstances), the engagement claw 233 of the tube stabilizer 230 engages with the engagement projection 118a of the pump cassette 110, and the attachment is completed.

Next, a method of detaching the tube stabilizer 230 will be described. Fig. 18 is a view illustrating a method of disassembling the tube stabilizer 230. As shown in fig. 18, when the tip end of the hook 232 is pushed down by a fingertip, the engagement between the engagement claw 233 of the tube stabilizer 230 and the engagement projection 118a of the pump cassette 110 is released. In this state, when the tube stabilizer 230 is pressed into the back side again, the tube stabilizer 230 can be removed. In this way, the tube stabilizer 230 of the present embodiment can be removed by a simple operation (single touch operation), and therefore, maintenance work of the tube pump 1 such as replacement of the tube 160 can be easily performed.

As described above, in the tube pump 1 of the present embodiment, the pump cartridge that provides the pump function by the pump cassette 110, the tube 160, the rotor 120, and the tube stabilizer 230 is formed, and the pump cartridge is detachable from the drive unit (the drive motor 10, the gear case 20, and the base 140). In addition, the tube 160 is fixed to the pump core by a tube stabilizer 230. In this configuration, since the respective end portions 161 and 162 of the tube are positioned and fixed to the pump cassette 110, the operation of adjusting the position of the tube 160 is not required when the pump core is attached to the driving portion, and the operations of assembling and maintaining the tube pump 1 are made efficient. However, the configuration of the present embodiment is not limited to this, and a pump core that is detachable from the drive unit may not be formed, or a tube may be fixed to the drive unit (e.g., the base 140) by the tube stabilizer 230.

The foregoing is a description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above description, and can be arbitrarily modified within the scope of the technical idea presented in the description of the scope of the claims. Several modifications of the embodiments of the present invention are shown below. In the following description of the modifications, the same or similar reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding elements as those of the above-described embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the tube 160 is held by sandwiching the tube 160 between the flat plate portions 212, 213 (specifically, the grooves 212a, 212b, 213a, 213b) of the pump cassette 110 and the concave portions 231a, 231b of the tube stabilizer 230. In this structure, since the flat plate portions 212 and 213 and the holding portion 231 are not in the same plane, a shearing force is applied to the tube. Therefore, when the thin tube 160 made of a soft resin is used, the tube can be buckled. In this case, a second holding portion 235 may be provided, the second holding portion 235 being disposed between the flat plate portions 212 and 213 so as to face the holding portion 231, and the tube 160 being held between the holding portion 231 and the second holding portion 235.

Fig. 19 shows an example of the tube stabilizer 230 having the second holding portion 235. Fig. 19 is a view of pump cassette 110 with tube stabilizer 230 attached thereto, as viewed from below, with the upper surface of flat plate portion 212 cut away. Second holding portion 235 is disposed on the near side (upper side in fig. 19) of the gap formed between flat plate portion 212 and flat plate portion 213. Specifically, second holding portion 235 is used in a state of being sandwiched between the near-side portion of lower side wall 118 connecting flat plate portion 212 and flat plate portion 213 and holding portion 231. Recesses 235a and 235b are formed on the back side (lower side in fig. 19) of the second holding portion 235. The shape and size of the recesses 235a and 235b are appropriately set according to the material and size of the tube 160 used. In the example shown in fig. 19, the recesses 235a and 235b are formed in a semicircular shape having a slightly smaller diameter than the pipe used. The first end 161 (not shown) of the tube 160 is held between the recess 231a of the holding portion 231 and the recess 235a of the second holding portion 235. The second end 162 (not shown) of the tube 160 is held between the recess 231b of the holding portion 231 and the recess 235b of the second holding portion 235.

In the example shown in fig. 19, the end surface on the back side (lower side in fig. 19) of the second holding portion 235 is formed in a planar shape, and is formed to abut against the end surface on the near side of the holding portion 231. Therefore, the force to hold the tube 160 (the amount of deformation of the tube 160) is determined by the shape and size of the recessed portions 231a, 231b of the holding portion 231 and the recessed portions 235a, 235b of the second holding portion 235. In another modification, the end surface of the holding portion 231 on the near side may not abut on the end surface of the second holding portion 235, and in this case, a constant holding force determined by the size of the tube stabilizer 230 may be applied to the tube 160. Thus. As long as the material and size of the tube 160 used do not change, a predetermined holding force can be normally given to the tube 160 even if the tube stabilizer 230 is attached and detached.

In the example shown in fig. 19, the positions of the distal ends of the recesses 235a and 235b of the second holding portion 235 are located further to the back side than the positions of the distal ends of the grooves 213a and 213b of the flat plate portion 213 indicated by the broken lines. The grooves 213a and 213b of the flat plate portion 213 are formed to have a large width and depth, and various kinds and sizes of pipes can be used. Therefore, in the positioning method in which the pipe 160 is abutted against the distal end portions of the grooves 213a and 213b as in the above-described embodiment, the pipe 160 cannot necessarily be arranged at an optimum position. By providing the second holding portion 235, more suitable positioning of the pipe is realized in accordance with the thickness and material of the pipe.

In the example shown in fig. 19, the second holding portion 235 is formed integrally, and the portion (the portion where the recess 235a is formed) of the first end 161 and the portion (the portion where the recess 235b is formed) of the holding tube 160 holding the second end 162 may be different from each other. In the example shown in fig. 19, the near-end side end of second holding portion 235 is formed in a shape along lower side wall 118 of pump cassette 110, but is not limited to the shape shown in fig. 19 as long as it is a shape that is reliably and stably arranged at an appropriate position. In the example shown in fig. 19, the holding portion 231 and the second holding portion 235 are separate bodies, but may be integrally formed. For example, as shown in fig. 20, the tube stabilizer 230 may have a structure in which the first holding portion 231 and the second holding portion 235 are coupled via the connecting portion 236. In this case, the connection portion 236 elastically deforms to function as a kind of hinge (hinge), and the first holding portion 231 and the second holding portion 235 are separated from each other with the connection portion 236 as an axis, whereby the tube stabilizer 230 can be attached to the tube 160.

In the above-described embodiment, the engaging claw 233 of the tube stabilizer 230 and the engaging projection 118a of the pump cassette 110 are formed one by one. However, the number, position, and shape of the engaging claws 233 and the engaging protrusions 118a are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment. The plurality of engaging claws 233 and the engaging projections 118a are provided according to the material, size, arrangement interval, and the like of the pipe. The number of the engagement claws 233 and the engagement projections 118a may not be one-to-one. For example, a plurality of short engaging claws 233 may be engaged with one long engaging projection 118 a.

The tube pump 1 of the above embodiment is a rotary pump in which a tube is disposed along the cylindrical inner wall surface of a pump cassette, and the roller is revolved along the inner wall surface to continuously squeeze the tube to convey the liquid in the tube, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a straight pump in which a pipe is disposed on an elongated flat plate and a roller is made to run straight along the flat plate may be used.

Further, the tube pump 1 of the above embodiment is configured such that two parallel flat plate portions 212 and 213 are formed, and the holding portion 231 of the tube stabilizer 230 is inserted between the two flat plate portions 212 and 213. However, the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case where the second holding portion 235 is not used, the tube 160 can be fixed by the tube stabilizer 230 only by having one flat plate portion sandwiched by the holding portion 231 and the hook 232. Instead of the flat plate portion, a rail or a protrusion that supports only the end portions (for example, both ends in the width direction) of the tube stabilizer 230 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the lower side wall 118.

As described above, if the pipe fixing tool according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, dragging of the flexible pipe accompanying movement of the roller can be effectively prevented.

Claims (13)

1. A tube pump for conveying a liquid in a flexible tube disposed along a wall surface by continuously pressing a part of the flexible tube with elastic deformation between a roller moving along the wall surface and the wall surface, the tube pump comprising:

the flexible tube;

a tube fixing member for fixing the flexible tube to a housing of the tube pump; and

a housing capable of mounting the tube fixture,

the pipe fixing member includes:

a first holding portion that sandwiches the flexible tube with a housing of the tube pump;

an engaging portion that protrudes from the first holding portion, engages with the housing of the tube pump, and biases the first holding portion toward the housing of the tube pump,

the housing is formed with:

a support portion supporting the first holding portion; and

a first engaging structure that engages with a second engaging structure formed at an engaging portion of the tube fixing member,

the support portion includes a first flat plate portion sandwiched by the first holding portion and the engaging portion of the tube fixing member.

2. The tube pump of claim 1, wherein:

the first holding portion is formed with a recess portion that abuts against the flexible tube.

3. The tube pump of claim 2, wherein:

the concave portion is formed in a concave curved surface shape having substantially the same curvature as the side surface of the flexible tube.

4. The tube pump of claim 2, wherein:

the engaging portion protrudes in a direction facing the recess.

5. The tube pump of claim 1, wherein:

a second engagement structure that engages with a first engagement structure formed in a housing of the tube pump is formed near a front end of the engagement portion in the protruding direction.

6. The tube pump of claim 5, wherein:

the first engaging structure and the second engaging structure are respectively an engaging protrusion and an engaging claw or an engaging claw and an engaging protrusion.

7. The tube pump of claim 2, wherein:

the recess includes a first recess abutting a first end of the flexible tube and a second recess abutting a second end of the flexible tube.

8. The tube pump of claim 7, wherein:

the engaging portion protrudes from an intermediate position between the position of the first recess and the position of the second recess.

9. The tube pump of claim 2, wherein:

the engaging portion includes:

a first portion projecting perpendicularly from a first face of the first holding portion; and

a second portion protruding from a front end of the first portion in a front direction facing the recess,

the first portion is formed so that the surface on the most front side is offset to the back surface side with respect to the surface on the most front side of the first holding portion.

10. The tube pump of claim 1, wherein:

the tube pump further includes a second holding portion disposed between the housing of the tube pump and the first holding portion, and configured to sandwich the flexible tube with the first holding portion.

11. The tube pump of claim 1, wherein:

the support portion includes a second flat plate portion that is provided in parallel with the first flat plate portion, and sandwiches the first holding portion of the tube fixing member with the first flat plate portion.

12. The tube pump of claim 1, wherein:

the tube pump is provided with a drive part and a pump core which is freely assembled and disassembled relative to the drive part,

the pump core is provided with:

the roller;

the flexible tube; and

a pump cassette formed with the wall surface of the flexible tube pressed between the roller and the pump cassette,

the casing is the pump cassette.

13. The tubing pump of claim 12, wherein:

further comprising a rotor for rotatably supporting the plurality of rollers,

the wall surface is a first cylindrical inner wall surface formed on the pump box,

a rotor support shaft that extends on a center axis of the cylindrical first inner wall surface and supports the rotor so as to be rotatable is provided on a second inner wall surface of the pump cassette that is formed substantially perpendicular to the first inner wall surface.