ABSTRACT
This chapter is inspired by the US Patent 6,589,198, Implantable Micropump Assembly. It is also inspired by the published pdf form of the patent, Implantable Micropump Assembly. 1
Self-powered, bio-implantable, pressure-adjustable minipump systems are used for medical applications, including body fluid pressure control, drainage control, and drug delivery systems. The minipump systems include a primary minipump chamber having an anterior end attached to an implantable intake conduit. The device in the chapter is further equipped with an adjustable variable flow valve or shunt in the form of a first cantilever slab, in combination with an anterior end one-way valve in the form of another cantilever slab. The posterior end of the minipump chamber is connected to a drainage conduit, via another one-way valve. Opposing diaphragm elements in the form of a pair of oscillatory flexing miniature Ionic Polymer Platinum Composite (IPPC) artificial muscles are used to vary the volume of the primary minipump chamber and thereby affect pumping action. A key feature of the device is the secondary power-generation system. In one embodiment of the device, the system comprises a relatively large piece of IPPC artificial muscle, 90which may be attached to the local muscle tissue for certain types of implants. Contraction and expansion of the local muscle tissue cause a flexure of the IPPC artificial muscle, thereby generating a voltage for driving the diaphragm elements.
