Pulsatile magneto-motive artificial heart

Claim 2

A permanently implantable artificial heart for pumping blood around a circulating system, said heart having a left heart portion and a right heart portion each heart portion comprising: a casing having an upper part and a lower part; at least one atrium chamber means disposed in the upper part of said casing and having a magnetic one-directional inlet valve for permitting blood to flow thereto; at least one ventricle chamber means disposed in the upper part of said casing and housing a magnetic one-directional outlet valve for permitting blood to flow therefrom; a semi-rigid chamber wall separating said atrium chamber means and said ventricle chamber means, said wall having a magnetic one-directional ventricle inlet valve to allow blood to flow from said atrium chamber means to said ventricle chamber means, said magnetic one-directional ventricle inlet valve, said magnetic one-directional outlet valve and said magnetic one-directional inlet valve forming a one-directional check valve system; a first elastic diaphragm sac separating said atrium chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic sac being expandable into said atrium chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; a second elastic diaphragm sac separating said ventricle chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said second elastic sac being expandable into said ventricle chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; pump chamber means rigidly disposed in the lower part of said casing; reciprocating bistable electro-magnetic pumping means for generating a reciprocating pumping motion, having an hydraulic pumping medium and rigidly disposed in sAid pump chamber means; means permitting said reciprocating pumping means to alternatively pump said pumping medium into said first and second elastic diaphragm sacs to fill said sacs and cause expansion thereof into respective ones of said chamber means and thereby generate pulsatable motion in said artificial heart which forces blood, under the agency of said one-directional check valve system, in a one-directional mode around said circulatory system.

Claim 3

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pumping means comprises: at least two permanent magnets rigidly mounted in said pumping chamber means so that the poles of one magnet face the poles of the other at a given distance therebetween, said facing poles having opposite polarity thus forming a closed ring flux field that cannot be magnetized under a given operating condition; ferro-magnetic piston means reciprocably slidable between the poles of said permanent magnets; electromagnetic coil means rigidly disposed between said permanent magnets and operatively surrounding said ferromagnetic piston means; means for energizing said coil with an alternating dc pulse so that said coil generates an alternating electromagnetic flux field to cause said ferro-magnetic piston means to be continuously magnetically polarized in opposite directions and thereby execute said reciprocating pumping motion between said magnetic poles by being alternately repelled and attracted therebetween.

Claim 4

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means permitting said pumping means to pump said pumping fluid into said first and second diaphragm sacs comprises perforations in the wall of said chamber means adjacent the separation of said atrium chamber means and said ventricle chamber means with the lower part of said casing.

Claim 5

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 2 wherein said permanent magnets are of the cobalt rare-earth type.

Claim 6

A permanently implantable artificial heart for pumping blood around a circulatory system, said heart comprising: a casing having an upper part and a lower part; first and second chamber means disposed in said upper part, each chamber means capable of functioning both as an atrium and a ventricle; a chamber wall dividing said first and second chamber means and preventing communication therebetween; a first inlet and first outlet passage of said first chamber means, said first inlet passage having a first magnetic onedirectional inlet valve and said first outlet passage having a first magnetic one-directional outlet valve, said first inlet and first outlet valves allowing blood to flow into and out of said first chamber means respectively; a second inlet and second outlet passage of said second chamber means, said second inlet passage having a second magnetic onedirectional inlet valve and said second outlet passage a first magnetic one-directional outlet valve, said second inlet and said second outlet valves allowing blood to flow into and out of said second chamber means respectively; a first elastic diaphragm sac separating said first chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic sac being expandable into said first chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; a second elastic diaphragm sac separating said second chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic sac being expandable into said second chamber means to substantially fill the space therein, said first magnetic onedirectional magnetic inlet and outlet valves forming a first one-directional check valve system, and said second magnetic one-directional magnetic inlet and outlet valves forming a second one-directional check valve system of said artificial heart; pump chamber means rigidly disposed in the lower part of said casing; reciprocating bistable electro-magnetic pumping means for generating a reciprocating pumping motion rigidly disposed in said pump chamber means and having an hydraulic pumpiNg medium and at least two permanent magnets rigidly mounted in said pump chamber means so that the poles of one magnet face the poles of the other at a given distance therebetween, said facing poles having opposite polarity thus forming a closed ring flux field that cannot be magnetized under a given operating condition; ferromagnetic piston means reciprocably slidable between the poles of said permanent magnets; electromagnetic coil means rigidly disposed between said permanent magnets and operatively surrounding said ferro-magnetic piston means; means for energizing said coil with an alternating dc pulse so that said coil generates an alternating electromagnetic flux field to cause said ferromagnetic piston means to be continuously magnetically polarized in opposite directions and thereby execute said reciprocating pumping motion between said magnetic poles by being alternately repelled and attracted therebetween; means permitting said reciprocating pumping means to alternatively pump said pumping medium into said first and second elastic diaphragm sacs to fill said sacs and cause expansion thereof into respective ones of said first and second chamber means and thereby generate pulsatable motion in said artificial heart which forces blood, under the agency of said first and second one-directional check valve system, in a onedirectional mode around said circulatory system.

Claim 7

A permanently implantable artificial heart for pumping blood around a circulatory system, said heart comprising: a casing having an upper part and a lower part; first and second chamber means disposed in said upper part, each chamber means capable of functioning both as an atrium and a ventricle; a chamber wall dividing said first and second chamber means and preventing communication therebetween; a first inlet and first outlet passage of said first chamber means, said first inlet passage having a first magnetic onedirectional inlet valve and said first outlet passage having a first magnetic one-directional outlet valve, said first inlet and first outlet valves allowing blood to flow into and out of said first chamber means respectively; a second inlet and second outlet passage of said second chamber means, said second inlet passage having a second magnetic onedirectional inlet valve and said second outlet passage a first magnetic one-directional outlet valve, said second inlet and said second outlet valves allowing blood to flow into and out of said second chamber means respectively; a first elastic diaphragm sac separating said first chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic sac being expandable into said first chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; a second elastic diaphragm sac separating said second chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic sac being expandable into said second chamber means to substantially fill the space therein, said first magnetic onedirectional magnetic inlet and outlet valves forming a first one-directional check valve system, and said second magnetic one-directional magnetic inlet and outlet valves forming a second one-directional check valve system of said artificial heart; pump chamber means rigidly disposed in the lower part of said casing; reciprocating bistable electro-magnetic pumping means for generating a reciprocating pumping motion rigidly disposed in said pump chamber means and having an hydraulic pumpiNg medium and at least two permanent magnets rigidly mounted in said pump chamber means so that the poles of one magnet face the poles of the other at a given distance therebetween, said facing poles having opposite polarity thus forming a closed ring flux field that cannot be magnetized under a given operating condition; ferromagnetic piston means reciprocably slidable between the poles of said permanent magnets; electromagnetic coil means rigidly disposed between said permanent magnets and operatively surrounding said ferro-magnetic piston means; means for energizing said coil with an alternating dc pulse so that said coil generates an alternating electromagnetic flux field to cause said ferromagnetic piston means to be continuously magnetically polarized in opposite directions and thereby execute said reciprocating pumping motion between said magnetic poles by being alternately repelled and attracted therebetween; means permitting said reciprocating pumping means to alternatively pump said pumping medium into said first and second elastic diaphragm sacs to fill said sacs and cause expansion thereof into respective ones of said first and second chamber means and thereby generate pulsatable motion in said artificial heart which forces blood, under the agency of said first and second one-directional check valve system, in a onedirectional mode around said circulatory system.

Claim 8

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means permitting said pumping means to pump said pumping fluid into said first and second diaphragm sacs comprises perforations in the wall of said chamber means adjacent the separation of said atrium chamber means and said ventricle chamber means with the lower part of said casing.

Claim 9

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 5 wherein said permanent magnets are of the cobalt rare-earth type.

Claim 10

A permanently implantable artificial heart for pumping blood around a circulatory system said heart comprising: a casing having an upper part and a lower part; at least two chamber means disposed in said upper part and having corresponding inlet and outlet passages for transporting blood to and from each of said chambers respectively so that as blood is entering one chamber it is simultaneously leaving the other; a one-directional check valve system disposed in said inlet and outlet passages for controlling and allowing the flow of blood in one direction through said heart and into said circulatory system; a first elastic diaphragm sac separating one of said two chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic diaphragm sac being expandable into said one of said chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; a second elastic diaphragm sac separating the other of said two chamber means from the lower part of said casing said second elastic diaphragm sac being expandable into said other of said two chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; reciprocating bistable electromagnetic pumping means for generating a reciprocating pumping motion rigidly disposed in the lower part of said casing, and having an hydraulic pumping medium; at least two permanent magnets rigidly mounted in said chamber means so that the poles of one magnet face the poles of the other at a given distance therebetween, said facing poles having opposite polarity thus forming a closed ring flux field that cannot be magnetized under a given operating condition; ferromagnetic piston means reciprocably slidable between the poles of said permanent magnets; electromagnetic coil means rigidly disposed between said permanent magnets and operatively surrounding said ferro-magnetic piston means; means for energizing said coil with an alternating dc pulse so that said coil generates an alternating electromagnetic flux field to cause said ferromagnetic piston means to be continuously magnetically polarized in opposite directions and thereby execute said reciprocating pumping motion between said magnetic poles by being alternately rePelled and attracted therebetween, whereby said pumping means alternatively pumps said pumping medium into said first and second elastic diaphragm sacs to fill said sacs and cause expansion thereof into respective ones of said chamber means and thereby generate pulsatable motion in said artificial heart which forces blood, under the agency of said one-directional check valve system means, in a one-directional mode around said circulatory system.

Claim 11

A permanently implantable artificial heart for pumping blood around a circulatory system said heart comprising: a casing having an upper part and a lower part; at least two chamber means disposed in said upper part and having corresponding inlet and outlet passages for transporting blood to and from each of said chambers respectively so that as blood is entering one chamber it is simultaneously leaving the other; a one-directional check valve system disposed in said inlet and outlet passages for controlling and allowing the flow of blood in one direction through said heart and into said circulatory system; a first elastic diaphragm sac separating one of said two chamber means from the lower part of said casing, said first elastic diaphragm sac being expandable into said one of said chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; a second elastic diaphragm sac separating the other of said two chamber means from the lower part of said casing said second elastic diaphragm sac being expandable into said other of said two chamber means to substantially fill the space therein; reciprocating bistable electromagnetic pumping means for generating a reciprocating pumping motion rigidly disposed in the lower part of said casing, and having an hydraulic pumping medium; at least two permanent magnets rigidly mounted in said chamber means so that the poles of one magnet face the poles of the other at a given distance therebetween, said facing poles having opposite polarity thus forming a closed ring flux field that cannot be magnetized under a given operating condition; ferromagnetic piston means reciprocably slidable between the poles of said permanent magnets; electromagnetic coil means rigidly disposed between said permanent magnets and operatively surrounding said ferro-magnetic piston means; means for energizing said coil with an alternating dc pulse so that said coil generates an alternating electromagnetic flux field to cause said ferromagnetic piston means to be continuously magnetically polarized in opposite directions and thereby execute said reciprocating pumping motion between said magnetic poles by being alternately rePelled and attracted therebetween, whereby said pumping means alternatively pumps said pumping medium into said first and second elastic diaphragm sacs to fill said sacs and cause expansion thereof into respective ones of said chamber means and thereby generate pulsatable motion in said artificial heart which forces blood, under the agency of said one-directional check valve system means, in a one-directional mode around said circulatory system.

Claim 12

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 8 wherein said one-directional check valve system means comprises a plurality of magnetically operable one-directional valves.

Claim 13

An artificial heart as claimed in claim 8 wherein said permanent magnets are of the cobalt rare-earth type.