Medical micropumps, their repair and maintenance. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering / Electronics in medicine

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This article is the result of many years of experience in the repair and maintenance of a rare type of electromechanical devices used in medicine. As far as the author knows, they have never been mentioned in the specialized press in the last 30 years.

First, let's deal with the terminology. There are several companies from different countries (Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy) that produce specialized electromechanical devices for long-term (many hours) injections of medicines. So, the devices of the British company GRASEBY MEDICAL are called syringe drivers, i.e. syringe drive. Products of the Italian company INFUZA are called medical infusion system (medical injection system). The products of the Greek company MICREL are given the name micropump (micropump).

Without going deep into linguistics, we will call all devices of this class micropumps (hereinafter referred to as MN). According to the author, this term is the most concise and informative enough.

Now briefly about the application of MN. There are a number of human diseases that require constant, continuous and long-term administration of the drug into the patient's blood. In particular, such diseases include thalassemia. With this disease, the patient's bone marrow does not produce some of the constituent parts of the blood, which adversely affects a person's health and even threatens his life. Such patients need constant administration of a drug containing these substances. The intake of the drug into the blood should proceed evenly and in small doses, as it happens in a healthy body. A single injection may not solve the problem, but create a host of others. It is very undesirable to overload the body with a shock dose. At the same time, giving small doses at short intervals is difficult and painful for the patient. In addition, people live with this disease all their lives, and patients cannot stay in the hospital all the time.

To solve these problems, MNs were developed. They are an electromechanical unit in the form of a micromotor with a reduction gear, a lead screw and a carriage that transmits force to the piston of a disposable syringe. At certain intervals, the engine turns on and turns the lead screw at a small angle. The carriage, connected by a nut to the lead screw, advances the plunger of the syringe. A limited dose of the drug enters the patient's blood. The most remarkable thing is that MH can be fixed on the patient's body and he can move around easily. For example, a child with such MN may attend school and even exhibit physical activity characteristic of this age. The syringe is connected to the needle with a flexible tube. The needle is inserted subcutaneously and secured with adhesive tape. By changing the size of the syringe, it is possible to regulate the dose of the administered drug within certain limits. In addition, some MNs allow using switches to set several speeds for moving the carriage, changing the length of the pause between work strokes.

Let's start our consideration of MH with the products of the Greek company MICREL. Their appearance is shown in Fig. 1 (first and second in front). All of them are designated as the MP model, but the author knows four versions of this model. A feature of the model (MP-11, v3.1), shown in the foreground of Fig. 2, is to use a rechargeable battery of five Ni-Cd batteries.

Rice. 1. MH from MICREL

Rice. 2. MH powered by Ni-Cd batteries

Schematic diagram of products of this model is shown in fig. 3. The scheme was compiled by the author according to the topology of the printed circuit board. Attempts to find it on the Internet and contact the manufacturer did not give any results.

Rice. 3. Schematic diagram of MH, models MP11, v3.1 (click to enlarge)

The second version of the MP-11 model (version v.5) is assembled in a case increased in height by adding a battery compartment for six AAA cells. The circuit diagram of version v5 is identical to the previous version.

The design feature of this model is the use of a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), folded in half inside the case. The conductors are made by the method of electrolytic growth of copper in the recesses of the PCB, followed by burning. This explains the very high adhesion of the conductors. They do not peel off even with unsuccessful dismantling of parts.

When repairing MH, oddly enough, the main tool is a brush. For more than eight years of work with MN, it was necessary to replace faulty microcircuits and transistors 5-6 times, with a total number of repairs in the hundreds. The main causes of MH failures are microcracks and pollution. But this circumstance does not at all contribute to facilitating the search for the reasons for the inoperability of the MN. Those involved in the repair of electronic equipment are well aware of how difficult it is to find a microcrack, especially on PCB with a conductor width of 0,1 ... 0,3 mm. Actually circuit diagrams are more often needed for continuity of printed conductors.

In products of this class, microcracks account for up to 50% of failures. Their main reason, in the opinion of the author, is the use of flexible software. A lot of microcracks occur precisely near its 180-degree bend. The strength of the leads of parts in DIP packages exceeds the strength of printed conductors, which leads to frequent breaks of the latter near the contact pads. Especially often the conductors connected to the transistor Q1 are torn, and from the side of the transistor itself. Their duplication with the help of hinged jumpers made of thin enameled wire (PEV-2 0,1 ... 0,2 mm.) Usually leads to the restoration of the MN operability.

The second no less rare defect is the leakage of the contents of the syringe into the device. Since the drug is electrically conductive (a solution of salts of iron, potassium, sodium, etc.), its penetration between the conductors leads to the complete inoperability of the product. After all, all nodes are assembled using CMOS micro-circuits. The main tool for repairing such defects is a set of brushes and brushes.

It is very convenient to use a toothbrush with synthetic bristles. It is highly recommended to use acetone instead of alcohol to clean the PCB. The latter always contains moisture, which creates leaks in the circuit. Finding them is almost impossible. Therefore, after washing the board, you must use a hair dryer. If this is not done, then the circuit remains inoperative until the moisture is removed. In addition, acetone dissolves the components of preparations better and has better bactericidal properties than alcohol. True, it is also more poisonous, so washing is best done in the open air and away from open flames.

I would like to pay special attention to safety issues during the repair of MN. Reading the following lines may scare many, but those who decide to do this should know what they need.

When repairing MH, it is not safety when working with electric current that comes to the fore, but hygiene - personal and workplace.

The main thing to remember when working with MN is that thalassemia, although not contagious (it is a genetic disease), is often associated with diseases that can be transmitted through the blood (for example, hepatitis). Therefore, it is extremely important to follow the following rules:

- never use used syringes and needles, and use only new ones to check the performance, since now they cost a penny. Don't skimp on your own safety;

- after disassembling the MN, remove the PP from it (sometimes it is necessary to remove one hollow rivet), the gearbox, the carriage with the lead screw and the thrust bearing, as well as the spring contact of the battery compartment. Wash all plastic parts and the lead screw with hot water and detergent (artificial) soap, using a stiff brush. Especially carefully should be washed fabric Velcro fastener for attaching the syringe;

- regardless of the condition of the PCB surface, it is also recommended to wash it with acetone;

- never repair MH if you have damage to the skin on the hands, especially on the fingers. Through them, an infection can enter your blood;

- when repairing, do not touch your face (especially the nose, mouth and eyes) with your hands, as the mucous membranes are more susceptible to infection. Do not forget that not only your health, but also those of your loved ones depend on compliance with these rules. Repair of such products is unacceptable, for example, on a dining table. Use a paper or film backing that must be discarded after use.

Check battery voltage before using for the first time. It should be between 6...10 V. At lower voltages, the built-in power monitor activates an alarm. AC adapter not recommended. Due to the large input resistance of the circuit and the capacitive coupling between the primary and secondary windings, there is a possibility of breakdown of the junctions of CMOS chips and MOS transistors.

Serviceable MN, model MP-11 v.3 (with flexible PP), works as follows. When the device is turned on, the first flash of the indicator two-color LED should be orange, because the capacitor to which the power monitor is connected does not have time to charge up to full battery voltage. The next flashes of the LED should be green. After the 32nd flash, the engine starts and turns the lead screw 60 degrees through the gearbox. The rotation angle sensor is a ring magnet with three pairs of poles, mounted on the output shaft of the gearbox. In the immediate vicinity of it is a Hall sensor with a built-in shaper - a Schmitt trigger. With each change in the polarity of the magnetic field, it generates a signal that resets the timer. The countdown starts again. If, within a few seconds after the 32nd flash of the LED, the lead screw does not turn, an alarm will also turn on, indicating that the syringe has run out and needs to be replaced. To turn it off, turn off the power to the device. After the power supply is restored, the countdown starts again.

The speed of movement of the carriage is fixed - 5 mm/hour. If necessary, it is regulated by a tuning resistor R1.

Using the trimmer resistor R4 regulate the current through the motor. It should be large enough for the syringe to move, but not higher than a certain value. This is due to the fact that at a certain current through the motor, its armature acquires sufficient inertia to rotate the output shaft of the gearbox by more than 60 degrees. This leads to an increase in the dose of the drug administered in one working stroke of the MN.

Of the mechanical defects of the MN MP-11, the most common is the breakage of the threaded part of the carriage button (Fig. 4). The button itself is made of thermoplastic plastic and has a running nut with an M4 thread in its lower part. To ensure the possibility of installing the carriage in any position, the thread is made only on the lower half of the nut and has a window wider than the diameter of the lead screw. The button itself in the carriage is spring-loaded, which ensures that the cut part of the nut is pressed against the lead screw. When the button is pressed, they disengage. The carriage thus gets the opportunity to move freely along the lead screw. This allows you to match the syringe with MN. In the narrowest places of the nut, the plastic section does not exceed 1 ... 2 mm², which causes its low strength. To repair the button, it is recommended to make a part (Fig. 5) from sheet duralumin and melt it with a hot soldering iron into the button, the view of which after such repair is shown in fig. 6. First, it is necessary to drill 3-4 holes in it with a diameter of 2 mm and a depth of 5 mm. The partitions between the holes can not be removed. They will still melt, and the excess plastic will be squeezed out. After cooling, it must be cut off and the squareness of the nut and lead screw checked.

Rice. 4. Carriage button repair

Rice. 5. Detail drawing for button repair

Rice. 6. Refurbished button

If it becomes necessary to make a new button, then you need to pay special attention to a small protrusion on the back (not touching the syringe) surface of the button. At first glance, this protrusion seems redundant, only complicating the manufacture of the button. In fact, it performs a very important function. After installing the syringe, it does not allow the nut to move down and its connection with the lead screw becomes one-piece. This greatly reduces wear on the nut and provides the necessary stop to brake the motor when the syringe runs out, which in turn triggers an alarm. In the absence of this protrusion, the nut is pressed from the screw, it jumps to adjacent threads and, ultimately, there is no signaling. A similar picture occurs with too much current through the armature.

There is another version of the MP-11 v5.2 model. It has an identical body and mechanism, but differs in the scheme (Fig. 7) and software. The printed circuit board is made in a flexible design, and most of the parts are used for SMD mounting. But unfortunately, she did not become more reliable from this. For MH with this board, ceramic SMD capacitors have become a real scourge. Due to their low quality, and, perhaps, deviations in the process of their soldering, they constantly have broken leads. And since they have a capacitance of the order of 0,1 μF, it is difficult to check them with a tester and you have to connect small-sized mounted ceramic capacitors in parallel.

Rice. 7. Schematic diagram of model MP 11, v5.2 (click to enlarge)

Another serial defect of this type of MN was the mass failure of integrated voltage regulators in the SOIC-8 package. By analogy with the above diagrams, we can assume that these are the same LP-2951 (100 mA Low-Dropout Voltage Regulator), only in an SMD package.

The operation of devices of this version differs from that described above only in that, when turned on, a self-test occurs, followed by three red flashes of the LED, accompanied by sound signals, and the third signal is longer than the previous two. The following flashes turn green to indicate normal operation. The engine starts also after the 32nd flash of the LED.

The fourth version of this model is also assembled on a rigid printed circuit board and is characterized by a more rational installation. It is produced, apparently under license, by the Iranian company FARAFAN. It was not possible to draw up a scheme for it, because. It has only been repaired once.

The products of the Italian company MEDIS (Medical Infusion Systems) of the INFUSA TS model (Fig. 8) are characterized by much higher reliability, but also a shorter operating time with one battery. The latter is due to the use of a 6F22 battery (similar to KRONA or KORUND) as a power source. In general, they are arranged according to the same principle as those discussed earlier. The MN scheme of this model is shown in Fig. 9. Only the angle sensor is different. It is implemented on a clutch with three protrusions, on which magnets are fixed. In the immediate vicinity of them is a reed switch. The signal from it when the clutch is turned resets the timer and the countdown starts again.

Rice. 8. MH firm MEDIS, model INFUSATS

Rice. 9. Schematic diagram of INFUSA TS model

The pause time between engine starts can be adjusted using switch SW3, the slot of which is displayed on the side panel MH. To do this, the kit includes a special plastic screwdriver recessed into the MN housing. The device has four speeds - 50 mm for 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours.

If the lead screw does not rotate for a few seconds, an alarm is activated.

The main defects of this type of devices include the ingress of the contents of the syringe into the MN and the formation of leaks between the conductors of the PP. To remove them, it is necessary to disassemble the device, wash the plastic parts of the lead screw with hot water and soap and dry with a hair dryer. The PP is washed with acetone with a brush 2-3 times and also dried with a hair dryer. The acetone used for this should not contain impurities and give a precipitate or streaks after drying.

Different brushes must be used for rinsing with acetone and water.

After assembling the mechanism, the lead screw can be lubricated with a small amount of medical vaseline. When assembling, special attention should be paid to sealing the device. It is carried out using silicone sealant (preferably white), packaged in tubes of 25 ... 100 g. It is applied around the entire perimeter of the joints of the body halves. After tightening the screws, the excess sealant is removed. If sealing is not carried out, then the very first few drops of the drug that get inside will lead the MN to an inoperable state.

Particular attention must be paid to the condition of the battery compartment contacts. Very often, due to electrochemical corrosion, a very strong oxide film is formed, completely insulating the battery terminals. Contacts should be cleaned with fine sandpaper or a file. After that, it is useful to irradiate them, but without the use of active fluxes. The latter only accelerate the corrosion of contacts.

From the model range of MH of the English company GRASEBY MEDICAL, two can be noted - MS-18 and MS-26. Their appearance is shown in Fig. 10. Externally, the MS-18 model differs only in the absence of a speed switch. Its scheme is shown in Fig. 11. The positional designations of capacitors and diodes are given conditionally and may not coincide with the factory one. On the IC1 chip, an RS-on-off trigger of the device is assembled, on IS2 - a clock generator and a timer frequency divider, and on IS3 - a pulse shaper for the indicator LED. The latter is connected through a capacitor, which provides a short-term (several milliseconds) alternate flash of its two red crystals connected in anti-parallel. This increases the efficiency of the display unit. A current generator is assembled on the TR4 transistor, which stabilizes the current through the engine and reduces the dependence of its speed on the degree of discharge of the battery.

Rice. 10. MN of GRASEBY MEDICAL

Rice. 11. Schematic diagram of the model GRASEBY MS 18

It should be noted that in all the described MH microelectric motors 1516E012S L148 made in Germany were used. The voltage at which their armature starts to rotate is 1 ... 1,5 V, therefore, without a current stabilizer, their rotation speed would greatly depend on the supply voltage. The "power" key elements here are n-channel MOS transistors VN10KM. Due to the large margin for switched current, no failures were observed, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about microswitches. A feature of the rotation sensor of these MNs is the use of microswitches with a spring-loaded lever and a three-lug clutch. The clutch is fixed on the output shaft of the reducer so that when rotated, the protrusions press on the lever associated with the SW2 microswitch. Its operation stops the engine and restarts the timer. Despite the use of high-quality microswitches with gold-plated contacts, their durability is not high. Finding suitable replacements is very difficult. Therefore, a permutation can serve as a way out of the situation. Fortunately, similar products were used as SW1 and SW3. Since they switch low currents, they have an active load and they are used much less frequently than SW2, so their resource is not consumed so quickly. The spring-loaded lever is rearranged very carefully, trying not to damage the very fragile plastic protrusions on the microswitch housings. When soldering them, it is undesirable to use liquid flux. If it gets inside their cases, it will be very difficult to remove it. Soldering should be carried out with a minimum amount of solder and rosin.

The circuit feature of these MNs is the use of a protective germanium diode in the negative power circuit. In addition to protecting against reverse polarity of the supply voltage, it also serves as a low-current fuse. Since the maximum current of point germanium diodes is small, such diodes, when they fail, break the power supply circuit of the MN. It is quite possible to replace such a diode with D9, which is suitable in size and characteristics. It is undesirable to use silicon diodes, because. they have more forward voltage drop across the open junction. This leads to less full use of the battery, the capacity of which is already low. Replacing the diode with a jumper is also undesirable, because. the design of the battery compartment allows you to install the battery in two ways - with the correct and reverse polarity. If installed incorrectly, the device may be damaged.

The instrument is powered on by pressing and holding the button on the side surface of the housing for five seconds. In this case, two microswitches (SW1 and SW3) are activated and the micromotor is turned on. Within five seconds, he rotates the lead screw. This is necessary for tight contact of the carriage with the syringe plunger. After that, the exposure countdown begins, which is indicated by periodic flashes of the LED. The speed of movement of the carriage is one - 5 mm / h and is set using the resistor R4.

The disadvantages of this model include the fact that it does not have an audible signaling of the end of the injection, low supply voltage and non-stop rotation of the engine. Any of these malfunctions leads only to a "silent" shutdown of the device. Therefore, during operation, constant monitoring of its operation is necessary.

The above shortcomings were eliminated by the developers in the MS-26 model (Fig. 12). The "heart" of the device is the ETL9421N microprocessor with built-in ROM (1K x 8) and RAM (64 x 4).

Rice. 12. Schematic diagram of the model GRASEBY MS 26

This made it possible to introduce such service conveniences as adjusting the speed of the carriage, sound indication of the end of the injection, and monitoring the battery voltage. To adjust the speed, binary encoder switches 1-2-48 are used. They set the most significant and least significant bits of the value of the speed of movement of the carriage in millimeters per day. Their slots are displayed on the side surface of the device. There are also windows in which you can read the set speed value.

The oscillator frequency is set with R9, and the motor current with R5.

The lead screw angle sensor is the SW3 microswitch. Its design is similar to that used in the previous model.

The key for the yellow indicator LED is assembled on the TR5 transistor. A time relay is assembled on the TR9 transistor, which is necessary for self-testing of the device when it is turned on. When the battery is installed in the battery compartment, the sound generator assembled on the TR8 and the B1 piezoceramic emitter is turned on. It emits a continuous beep for 15...20 seconds and then smoothly fades away. After that, having installed the syringe, press the button on the front surface of the device and hold it until the carriage rests against the syringe plunger. After that, the button is released and the LED flashes with a period of one flash per 16 seconds (at a set speed of 90 mm / 24 h). After the fourth flash, the engine starts and turns the lead screw 60 degrees. Then the process is repeated.

There are two ways to disable this model:

- remove the battery from the battery compartment (the most reliable way);

- press the right half of the button on the MH front panel so that only the right microswitch operates and hold it until a continuous sound signal appears. After that, the button is released. But the sound signal continues to sound for another 15 ... 20 seconds with a smooth decrease in volume to zero. If the sound breaks off simultaneously with the release of the button, then repeat the shutdown procedure, trying not to press the left half of the button.

The main defects of this model are the leakage of the drug onto the surface of the PCB and the insufficient elasticity of the spring lever of the SW3 rotation sensor. In the second case, when the lead screw is rotated, SW3 is not switched.

Flushing the PCB is facilitated by the fact that the microprocessor is mounted on a socket, but when handling it, you must remember that it is a MOS device and protect it from the effects of static electricity. Copying his "firmware" can be very useful.

In conclusion, I would like to give some recommendations for checking the operability of the MN after repair. As long-term practice has shown, a simple check by blinking the LED and periodically rotating the engine is completely insufficient.

The check must be carried out by a long continuous run of the MH for 12...48 hours under conditions close to real. A regular power source is installed in the checked MN - a battery (and not a power adapter), a disposable syringe with a capacity of 5 ... 10 ml, filled with liquid machine oil (or, in extreme cases, water) is fixed. A regular needle of the smallest diameter is installed on the syringe. The needle is inserted into the rubber stopper of an empty and clean vial of penicillin. Such a makeshift stand imitates the hydraulic resistance exerted by the human injection body. If possible, check the operation of the MH and under the influence of vibration, for example, in a car.

An MN can be considered repaired with a high degree of confidence if it has worked flawlessly under such conditions for at least 12 hours.

The final stage of the test is the moment of complete completion of the solution in the syringe. In this case, the sound alarm must be triggered in all MNs, except for MS-18 from GRASEBY MEDICAL. The latter should just "quietly" turn off.

The most common defect at this stage is the slippage of the nut during the rotation of the lead screw. Because of this, the audible alarm does not turn on.

If the defect cannot be eliminated by slightly stretching the springs pressing the nut against the lead screw, it can be recommended to slightly reduce the current through the motor. But this should not be abused. If the motor current is too low, the MN may subsequently not be able to "cope" with a full syringe. In this case, it is better to make a new nut, as described above.

Approach the repair of MH with all responsibility, since the health and well-being of people depends on them.

Finally, I would like to briefly mention the MH of the German company BROWN. They are very different from the devices described above. Structurally, they are watch mechanisms with a spring, manually wound and compressing the syringe. The mechanism of these devices is very complex and their repair is more accessible to watchmakers than radio amateurs. Without sufficient experience in this area, the repair of these products is almost impossible. But these devices have malfunctions that radio amateurs can fix. The fact is that in these MNs a device for sound signaling the end of the injection is installed. It is assembled on a small printed circuit board and is powered by a 3 V AA lithium AA battery. It ensures the operation of the device for several years. But an ordinary user cannot replace the battery, since it is soldered to the board, and the battery compartment simply does not exist. To replace the battery, it is necessary to disassemble the MH case. To do this, use a sharp needle or better with a vacuum suction cup to remove four decorative plugs masking the coupling screws. These plugs are so carefully driven that at first glance they seem to be marks from the pushers of the mold. Thus, the tightness of the MH is ensured along with the use of a sealant to seal the joints of the body halves.

After unscrewing the screws, the housing opens freely.

Unfortunately, a 3V lithium battery cannot be replaced with a single 1,5V salt, alkaline, or alkaline battery. And there is no free space to install another battery inside the case. Therefore, as an output, we can recommend using two elements of the AG13 size, used, for example, in laser pointers. All connections are made by soldering. After that, the elements are fixed with glue or double-sided adhesive tape. Of course, the service life of these batteries is less than that of a standard lithium battery, but this disadvantage is compensated by their low price and availability.

Author: Sergey Lusta

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