Centrifugal blood pump assembly having magnetic material embedded in impeller vanes

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved centrifugal fluid pump assembly of the magnetic coupling type which does not carry air into the blood chamber or increase the blood fill amount and the radial thrust of the impeller.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a centrifugal fluid pump assembly comprising a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port for fluid and adapted to receive fluid therein; an impeller having a magnetic material disposed therein and accommodated for rotation in the housing for feeding the fluid by a centrifugal force developed during rotation; and a rotational torque generating mechanism comprising a rotor having a magnet for attracting the magnetic material in the impeller and a motor for rotating the rotor, the rotational torque generating mechanism serving to impart a rotational torque to the impeller in a non-contact relationship for thereby rotating the impeller.
The impeller has a plurality of vanes which define therebetween a corresponding plurality of fluid passages extending from the center to the outer periphery of the impeller.
The magnetic material is disposed in the vane.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a centrifugal fluid pump assembly comprising a centrifugal fluid pump section comprising a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port for fluid and adapted to receive fluid therein and an impeller having a magnetic material disposed therein and accommodated for rotation in the housing for feeding the fluid by a centrifugal force developed during rotation; and a rotational torque generating section comprising a rotor having a magnet for attracting the magnetic material in the impeller and a motor for rotating the rotor, the rotational torque generating section serving to impart a rotational torque to the impeller in a non-contact relationship.
The impeller has a plurality of vanes which define therebetween a corresponding plurality of fluid passages extending from the center to the outer periphery of the impeller