CPC F04B 43/1284 (2013.01) | 15 Claims |
1. An actuator of a peristaltic pump, comprising:
a rotor element supporting rollers, the rotor element being configured to rotate about a rotor axis and the rollers each being configured to rotate about a roller axis that is parallel to the rotor axis;
the rotor element and each of the rollers being constrained such that the rotor element and rollers are able to rotate only about their respective axes; and
a shoe having a displacement axis perpendicular to the rotor axis; and
a linear bearing supporting the shoe, wherein
the shoe is forced against the rollers by a spring without rotation in any axis,
the shoe is constrained against all modes of displacement except toward and away from the rotor axis of the rotor element by the linear bearing, and
the linear bearing includes an outer cylindrical sleeve which holds a pair of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sleeves spaced apart from each other,
a supporting shaft passes through the pair of the PTFE sleeves,
a cavity is defined by an outer surface of the supporting shaft, an inner surface of the outer cylindrical sleeve, and edges of each of the pair of the PTFE sleeves, and
the cavity is filled with a lubricant.
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