Membrane pump and method of operating the same

摘要

A membrane pump has a housing which includes a pump head provided with an internal recess. The pump head is further provided with an inlet opening and an outlet opening which communicate with the recess and are disposed next to one another near an edge of the housing. A membrane extends across the recess and is clamped at its edges by the housing. The membrane and recess together define a pumping chamber. A segment of the membrane is held stationary against the pump head by a clamping finger and forms a seal with the pump head. The seal extends radially between the inlet and outlet openings from the periphery of the pumping chamber to its center. A drive successively urges circumferrentially successive segments of the unconfined part of the membrane into sealing engagement with the pump head to thus direct fluid from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.