Development of the Control System for the Motor-Driven Electromechanical Total Artificial Hearta

A micro-processor based control system for a brushless DC motor used in the motor-driven electromechanical total artificial heart was developed. Functionally, the control system is composed of two parts. The first part is the velocity and position controller to assure that the motor follows a predetermined optimal velocity profile with minimal energy consumption, and to guarantee the full stroke length. This part also utilize the passive adaptive control method to be robust against the load disturbance, system parameter variation, and uncertainty which is the environment of artificial heart system. The pump output control is the second part, and this part provides the required responses of the artificial heart to the time-varying physiologic demands. The basic requirements of these responses are preload sensitivity, afterload insensitivity, and the balanced ventricular outputs. The performance and reliability of this control system was evaluated through a series of mock circulation tests and animal implantation, and the results are very encouraging.