Abstract: A peristaltic pump comprising a rotor and a plurality of removable cartridges associated with the rotor, wherein the occlusion beds of the cartridges are configured to enable the outflow characteristics of the pump to be varied by manipulation or interchanging of the cartridges, such that the pump may, in one mode of operation, have synchronous flow to all of its parallel flow channels, or may in a second mode of operation, have non-synchronous phase-offset flow to respective ones of the parallel flow channels. In the second mode of operation, manifolding of the output flow from respective ones of the parallel flow channels can be employed to provide flow of substantially reduced pulsation. Each of the cartridges preferably comprises a cartridge frame and a separate occlusion bed supported on the cartridge frame. In the second mode of operation, the occlusion beds of the cartridges preferably have regions of maximum occlusion offset relative to one another.

Abstract: A plug-in sensing unit includes a detector base and a detector head constructed and arranged for mounting on the detector base, with contacts of the detector head engaging terminals of the detector base when the detector head is mounted on the detector base for extending power to a sensor housed within the detector head. A cam on the detector head moves a shorting spring to interconnect a pair of terminals on the detector base to complete a circuit path indicative of the presence of a detector head in the detector base, a further cam on the detector head cooperates with a cam on the detector base to enable the contact spring to restore to its rest position when the detector head is removed from the detector base. The shorting spring can be moved to its operating position manually during testing of the loop in which the detector base is connected, the contact spring being restored to its rest position automatically during the initial stage of mounting of a detector head on the detector base.