JPS6367070B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a valve for controlling fluid flow through a hose or conduit.

More specifically, the present invention provides at least two
The present invention relates to a type of valve that controls flow within two parallel hoses by alternately clamping them.

For example, when assembling an equipment system used in many chemical, bacteriological, medical, or industrial processes, the flow of fluids, such as liquids or gases, within the various parts of this system can be determined simply and reliably. An apparatus for controlling the method is required. Such control often has to be performed automatically depending on signals from sensors or timers. An example of such an instrument system is a system used in chromatography (color layer analysis), in which several fluids flow into and out of a chromatographic column. The discharged fluid must be distributed to several containers that contain it. Another example may be equipment systems with filters that must be cleaned from time to time, for example by backflowing cleaning fluid into the filter. However, in numerous other applications, automatic control of fluid flow may also be desired, and in these cases valves that need to be actuated at predetermined times when the equipment is not usually closely directed. There are quite a few.

Servo-actuated valves of conventional construction with closure members of conventional type are available for related purposes. However, these valves are expensive because they are often precisely manufactured from non-corrosive materials. More expensive valve construction is usually required to perform sterilization operations. This is because in this case it must be possible to disinfect the valve mechanism itself by removing it from the servomechanism and placing it in a pressure cooker, for example.

It has also been known and used in commercial products to operate valves by means of a common hose clamp pressure member that is actuated electromagnetically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. In this case, the hose clamping pressure member is normally in an open or closed state to provide the opposite state during operation.

U.S. Patent Nos. 3018793, 3575161 and
Each of No. 3895649 discloses a clamping pressure valve,
This valve is controlled so that the two hoses are alternately opened and closed. In this case, the servo device operates against the elastic force of the one or more compression springs and is progressively opening one hose while simultaneously gradually closing the other hose. This means that there is no distinct drive of the two hoses. This means that when one hose is closing, the other hose begins to open before it is completely closed; this means that the valves control the flow of air through one and the other hose, respectively. This may not be acceptable considering the disadvantages of inadvertent mixing of the fluids involved.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a precisely and clearly acting clamping pressure valve which is well suited for use with standard hose materials of the disposable type commonly used in the field of medical equipment, and which provides for the provide an interlocking pressure valve that can be alternately opened and closed, but that ensures that these two conduits are never left open at the same time, thereby preventing contamination of fluids being processed through these conduits; It is to be.

According to the invention, a valve for controlling the flow of fluid through at least two conduits includes a support device for holding the conduits in close proximity to each other and generally parallel; Stationary abutment members 14, 42 for supporting conduits and supporting a second of said conduits and not engaging or partially engaging said second conduit in the normal position. a movable engagement member extending across the at least two conduits and capable of laterally deforming the first conduit in a normal position; a clamping member for closing the second conduit by abutting against the abutting member, while keeping the second conduit open; and a clamping member for holding the clamping member in its normal position. a spring biasing device for moving the movable engagement member toward and engaging the second conduit; 2 of the conduit is clamped closed to move the conduit, and then the clamping member is moved from both its normal position and the stationary abutment member against the force of the spring biasing device. and an operating member moved apart to open the first conduit.

The effects of the present invention configured as described above will become clear from the description of the embodiments of the present invention that will be given later with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A more detailed description of the invention will now be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the servo-operated valve shown in these figures includes a servo device having an operating member, a solenoid 10, mounted within an enclosing frame 11. Referring to FIGS.
These two elements can be said to form the body of the valve. The frame 11 may be provided with a device for attaching the valve in any suitable manner. A cylindrical core 12 made of a magnetic material is movably mounted inside the solenoid 10 and serves as an engaging member, and a bracket 13 is mounted on the frame 11. This bracket 13
forms a member that abuts the core 12 and limits the amount of movement of the core 12 from the solenoid 10 in the downward direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. Attached to the frame 11 is a box-shaped stationary support member 14, which is preferably made of a plastic material with good thermal insulation properties. The support member forms a flat surface 15 at a higher level and a flat surface 16 at a lower level;
These flat surfaces are separated by shoulders 17.
A through hole 18 is opened in the surface 16, through which the core 12 is movable in the axial direction.

Each end of the support member is provided with an upright flange 19, which is a support member, the details of which are described in the third section.
As shown in the figure. Two mutually separated keyhole slots are provided within this flange, consisting of a narrow section 20 which is open at the end of the flange and a wide circular section connected to the narrow section. It has a portion 21. The keyhole slots of one flange are disposed opposite the keyhole slots of the other flange, and the portions 21 within these opposingly disposed pairs of slots are flush with the surface 15. , while the other pair of parts 21 are at the same height as the surface 16 . Two flexible hoses, a first conduit 22 and a second flexible conduit 23, made of soft rubber such as silicone rubber or plastic material are inserted into these keyhole slots, the width of these slots being as described above. Preferably, the width is such that the hose is held in place by frictional forces. The hoses extend parallel to each other along surfaces 15 and 16 of support member 14 between flanges 19, and in this embodiment converge to form a hose or flexible conduit 24. . Such branched hose elements are commercially available in sterile containers with a single hose element and are suitable for use in the servo-actuated valve of the present invention.

A spring elastic member 25 constituting a spring elastic device that is U-shaped and has one long leg and one short leg is attached to the frame 11 at its long leg.
installed on. A metal wire 26 serving as a clamping member passes through these two legs, and the wire is substantially parallel to the top plate of the spring biasing member and has a circular cross section. A U-shaped curved portion 26' is formed at one end of the wire. The wire 26 is pressed against the hose 22 under the force of the spring biasing member 25, so that the hose 22 is sandwiched between the wire 26 and the flat surface 15 of the support member 14, as shown in FIG. I'm under pressure. This state is the normal or resting state of the present servo-operated valve, in which the solenoid is not energized and the passageway in the hose 22 is connected to the metal wire 22.
and the surface 15, so that it is blocked. However, since the height of the shoulder 17 is such that at that height the wire 26 does not pinch the hose 23 together with the surface 16 at all, or in any case does not pinch the hose 23 substantially;
The passage within hose 23 is completely open.

When solenoid 10 is energized, core 1
2 is drawn into the solenoid with the upper end of the core 12 protruding from an opening 18 in the surface 16. At this time, the hose 23 is pressed against the spring-loaded wire 26, and this wire becomes a movable support member that clamps the hose. When the hose 23 is clamped and the wire 26 is lifted over the resilient force exerted by the spring 25, the valve enters the operating state shown in FIG. In this operating state, the passageway in the hose 23 is closed, but the free end of the wire 26 is lifted off the surface 15, so that there is no pressure clamping the hose 22, so that the passage inside the hose 22 is closed. The passage will be opened.

If the solenoid 10 is alternately deenergized and energized, the passage in one hose is open and the passage in the other hose is closed;
And the opposite will happen. Thus, the illustrated servo-operated valve operates as a three-way valve;
Fluid supplied from hose 24 is alternately supplied to hose 2
2 and hose 23 or hose 22
and the fluid flowing through the hose 23 are alternately supplied to the hose 24.

It is, of course, possible to control a single hose or two completely independent hoses with the present valve, and by arranging several valves of the type mentioned above in series, the fluid flow can be controlled. It is possible to distribute to or from two or more locations in almost any way. If desired, it is possible to easily modify the hose described above by using the holder shown in FIG.

As mentioned above, the support member 14 is made of a material with good thermal insulation properties, since it thermally insulates the solenoid 10 from the hoses 22 and 23, so that the solenoid 10 is long. Heat due to resistive losses that occur in the solenoid when energized for a period of time is prevented from being transferred by conduction to the hose and the fluid contained therein. In some cases it is not even possible for this fluid to be heated slightly.

If there are two protruding screws or pins in the body of the valve
7, the clamping member formed by the metal wire 26 and the spring biasing device 25 grip the valve between the U-shaped curved portion 26' and the screw or pin 27. By lifting the wire off surface 15 when the hose is on surfaces 15 and 16, it can be used for manual operation of the valve.

It is also conceivable to provide a clamping pressure member which is pivotally mounted and actuated by a helical spring, which may be a compression spring or a tension spring. The clamping pressure member can also be formed, for example, by one leg of a helical spring of the type used in cloth pegs, or a compression spring made of helically wound wire.

According to FIG. 5, the body of the valve is formed by a plastic or metal tube 28 constituting a support device, the cross section of which tube is rectangular, preferably square, or of some other shape. The tube is closed at one end by an end wall 29 secured to the tube. A solenoid 10 having a core 12 is attached to the other end of the tube. There are two slots in the tube, namely the upper slot 30.
and a lower slot 31 is provided in each of the two opposite side walls of the tube (one of which is designated by the numeral 32), the slot in one side wall being opposite the slot in the other side wall. It fits. These slots extend from one sidewall 33 of two other opposing sidewalls, with the slots in each pair of sidewalls being connected at right angles to slots 34 and 35, respectively. The slots 30 and 31 are connected to the other side wall 3 of the other two opposing side walls.
It ends at a point away from 6. It will thus be appreciated that the hoses 22 and 23 can each be inserted into the slots in a transverse direction, without having to pass them longitudinally into the tube 28.

A movable engagement member 37 is provided within the tube 28, preferably made of plastic material, and guided for longitudinal movement within the tube. This engagement member can be connected to the upper end of core 12 in any suitable manner. Engagement member 37 defines a ridge 38 extending through the center of the member parallel to sidewall 32.

A clamping pressure member 39, which may be made of plastic material and is guided to move longitudinally within the tube 28, forms a ridge 40 on its underside. The ridge extends parallel to and opposite the ridge 38. Clamping member 39
is a U-shaped member, and a through opening 41 is provided in the web, that is, in the portion connecting the two legs of the U-shaped member. This opening extends in the longitudinal direction of the tube and accommodates a pin 42 which is an abutting member. This pin 4
2 is attached to the wall 36 by a nut 43 which is screwed into the reduced diameter threaded end of the pin. The pin extends parallel to wall 32 and forms a longitudinal ridge 44 on the upper side of the pin. A ridge 45 is formed in the lower part of the upper leg of the clamping member 39, and extends parallel to and opposite the ridge 44. The clamping member 39 is biased by a compression spring 46, which is a helical spring, which is inserted into a bottom hole 47 on the underside of the end wall 29.
It is housed in and engages with the upper surface of the clamping pressure member 39.

Hoses 22 and 23, respectively accommodated by slots 30 and 31 and by corresponding slots provided in the wall opposite wall 32, are located between ridges 44 and 45 and between ridges 38 and 40, respectively. is located between. When the solenoid 10 is in the non-energized state, that is, in the state shown in FIG. Retained. That is, the hose 22
The passage inside is closed. Ritsuji 38 and 40 at the same time
are kept spaced apart from each other, so that the passage within the hose 23 remains open. In the hose 23 shown in FIG. 5, the ridges 38 and 40 are partially engaged;
It is not closed and fluid flows through it.

When the solenoid 10 is energized, the engagement member 37 is moved toward the clamping member 39, so that the hose 23 is clamped between the ridges 38 and 40, which means that the passage in the hose 23 is means closed. The solenoid then continues to rise and lifts the clamping pressure member 39, so that this member 3
9 rises against the stop pin 42 against the elastic force of the spring 46 constituting the spring compression device, thereby widening the distance between the stationary ridge 44 and the upwardly moving ridge 45, and the hose 22 is opened. be done. The operation of the valve according to this embodiment of the invention is essentially the same as that of the embodiment described with respect to FIGS. 1-4.

When the solenoid 10 is energized for an extended period of time, heat is generated within the solenoid due to resistive losses within the solenoid. This heat may be transferred to the fluid contained within the hose by conduction through the valve body, such as tube 28 in the embodiment of FIG. Heating of the fluid is often not allowed. This is because the treatment partially controlled by the valve may be disturbed by heating. To avoid or at least substantially reduce heat transfer from the solenoid to the hose, the tube 28 can be interrupted along the dash-dot line indicated at 48 in FIG. The two parts of the tube thus obtained can be connected to each other by means of an insulating connecting piece which separates the adjacent ends of these tube parts. If the tube 2 to which the solenoid 10 is installed
If part 8 is attached to said connecting piece by means that allow said part to be easily separated, the solenoid part can be removed from the other parts of the valve and only the valve mechanism can be cleaned if necessary, or The advantage is that it can be sterilized. If such measures are not taken, the solenoid section may be seriously affected by the above-mentioned cleaning or sterilization by the ingress of liquid or vapor into the winding section.

An embodiment in which the valve has two separable parts, a valve part and a solenoid part, is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the valve portion is constructed substantially as shown in FIG. 5, having a tube 28' closed at one end by a top wall 29 and provided at the other end with a circumferentially outwardly projecting flange 49. . The engaging member 37 and the clamping member 39 have the structure described with reference to FIG. 5, and are given the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. The centrally located spring 46 in FIG. 5 has been replaced in FIG. 6 by two or more springs. In addition, in the same figure, 1 denoted by numeral 46'
Two springs are disposed adjacent to the wall 36 and housed in holes 47' provided in the clamping member 39;
The other end of the spring engages the underside of the top wall 29 and can be accommodated within a not shown recess in the wall.

FIG. 6 also discloses a modified configuration of slots 30 and 31. These slots form three enlarged portions 50, one located in the center of the wall and the remaining two equally spaced on either side of the central enlarged portion. As shown, two hoses 2 are the first conduits within the valve.
When two hoses 2', 22'' and a second conduit 23', 23'' are used, these hoses are arranged in two lateral enlarged sections;
As shown in FIG. 5, if a single hose 22 and 23 is used, it is located within the central enlarged section. Thus in each slot one or two
If one or three hoses are used, the loads acting from said engagement members are always applied symmetrically. The risk of asymmetrical loading is eliminated by a precise sliding fit of the engagement member 37 and clamping member 39 within the tube 28', and by careful thermal isolation of the valve section from the solenoid and by the plastic parts. This can be further reduced by avoiding differential thermal expansion with metal parts and by locating the resilient spring in the center of the member 39 as shown in FIG.

The tube 28' is fixed on one side to a metal plate 51 by a screw fastener 52, and between the metal plate 51 and the flange 49 there is a resilient diaphragm, such as a rubber diaphragm or the like. 53 is tightened. A block 54 made of plastic or other material with good thermal insulation properties is connected to the underside of said metal plate 51 by means of screw fasteners 52.

The solenoid portion has a tube 28'' of similar configuration to tube 28', into which the solenoid 10 is mounted by screws 55.
However, as can be seen, the cross-sectional area of tube 28'' is larger than that of tube 28', which is preferred to allow the use of larger, more powerful solenoids. 28'' is removably attached to block 54 by screws 56 or other fasteners, such as quick type fasteners. The tube 28'' has its upper end spaced apart from the lower surface of the metal plate 51 so that heat can be transferred to the tube 28''.
8'' to the metal plate 51, thus tube 28'
Care should be taken to avoid or at least substantially reduce conductive heat transfer from the tube 28' to the fluid contained within the hose. The core 12 of the solenoid passes through a hole extending through the block and the metal plate, and the diaphragm 53 is disposed between the upper end of the core 12 and the lower surface of the engagement member 37.

The metal plate 51 may form part of a box or other structure that must be cleaned or sterilized from time to time with the valve attached to the metal plate.
Since the valve solenoid can be seriously affected by the liquid or steam used for cleaning or sterilization, the solenoid portion can be easily removed from block 54 before cleaning or sterilization is performed. The block can be easily returned to the block after it has been cleaned, cleaned or sterilized.

The embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are considered to be the most preferred forms for carrying out the invention. However, various modifications are possible, the solenoid could be replaced by a pneumatic or hydraulic servo cylinder, and the core 12 replaced by the plunger or piston rod of such a cylinder. A cylinder with a plunger or piston is equivalent to a small pressure fluid drive of the membrane type, and it is also possible to provide a manually operated operating member for the valve. Spring 4
Providing a device for adjusting the elastic force of 6 from an optimum maximum value to a zero value can constitute a preferred embodiment of a servo-operated valve as well as a manually operated valve. Note that the zero value corresponds to a state in which the passages in the hoses disposed in both slots 30 and 31 are open.

By adjusting the output of the solenoid 10 via a suitable control device, the force applied by the core 12 can be applied to the hose 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, for example.
3, the pressure is just enough to clamp the normally open hose 22, but not enough to move the wire 26 and clamping member 39, respectively, to remove the pressure applied to the other hose 22. The solenoid 10 is controlled by a suitable control device so that the
output can be adjusted. This means that adjusting the solenoid output in this way will clamp both hoses, or if more than two hoses are used, all of the hoses, thereby holding the valve in a condition where each passage is closed. It means possible.

Since the present invention is configured as described above and operates as described above, it produces the following effects.

(1) Commonly used in the field of medical devices,
To provide a clamping pressure valve that is well suited for use with standard hose materials of the disposable type and that operates accurately and clearly.

(2) The first conduit 22, 22', 22'' and the second conduit 23, 23', 23'' are held together by the clamping members 26, 39.
only one spring-loading device 25, 4 acting on
6, 46' can be clamped to alternately open and close the two conduits, but since it is ensured that these two conduits are never held open at the same time, a plurality of springs Unlike prior art valves using , the springs of these springs are no longer accurately related to each other, thereby potentially impairing the function of the valve and causing it to malfunction.

(3) During the life of the valve, the risk of contamination of the fluid being processed through the conduit is avoided at any time, and the reliability of the valve is high.

(4) Provide a valve that is simpler in construction than prior art valves.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view in vertical section of a portion of one embodiment of a valve according to the invention, showing the valve in one of two operating states. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the valve in one operating state, Fig. 3 is a side view showing details of the device for attaching the hose within the valve, and Fig. 4 is a partially vertical sectional view of the valve in the other operating state. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 of the valve according to the invention, FIG. 5 is a side view partially showing a second embodiment of the valve according to the invention in vertical section, and FIG. Figure 3 shows a perspective view with some parts of a third embodiment of the valve cut away; 10... Solenoid which is an operating member, 12...
Core as a movable engagement member, 14... Support member as a stationary abutment member, 19... Upright flange forming a support device, 22, 22', 22''... Hose as a first conduit, 23 , 23', 23''...a hose serving as a second conduit, 25...a spring elastic member constituting a spring elastic device, 26...a metal wire serving as a clamping member, 28, 28'... forming a support device Tube, 37...Movable engagement member, 39...Pinching member, 42...Pin, which is a stationary contact member, 4
6, 46'... Compression spring constituting the spring compression device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. At least two conduits 22, 23, 22',
valves for controlling the flow of fluid through 23', 22'', 23'', support devices 19, 28, for holding said conduits in close proximity to each other and generally parallel;
28' and a first of said conduits 22,2.
Stationary abutment member 1 for supporting 2′, 22″
4, 42, and a second conduit 23 of the conduits,
23', 23'' and which in its normal position does not engage or partially engages the second of said conduits and is capable of laterally deforming said conduits. abutting members 12, 37 extending across said conduits and closing a first one of said conduits 22, 22', 22'' against an abutment member 14, 42 which is stationary in its normal position; the second conduit 23, 2 of said conduits;
3′, 23″ clamping member 2 that remains open
6, 39, and a spring pressure device 2 for pressing the clamping members 26, 39 to occupy the normal position.
5, 46, 46' and movable engagement members 12, 37
is moved toward the second conduit into an engaged state, and the second
moving and pinching the conduit closed, and subsequently moving the clamping member away from its normal position and away from the stationary abutment member against the force of the spring biasing device to open said first conduit. A valve including an operating member 10 adapted to be operated. 2. In the valve according to claim 1, the supporting devices 28, 28' include a clamping pressure member 39 and a movable engagement member 37 and a clamping pressure member and a stationary abutment member 42. conduit 2 to each between
2, 23, 22', 23', 22'', 23'' are formed with slots into which they can be inserted by lateral movement of the conduit. 3. A valve according to claim 1, in which the operating member 10 includes a solenoid mounted so as to be thermally insulated from the rest of the valve. 4. The valve according to claim 1 further includes a tube 28 forming the valve body.
28', in which a movable engagement member 37 and a clamping pressure member 39 are slidably guided within the tube. 5. The valve according to claim 1, in which the movable engaging member 37 and the clamping member 39 are formed with ridges 38, 40, 45 that are engaged with the conduit.