Modular flow control cassette

• US 4,620,690 A
• Filed: 03/28/1983
• Issued: 11/04/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Baxter Travenol Laboratories Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Kamen, Dean L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyddane, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Gerald A.
• Application Number:
  US06/479,328
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 251/7, 251/8, 251/9, 251/10
• US Class Current: 251/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/28 Clamping means for squeezing flexible tubes, e.g. roller clamps tube strippers A61M1/83
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/283 Screw clamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16813 by controlling the degree of opening of the flow line

Abstract

A sheet with inlet and outlet ports forms a housing, with a flow tube disposed between the ports. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of arms affixed at one end to the housing are adjustably spaced by a threaded tapered nut which mates with the other end of the arms. The flow tube passes between the arms and is constricted by the arms as the nut is advanced. The thread pitch, the degree of taper, and the point where the tube crosses the arms all determine the rate of constriction. In a further preferred embodiment the tube passes through a transverse indentation in the arms and is bonded thereto. In another preferred embodiment the housing is adapted to removably mount on an automatic flow sensing and adjusting module, which engages the tapered nut to adjust the flow rate through the tube.

Claims

1. A valve for controlling the flow of fluid, such valve comprising:

a sheet of material having an inlet nipple and an outlet nipple integrally formed therein for receiving the ends of sections of a flow tube;

flow means, including an elastic tube, for permitting flow of fluid through the inlet nipple in the sheet and then through the outlet nipple in the sheet;

compression means, mounted on the sheet at the base thereof, for compressing the elastic tube to a desired extent and thus controlling fluid flow through the flow means, the compression means including mating threaded members;

an advanceable nut with a bore therethrough; and

a plurality of coplanar, spaced apart arms in hinged connection at their base, the arms having a space for passage of the elastic tube transversely therebetween, and together having an external profile for mating with the nut so that advancement of the nut compresses the arms to adjust the spacing therebetween.

2. A valve according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the arms have free ends distal from their base and contain opposing indentations defining a collet disposed at a distance away from the free ends of the arms for passage of the elastic tube therethrough.

3. A valve according to claim 2, wherein the opposing indentations are each substantially hemi-cylindrical in shape so as to form a substantially cylindrical passage between the arms.

4. A valve according to claim 1 wherein the valve is adapted to removably mount on a separate control module, and wherein the periphery of the nut is adapted to engage a movable drive member of said control module.

5. A valve according to claim 4 wherein the periphery of the nut is toothed for engagement with a drive gear or pawl of the control module.

6. A flow control system comprising:

a case having an inlet and outlet port;

a tube, of which at least a portion is located within the case, connecting the inlet to the outlet port;

a pair of coplanar, spaced apart arms having a central longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the case, first and second ends, and interior and exterior faces, the first ends being attached to the case, the arms being so oriented that the tube passes transversely therebetween proximate to a tube-contact surface on the interior face of each arm, and the exterior face of each arm having an adjustment contact surface; and

adjustable spacing means movably mounted with respect to the arms and actuatable by controlled movement along the longitudinal axis of the arms, for causing adjustable compression of the tube by simultaneously bearing against the adjustment contact surfaces of both arms so as to move one toward the other and thereby to compress the tube.

7. A flow control system according to claim 6, wherein the tube contact surface on each arm includes an indentation disposed at a distance away from the second end toward the first end thereof, the indentations being substantially in registry so as to form a collet in said arms for passage of the tube therethrough.

8. A flow control system according to claim 7, wherein the indentations are substantially semicircular opposing indentations.

9. A flow control system according to claim 6, wherein the second ends of the arms together have an external profile and wherein the adjustable spacing means includes a threaded cylindrical member with a bore forming an interior surface for bearing against the adjustment contact surface of each arm, the axis of the bore being generally coincident with the longitudinal axis.

10. A flow control system according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the bore and the external profile is tapered.

11. A flow control system according to claim 10, wherein both the external profile and the cylindrical bore are threaded, and the cylindrical member is movably mounted by threaded engagement with the external profile.

12. A flow control system according to claim 6, wherein the adjustable spacing means includes coupling means for engaging with a movable drive member of a drive unit for actuating the adjustable spacing means along the longitudinal axis of the arms, and wherein the case includes mounting means for removably mounting the flow control system to the drive unit in such manner as to engage the coupling means with the drive member.

13. A flow control system according to claim 12, wherein the coupling means and the drive member are mating gears.

14. A flow control system according to claim 13, wherein the mounting means includes a plurality of coplanar flanges and the drive unit has a plurality of parallel channels, so that by sliding the flanges along the channels, the case is removably mounted to the drive unit and the gear of the adjustment means is engaged with the drive unit gear.

15. A valve for controlling the flow of fluid, such valve comprising:

a sheet of material, having inside and outside surfaces, the sheet of material being folded along two approximately parallel folding axes so as to have first and second walls, the inside surface of the first and second walls forming opposing faces, the first and second walls linked between the folding axes by a third wall, each of such first and second opposing walls having integral nipple ports therein;

a flow tube extending from a nipple port of the first wall to a nipple port of the second wall; and

compression means, mounted on the sheet, for compressing the flow tube to a desired extent and thus controlling fluid flow through the flow tube, the compression means including mating threaded members, the mating threaded members further including;

a nut with a bore therethrough; and

a pair of arms having a space for passage of the elastic tube transversely therebetween, and together having an external profile at one end for mating with the nut so that advancement of the nut compresses the arms to adjust the spacing therebetween, such arms being mounted at their base to the sheet.

16. A valve according to claim 15, wherein the pair of arms contain s opposing indentations disposed proximate to their base defining a collet for passage of the elastic tube therethrough.

17. A valve according to claim 16, wherein the opposing indentations are each substantially semicircular in shape so as to form a passage between the arms with a substantially circular cross-section, the diameter of which is adjustable by operation of the compression means.

18. A valve according to claim 15 wherein the valve is adapted to removably mount on a separate control module and herein the nut is adapted to be rotated by a gear or pawl drive member of the control module.

19. A valve according to claim 15, wherein the arms are integrally formed with the third wall and foldably attached thereto at the ends thereof opposite those mating with the nut.

20. A valve according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the bore and the external profile is tapered.