GB2352797A

GB2352797A - Squeeze valve for medical instruments

Info

Publication number: GB2352797A
Application number: GB0017843A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Helmut Heckele; Friedrich Haehnle; Mark Freier; Martin Seebach
Original assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH
Current assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH
Priority date: 1999-08-05
Filing date: 2000-07-20
Publication date: 2001-02-07
Also published as: JP2001079023A; GB0017843D0; FR2797190A1; DE19936959A1

Abstract

A squeeze valve for medical instruments and apparatus comprises a housing containing an exchangeable unit having a length of tubing 11 extending through a carrier 9 to form a cartridge. A blocking element 14 bears on the tubing under the influence of a spring 18 to block passage of fluid through the tubing. The blocking element may be moved by a lever 16 to allow flow through the tubing. The tubing may be turned outward at its ends around the carrier to form a seal between the carrier and housing. The housing is preferably formed of a screw cap part 5 which engages over another part 4 so that the cartridge is sealingly tensioned between the parts. One part of the housing has a tubing connection piece 5a and on the other part a portion 4a for coupling to an instrument.

Description

2352797 A SQUEEZE VALVE FOR MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS AND APPARATUS The

invention relates to a squeeze valve for medical instruments and apparatus, for controlling flow through tubing, wherein tubing located in a housing for blocking the through-flow is elastically deformed and squeezed and wherein a blocking element for releasing the through-flow is adjustable by actuation of a lever against a spring bias and under an automatic return- de formation of the tubing.

Known squeeze valves of this type (DE 196 24 811 Al) are, with regard to the adjusting mechanics for the blocking element, very expensive in design and, on account of their relatively large number of individual and complicatedly formed parts, are very difficult to disassemble, clean, disinfect and/or sterilise. Problems also regularly result with such squeeze valves in the context of sealing in the region of ends of the tubing so that the valve may not be pressurised or at least not with a high fluid pressure. There also exists the danger that the tubing may become released from connections allocated to it in the valve.

These disadvantages are to be alleviated by the invention. The invention accordingly provides a squeeze valve which is formed very simply with regard to design and can be very easily disassembled for the purposes of cleaning, disinfection or sterilisation, and which furthermore may be loaded with high pressure fluid without sealing problems.

For achieving this object the aforementioned type of squeeze valve according to the invention is designed such that the tubing runs or extends through a carrier and together with this forms a cartridge in the form of an exchange unit. The cartridge is releasably insertable into a receiver of the housing. This cartridge may, after the housing has been opened, be simply pulled out of the housing so that its receiver and other parts including the blocking element are freely accessible to means for cleaning, disinfecting or sterilising the valve. The extracted cartridge is treated separately or possibly, if formed as in inexpensive expendable commodity, exchanged for a new cartridge.

on account of the design of the tubing and of the carrier as a constructional unit in the form of a cartridge, there is also the possibility of a special high pressure loadable sealing between the tubing and the housing. More specifically, the cylindrical tubing, at its two ends has parts of its length turned up or outwardly around cylindrical end sections of the carrier and forms sealing elements between the carrier and the housing.

In each of the housing and in the carrier there is provided a passage running radially with respect to a longitudinal axis of the valve, for the locking element which is formed as a plunger which is radially adjustable relative to the tubing circumference. The locking member is linked to the lever and is guided for radial movement in the passage of the housing.

The housing is preferably formed as two parts. One housing part is a screw cap which engages over the other housing part at one of its ends and is screwed to this part such that the cartridge is tensioned in a sealed manner between the two housing parts. on one housing part there may be provided a tubing connection piece and on the other housing part there may be provided a coupling part with which the valve may be releasably connected to a medical instrument or apparatus.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of an endoscopic instrument with a squeeze valve arranged at its proximal instrument end, in longitudinal section; and FIG. 2 shows the squeeze valve according to Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

The squeeze valve 1 is releasably connected to the instrument 2 by way of a coupling. The valve housing 3 consists of a first housing part 4 on which there is located a coupling connection piece 4a for connection to a coupling piece of the instrument with which it fits, and a second housing part 5 in the form of a screw cap which, in the region 6, is screwed onto a threaded connection piece of the first housing part.

The housing part 4 is provided with a cylindrical recess constituting a receiver 7 for a cartridge S. This consists of a rigid carrier 9 with a continuous axial or through channel 10 and tubing 11 which runs through the channel and which, at its two end regions, is turned up or 4 outwardly over or around a connection piece of the carrier 9 so that the tubing sections Ila, llb are located between these connection pieces and inwardly facing faces of both housing parts as shown in the figures, in. order to seal these with respect to the receiver and the channel 10. By means of screwing the housing part 5 onto the threaded connection piece of the housing part 4 to a greater or lesser extent, one influences the function and effect of the two seals formed by the tubing sections Ila and llb.

In the housing or in the f irst housing part and also in the carrier 9 there are respectively provided passages 12 and 13 for a blocking element 14. The passage 13 in the carrier 9 is designed to be relatively large so that there is sufficient space present for restoring deformation of the tubing 11 upon opening of the valve which is shown closed in the figures.

The blocking element 14 is formed as a plunger which is linked to a lever 16 at location 15 with the required play and is guided for radial movement in the passage 12 of the housing part 4.

The lever 16 is pivotably mounted by means of a bearing 17 and is biased in the clockwise direction (as shown in the figures) by a spring 18 such that the lever automatically presses the plunger 14 towards the outer circumference of the tubing. This elastically deforms the tubing as shown for the purpose of blocking or closing the valve.

By means of pressure exerted by a users hand on the lever 16, this is pivoted in the opposite or anti- clockwise direction about is bearing 17. This pulls the plunger 14 radially outwardly along the passage 12 so that the tubing elastically deforms back into a generally cylindrical form and fluid may flow via the tubing connection piece 5a unhindered through the channel 10 and the passage 4b of the housing part 4 to the instrument. Conve.rsely the valve closes again automatically when the pressure exerted on the longer arm 18 of the lever 16 is lifted or removed.

Finally, it is to be noted that with the scpieeze valve according to the invention, not only can the through-flow of fluids be controlled but likewise auxiliary instruments, guided through the squeeze valve, may be rigidly clamped in position. The valve may furthermore be used to clamp auxiliary instruments of different diameters.

6

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A squeeze valve for medical instruments and apparatus, for controlling flow through tubing, wherein the tubing is located in a housing for blocking flow through the tubing and is elastically deformed and squeezed by a blocking element bearing on the tubing from its outside under spring bias, and for releasing the through-flow the blocking element is adjustable by actuation of a lever against the spring bias and under automatic return deformation of the tubing, wherein the tubing extends through a carrier and together with this carrier forms a cartridge in the form of an exchange unit which is releasably insertable into a receiver of the housing.

2. A squeeze valve according to claim 1 wherein the tubing is cylindrical and a part of its length at each end is turned outwardly around cylindrical end sections of the carrier and forms sealing elements between the carrier and the housing.

3. A squeeze valve according to one of the claims 1 and 2 wherein the housing and the carrier are each provided with a passage for the blocking element.

4. A squeeze valve according to claim 3 wherein the blocking element is formed as a plunger which is linked to a lever and is radially guided in the passage of the housing.

5. A squeeze valve according to one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the housing is formed of two parts, a housing part 7 comprising a screw cap which engages over the other housing part at one end thereof and is screwed thereto, and the cartridge is sealingly tensioned between the two housing parts.

6. A squeeze valve according to claim 5 wherein on one housing part there is provided a tubing connection piece and on the other housing part there is provided a coupling part.

7. A squeeze valve substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.