CLAMPING DEVICE AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED OPERATION OF STOP VALVES

Abstract

A clamping device (1) for the automated actuation of stopcocks comprising a base body (2) and a drive shaft (3) rotatably received in the base body (2). The clamping device (1) has a receptacle (4) for removably receiving at least a portion of the stopcock (A) and is configured such that the drive shaft (3) can engage with, and actuate, the handle (B) of the stopcock (A) once received in the receptacle (4) after rotation of the drive shaft (3), and a first fixing member (5) configured to allow selective fixing of the stopcock (A) in the receptacle (4).

Description

CLAMPING DEVICE AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED OPERATION OF STOP VALVES Description of the Invention The present invention relates to a clamping device and an apparatus for the automated operation of the stopcock, in particular for use in conjunction with disposable multi-way stopcocks. The invention relates generally to the fields of medical care, food analysis or experimentation but may also find applications in connection with hydroponic plant growth and other applications where stopcocks are used to adjust flow arrangements for fluids. Disposable stopcocks are designed to be operated manually, as is the case in most user applications in the medical field or any of the other fields mentioned above. The stopcocks to which the present invention refers are functional components made of plastic material, including a valve cover provided with several external ports, which can be configured as male or female luer connectors, sleeves, enteral connectors, barbed connectors, etc., to be connected to suitable pipes to adjust the flow arrangement. Ref. 327127 desired. The valve housing rotatably accommodates a valve body shaped to selectively establish or block flow connections between the various ports of the valve housing. The valve body is connected to an external handle that the user can grasp and operate, i.e., rotate the valve body within the valve housing between the selected positions. Examples of such stopcocks can be found in the product portfolios of various suppliers such as Qosina, Nordson Medical, Elcam, Mednet, and Smiths Medical. In some applications, disposable stopcocks are operated by an automated rotary actuator, for example, in radiosynthesis preparations. This allows a number of stopcocks in a flow arrangement to be operated automatically according to a predefined schedule without manual intervention. The actuator includes a stepper motor, a stopcock backplate, and a coupler that connects the stepper motor's drive shaft to the stopcock handle. It may also include a start position sensor to detect a specific handle position. With the purpose of preventing any risk of contamination (chemical, microbial, pathogenic, etc.) there is a need to achieve safe and low-cost disposable solutions in the aforementioned fields, promoting the use of disposable pipes to adjust a flow arrangement to process fluids and dispense, mix, separate, transform and analyze fluids from different containers, equipment or living organisms (humans, plants, cell culture, etc.). In addition, multi-way stopcocks have been developed as a cost-effective, disposable solution for many applications, including medical ones, to select or isolate different flow paths. The design has been optimized for manual operation and is not truly compatible with automated actuation solutions. In particular, the low-cost, disposable stopcocks on the market are designed for automation and are not easy to use in conjunction with automated equipment. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a clamping device and an apparatus for automated valve actuation that can solve one or more of the following problems: providing easy accessibility for placing the valves in the clamping device, preferably by a single-step manual loading and unloading of the valve; provide accurate positioning of the stopcock in the clamping device, in particular with respect to / ocr Ln / Lznz / E / Yi an exact centered and angular position of the stopcock body when loaded; to provide enhanced safety by preventing in particular the unintentional removal of the stopcock, except for the specific loading / unloading position; and to provide a possibility of detecting different states of the clamping device, i.e., with the existence of the stopcock in the clamping device and / or a specific rotation position. To solve at least some of the above problems, the present invention provides a clamping device for the automated operation of the stopcock with the attributes of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. Furthermore, the invention also provides an apparatus for automated operation of a stopcock as defined in claim 14 and includes the clamping device of the present invention. A clamping device for automated actuation of a stopcock, in particular, comprises a base body; and a drive shaft rotatably received in the base body, wherein the clamping device has a receptacle for detachably receiving at least part of a stopcock and configured such that the drive shaft can be engaged with, and actuate, a handle of the JQPP Ln / Lznz / E / YILI stopcock received in the receptacle after rotation of the drive shaft, and a first fixing member that is configured to allow selective fixing of the stopcock in the receptacle. Preferably, the first fixing member is configured to allow the stopcock to be placed in the receptacle in a defined rotational position of the drive shaft and to prevent the removal of the stopcock from the receptacle after a relative movement, preferably rotation, between the drive shaft and the base body. Preferably, the first fastening member comprises a lip, preferably on the base body, to partially overlap the receptacle, preferably a portion where the stopcock handle is located, and a notch in the lip arranged to prevent the removal of the stopcock placed in the receptacle over a defined rotation range of the drive shaft and to allow the removal / placement of the stopcock in the defined rotation position where the notch is aligned with the receptacle. Preferably, the receptacle has a protrusion configured to engage with a part of the stopcock, preferably a pin configured to be inserted into a cylinder concentric with the axis of rotation of the stopcock handle. Preferably, the clamping device has one or more second clamping members configured respectively to securely clamp a pipe section leading to a stopcock port. Preferably, the several second fastening members are distributed around a circumference of the clamping device. Preferably, at least one second fixing member(s) is / are configured to allow a releasable locking fit, preferably a press fit with the pipe section. Preferably, at least one of the second fixing member(s) is / are respectively formed by a groove formed in the base part and configured to support the pipe section that leads to the stopcock port. Preferably, the clamping device further comprises a deflection element configured to deflect the stopcock placed in the receptacle into the engagement with the first fixing member. Preferably, the drive shaft is configured to be coupled to an external rotary actuator. Preferably, the clamping device further comprises a sensor device for detecting a rotation position and / or the presence of the stopcock in the clamping device receptacle. / QCf1Ln / Lznz / E / YILI Preferably, the base body is configured to join so that it can be removed from an adjacent base body of another clamping device to form a fan. Preferably, the base body comprises several receptacles and associated independent drive shafts arranged in a fan shape. An apparatus for automated operation of the stopcock according to the invention comprises one or more clamping device(s) according to the invention, and one or more rotary actuator(s) for fitting with the drive shaft(s) of the device / clamping devices and configured to drive the drive shaft(s) for rotation. Preferably, the apparatus is configured to allow the releasable attachment of the clamping device(s). The following is a description of the preferred embodiments of the clamping device of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein: Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a clamping device according to one modality of a stopcock arrangement before the latter is mounted on the former; Figure 2A is a perspective view of the clamping device of a modality in the state in which the stopcock / QCf1Ln / Lznz / E / YILI is mounted and Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view of the rotation axis of the stopcock shown in Figure 2A; Figure 3A is a front view of the clamping device modality of Figure 2A indicating a rotational position that creates a selective fixation of the stopcock in the clamping device, and Figure 3B is a cross-sectional perspective view along an inclined line in Figure 3A; Figure 4 is a side view of an enlarged detail of the modality in Figure 1 to explain an example of the second fixing device for the stopcock pipe; Figures 5A and 5B show two examples of the clamping device arrangements for the various stopcocks; and Figures 6A and 6B are examples of the sensor arrangements in the clamping device of the present invention. The clamping device 1 for actuating the automated stopcock of the type shown in Figures 1 to 4 comprises a base body 2 and a drive shaft 3 rotatably mounted to the base body 2. The clamping device 1 has a receptacle 4 for removably receiving at least a part of the disposable stopcock A and is configured so that the drive shaft 3 can engage with, and actuate, the handle B of the valve body G of the valve cover F of the stopcock A once received in the receptacle 4, preferably by rotation, of the drive shaft 3. The receptacle 4 on the drive shaft 3 may be shaped more or less to the external form of handle B and may therefore include a space for a single handle lever or for several handle levers, for example, in a cross or Y arrangement. To adapt the clamping device 1 to different models of the stop valve, the drive shaft may be provided with interchangeable elements having different receptacles (not shown) so that the clamping device can be configured to operate with different types of stop valves. The receptacle does not necessarily have to correspond to the entire external form or fingerprint of the stop valve or its handle and is sufficient to receive only a portion of the stop valve and handle, to engage with it and transmit the rotational force from the drive shaft to the handle.In other words, the receptacle does not have to have a completely complementary cavity that corresponds to the complete outer shape or outline of handle B. The base body 2 is a fixed element that can have various shapes or configurations, some of which are JQCf1Ln / Lznz / E / YILI will be described in more detail below. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the base body 2 is a round cylinder with inclined outer side walls 2c and an internal opening 2b configured to receive the drive shaft 3 to allow rotation of the drive shaft 3 to the base body 2. The receptacle 4 is formed on the drive shaft 3 to allow insertion of the inverted stopcock A, i.e., with handle B first, as shown in Figure 1. The base body 2 has, on the periphery surrounding the opening 2b that receives the drive shaft 3, a lip 5a that extends around the circumference of the drive shaft 3 and prevents the drive shaft from being removed from the internal opening 2b on the front side of the base body. The circumferential lip 5a is further formed so that it also overlaps a portion of the receptacle 4 where the handle B of the stopcock A is positioned. At a different angular position (9 o'clock in the representation in Figure 1), the lip 5a is provided with a notch 5b such that, when the receptacle 4 of the drive shaft is aligned with the notch 5b, the stopcock A or at least a portion of the handle B can be placed in the receptacle (see Figures 1 and 2A and 2B). Once the stopcock A (or handle B) is disposed in the receptacle 4 at an insertion position or depth such that the handle B is located, in the insertion direction, under the protruding circumferential lip 5a, rotation of the drive shaft 3 relative to the base body 2 brings the radially external portion of the lever B, where the lip 5a overlaps the receptacle 4, under the circumferential axial surface of the lip facing the opening 2b in the base body 2 (see Figures 3A and B), thereby preventing the removal of the stopcock from the receptacle 4 to the front side of the clamping device by an engagement that forms a lock on the outer end portion of the handle B with the circumferential lip 5a. In this way, the interaction between lip 5a, notch 5b in lip 5a, and receptacle 4 of the drive shaft 3 can represent a first locking member 5 that allows selective locking of the stopcock in the receptacle. This allows the stopcock to be positioned in the receptacle at a defined rotational position of the drive shaft and prevents the removal of the stopcock from the receptacle after, and during, a certain relative movement, i.e., rotation between the drive shaft and the base body. The initial rotation of the drive shaft by a certain angular range, which brings the lever under lip 5a to lock the stopcock in the locking device, can be performed manually or can be a locking function of a device that operates the drive shaft during the required rotational range. In a modification not shown in the accompanying figure, lip 5a, and optionally notch 5b, may—instead of being formed within, fixed to, or integrated with the base body 2—be part of a separate annular element that is rotatably fixed to the base body. In this case, the annular element can only be rotated relative to the drive shaft and the base body to lock the stopcock lever in the receptacle. As shown in Figures 2B and 3B, the receptacle 4 preferably has a protrusion 4b configured to engage with a portion of the stopcock, preferably in the form of a pin configured to be inserted and hermetically sealed into a cylinder E concentric with a rotation axis of the valve body G of the stopcock A. This protrusion has a centering function and also preferably prevents, due to its protrusion height, tilting of the stopcock in the receptacle such that, in conjunction with the engagement that locks the outer end of the handle to the circumferential lip 5a, removal of the stopcock from the receptacle is prevented in essentially all rotational positions other than the position where the receptacle is aligned with the notch 5b in the lip 5a.The central protrusion 4b - if present - also guides and centers the stopcock during insertion and / or completely immobilizes the stopcock handle when it is in the / Qff1Ln / Lznz / E / YIAI receptacle in conjunction with the overlap lip. The central protrusion 4b can be omitted if the valve body G of the stopcock used is not provided with a corresponding cylinder E. It can also be replaced by a protrusion that fits onto the side of the valve body G. This applies in a case where the handle of a specific stopcock has two or more protrusions or lugs in an X (cross) or Y arrangement, the lip 5a would be provided with a corresponding number and arrangement of notches 5b to allow insertion of the handle into the receptacle 4 in a specific loading / unloading position and to prevent, after relative rotation, removal as described above. The device 1 preferably has, as shown in the Figures, one or more fastening members 7 that are configured respectively to releasably hold a pipe section C leading to a port D of the stopcock A. These second fastening members 7 are distributed around the circumference of the clamping device 1, in particular the base body 2, and are aligned with the direction of the ports D of the stopcock A used. The clamping device 1 may contain several of the second fastening members 7 as required for each particular stopcock in order to accommodate different concepts of JQPP Ln / Lznz / E / Yli multi-way stopcocks. One or more, or preferably all of these second fixing members 7, is / are configured to allow an engagement that locks the releasable form to the pipe C, preferably a press-fit. This can be done in multiple ways. A particularly simple structure of the second fixing member 7 shown in the Figures comprises a groove 2a formed in a peripheral frame projecting axially 2d from the base body 2 and formed to receive and support a section of pipe C leading to one of the ports D of the stopcock A. As shown in Figure 4, a simple arrangement can be made, in the case where the pipe C is made of an elastomer or a deformable plastic, in that the groove 2a is formed with an internal diameter H corresponding essentially to the external diameter of the pipe C and extending over an arc greater than 180°, leaving an opening 10 facing the axial front side of the device and having a width G smaller than the diameter of the pipe H.This allows easy insertion of the flexible pipe which is temporarily deformed when it passes through opening 10 and regains its full diameter in the final position inside slot 2a. Other arrangements of the second fastening member 7 are possible. A particularly preferred variant / QCf1Ln / Lznz / E / YILI, not shown in the figure, comprises a mechanical concept similar to the releasable handle support in the receptacle by means of interaction with the lip 5a of the base body, in that an additional rotating annular element is provided on the front side of the base body, for example, on a radially inner or outer side of the peripheral frame 2d, and provided with notches aligned with the grooves 2a and dimensioned to allow, in an insertion position, the insertion of pipe sections into the grooves. The relative rotation of the annular element with the base body could then selectively close the axial insertion side of the grooves and prevent the removal of the pipes from the grooves.The rotation of the annular element relative to the base body can be independent or combined with the rotation of the drive shaft or the other annular element of the first fixing member (not shown). The fixing of the pipes C in the second fixing members 7 may be sufficient, in the broadest sense, to hold the stopcock A in the receptacle 4 of the clamping device 1 when the fluid system is adjusted even if the drive shaft 3 is not yet rotated to bring the handle portion B under the lip 5a. Rotation of the drive shaft 3 in this case is not necessary to hold the stopcock A, but it provides a non-moving fixation of the stopcock during operation. JQPP Ln / Lznz / E / YILI The clamping device may additionally include a tilting element (not shown), for example in the form of a spring-like or elastic member, configured to tilt the stopcock A placed in the receptacle 4 in engagement with the first fixing member 5, i.e., the circumferential lip 5a in the modality, in the sense that the tilting element is arranged behind the drive shaft in the opening of the base body and pushes the drive shaft against the insertion direction of the stopcock. The drive shaft 3 can be configured to couple to an external rotary actuator 9 on the opposite side of the cavity 4 (see Figures 2B, 3B). As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the clamping device 1 may further include a sensor device 8 for detecting a rotational position and / or the presence of the stopcock A in the receptacle 4 of the clamping device 1. The sensor device 8 may be an optical sensor that operates by either transmission or reflection and may include an emitting part 8a and one or more sensing part(s) 8b arranged relative to the emitting part 8a to be capable of receiving a transmitted or reflected portion of the light emitted from the emitting part (Figure 6A showing an example of presence detection based on transmission or non-transmission, and Figure 6B showing an example based on reflection). Depending on the arrangement of the elements of the sensor device 8, different rotational positions may also be detected. Figures 5A and 5B show two examples of creating a receptacle arrangement to receive multiple stopcocks in a manifold assembly. The solution in Figure 5A includes several independent base bodies 2 with their corresponding drive shafts arranged close to one another or configured to be detachably joined together to form an integral unit. In the variant shown in Figure 5B, the base body 22 is augmented and receives a plurality of independent drive shafts and receptacles arranged in a predetermined configuration. The invention also relates to an apparatus for the automated operation of a stopcock using one or more of the clamping devices 1 described in this application, which include one or more rotary actuators for engagement with the drive shafts 3 of the clamping devices and configured to drive the drive shafts for rotation, typically in conjunction with an internal or external controller. The actuators may be stepper motors, servomotors, magnetic actuators, or other rotary transmission systems. To increase flexibility for locating different flow arrangements, the apparatus can be configured to allow the releasable attachment of clamping devices to configure the apparatus to different arrangements. It is hereby stated that, as of this date, the best method known to the applicant for putting the aforementioned invention into practice is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

1. A clamping device for the automated operation of stopcocks, characterized in that it comprises: a base body; and an actuator rotatably received in the base body, wherein the clamping device has a receptacle for removably receiving at least a part of the stopcock and is configured such that the drive shaft can engage with, and operate, the handle of the stopcock once received in the receptacle after rotation of the drive shaft, and a first fixing member that is configured to allow selective fixing of the stopcock in the receptacle.

2. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first fixing member is configured to allow the placement of the stopcock in the receptacle in a defined rotational position of the drive shaft and to prevent the removal of the stopcock from the receptacle after a relative movement, preferably rotation, between the drive shaft and the base body.

3. The clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first fastening member comprises a lip, preferably on the base body, to partially overlap the receptacle, preferably a portion where the stopcock handle is located, and a notch in the lip arranged to prevent the removal of the stopcock placed in the receptacle over a defined rotation range of the drive shaft and to permit the removal / placement of the stopcock in the defined rotation position where the notch is aligned with the receptacle.

4. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the receptacle has a protrusion configured to engage with a part of the stopcock, preferably a pin configured to be inserted into a cylinder concentric with the axis of rotation of the stopcock handle.

5. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the clamping device has one or more second clamping members configured respectively to securely clamp a section of pipe leading to a port of the / QCf1 Ln / Lznz / E / YILI > N 21 c .J c -J ut* stopcock. ® 6. The clamping device according to claim 5, characterized in that the several second clamping members are distributed around a circumference of the clamping device.

7. The clamping device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that at least a second clamping member(s) is / are configured to allow a freely release locking fit, preferably a press fit with the pipe section.

8. The clamping device according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the second clamping member(s) is / are respectively formed by a groove formed in the base part and configured to support the pipe section leading to the stopcock port.

9. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it further comprises a tilting element configured to tilt the stopcock placed in the receptacle in fit with the first fixing member.

10. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the drive shaft is configured to be coupled to an external rotary actuator.

11. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a sensor device for detecting a rotation position and / or the presence of the stopcock in the receptacle of the clamping device.

12. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the base body is configured to join so as to be withdrawn to an adjacent base body of another clamping device to form a fan.

13. The clamping device according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the base body comprises several receptacles and associated independent drive shafts arranged in a fan shape.

14. An apparatus for the automated operation of a stopcock, characterized in that it comprises: one or more clamping devices as defined in any of claims 1 to 13, and one or more rotary actuators to engage with the drive shaft(s) of the clamping device(s) and configured to actuate the drive shaft(s) for rotation.

15. The apparatus for automated operation of stopcocks according to claim 14, JQCf1 Ln / Lznz / E / YILI, characterized in that the apparatus is configured to allow / QCf1 Ln / Lznz / E / YILI the releasable attachment of the clamping device(s).

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