Method for actuating valves for controlling a flow path and machines, especially medical treatment machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9308309-B2
Application number	US-201414570162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2014
Priority date	Feb 29, 2008
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

A method is provided for the control of valves for flow path control, in particular in a medical treatment machine, having a plurality of processes for the manufacture of flow paths by control of a group of valves, with each process claiming a group of valves suitable for its carrying out for itself so that other processes cannot change the switching state of these valves and with each process itself making a decision on the release of the valves claimed by it. In addition, a method is provided for monitoring the then current and/or scheduled state of a plurality of valves in the flow path control, determining the connections resulting from the switching state of the valves, and comparing the resulting connections with a predetermined number of non-permitted connections.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling valves for flow path control in a dialysis machine, having a plurality of processes for establishing a plurality of flow paths by controlling a plurality of valves that, before being claimed by a particular process, are available to, and controllable by, more than one process, each process being configured to provide a specific flow path and able to claim, release and poll valves required for establishing said specific flow path, wherein a process can claim different groups of valves from within said plurality of valves depending on an availability of the valves, for providing said specific flow path, said method comprising the steps of:
a first process for establishing a first flow path, the first process claiming a first group of valves from said plurality of valves, said claimed first group of valves being non-available to other processes while said first group of valves is claimed by said first process and other processes being unable to change a switching state of said first group of valves while said first group of valves is claimed by said first process;
executing the first process by setting switching states of said first group of valves, said switching states creating connections between the valves to establish said first flow path;
a second process for establishing a second flow path, the second process claiming a second group of valves from said plurality of valves, said claimed second group of valves being non-available to other processes while said second group of valves is claimed by said second process and other processes being unable to change switching states of said second group of valves while said second group of valves is claimed by said second process, and said second process is executed by setting the switching states of said second group of valves, said switching states creating connections between the valves to establish said second flow path;
polling by said second process before said second process is executed, whether the second group of valves suitable for establishing the second flow path is available for establishing the second flow path;
wherein in case that the second croup of valves includes a first valve out of said first group of valves claimed by said first process for establishing the first flow path and therefore is unavailable to the second process, the step of polling by said second process resulting in sending of a request to the first process for a release of said non-available first valve, said first process itself making a decision on said request for the release of the non-available first valve claimed by said first process;
once the first valve is released by the first process, the second process claiming the first valve, such that the first valve forms part of said second group of valves claimed by the second process and is non-available to other processes; and
said second process being executed when all valves of the second group of valves are available and claimed by the second process.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each process makes a decision on the release of the valves claimed by it in dependence on at least one of internal and external process criteria.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each process releases the claimed group of valves after execution is complete.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each process polls the availability of a group of valves suitable for executing a process before executing said process.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a process is carried out when a suitable group of valves is available, with the process claiming said suitable group of valves for itself.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a plurality of connections resulting from different switching states of the valves is determined by virtually flooding open valves from at least one starting point and storing resulting connections in a connection matrix.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising the step of comparing the connections defining said first and second flow paths with a plurality of connections previously identified as non-permitted connections.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein a process identified as creating a non-permitted connection is not executed.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein in a presence of a non-permitted connection, the machine going into a safety state in which the switching states identified as creating a non-permitted connection are prevented.

10. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the step of comparing connections with a plurality of previously identified connections includes comparing a connection matrix with a control matrix that contains non-permitted connections.

11. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the current and scheduled switching states of the valves are monitored during performance of said plurality of processes to avoid a flow path having a non-permitted connection.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a central valve association process in which all of said plurality of processes are able to claim, release and poll required valves.

13. A dialysis machine having a plurality of processes for establishing a plurality of flow paths comprising:
a plurality of valve actuators for controlling valves to establish flow paths, said valve actuators in said plurality of valve actuators, before being claimed by a particular process, being available to, and controllable by, more than one process;
a valve actuator control for executing a plurality of processes for establishing said flow paths by controlling a group of said plurality of valve actuators;
the valve actuator control being configured such that each process provides a specific flow path and is able to claim, release and poll valve actuators required for establishing said specific flow path, and such that a process can claim different groups of valve actuators from within said plurality of valve actuators depending on an availability of the valve actuators, for providing said specific flow path;
the valve actuator control being further configured such that a first process polls an availability of a first group of valve actuators from said plurality of valve actuators to establish a first flow path suitable for said first process to execute a first one of said plurality of processes;
said first process being configured to control said first group of valve actuators that are determined to be available for execution of said first one of said plurality of processes, said first process claiming and setting switching states for said first group of valve actuators, said switching states creating connections between the valve actuators to establish the first flow path;
said claimed valve actuators being unavailable to other processes while said valve actuators are controlled by said first process and other processes being prevented from changing the switching states of said claimed group of valve actuators;
said valve actuator control being further configured such that a second process is able to poll valve actuators for controlling a second group of valves for establishing a second flow path;
wherein in case that the second group of valve actuators includes a first valve actuator cut of said first group of valve actuators claimed by said first process for establishing the first flow path and therefore is unavailable, to the second process, the step of polling by said second process resulting in sending of a request to the first process for a release of said non-available first valve actuator, said fir

Assignees

• Fresenius Medical Care De Gmbh
• Fresenuis Medical Care Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Hedmann Frank
• Klatte Stephan

Classifications

• G05D7/0635

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61M2205/128

  with incorporated valves · CPC title

• Y10T137/87096

  Valves with separate, correlated, actuators · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• A61M2205/50

  with microprocessors or computers · CPC title