Valve system

Claim 2

A valve system for selectively coupling a single fluid outlet with any one of a plurality of fluid inlets comprising: a fluid manifold coupled with said outlet; a plurality of deformable tubing sections connected from said inlets to said manifold whereby each of said inlets communicates through one of said tubing sections to said manifold for flow from each of said inlets through said manifold to said outlet; a plurality of valve members, each comprising a finger pivoted at one end and having an opposite end adapted to engage and pinch a single separate one of said deformable tubing sections together to shut said tubing sections off to flow therein, for selectively opening and closing each of said tubing sections individually for controlling flow through said tubing sections; a cam for actuating said valve members comprising a cylindrical member having flat cam surfaces longitudinally spaced along the length of said cam, each flat surface being aligned with a separate one of said valve members and being circumferentially spaced around said cam whereby when one of said flat cam surfaces is circumferentially positioned for releasing the valve member aligned with said cam surface to an open position the remainder of said flat cam surfaces are circumferentially mis-aligned relative to the remainder of said valve members whereby said valve members are held at closed positions by the cylindrical surface of said cam, said flat cam surfaces being arranged To release said valve members to open said tubing sections in a predetermined order; a drive flange formed on said cam having drive recesses therein for rotating said cam; a lever for releasably engaging said drive recesses for driving said cam and indexing said cam sequentially to desired positions of rotation for opening selected ones of said tubing sections; and means for moving said lower to drive and index said cam.

Claim 3

A valve system in accordance with claim 1 including a solenoid having a plunger coupled with said cam lever for driving said cam responsive to an electric impulse to said solenoid.

Claim 4

A valve system in accordance with claim 2 including a spring member on each of said valve members engageable by the surfaces of said cam aligned with said valve member for applying a valve member operating force from said cam to each said valve member.

Claim 5

A valve system for selectively and separately coupling one of a plurality of fluid inlets into said system with a single fluid outlet from said system comprising: means providing a single fluid outlet from said system; means providing a plurality of fluid inlets to said system; a plurality of deformable tubing conduits connected between said inlets and said outlet for separately flowing fluid from each of said inlets to said outlet, said conduits being disposed in side-by-side spaced relationship; a plurality of valve members equal in number to the number of said conduits pivotally supported above said conduits, each of said valve members being aligned with one of said conduits and each comprising an elongated member pivotally secured at one end and free for movement at the other end thereof and engageable at said other end with the conduit aligned with said valve member for pinching said conduit together to preclude fluid flow therethrough; a valve member actuating cam supported across said valve members, said cam having a cylindrical cam surface extending the length of said cam and flat cam surfaces equal in number to the number of said valve members and aligned along the length of said cam disposing one flat cam surface in alignment with each of said valve members, said flat cam surfaces being circumferentially spaced around said cam to release one of said valve members at a time for movement to a position permitting the conduit aligned with said valve member to expand to an open flow relationship while the cylindrical cam surface along the remainder of said valve members holds said valve members at closed positions squeezing the conduits aligned with said valve members to a closed no-flow relationship; a peripheral drive flange having circumferentially spaced drive slots therein secured with said cam for rotating said cam and indexing said cam to selectively position said cam for permitting each of said valve members to be released for movement to an open position separately while the remainder of said valve members are held at closed positions; a drive lever engageable with said drive flange on said cam and receivable in each of said drive slots of said drive flange for rotating said cam to selectively open and close said valve members; and means for actuating said drive lever.

Claim 6

A valve system for selectively and separately coupling one of a plurality of fluid inlets into said system with a single fluid outlet from said system comprising: means providing a single fluid outlet from said system; means providing a plurality of fluid inlets to said system; a plurality of deformable tubing conduits connected between said inlets and said outlet for separately flowing fluid from each of said inlets to said outlet, said conduits being disposed in side-by-side spaced relationship; a plurality of valve members equal in number to the number of said conduits pivotally supported above said conduits, each of said valve members being aligned with one of said conduits and each comprising an elongated member pivotally secured at one end and free for movement at the other end thereof and engageable at said other end with the conduit aligned with said valve member for pinching said conduit together to preclude fluid flow therethrough; a valve member actuating cam supported across said valve members, said cam having a cylindrical cam surface extending the length of said cam and flat cam surfaces equal in number to the number of said valve members and aligned along the length of said cam disposing one flat cam surface in alignment with each of said valve members, said flat cam surfaces being circumferentially spaced around said cam to release one of said valve members at a time for movement to a position permitting the conduit aligned with said valve member to expand to an open flow relationship while the cylindrical cam surface along the remainder of said valve members holds said valve members at closed positions squeezing the conduits aligned with said valve members to a closed no-flow relationship; a peripheral drive flange having circumferentially spaced drive slots therein secured with said cam for rotating said cam and indexing said cam to selectively position said cam for permitting each of said valve members to be released for movement to an open position separately while the remainder of said valve members are held at closed positions; a drive lever engageable with said drive flange on said cam and receivable in each of said drive slots of said drive flange for rotating said cam to selectively open and close said valve members; and means for actuating said drive lever.

Claim 7

A valve system in accordance with claim 4 including a spring means on each of said valve members disposed between said cam and said valve member for minimizing wear on said valve member and cushioning the force between said cam and said valve member.

Claim 8

A valve system in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said flat cam surfaces is spaced from the valve member aligned therewith when said cam is at a position for said valve member to move to open position permitting a portion of said spring to lift to a spaced relation above said valve member along said flat cam face.

Claim 9

A valve system in accordance with claim 6 wherein said means for actuating said cam lever comprises a solenoid.

Claim 10

A valve system in accordance with claim 7 including a hand knob coupled with said cam for manually rotating said cam to selected pOsitions.