Dialysis system having reduced valve noise
AssigneesVantive US Healthcare LLC, Vantive Health GmbH
InventorsOskar Erik Frode Styrbjörn Fallman, Michael Pettersson, Jimmie Marcus Axel Hansson, Per-Olof Borgqvist
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Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for reducing noise in solenoid valve activation and deactivation in peritoneal dialysis (“PD”) systems. In at least one embodiment, the PD system operates with solenoid valves under the control of a control unit. The control unit takes measures to control the movement of the solenoid valve to minimize the amount of sound that occurs at impact during activation and deactivation of the valve. The measures include the slowing of the movement of the valve plunger within the valve coil. In one aspect, the valve plunger may be slowed down by applying voltage to the valve coil through pulse width modulation (“PWM”).
Claims16
A medical fluid system comprising:
- a control unit;
- a plurality of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (“MOSFETs”) configured to control a plurality of valves, in response to control signals received from the control unit;
- and
- a plurality of valves,
- wherein each valve comprises a housing, a coil, and a plunger, and
- wherein each valve is configured to allow a flow of medical fluid through a tube by applying, via an associated MOSFET of the plurality of MOSFETs, a voltage to the corresponding coil to move the corresponding plunger within the corresponding housing,
- the control unit comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- transmit, to one of the MOSFETs, a high digital control signal,
- wherein the MOSFET, responsive to the high digital control signal, causes a corresponding valve to ramp up the voltage applied to a corresponding coil until the voltage reaches a predetermined input voltage, Vin, and
- wherein the ramping up of the voltage applied to the corresponding coil causes the corresponding plunger to move in a manner in which sound generated by the corresponding plunger is reduced in comparison to operation without the MOSFET.
A medical fluid system comprising:
- a control unit;
- a plurality of input/output (“I/O”) nodes configured to control a plurality of valves via pulse width modulation (“PWM”) signals, in response to control signals received from the control unit;
- and
- a plurality of valves,
- wherein each valve comprises a housing, a coil, and a plunger, and
- wherein each valve is configured to allow a flow of medical fluid through a tube by applying, via an associated I/O node of the plurality of I/O nodes, a voltage to the corresponding coil to move the corresponding plunger within the corresponding housing,
- the control unit comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- transmit, to an I/O node of the plurality of I/O nodes, a control signal causing the I/O node to apply and ramp up a PWM signal to the corresponding coil, and
- wherein the ramping up of the PWM signal causes the corresponding plunger to move in a manner in which sound generated by the corresponding plunger is reduced in comparison to operation without the PWM signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.