Clamp for regulating flow through plastic-tubing

Abstract

Tubing through which fluid flow is to be regulated is placed in a regulating clamp wherein it is clamped between a roller wheel and a surface having a variable cross-sectional area channel extending therealong. This surface is parallel to the travel path of the wheel, and thus there is a constant separation distance between these two elements for all wheel positions. Flow rate through the tubing is changed by longitudinal adjustment of the position of the roller wheel, the ratio of the portion of the tubing which is clamped between the wheel and the surfact to that which is not clamped and over the channel thereby being varied. A plurality of ridge elements are formed in the surface and act to locally pinch or grip the tubing at discrete intervals, thereby substantially lessening creep of the plastic tubing. The edges of the roller wheel are undercut so as to form recessed shoulders which provides spaces into which the outer edges of the tubing can migrate, the width of the thus formed shoulders being sufficiently small so as to prevent the formation of a flow lumen in the edges of the tubing when the tubing is being clamped. Pinching action of the ridge elements combined with migration space provided by the recessed wheel shoulder portions for the edges of the tubing provide an improved minimization of flow rate change once the clamp has been set for the desired rate of flow. In addition, this combination of structure avoids increase in flow rate following a large tug on the tubing tending to cause the stretching thereof.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.