Pinch valve

A pinch valve comprising a hose-shaped valve member having a flexible peripheral wall and extending between two unions, said valve member defining a passage duct for a fluid and having arranged at its outer periphery two pinch elements which are opposite to each other diametrically as related to the longitudinal axis of the valve member and which are able to be shifted toward and away from each other for a greater or lesser pinching of the peripheral wall while perform an operating movement athwart the longitudinal axis of the valve member, and furthermore comprising an actuating member surrounding the valve member, said actuating member having actuating faces fitting radially outside over the pinch elements and being oblique in relation to the longitudinal axis of the valve member, said actuating member by performing an actuating movement being able to be shifted along the valve member in order to act on the pinch elements with its actuating faces for causing the operating movement of the pinch elements, wherein the pinch elements being capable of thrusting mutually opposite sections of the peripheral wall against each other in a fluid-tight manner in order to completely close the passage duct, and wherein the actuating member is in the form of an actuating ring coaxially surrounding the valve member and located in an annular working space radially externally surrounded by a peripheral valve housing wall, and that drive means separate from the actuating ring are provided by which the actuating ring is able to be acted upon by a fluid drive force in control of the actuating movement,

• wherein the drive means comprise an annular drive chamber formed axially adjacent to the actuating ring in the working space, said drive chamber being suitable for receiving fluid pressure and surrounding the valve member coaxially, and wherein the drive means further comprise at least one fluid control duct communicating with the drive chamber and rendering possible a controlled supply and/or removal of fluid to and from the drive chamber, and
• wherein the control duct opens at an outer face of the valve housing of the pinch valve and its duct opening at this position is provided with connection means for a fluid line supplying and/or removing the drive fluid, the drive fluid being independent of the fluid flowing through the valve member.

A pinch valve comprising a hose-shaped valve member having a flexible peripheral wall and extending between two unions, said valve member defining a passage duct for a fluid and having arranged at its outer periphery two pinch elements which are opposite to each other diametrically as related to the longitudinal axis of the valve member and which are able to be shifted toward and away from each other for a greater or lesser pinching of the peripheral wall while performing an operating movement athwart the longitudinal axis of the valve member, and furthermore comprising an actuating member surrounding the valve member, said actuating member having actuating faces fitting radially outside over the pinch elements and being oblique in relation to the longitudinal axis of the valve member, said actuating member by performing an actuating movement being able to be shifted along the valve member in order to act on the pinch elements with its actuating faces for causing the operating movement of the pinch elements, wherein the pinch elements being capable of thrusting mutually opposite sections of the peripheral wall against each other in a fluid-tight manner in order to completely close the passage duct, and wherein the actuating member is in the form of an actuating ring coaxially surrounding the valve member and located in an annular working space radially externally surrounded by a peripheral valve housing wall, and that drive means separate from the actuating ring are provided by which the actuating ring is able to be acted upon by a drive force in control of the actuating movement,

• wherein the hose-like valve member, at least as regards its flexible peripheral wall, is coaxially surrounded by a sleeve-like support means opposing radial inflation of the valve member, and
• wherein the support means comprises two coaxially aligned support sleeves which are axially spaced apart with the formation of a guide gap, the pinch elements being guided in the guide gap for sliding motion radially in relation to the longitudinal axis of the valve member, and
• wherein, at their mutually facing end faces the two support sleeves each possess a first linear guide structure for engaging a second linear guide structure arranged on the facing side of the pinch elements in a sliding manner such that the pinch elements are linearly guided in a sliding fashion in a direction radially with regard to the longitudinal axis of the valve member and are supported perpendicularly thereto.

A pinch valve comprising a hose-shaped valve member having a flexible peripheral wall and extending between two unions, said valve member defining a passage duct for a fluid and having arranged at its outer periphery two pinch elements which are opposite to each other diametrically as related to the longitudinal axis of the valve member and which are able to be shifted toward and away from each other for a greater or lesser pinching of the peripheral wall while performing an operating movement athwart the longitudinal axis of the valve member, and furthermore comprising an actuating member surrounding the valve member, said actuating member having actuating faces fitting radially outside over the pinch elements and being oblique in relation to the longitudinal axis of the valve member, said actuating member by performing an actuating movement being able to be shifted along the valve member in order to act on the pinch elements with its actuating faces for causing the operating movement of the pinch elements, wherein the pinch elements being capable of thrusting mutually opposite sections of the peripheral wall against each other in a fluid-tight manner in order to completely close the passage duct, and wherein the actuating member is in the form of an actuating ring coaxially surrounding the valve member and located in an annular working space radially externally surrounded by a peripheral valve housing wall, and that drive means separate from the actuating ring are provided by which the actuating ring is able to be acted upon by a drive force in control of the actuating movement,

• wherein at least as regards its flexible peripheral wall the hose-like valve member is in the form of a rubber-elastic molding, wherein the peripheral wall in its initial condition when not being acted upon by the pinch elements has a configuration tapering axially from the outside toward the engagement area of the pinch elements only owing to its own dimensional stability.