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

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 first process itself making a decision on said request for the release of the non available first valve actuator claimed by said first process;
• said valve actuator control being configured such that, once the first valve actuator is released by the first process, the second process claims the first valve actuator, such that the first valve actuator forms part of said second group of valve actuators claimed by the second process and is non-available to other processes;
• and
• said valve actuator control being configured such that said second process is executed when all valve actuators of the second group of valve actuators are available and claimed by the second process.