US 12,268,365 B2
Endoscope reprocessing device and flow control unit therefore, method of operating a flow control unit and an endoscope reprocessing device
Antonia Weis, Hamburg (DE)
Assigned to Olympus Winter & Ibe Gmbh, Hamburg (DE)
Filed by OLYMPUS Winter & Ibe GmbH, Hamburg (DE)
Filed on Sep. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/370,038.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/436,918, filed on Jan. 4, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0215811 A1, Jul. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. A61B 1/12 (2006.01); A61B 1/015 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 1/123 (2013.01) [A61B 1/015 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flow control unit for use with an endoscope reprocessing device, the flow control unit comprising:
a main fluid supply line coupled to an inlet, wherein the inlet is configured to receive processing fluid from a fluid source,
at least one supply channel for supplying the processing fluid to at least one internal channel of an endoscope, wherein the at least one supply channel is fluidically coupled to the main fluid supply line,
at least one dedicated switchable valve integrated in the supply channel, wherein the switchable valve is configured to open the supply channel to pass a flow of the processing fluid through the supply channel or close the supply channel to block the flow of the processing fluid, and
a processor comprising hardware, the processor being configured to:
operate the at least one dedicated switchable valve according to a reprocessing routine, and
upon termination of the reprocessing routine, set the at least one dedicated switchable valve to a safe switching state, wherein in the safe switching state a flow rate through the main supply line is lower than a maximum flow rate through the main supply line.