Flow control valve

Details Flow control valve Flow control valve

1997-11-05

1999-02-02

Lee, Kevin

Valves and valve actuation

Heat or buoyancy motor actuated

60528, F16K 3102

Patent

active

058654186

ABSTRACT:
A compact fluid control valve effects a reliable fluid flow regulation by the use of a shape memory alloy wire. The valve comprises a barrel provided with a base member and a valve body. The valve body is cooperative with the base member to define therebetween a valve opening in the course of an internal flow path through the valve for a fluid. The valve body is movable towards and away from the base member to vary the valve opening for regulating the flow of the fluid. A bias spring urges the valve body for varying the valve opening in one direction. The shape memory alloy wire connects the valve body to the barrel to move the valve body against the bias spring for varying the valve opening when heated. The barrel has anchor members for securing the ends of the wire. The anchor members are disposed on the exterior of the barrel and at such a portion that the wire stretches between the barrel and the valve body exteriorly of the barrel in an overlapping relation with a major portion of the barrel along the axial length thereof. Thus, the wire can be kept substantially away from the internal flow path of the fluid and consequently kept thermally unaffected thereby for a reliable flow regulation. Further, since the wire overlaps with the barrel, the entire valve can have a reduced axial dimension and be therefore made compact enough to be installed in a limited space.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3974844 (1976-08-01), Pimentel
patent: 4750520 (1988-06-01), Heim et al.
patent: 4973024 (1990-11-01), Homma
patent: 5211371 (1993-05-01), Coffee
patent: 5345963 (1994-09-01), Dietiker

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