Fluid handling – Systems – With flow control means for branched passages
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2001-03-27
Fox, John (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Systems
With flow control means for branched passages
C137S269000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206045
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a manifold solenoid valve drive-controlled by serial signals.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Conventionally, a manifold solenoid valve provided with a required number of solenoid valves, manifold blocks on which the solenoid valves are individually mounted and which are interconnected, and an air supply/exhaust block that supplies and exhausts compressed air through the manifold blocks has been extensively used. The manifold solenoid valve that can be drive-controlled by serial signals is required to be configured so that it can be assembled as easily as a conventional manifold solenoid valve.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A technological object of the present invention is to configure such a manifold solenoid valve so that it can be assembled with great ease as a conventional manifold solenoid valve in implementing drive control of the manifold solenoid valve by serial signals.
Another technological object of the present invention is to provide a manifold solenoid valve driven by serial signals that permits extremely easy maintenance and eliminates a possibility of erroneous wiring.
A manifold solenoid valve in accordance with the present invention for fulfilling the aforesaid objects is a manifold solenoid valve in which an operation is controlled by serial signals, and which is basically provided with a required number of solenoid valves, manifold blocks on which the solenoid valves are individually mounted and are interconnected, an air supply/exhaust block that supplies and exhausts compressed air through the manifold blocks, and a relay unit that relays serial signals for operation control that are supplied to the respective solenoid valves through the manifold blocks. And the manifold blocks are provided with fluid passage sections and electric circuit sections.
In the manifold blocks, the fluid passage sections are provided with common passages for air supply and exhaust that penetrate the manifold blocks for communication with the air supply/exhaust block, and channels for placing the common passages in communication with supply/exhaust openings of the solenoid valves. The electric circuit sections accommodate electric circuit components that have female and male connecting terminals for transmitting serial signals that are electrically interconnected, slave chips for extracting operation signals for the solenoid valves from serial signals, and feeder terminals for feeding power to the solenoid valves according to the operation signals that are mounted on printed circuit boards.
Regarding the electric circuit components, the female and male connecting terminals on the printed circuit boards in adjacent manifold blocks are provided at positions where they are interconnected as soon as the common passages are communicated with each other when the manifold blocks are connected, and the feeder terminals on the printed circuit boards are provided at positions where the feeder terminals are jutted out to openings in top surfaces of the manifold blocks and interconnected with power receiving terminals provided on the solenoid valves as soon as the solenoid valves and the channels of the fluid passage sections are communicated when the solenoid valves are mounted on the manifold blocks.
In the manifold solenoid valve described above, fitting the printed circuit boards in mounting grooves in the electric circuit sections of the manifold blocks makes it possible to arrange the female and male connecting terminals disposed back-to-back at opposing plate edges on the printed circuit boards and the feeder terminals jutted out to the openings in the top surfaces of the manifold blocks at predetermined locations in the manifold blocks.
In the manifold solenoid valve driven by serial signals that has the configuration set forth above, when adjacent manifold blocks are connected in sequence to communicate the common passages of the fluid passage sections thereof with one another, the female and male connecting terminals for transmitting serial signals that are provided on the printed circuit boards fitted in the electric circuit sections in the respective manifold blocks are interconnected. Furthermore, the moment the individual solenoid valves are mounted on the respective manifold blocks and the supply/exhaust openings in the solenoid valves and the channels in the fluid passage sections of the manifold blocks are communicated with one another, the feeder terminals which feed power to the solenoid valves based on operation signals supplied in the form of serial signals and which are provided on the top surfaces of the respective manifold blocks are interconnected with the power receiving terminals provided on the respective solenoid valves.
Thus, simply stacking and connecting the manifold blocks automatically connects fluid passages and serial signal lines. Moreover, simply mounting the solenoid valves on the manifold blocks forms the passages between the solenoid valves and the manifold blocks, and the electric circuits that drive the solenoid valves based on serial signals.
Hence, in controlling the drive of the manifold solenoid valve by serial signals, the manifold solenoid valve can be assembled with great ease as a conventional manifold solenoid valve. In addition, an electrical control system is concentrated in the electric circuit component, thus permitting extremely easy maintenance and eliminating a possibility of erroneous wiring.
Moreover, a configuration required for the aforesaid electrical connection in the manifold blocks, namely, the female and male connecting terminals on junction surfaces and the feeder terminals on the top surfaces, can be obtained simply by fitting the printed circuit boards in the mounting grooves in the electric circuit sections of the manifold blocks.
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Endo Katsuhisa
Hayashi Bunya
Morikawa Fumio
Fox John
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
SMC Corporation
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