Valves and valve actuation – Electrically actuated valve
Patent
1997-02-21
1999-07-20
Lee, Kevin
Valves and valve actuation
Electrically actuated valve
25112916, F16K 3102
Patent
active
059246740
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a microvalve and to a method for manufacturing a microvalve.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A microvalve of bonded layers is described in German Patent Application No. 42 21 089, which describes a microvalve having three components placed one over one another as stacked layers. These components are composed of plastic material or aluminum. The closing element of the microvalve is made of a molded plastic, which contains metallic powder and is composed of several layers. To manufacture the valve, plastic molding processes are used, in particular injection molding or embossing (punching) to produce the structures. The strength or the chemical resistivity of the plastics employed is not always optimally adapted to the given work environments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the advantages of the microvalve according to the present invention is that the microvalve can be manufactured cost-effectively and in a simple manner using metal. Thus, all the positive properties of metal are attained for the microvalve. The individual, metallic, electrodeposited components of the microvalve can be produced with narrower tolerances and, at the same time, with lower manufacturing costs than has been possible in the manufacturing of microvalves in conventional methods heretofore.
Another advantage of the microvalve according to the present invention is that there is no compensation of the forces and torques acting on the valve-closure element, as occur when working with conventional microvalves. Otherwise, conventional pressure-compensated microvalves have large, highly stressed membranes.
The design of the pressure-compensated microvalve according to the present invention yields the advantage that no mechanically, highly stressed membrane is needed as a structural element. The need has been eliminated for mutual dependency of the valve lift, of the fluid pressure to be controlled (switched) and of the lateral dimensions (dimensions in the x-, y-direction) of the microvalve. As a result, variants can be manufactured which feature a small volumetric flow and a large valve lift.
It is further advantageous that different atomizer structures are able to be integrated very simply with the galvanic metal deposition (electrodeposition) on the microvalve. Thus, metallic layers, which in the end make up an "S-type spray-orifice plate" or an annular-gap nozzle, can be easily deposited. Such a galvanically deposited annular-gap nozzle on the microvalve renders possible a very uniform and fine atomization of the fluid. To this end, the annular-gap nozzle has at least one continuous annular gap, so that the fluid to be spray-discharged forms a cohesive, annular, jet lamella downstream from the annular gap. Further downstream, as its diameter increases, this lamella disintegrates into very small droplets.
When S-type spray-orifice plates are used on the microvalve, besides an excellent atomization quality, exceptional, bizarre jet shapes can be advantageously produced. When working with single-, dual- and multi-jet sprays, these orifice plates render possible countless variations of jet cross-sections, such as rectangles, triangles, cross shapes, and ellipses. Such unusual jet shapes enable a precise and optimal adaptation to predefined geometric dimensions, e.g., when the microvalve is employed as a fuel injector, to different induction pipe cross-sections of internal combustion engines.
Compared to macroscopic injectors, the small unit volume, the smaller power requirement of the drive, and the shorter switching time are advantageous.
One of the advantages of the method according to the present invention for manufacturing a microvalve is that microvalve parts are able to be manufactured reproducibly, with great precision, cost-effectively, and simultaneously in very large quantities, because of their metallic construction, these microvalve parts being unbreakable and being able to be installed very simply and inexpensively by means of bonding, soldering or welding on other valve c
REFERENCES:
patent: 4647008 (1987-03-01), Shirai et al.
patent: 5217200 (1993-06-01), Hutchings et al.
patent: 5238223 (1993-08-01), Mettner et al.
patent: 5271823 (1993-12-01), Schachameyer et al.
patent: 5629583 (1997-05-01), Lipphardt et al.
Flik Gottfried
Fuchs Heinz
Hahn Dietmar
Jauernig Alexandra
Schittny Thomas
Lee Kevin
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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