JP2002228032A - Flow control valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control valve capable of maintaining an air-tight structure separating a piezoelectric element and a lead wire from a used fluid and providing stable rotation of a rotor while arranging the rotor in the used fluid such as water, using an ultrasonic motor. SOLUTION: The control valve using the ultrasonic motor includes a control valve main body provided by forming an elastic member, a valve body, and a valve seat having at least one valve port in a sealed structure by respectively welding or the like, a vibrator structured by joining the piezoelectric element or an electrostriction element on an upper surface of the elastic member, and a rotor rotating by vibration of the vibrator. A degree of opening with the valve port is changed by the rotation of the rotor energized by a proper energizing means. A surface material of a cork sheet, expanded polystylene, expanded urethane or the like of specific gravity not more than 1.0 is formed on a lower surface of the elastic member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flow rate of a refrigerant or the like connected to an air conditioner, a refrigerator or the like, or a gas (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, halogen, butane, etc.) or a liquid (water, oil, etc.). Etc.) and a flow control valve using an ultrasonic motor for controlling the flow rate of any fluid in a gas-liquid mixed state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, when an ultrasonic motor for driving a piezoelectric element with a high-frequency voltage in an ultrasonic region is combined with a control valve,
A control valve that is small and has excellent controllability can be configured.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example of a conventional control valve using an ultrasonic motor, which has been filed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-190576. Hereinafter, the configuration of a conventional flow control valve will be described with reference to FIG.

[0003] The control valve in the prior art is a control valve body 1.
, A piezoelectric element 2, a rotor 3 housed in the control valve body 1, a driver 4, and a valve body 5.
Is pressed against the driver 4 side by a suitable urging means via a lining material 6 made of a wear-resistant material. The control valve main body 1 is formed by joining an elastic body 7, a valve body 8, and a valve seat 10 having a valve port 9 to a hermetically sealed structure by welding or the like. A piezoelectric element 2 or an electrostrictive element is joined to the upper surface of the elastic member 7 to form a vibrator 11, and a driver 4 is provided on the lower surface of the elastic member 7. Further, the valve element 5 can control the opening degree of the valve port 9 by rotating together with the rotor 3 urged toward the driver 4 side. Reference numeral 12 denotes an inflow pipe attached to the valve body 8, and reference numeral 13 denotes an outflow pipe connected to the valve port 9.

A thrust spring 14 applies a thrust load to the driver 4 side and the valve seat 10 side.
Further, the thrust spring 14 includes the rotor 3 and the valve body 5.
It is designed to rotate with the rotation of. 15 is the valve element 5
A spring is inserted into a cylindrical hole formed at the center of the valve seat, and the ball 16 is brought into contact with a concave portion 17 formed at the center of the valve seat 10 via the spring. In addition, the thrust spring 14 includes a spring 15
Since the spring force is set to be larger than that of
Is pressed against the valve seat 10 and is also constantly pressed against the driver 4 via the rotor 3.

FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of a valve element used as the above-mentioned valve element. Valve seat 10 according to the present invention
Has a valve port 9 at a position of a radius r from the center.
As shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface of the valve element 5 is fixed so that the distance from the valve seat 10 gradually increases (the groove becomes deeper) over about ／ of a concentric circle having a radius r from the center. A flow groove 18 having a width W is formed, and a final end (S portion) of the flow groove 18 is extended to the outer peripheral side surface of the valve body 5.
In addition, the S portion is used to transfer the fluid that has entered from the inflow pipe 12 to the valve element 5.
The fluid entering the flow groove 18 flows through the valve port 9 to the outflow pipe 13. Further, the opposed fitting portions of the valve body 5 and the rotor 3 are formed, for example, by forming stepped notches and the like in opposite directions to each other, so that the rotational motion of the rotor 3 is reliably transmitted to the valve body 5. It is supposed to. Reference numeral 19 denotes a stopper pin fixed to the body 10, and reference numeral 20 denotes a lead wire for supplying power to the piezoelectric element.

Next, the operation of the conventional control valve will be described. The driving mechanism of the prior art uses a piezoelectric element 2 and a driving element 4.
Vibrates, whereby the rotor 3 rotates. Although the explanation of the operation principle is omitted, it is an ultrasonic motor of a so-called standing wave driving system or a traveling wave driving system. In the prior art, utilizing the rotational movement of the rotor 3,
When the valve element 5 rotates, the gap between the valve port 9 of the valve seat 10 and the flow groove of the valve element 5 changes, and the flow rate to the valve port 9 is controlled. A part of the outer peripheral portion of the valve element 5 has a convex shape outward, and is fixed to the valve seat 10 when the reference position (fully closed state) of the valve element 5 reaches the valve port 9. The rotation of the rotor 3 is stopped by contacting the stopper pin 19.

As described above, in a conventional control valve using an ultrasonic motor, an elastic body, a valve body and a valve seat having a valve port are each hermetically sealed by welding or the like, and a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element is provided outside the elastic body. An electric signal in the ultrasonic region is applied to the rotor, and a rotor pressed against an internal driving element rotates to control the flow rate of the fluid entering from the inflow pipe to the outflow pipe. That is, since the piezoelectric element and the lead wire can be isolated from the working fluid, there is an advantage that an electrical insulating means is not required, and since the shape of the vibrator also serves as a valve body which is a part of the valve structure, This is a small and inexpensive control valve that has greatly reduced the number of parts.

[0008]

However, when the working fluid is a liquid such as water, the driving side surface of the elastic body, which is a vibrator, is exposed to the working fluid, and the resonance frequency of the vibrator is changed from the driving frequency. An event occurs in which most of the vibration energy generated by the vibrator changes and propagates to the working fluid. That is, there is a possibility that a phenomenon that the rotor does not rotate may occur, which is different from the frequency for driving the rotor which is the original resonance frequency of the vibrator. The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airtight structure in which a piezoelectric element and a lead wire are isolated from a working fluid even when the working fluid is a liquid such as water. An object of the present invention is to provide a control valve using an ultrasonic motor that stably rotates the rotor while holding the rotor and arranging the rotor in the working fluid.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vibrator having a hermetic structure in which a piezoelectric element and a lead wire are kept isolated from a working fluid even when the working fluid is a liquid such as water. By forming a skin material having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as cork sheet or styrofoam or urethane foam on the lower surface of the elastic body which is the driving surface side of the above, it is a means for solving the problem.

That is, the control valve according to the first aspect of the present invention is a control valve in which the elastic body 7, the valve body 8, and the valve seat 10 having at least one or more valve ports 9 are each formed in a sealed structure by welding or the like. The main body 1 is provided and the elastic body 7 is provided.
A piezoelectric element 2 or an electrostrictive element is joined to the upper surface of the vibrator 11 to form a vibrator 11. A control valve using an ultrasonic motor for changing the opening degree of the elastic body 7, wherein a specific gravity of a cork sheet, styrene foam, urethane foam or the like is 1.
A flow control valve characterized in that a skin material 30 of 0 or less is formed.

In the control valve according to the second aspect of the present invention, the elastic body 7, the valve body 8, and the valve seat 10 having at least one valve port 9 form a sealing structure by O-rings 26 and 27, respectively. The control valve body 1 is provided with an upper lid 28 fitted and fixed to the elastic body 7 and the elastic body 7 is provided.
A piezoelectric element 2 or an electrostrictive element is joined to the upper surface of the vibrator 11 to form a vibrator 11. A control valve using an ultrasonic motor for changing the opening degree of the elastic body 7, wherein a specific gravity of a cork sheet, styrene foam, urethane foam or the like is 1.
A flow control valve characterized in that a skin material 30 of 0 or less is formed.

The control valve according to a third aspect of the present invention is arranged such that a control valve is provided near at least one nodal circle position of a vibration wave generated when an electric signal in an ultrasonic range is applied to a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element of the vibrator. A sealing projection 31 is provided on the valve body so as to be located, and the elastic body 7 and the valve body 8 are hermetically sealed by the projection 31 and the skin material 30 arranged on the lower surface of the elastic body 7 and the valve body is provided. 3. The flow control valve according to claim 2, wherein the valve seat and the valve seat are hermetically sealed with an O-ring.

A control valve according to a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a valve seat 1 having an elastic body 7, a valve body 8, and a valve port.
0 are hermetically sealed by O-rings 26 and 27, respectively, and a cork sheet or a skin material 30 such as styrene foam or urethane foam having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less is formed on the lower surface of the elastic body 7 and the elastic body 7 is formed. A sleeve 29 is provided integrally or separately at the center of the upper surface of the control valve 7, and the control valve body 1 is provided by fitting and fixing the upper lid 28 above the elastic body 7 via the sleeve 29. The valve seat 10 is provided with a valve port 9 connected to the outflow pipe,
An inflow pipe 12 is provided in the valve seat 10 or the valve body 8, and a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element is joined to the upper surface of the elastic body 7 to form a vibrator 11. A rotor 3 urged toward the driver by a suitable urging means 14 and a valve element 5 co-rotating with the rotor 3 are provided in the control valve body 1. It is characterized in that the flow rate to the outflow pipe 13 is controlled by the rotation of the pressed rotor 3.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the piezoelectric element and the lead wire maintain an airtight structure in which the piezoelectric element and the lead wire are separated from the fluid to be used.
A skin material 30 having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as cork sheet or styrofoam or urethane foam
Is formed, even when the fluid used is a liquid such as water, the resonance frequency of the vibrator does not change from the vibration frequency, so that the rotor can be reliably rotated.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

The control valve according to the first embodiment will be described only with respect to differences from the conventional control valve. The vibrator 11 of the present embodiment includes the elastic body 7 and the piezoelectric element 2,
A difference from the control valve of the prior art is that a driver 4 is provided on the lower surface of the elastic body 7 and a skin material 30 having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as cork sheet or styrofoam or urethane foam is formed. It is.

Here, the function of the skin material 30 of the present invention will be specifically described. In a conventional control valve, when the working fluid is a liquid such as water, the driving surface side of the elastic body that is the vibrator is exposed to the working fluid, and the resonance frequency of the vibrator changes from the driving frequency and is generated by the vibrator. An event occurred in which most of the vibration energy was propagated to the working fluid. In the control valve of the present invention, since the cork sheet formed on the lower surface of the elastic body 7 or the skin material 30 having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as styrene foam or urethane foam is used, a liquid such as water which is a used fluid is used. Since the material does not penetrate the liquid, the resonance frequency of the vibrator does not change from the resonance frequency of the gas because the liquid is not affected. Therefore, the resonance frequency of the vibrator becomes the original frequency of the rotor drive, and the rotor can be rotated. It should be noted that the resonance frequency of the vibrator is a frequency to which the liquid is not added, so that the vibration energy generated by the vibrator does not propagate to the fluid used. Further, when the specific gravity is 1.0 or more, the skin material of the present invention not only changes the resonance frequency of the vibrator due to the weight of the material, but also acts to attenuate the vibration energy of the vibrator. The rotor cannot be driven efficiently.

According to an experiment by the present inventors, when the skin material of the present embodiment is formed on the lower surface of the elastic body, even if the fluid used changes from a gas to a liquid, the change in the resonance frequency and the vibration in the resonance characteristics can be reduced. No change in size was observed. In addition, the most important thing about the rotation of the rotor is to use a lining material that has a small change in the coefficient of friction even when it changes from a gas to a liquid. Achieved.

Next, the operation of the control valve of the present invention will be described.
The description is omitted because it is exactly the same as the control valve of the prior art.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Differences from the first embodiment will be described.
In the control valve according to the second embodiment, the control valve body 1 is connected to the elastic body 7 and the valve body 8 by the O-ring 26, while the valve seat 10 having the valve port 9 is connected to the valve body 8 by the O-ring 26.
The difference is that the seal structure is formed by the ring 27 and the upper cover 28 is fitted and fixed to the elastic body 7. A skin material 30 having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less, such as a cork sheet or styrene foam or urethane foam, is formed on the lower surface of the elastic body 7 as in the first embodiment.

The position of the O-ring 26 is
An O-ring 26 is arranged near at least one nodal circle position 25 of a vibration wave generated when an electric signal in an ultrasonic region is applied to one piezoelectric element 2. That is, the position of the O-ring 26 may be the side surface of the elastic body 7. However, the side surface of the elastic body 7 is a place where the vibration generated when an electric signal in the ultrasonic region is applied to the piezoelectric element 2 is greatly displaced because of the outer peripheral portion, and the sealing effect of the O-ring 26 is expected. May not be possible. O-ring 26
Vibrates constantly, and fatigue due to vibration stress on the O-ring 26 is also a concern. Therefore, the O-ring 26 is arranged near the nodal circle position 25 which is the nodal position of the vibration wave generated in the vibrator 11.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the following points. In the first embodiment, the inflow pipe 12 is connected to the valve body 8, but in this embodiment, it is attached to the valve seat 10. Also, the first
In the embodiment, the spring 15 is inserted into a cylindrical hole formed in the center of the valve body 5, and the ball 1 is inserted into the recess 17 formed in the center of the valve seat 10 via the spring.
6 was arranged to center the rotation of the valve body 5,
In this embodiment, the rotation of the valve body 5 is centered by a shaft 21 fixed to the valve seat 10 by press fitting or the like. The above changes may be the same as those in the first embodiment, but may be appropriately selected depending on the restrictions on the mounting position of the inflow pipe, the number of parts, the assemblability, the cost, and the like.

The vibrator 11 must be provided with a detent to prevent the elastic body 7 of the vibrator 11 from rotating in order to rotate the rotor 3. In the present invention, since the O-ring 26 is used between the valve body 8 and the elastic body 7, the rotation of the elastic body 7 is prevented by the valve body 8,
For example, it is suitable to perform between the upper lid 28 which is fitted and fixed with a detent due to the width across flats or the like. This is because it is possible to form a detent between the elastic body 7 and the valve body 8, but in this case, the vibration of the vibrator is suppressed, and the rotor 3 cannot be rotated efficiently. This is because a problem arises. The elastic body 7
The position of the detent between the upper cover 28 and the upper cover 28 is suitably set at a node position of the vibration because the elastic body 7 forms the vibrator 11 by the piezoelectric element 2 and generates a vibration wave.
Therefore, it is easy to form a detent, and the center part which is always at the nodal position and does not change depending on the rotation direction of the rotor 3 is optimal. The shape of the detent between the elastic body 7 and the upper lid 28 may be D-cut,
The width across flats is conceivable. However, it is conceivable that the rotation preventing shape provided on the elastic body 7 regulates the form of the vibration wave, that is, the appearance position of the position of the nodal diameter, and suppresses the rotation of the rotor 3. As described above, the elastic body 7 and the elastic body 7
The shape of the central portion of the upper lid that fits with each other is polygonal irregularities so as to match the node diameter position of the vibration wave generated when an electric signal in the ultrasonic range is applied to the piezoelectric element 2 of the vibrator 11. The shape of the vibrator prevents rotation.
Further, when the shape of the central portion is a hexagon, the balance of the vibration is relatively good, and the influence on the appearance of the nodal diameter position can be made at a low level.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. Only differences from the second and fourth embodiments described below will be described. In the second and fourth embodiments,
Although the O-ring 26 is used to form a seal between the elastic body 7 of the control valve body 1 and the valve body 8, in the present embodiment, the piezoelectric element or the electrostrictive element of the vibrator is electrically connected to the ultrasonic element. A sealing protrusion 31 is provided in a ring shape on the valve body so as to be located in the vicinity of at least one nodal circle position of the vibration wave generated when a signal is applied.
1 and a skin material 30 having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as a cork sheet or styrene foam or urethane foam disposed on the lower surface of the elastic body. As in the first and second embodiments, the specific gravity of the skin material 30 is 1.0 or less in order to surely rotate the rotor when the working fluid is a liquid.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which a sleeve 29 is formed integrally with the elastic body 7 or in a separate piece. The advantage is that the elastic body 7 is firmly fixed by the sleeve 29,
The vibration wave energy is efficiently given to the rotor 3. That is, in the second embodiment, since the upper lid 28 serves to both fix the elastic body 7 and prevent rotation, a very small part of the energy of the vibration wave may be transmitted to the upper lid 28. The second embodiment is a measure for improving this point. Note that the sleeve 29 and the upper lid 28 form a detent by generally known D-cut, two-face width, and the like.

The present invention can be realized in any form as long as the configuration of the valve body can control the opening degree of the valve port by rotating together with the rotor biased to the driver side. Further, the present invention is established even if the number of valve ports provided in the valve seat is one or more.

Although not particularly shown, the valve body 8,
The present invention can be realized even when the inflow pipe 12, the outflow pipe 13, and the valve seat are integrally formed by resin molding or the like.

[0028]

As described above, according to the first, second, third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the piezoelectric element and the lead wire can be isolated from the fluid, so that there is an advantage that the electric insulating means is not required. At the same time, the vibrator has a shape which also serves as a valve body part which is a part of the valve structure, and the number of parts can be greatly reduced because the rotor is directly disposed in the working fluid.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, O
Since the seal structure is formed by the ring, an inexpensive control valve can be provided. Further, the position where the O-ring is arranged is close to the nodal position of the vibration wave generated when an electric signal in the ultrasonic region is applied to the piezoelectric element or the electrostrictive element, but the O-ring is bent in the mounting direction. Since the sealing structure is used, there is an advantage that the sealing performance can be sufficiently secured.
In addition, the formation of the detent between the elastic body and the upper lid or between the sleeve and the upper lid is configured so as to secure clearance so that the outer peripheral portion of the vibrator does not interfere with the valve body. Since the vibration of the rotor is not hindered, the effect of having the advantage that the energy of the vibration wave can be efficiently supplied to the rotor and rubbed out is enormous.

According to the fourth invention, the elastic body is firmly fixed by the sleeve, and the energy of the vibration wave is efficiently applied to the rotor. For this reason,
A very small part of the energy of the vibration wave does not propagate to the upper lid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a flow control valve according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the flow control valve according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the flow control valve according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the flow control valve according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a flow control valve using a conventional ultrasonic motor.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a valve body of a conventional flow control valve using an ultrasonic motor. 1 Control valve body 2 Piezoelectric element 3 Rotor 4
Driver 5 Valve body 6 Lining material 7 Elastic body 8 Valve body 9 Valve port 10 Valve seat 11 Vibrator 12 Inflow pipe 13 Outflow pipe 14 Thrust spring 15 Spring 1
6 Ball 17 Recess formed in the center of valve seat 10
Reference Signs List 18 circulation groove 19 stopper pin 20 lead wire 21 shaft 22 dome-shaped closing part provided inside valve body 5 23 stopper part provided inside valve body 5 24
Valve port of inflow pipe 12 25 Articulated circle position 26, 27 O-ring 28 Top lid 29 Sleeve 30 Skin material 31 Sealing convex provided on valve body

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3H062 AA05 AA15 BB28 BB30 CC04 DD01 EE07 FF39 FF40 HH02 HH03 HH04 HH07 HH08 HH09 HH10 5H680 AA06 AA10 BB03 BB16 CC02 CC06 CC07 DD02 DD15 DD23 DD35 DD53 DD65 DD63 EE10 FF03 FF05 FF26 GG18 GG41

Claims (4)

[Claims] An elastic body, a valve body, and a valve seat having at least one or more valve ports are each formed in a hermetically sealed structure by welding or the like to provide a control valve main body, and a piezoelectric element or an electrode is provided on an upper surface of the elastic body. A control valve using an ultrasonic motor that forms a vibrator by joining strain elements, and that rotates the rotor by vibrating the vibrator and changes the degree of opening of the valve port by appropriate urging means. A flow control valve, wherein a skin material having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as a cork sheet or styrene foam or urethane foam is formed on a lower surface of the elastic body. 2. An elastic body, a valve body, and a valve seat having at least one valve port are each formed with a seal structure by an O-ring, and a control valve body is provided with an upper lid fitted and fixed to the elastic body. In addition, a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element is joined to the upper surface of the elastic body to form a vibrator. A flow rate control characterized by forming a skin material having a specific gravity of 1.0 or less such as cork sheet or styrofoam or urethane foam on a lower surface of the elastic body, wherein the control valve is a control valve using an ultrasonic motor for changing a degree. valve. 3. A sealing body is provided on a valve body so as to be located in the vicinity of at least one nodal circle of a vibration wave generated when an electric signal in an ultrasonic range is applied to a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element of the vibrator. The elastic body and the valve body are hermetically sealed by the convex portion and the skin material disposed on the lower surface of the elastic body, and the valve body and the valve seat are hermetically sealed by an O-ring. The flow control valve according to claim 2, wherein 4. A valve body and an elastic body, and a valve body and a valve seat having a valve port are hermetically sealed with an O-ring, respectively, and a specific gravity of a cork sheet, styrene foam or urethane foam is 1. A skin material that is equal to or less than 0 is formed, and a sleeve is provided integrally or separately at the center of the upper surface of the elastic body, and an upper lid is fitted and fixed above the elastic body via the sleeve to form the control valve body. The valve seat of the control valve body is provided with a valve port connected to an outflow pipe, the valve seat or the valve body is provided with an inflow pipe, and a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element is joined to the upper surface of the elastic body to vibrate. A driver is provided on the lower surface of the elastic body, and a rotor urged toward the driver by an appropriate urging means and the rotor are provided in the control valve body. Provided the valve element to the motor and rotating together, the flow control valve being characterized in that so as to control the flow rate of the outflow pipe by the rotation of the rotor formed by pressed against the drive element.