JPH0979408A - Flow regulating device and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flow regulating device and its manufacturing method capable of regulating fluid flow by little electric consumption. SOLUTION: A piezoelectric element plate 2 fixed at an end is provided in a casing 16 having a fluid introducing port 12 and a discharge port 5. The other end of the piezoelectric element plate 2 is placed in the vicinity of the discharge port 5 and approches/separates to/from the discharge port 5 reversibly deformed in the thickness direction by the application of voltage to regulate an opening of the discharge port 5. An initial opening setting means for providing an initial mechanical displacement to the piezo electric element plate 2 is preferably provided in the state in which voltage is not applied to the piezoelectric element plate 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for adjusting the flow rate of a fluid such as a gas or a liquid, and more particularly to a flow rate adjusting apparatus capable of electrically opening and closing a flow path of the fluid to adjust the flow rate, and a manufacturing method thereof. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a gas appliance such as a gas stove or a gas stove, in order to automatically control a combustion state or the like, a valve provided in a gas flow path is electrically opened / closed to control a gas flow rate. Adjustments are being made. Since such a flow rate control device generally requires a large amount of electric power, when supplying electric power to a drive mechanism that opens and closes a valve with a dry battery or the like, the dry battery is heavily consumed and needs to be replaced frequently, which is troublesome. Can not stand. Further, when power is supplied to the drive mechanism from a commercial power source, there is a problem that the place of use is limited due to the position of the outlet and the like.

Therefore, it has been proposed to use a thermoelectric generator that produces an electromotive force by heating to convert a part of the combustion energy of gas into electric power and use it for driving the valve opening / closing.

However, since the electric power obtained from such a thermoelectric generator is generally small, it is difficult to apply it to the conventional flow rate adjusting device which requires a large electric power. The present invention has been made in view of such a technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flow rate adjusting device capable of adjusting the flow rate of a fluid with low power consumption and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, a flow rate adjusting device according to the present invention has a fluid inlet (12) and an outlet (5), which will be described with reference to the reference numerals in the drawings. A casing (16), one end of which is fixed to the casing (16) and the other end of which is arranged in the casing (16) in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port (5), and the other end of which is in the thickness direction due to application of voltage. A piezoelectric element plate (2) that reversibly displaces toward and away from the fluid discharge port (5), and the piezoelectric element plate (2) can move toward and away from the fluid discharge port (5). It is characterized in that the opening of the fluid discharge port (5) is adjusted by the displacement.

According to the above arrangement, the opening of the ejection port (5) is adjusted by utilizing the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate (2) toward or away from the fluid ejection port. By adjusting the displacement amount of 2) by the applied voltage, the flow rate of the fluid passing through the discharge port (5) can be adjusted.

Further, since the piezoelectric element plate (2) requires almost no current, it can be displaced with a small power consumption, and the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate (2) directly causes the discharge port (5) to move. Since the opening can be adjusted, less energy is required for the entire device.

Further, since the opening of the fluid discharge port (5) is directly adjusted by the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate (2), the structure is simple, the number of parts is small, and the entire size can be reduced. Therefore, a plurality of flow rate adjusting devices can be compactly provided in one casing, and it becomes possible to distribute the fluid and control each of them even in a limited space.

It is also desirable that the initial mechanical displacement of the piezoelectric element plate (2) is applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2) when no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2). It is also recommended to provide an initial opening setting means (6) for setting.

When the initial opening setting means (6) is provided, the initial opening can be reliably set to a predetermined value,
For example, by setting the initial opening degree to zero, the flow of the fluid can be surely interrupted in the state in which no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2), and the flow rate control device is extremely safe. be able to.

Further, one of the manufacturing methods according to the present invention is:
A base (1) having a fluid discharge port (5), one end fixed to the base and the other end arranged in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port (5), and the other end in the thickness direction when a voltage is applied. An apparatus unit (18) provided with a piezoelectric element plate (2) that reversibly displaces and approaches or separates from the fluid discharge port (5).
Is manufactured in advance, and the apparatus unit is combined with other constituent members.

According to this manufacturing method, for example, even when a device that distributes fluid and adjusts the distribution ratio of each fluid is manufactured, the device unit (18) serves as a plurality of fluid discharge ports for one fluid introduction port. ) Is applicable, and the same device unit (18) can be commonly used, so that the cost can be reduced by mass-producing the same parts during mass production. Also, the device unit (18)
Since the structure is simple and each member can be checked from a wide range of directions, it is easy to adjust the positional relationship between the piezoelectric element plate (2) and the fluid discharge port (5) at the stage of the unit, and work efficiency and device It is expected that the accuracy of will be improved.

Further, according to another manufacturing method of the present invention, a base (1) having a fluid discharge port (5) and one end fixed to the base and the other end arranged in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port (5). And a piezoelectric element plate (2) having the other end reversibly displaced in the thickness direction by the application of a voltage and moving toward or away from the fluid discharge port (5). Preliminarily manufactured, and two of the device units (18) are combined in an overlapping state so that each substrate (1) is located outside and each piezoelectric element plate (2) is located inside. Is.

This manufacturing method allows the apparatus unit (18) to be arranged in the most compact manner, and the apparatus manufactured by this manufacturing method is small in size and distributes the fluid, and at the same time, the distribution ratio thereof. Made with adjustable device.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an explanation will be given based on an embodiment in which a flow rate control device according to the present invention is applied to a gas flow rate control valve.

1 and 2 show one embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, (16) is a box-shaped casing, and the casing (16) includes a plate-shaped base (1) forming a bottom surface and a dish having a lower surface opening which is covered from above the base (1). A top lid (11).

At one end of the base (1) in the longitudinal direction,
A fixing member (7) made of an insulator is attached, and the piezoelectric element plate (2) is attached to the fixing member (7). A circular hole with a thread groove is formed in the vicinity of the other end of the base (1), and a cylindrical bush (9) is screwed into the circular hole, and a through hole of the bush (9) is formed. A short cylindrical valve seat (4) is screwed onto the upper end portion, and a through hole of the valve seat (4) serves as a fluid discharge port (5). Further, a downward nozzle (8) is screwed to the lower end of the through hole of the bush (9) to form a device unit (18).

On the other hand, a circular hole with a thread groove is formed on the upper surface of the upper lid (11), and a cylindrical connecting member (13) for connecting a gas pipe or the like is screwed into the circular hole, The opening of the connection member (13) serves as a fluid introduction port (12) into the casing. Then, the fluid inlet (1
The gas flowing into the casing from 2) reaches the nozzle (8) from the fluid discharge port (5) and is ejected from the tip of the nozzle.

The piezoelectric element plate (2) has a sandwich structure in which one metal piece is sandwiched between two thin plate piezoelectric element pieces. The piezoelectric element plate (2) is bent in the thickness direction by applying a voltage to each piezoelectric element piece so that one of the two piezoelectric element pieces contracts in the length direction and the other extends in the length direction. It is said that it can be bent into a state. Further, when the applied voltage is released, the elastic force of the metal piece can restore the flat shape.

The piezoelectric element plate (2) is clamped and fixed in the vicinity of one end in the length direction by a pair of upper and lower fixing members (7) and (7), and the base ( It is fixed to one end of 1). In addition, the other end of the piezoelectric element plate (2) extends above the base (1) in the same length direction as the base (1) and at a position before the other end of the base (1). It is left unsupported. Further, at one end of the piezoelectric element plate (2) protruding rearward from the base plate (1) through the fixing members (7) and (7), the power supply terminal (10) is provided.
Is mounted, and a desired voltage can be applied to each piezoelectric element piece of the piezoelectric element plate (2) via the power supply terminal (10). Then, by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element plate (2), the piezoelectric element plate (2) is fixed to the fixing member (7).
It is said that while it is curved in a direction away from the substrate (1) starting from (7), it returns to the current state when the applied voltage is removed. The applied voltage and the degree of bending of the piezoelectric element plate (2) are in a substantially proportional relationship.

Substrate (1) in the piezoelectric element plate (2)
On the side surface, at a position facing the valve seat (4),
A circular valve plate (3) is fixed by an adhesive. This valve plate (3) comes into contact with or separates from the valve seat (4) according to the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate (2) with respect to the discharge port (5) in the approaching or separating direction, so that the fluid discharge port (5). It controls the opening and closing operations of. Therefore, the valve plate (3) is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber so that a sufficient pressure contact force can be applied to the valve seat (4) when the discharge port (5) is closed.

An auxiliary plate (6c) is mounted on the upper end of the fixing member (7) so as to project inward in parallel with the piezoelectric element plate (2). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, at a portion of the piezoelectric element plate (2) near the fixing member (7) in the middle portion in the length direction, rubber pieces (6b) (6) (6b) are provided on both sides in the thickness direction.
b) is glued. Also, these rubber pieces (6
b) At the position corresponding to (6b), a screw hole is formed penetrating the base (1) and the auxiliary plate (6c), respectively, and the tip of the rubber piece (6b) (6) is formed in these screw holes.
The adjusting screws (6a) (6a) which can be brought into contact with b) are screwed so as to be able to move back and forth. These adjustment screws (6a)
(6a) constitutes an initial opening degree setting means (6) for setting an initial opening degree of the ejection port (5) in a state where no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2). That is, both adjusting screws (6
a) By adjusting the amount of advance / retreat of (6a), the piezoelectric element plate (2)
Since the deflection amount (displacement amount) of the tip portion of the plate changes, the valve plate (3) and the discharge port (5) fixed to the piezoelectric element plate (2) by giving a predetermined deflection amount in the absence of voltage application Is initially set and the opening of the discharge port (5) is adjusted accordingly. In this embodiment, the valve plate (3) is intimately adhered to the valve seat (4) in a state where no voltage is applied, and the discharge port (5) is initially closed.

The upper lid (11) and the base (1) are formed by a plurality of screws (17) which are screwed into the upper lid (11) by penetrating the base (1) upward at the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the base. The casing (16) is fixed, and thus constitutes a closed casing (16).

FIG. 3 shows a control circuit for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element plate (2) to displace it. In these figures, (30) is a DC variable power supply circuit including a switching regulator, (20) is a drive circuit that receives power from the variable power supply circuit and applies a voltage to the piezoelectric element plate, and (40) is a gas. It is a gas flow rate setting device for setting and adjusting the flow rate. The gas flow rate setting device (40) changes the applied voltage to the piezoelectric element plate (2), and thus changes the displacement amount of the valve plate (3) due to the curved displacement of the piezoelectric element plate. In addition, when the flow rate is automatically adjusted, the signal sent from the computer may be directly connected to the gas flow rate setting device (40) according to the combustion condition, or the gas flow rate setting can be set manually. The container (40) may be configured.

In manufacturing the gas flow rate control valve having the above structure, the base member (1) is provided with a fixing member (7), a piezoelectric element plate (2), a valve plate (3), a valve seat (4), an initial opening degree. An apparatus unit (18) assembled with the setting means (6), the bushing (9), etc. is manufactured in advance, and the opening of the fluid discharge port (5) in the state of the unit (18) is set to the initial opening setting means. Set in (6). Here, the device unit (18)
Since the fluid discharge port (5) and the piezoelectric element plate (2) located above the fluid discharge port (5) are exposed and have good visibility, the initial opening degree setting means (6) initially opens the fluid discharge port (5). It is possible to easily set the degree and confirm the opening degree with respect to the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2). Further, if the initial opening of the discharge port (5) is set to zero, no gas is discharged when no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2), so the gas flow rate is highly safe. It can be a control valve. Subsequently, the upper lid (11) to which the connecting member (13) is screwed is placed on the base (1) so as to include the piezoelectric element plate (2) and the like, and the screw (1) is attached from below the base (1).
Fix both through 7) and complete the gas flow control valve.

To use this gas flow control valve,
A gas pipe is connected to the connection member (13) provided on the upper lid (11) to introduce gas into the casing (16) from the fluid introduction port (12). On the other hand, when the voltage is not applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2), the valve plate (3) and the valve seat (4) are closed by the initial opening setting means (6), so that the gas is the fluid discharge port. No discharge from (5). Then, by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element plate (2), the other end of the piezoelectric element plate (2) is displaced upward, and the valve plate (3) and the valve seat (4) are moved to the position shown in FIG. The gas introduced into the casing (16) passes through the fluid discharge port (5) and is jetted out. Further, the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element plate (2) changes according to the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2), and therefore the opening degree of the fluid discharge port (5) can be adjusted, so that the gas ejection amount can be controlled. Can be adjusted.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has the same configuration as that of the previous embodiment, such as the base (1), the piezoelectric element plate (2), the valve plate (3), the valve seat (4), and the initial opening setting means (6). Two of the formed device units (18) are combined in a vertically stacked state with the substrates (1) positioned outside and the piezoelectric element plates (2) positioned inside. Further, a pair of upper and lower bases (1) and (1) are joined by screws (17) through a U-shaped frame (15) in plan view to form a casing (16). The gas discharge nozzle (8) is screwed to the base (1) of the device unit (18) on the lower side, and the base (1) of the device unit (18) on the other side is screwed. A igniting nozzle (14) for igniting, which keeps the ignition igniter lit all the time, is screwed on. Further, a through hole having a thread groove similar to that of the upper lid (11) shown in FIG. 2 is provided on the side surface of the frame (15), and the connecting member (13) is provided in the through hole.
Is screwed outward to form a fluid inlet (12). 5 and 6, parts having the same names as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the above flow rate control valve, the gas pipe is connected to the connecting member (13) screwed to the frame (15) to introduce the gas into the casing (16), while the two piezoelectric element plates (2) are connected. ) (2) is used by applying a voltage so that the discharge amount of each gas becomes a predetermined amount and adjusting the opening of each of the fluid discharge ports (5) and (5).

In the gas flow rate control valve, since the device unit (18) is arranged in the most compact manner, it is a small device, but it divides the gas into two, and the distribution ratio of each gas is electrically determined. It is supposed to be adjustable. Therefore, a gas device using this gas flow rate control valve is small and consumes less power, but it is possible to perform complicated gas control according to the combustion state.

[0030]

The present invention is based on the above, and is characterized in that the opening of the fluid discharge port is adjusted by the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate. Further, since the piezoelectric element plate can obtain displacement with a small amount of electric power, the flow rate adjusting device according to the present invention can open and close the discharge port with a small amount of electric power to adjust the flow rate of the fluid. Furthermore, since the opening of the fluid discharge port is directly adjusted by the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate, the mechanical structure is simple and the number of parts is small, and the size of the entire device can be reduced.

Further, in the case where initial opening setting means for setting an initial opening of the fluid discharge port by applying an initial mechanical displacement to the piezoelectric element plate in a state where no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate The initial opening can be set with certainty. For example, by setting the initial opening at the closed position of the fluid discharge port, the flow of the fluid can be surely cut off, which is extremely safe. It can be a flow control device.

Next, if a device unit including a substrate having a fluid discharge port and a piezoelectric element plate is manufactured in advance, and the device unit and other constituent members are combined and manufactured,
Since the same device unit is used as a common part and can be applied to various devices, the cost can be reduced by the effect of mass production. Moreover, at the stage of the unit in which the piezoelectric element plate and the like are exposed, the adjustment can be performed while checking the opening of the fluid discharge port, so that improvement in work efficiency and device accuracy can be expected.

Furthermore, by combining two of the above-mentioned units in such a manner that each substrate is on the outside and each piezoelectric element plate is on the inside, the most compact flow rate adjusting device can be formed. It is expected to greatly contribute to the miniaturization and higher performance of gas appliances and other equipment used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control circuit for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element plate.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Board 2 ... Piezoelectric element plate 3 ... Valve plate 4 ... Valve seat 5 ... Fluid discharge port 6 ... Initial position setting means 7 ... Fixing member 12 ... Fluid introduction port 16 ... Casing 18 ... Device unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A casing (16) having a fluid inlet (12) and an outlet (5), and one end of which is the casing (1).
6) and the other end is arranged in the casing (16) in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port (5), and the other end is reversibly displaced in the thickness direction by the application of a voltage and the fluid discharge port A piezoelectric element plate (2) that approaches or separates from (5), and the opening degree of the fluid discharge port is adjusted by the displacement of the piezoelectric element plate (2) toward or away from the fluid discharge port (5). A flow rate control device characterized by being made. 2. The initial opening of the fluid discharge port (5) is set by applying an initial mechanical displacement to the piezoelectric element plate (2) when no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element plate (2). The flow control device according to claim 1, further comprising an initial opening setting means (6). 3. Base (1) having a fluid outlet (5)
And one end is fixed to the base and the other end is arranged in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port (5), and the other end is reversibly displaced in the thickness direction by applying a voltage, and the fluid discharge port (5) )
A method of manufacturing a flow rate adjusting device, characterized in that an apparatus unit (18) including a piezoelectric element plate (2) that approaches or separates from the above is manufactured in advance, and the apparatus unit and other constituent members are combined. 4. A substrate (1) having a fluid outlet (5)
And one end is fixed to the base and the other end is arranged in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port (5), and the other end is reversibly displaced in the thickness direction by applying a voltage, and the fluid discharge port (5) )
A device unit (18) including a piezoelectric element plate (2) that approaches or separates from each other is manufactured in advance, and two of these device units (18) are provided on each substrate (1) outside with each piezoelectric element. A method of manufacturing a flow rate adjusting device, characterized in that the plates (2) are combined in an overlapping state in a direction in which they are located inside.