Pneumatic valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236839-B2
Application number	US-201716332393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 6, 2016
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A pneumatic valve, including a valve housing with an air chamber with one or more air ports. A respective air port of at least one of the air ports can be opened and closed by a movable valve flap which is mechanically coupled to a shape memory alloy. The SMA element deforms as a result of supplying electrical heating current and effects a predefined movement of the valve flap for opening or closing the respective air port. The deformation of the SMA element is reversed when the supply of the electrical heating current ends. The valve flap has a leaf spring. The leaf spring is held rotationally fixedly relative to the valve housing. The leaf spring interacts with the SMA element such that a stroke of the SMA element caused by the deformation is converted into a stroke of the valve flap by elastic bending of the leaf spring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pneumatic valve, comprising:
a valve housing in which there is provided an air chamber with at least one or more air ports wherein at least one of the one or more air ports can be opened and sealingly closed by a movable valve flap, wherein the valve flap is mechanically coupled to an SMA element composed of a shape memory alloy, wherein the SMA element deforms as a result of a supply of electrical heating current and hereby effects a predefined movement of the valve flap for the purposes of opening or closing the at least one of the one or more air ports, wherein the deformation of the SMA element is reversed when the supply of the electrical heating current is ended, and a reversal of the predefined movement of the SMA element is hereby effected,
the valve flap comprises a leaf spring with a spring leaf, wherein the leaf spring is held rotationally fixedly relative to the valve housing and interacts with the SMA element such that a stroke of the SMA element caused by the deformation thereof is converted into a stroke of the valve flap by elastic bending of the spring leaf of the leaf spring, wherein the stroke of the valve flap is greater than the stroke of the SMA element,
wherein, the leaf spring interacts with the SMA element such that the stroke of the valve flap is diverted relative to the stroke of the SMA element.

2. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an angle by which the stroke of the valve flap is diverted relative to the stroke of the SMA element lies between 50° and 130°.

3. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the SMA element is a wire which extends substantially in a plane and which is contracted as a result of a supply of the electrical heating current and which hereby effects the predefined movement of the valve flap.

4. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the wire runs substantially parallel to the spring leaf of the leaf spring with a predefined spacing thereto.

5. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the wire comprises two straight-running portions with an interposed curved portion, wherein the stroke of the wire is transmitted via the curved portion to the valve flap, wherein the curved portion turns the direction of extent of the wire through 180°.

6. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spring leaf of the leaf spring comprises a bearing region which bears on a portion of the valve housing, wherein the bearing region lifts off from the portion of the valve housing during the elastic bending of the spring leaf.

7. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a resetting force acts on the valve flap, which resetting force effects the reversal of the predefined movement of the valve flap when the supply of the heating current is ended, wherein the resetting force is generated by the leaf spring and/or by a separate spring.

8. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve flap comprises a body which has a first side, which points towards the respective air port, and a second side, which is a side situated opposite the first side, wherein a portion of the spring leaf which is moved as a result of the elastic bending of the leaf spring is arranged on the first side, and wherein the SMA element is mechanically coupled to the valve flap on the second side.

9. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve housing comprises a foundation plate composed of non-conductive material, which foundation plate divides the interior of the valve housing into the air chamber and a region separated from the air chamber, wherein, in the separated region, there is arranged an electronic control unit for controlling the valve flap or valve flaps for the purposes of opening or closing the one or more respective air ports.

10. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the portion of the valve housing on which the bearing region of the spring leaf bears is a part of the foundation plate on its side pointing toward the air chamber.

11. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the SMA element is led through a shield wall which shields a sub-portion of the SMA element from the respective air port, wherein the shield wall is fastened to the valve flap or to the valve housing.

12. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, on the leaf spring, there is formed a conductive portion which, when an end position of the valve flap is reached when the electrical heating current is supplied, electrically bridges a sub-portion of the SMA element.

13. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a non-controllable air port is situated at one end of the valve housing, and the valve comprises two air ports which belong to the at least one part of the air ports with valve flap, wherein the two air ports are arranged at the one end of the valve housing at which the non-controllable air port is situated, or wherein one of the two air ports is arranged at the one end of the valve housing at which the non-controllable air port is situated, and the other of the two air ports is arranged at an opposite end of the valve housing in relation to the one end.

14. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve is provided for the filling and/or emptying of at least one elastic air bladder in a device for the pneumatic adjustment of a seat in a transport.

15. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an angle by which the stroke of the valve flap is diverted relative to the stroke of the SMA element lies between 70° and 100°.

16. The pneumatic valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an angle by which the stroke of the valve flap is diverted relative to the stroke of the SMA element is 90°.

17. A pneumatic valve comprising:
a valve housing in which there is provided an air chamber with at least one or more air ports wherein a at least one part of the one or more air ports can be opened and sealingly closed by a movable valve flap, wherein the valve flap is mechanically coupled to an SMA element composed of a shape memory alloy, wherein the SMA element deforms as a result of a supply of electrical heating current and hereby effects a predefined movement of the valve flap for the purposes of opening or closing the at least one or more air ports, wherein the deformation of the SMA element is reversed when the supply of the electrical heating current is ended, and a reversal of the predefined movement of the SMA element is hereby effected,
the valve flap comprises a leaf spring with a spring leaf, wherein the leaf spring is held rotationally fixedly relative to the valve housing and interacts with the SMA element such that a stroke of the SMA element caused by the deformation thereof is converted into a stroke of the valve flap by elastic bending of the spring leaf of the leaf spring, wherein the stroke of the valve flap is greater than the stroke of the SMA element,

wherein, the leaf spring interacts with the SMA element such that the stroke of the valve flap is diverted relative to the stroke of the SMA element,
wherein the SMA element is a wire which extends substantially in a plane and which is contracted as a result of a supply of the electrical heating current and which hereby effects the predefined movement of the valve flap,
wherein the wire runs substantially parallel to the spring leaf of the leaf spring with a predefined spacing thereto, and
wherein the wire comprises two straight-running portions with an interposed curved portion, wherein the stroke of the wire is transmitted via the

Assignees

• Conti Temic Microelectronic Gmbh

Inventors

• Beuschel Michael
• Kerler Alexander
• Steinberger Johann

Classifications

• F03G7/06143

  Wires · CPC title

• F03G7/0614

  using shape memory elements · CPC title

• F16K31/025 Primary

  actuated by thermo-electric means · CPC title

• F16K31/002 Primary

  actuated by temperature variation (thermo-electric F16K31/025) · CPC title

• F03G7/065

  using a shape memory element · CPC title