Manifold air pressure feeder and manifold block for use in manifold air pressure feeder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12460658-B2
Application number	US-202318477617-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2023
Priority date	Sep 30, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

[Object] To provide a manifold air pressure feeder and a manifold block for use in the manifold air pressure feeder that yield reductions in the piping installation work and other workloads associated with a pressure sensor configured to determine the pressure of compressed air in the manifold block and save installation space.
[Solution] An air pressure feeder 1 includes a manifold block 10 and a switching valve block 30 . A first port group and a first flow path group are located in the manifold block 10 . The switching valve block 30 includes a spool 33 to perform switching between communication states of a plurality of ports in a second port group. These blocks are linked directly or indirectly to each other via an ejector including a connection flow path group that forms a connection between each port in one of the port groups and the corresponding port in the other ort group. The manifold block 10 includes a pressure sensor assembly 40 , which measure air pressure in a second feed flow path 16 b and includes a sensor part 41 and a sensor substrate part 45 . The manifold block includes a sensor installation cavity 23 , which communicates with the second feed flow path. The sensor part is inserted and fixed in the sensor installation cavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A manifold air pressure feeder, comprising:
a manifold block including a first port group and a first flow path group, the first port group being located in a mounting surface in an upper surface of the manifold block and composed of a plurality of ports through which air is taken in and discharged, the first flow path group being located in the manifold block and composed of a plurality of flow paths, each of the plurality of flow paths communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of ports in the first port group; and a switching valve block including a second port group and a switching valve, the second port group being located in an installation surface in a lower surface of the switching valve block and composed of a plurality of ports through which air is taken in and discharged, the switching valve being located in the switching valve block and being for use in performing switching between communication states of the plurality of ports in the second port group, the manifold block and the switching valve block being fixedly linked to each other either by contact between the mounting surface of the manifold block and the installation surface of the switching valve block or by an intermediate block between the mounting surface and the installation surface, the contact forming a direct connection between each of the plurality of ports in the first port group and a corresponding one of the plurality of ports in the second port group, the intermediate block including a connection flow path group forming a connection between each of the plurality of ports in the first port group and the corresponding one of the plurality of ports in the second port group, wherein the manifold block includes a pressure sensor assembly therein to measure air pressure in a specific flow path in the first flow path group, the pressure sensor assembly includes a sensor part including a sensing element for sensing air pressure, the first flow path group includes an intake air flow path for feeding air into the switching valve block and a discharge air flow path for discharging air discharged from the switching valve block, the intake air flow path includes an intake air main flow path that mutually connects a pair of opening portions formed on side surfaces opposite to each other in a width direction of the manifold block, the discharge air flow path includes a discharge air main flow path that mutually connects a pair of opening portions formed on side surfaces opposite to each other in the width direction of the manifold block, and a sensor installation cavity is opened below the discharge air main flow path, which is connected to the specific flow path and in which the sensor part of the pressure sensor assembly is hermetically inserted and fixed.

2 . The manifold air pressure feeder according to claim 1 , wherein
the manifold block has, on a rear side in a front-and-rear direction perpendicular to an up-and-down direction, an end surface extending perpendicularly to the mounting surface, and the sensor installation cavity is provided in the end surface.

3 . The manifold air pressure feeder according to claim 2 , wherein
each of the plurality of flow paths in the first flow path group extends in a vertical direction perpendicular to the mounting surface from the corresponding one of the plurality of ports in the first port group, and the sensor installation cavity extends perpendicularly to the plurality of flow paths extending in the vertical direction.

4 . The manifold air pressure feeder according to claim 1 , wherein
the pressure sensor assembly includes a sensor substrate part integrally joined to an end portion of the sensor part on a rear side in a front-and-rear direction of the manifold block and electrically connected to the sensor part, and the manifold block is provided with a slippage prevention member that is in contact with a back surface of the sensor substrate part to keep the sensor part from slipping out of the sensor installation cavity.

5 . The manifold air pressure feeder according to claim 4 , wherein
the pressure sensor assembly is pivotable on a central axis of the sensor part relative to the sensor installation cavity, the sensor substrate part has a quadrangular shape that has long sides and short sides, the slippage prevention member includes a pair of lug portions that are in contact with end portions being part of the back surface of the sensor substrate part and being opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction of the sensor substrate part, and a distance between tips of the pair of lug portions is longer than each of the short sides of the sensor substrate part and is shorter than each of the long sides of the sensor substrate part.

6 . The manifold air pressure feeder according to claim 1 , wherein
the manifold air pressure feeder has a unit group formed by connecting a plurality of air pressure feeding units selected from first air pressure feeding units and second air pressure feeding units in a row in the width direction, each of the plurality of air pressure feeding units includes the manifold block and the switching valve block, in the first air pressure feeding unit, the mounting surface of the manifold block of the first air pressure feeding unit and the installation surface of the switching valve block of the first air pressure feeding unit are in contact with each other, and each of the plurality of ports in the first port group and one port corresponding to each of plurality of ports in the first port group among the plurality of ports of the second port group are directly connected, the second air pressure feeding unit includes the intermediate block located between the mounting surface of the manifold block of the second air pressure feeding unit and the installation surface of the switching valve block of the second air pressure feeding unit, the intermediate block includes a connection flow path group that forms a connection between each of the plurality of ports in the first port group and one port corresponding to each of the plurality of ports in the first port group among the plurality of ports in the second port group, the unit group being provided with a controller linked to an end in the width direction of the unit group, the controller being configured to transmit an electrical signal to the unit group and to receive an electrical signal from the unit group, the manifold block included in each of the plurality of air pressure feeding units forming the unit group includes a connection substrate part for transmission of an electrical signal, and the manifold block includes electric wiring forming an electrical connection between the pressure sensor assembly and the connection substrate part, in the manifold block included in each of the plurality of air pressure feeding units, the first port group includes an intake air port for feeding air into the switching valve block and a discharge port for letting out air discharged from the switching valve block, the intake air flow path includes the intake air main flow path and an intake air branch flow path branching from the intake air main flow path and having an end connected to the intake air port, the discharge air flow path includes the discharge air main flow path and a discharge air branch flow path branching from the discharge air main flow path and having an end connected to the discharge port, in the unit group, the plurality of air pressure feeding units is connected to each other in the width direction, each of the intake air main flow paths of the plurality of manifold blocks is communicated with each other, each of the discharge air main flow paths of the plurality of manifold blocks is communicated with each other, and th

Assignees

• Smc Corp

Inventors

• Matsumura Kenichi

Classifications

• F15B13/0817

  Multiblock manifolds · CPC title

• F15B2211/329

  actuated by fluid pressure · CPC title

• F15B13/0821

  Attachment or sealing of modular units to each other · CPC title

• F16L41/03

  comprising junction pieces for four or more pipe members · CPC title

• F16K27/041

  cylindrical slide valves · CPC title