Valve attachment structure and fluid apparatus to which valve is attached

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016334028-A1
Application number	US-201415112544-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 17, 2014
Priority date	Jan 20, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A protruding section formed at the one side end of a connector section provided in a valve is inserted into a recessed section formed as part of a valve placement section of a fluid apparatus. The valve is caused to pivot with the inserted portion that serves as a supporting point, and an engaging section formed at the front end of a lever of a hook section formed at the other side end of the connector section is allowed to engage with an engaging protruding section formed as part of the valve placement section of the fluid apparatus. The valve is thus attached to the fluid apparatus.

First claim

1 . A valve attachment structure for attaching a valve to a fluid apparatus, the valve having a gas suction path that communicates with a gas supply passage of the fluid apparatus and a gas discharge path that communicates with a discharge path of the fluid apparatus, compressed air sucked via the gas supply passage of the fluid apparatus through the gas suction path into the valve being discharged by the valve in operation through the gas discharge path via the discharge passage of the fluid apparatus, the valve attachment structure being characterized in that:
the valve is provided with a connector section having a contact surface which is located on a fluid apparatus attachment side of the valve that is a side to which the fluid apparatus is attached, through which a suction port of the gas suction path and a discharge port of the gas discharge path open, and which comes into contact with the fluid apparatus, the connector section has a protruding section formed on one side end thereof and a hook section formed on another side end thereof, the hook section has an engaging section formed on a front end thereof and has a lever having a rear end side that serves as a pressing section, the lever, specifically, a portion thereof in an intermediate position between the engaging section and the pressing section is linked with the other end of the connector section via a hinge section in an elastically deformable manner, and the protruding section formed at the one side end of the connector section is inserted into a recessed section formed as part of a valve placement section of the fluid apparatus, the valve is caused to pivot with the inserted portion that serves as a supporting point, and the engaging section formed at the front end of the lever of the hook section formed at the other side end of the connector section is allowed to engage with an engaging protruding section formed as part of the valve placement section of the fluid apparatus, so that the valve is attached to the fluid apparatus.

2 . The valve attachment structure according to claim 1 , wherein a protruding strip is formed on the contact surface of the connector section and on the one side of the connection section, the protruding strip extending from the one side toward the other side, a suction protruding section through which the suction port of the gas suction path opens being formed on the other side of the connector section, and
the protruding strip formed on the one side of the connector section is fit into a recessed strip formed as part of the valve placement section of the fluid apparatus, and the suction protruding section formed on the other side of the connector section is fit into a gas supply recessed section which is formed as part of the valve placement section of the fluid apparatus and through which the gas supply passage opens, so that the valve is positioned with respect to the fluid apparatus.

3 . The valve attachment structure to claim 1 , wherein the recessed section and the engaging protruding section are so formed, as part of the valve placement section of the fluid apparatus, as to continuously extend, and
a large number of valves are connected to the fluid apparatus by use of the recessed section and the engaging protruding section.

4 . The valve attachment structure according to claim 1 , wherein the valve includes a valve main body that sucks compressed air through the gas suction path,
the valve is a piezoelectric valve in which a valve body that opens and closes the gas discharge path, a piezoelectric element that produces drive force in the form of displacement necessary to actuate the valve body, and an actuator having a displacement magnifying mechanism that magnifies the displacement of the piezoelectric element and applies the magnified displacement to the valve body are disposed in the valve main body, and a wiring substrate for feeding electricity to the piezoelectric element is disposed between the valve main body and the connector section, and a wiring connector for feeding electricity to the piezoelectric element via the wiring substrate is disposed on the one side of the connector section and in a position facing a side surface of the valve main body.

5 . A fluid apparatus to which a valve is attached by the attachment structure according to claim 1 .

6 . An ejector of an optical particulate sorter, wherein the fluid apparatus according to claim 5 is a manifold to which a large number of valves are connected, and the ejector is formed of the manifold.

Assignees

• Satake Eng Co Ltd
• Mechano Transf Corp

Inventors

• Ito Takafumi
• Kawamura Yoichi
• Matsushita Tadashi
• Chee Sze Keat
• Hirata Toshitada
• Kawawa Yoshinori

Classifications

• F16K27/0263

  multiple way valves · CPC title

• F16K27/003

  Housing formed from a plurality of the same valve elements · CPC title

• F16K27/00 Primary

  Construction of housing (methods for welding housings B23K); Use of materials therefor · CPC title

• F15B13/0825

  the modular elements being mounted on a common member, e.g. on a rail · CPC title

• F15B13/0821

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