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US 11,239,041 B2Granted
Multi-stage vacuum equipment with stages separation controlled by SMA actuator
AssigneeSaes Getters S.P.A.
InventorMarco Urbano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a multi-stage vacuum equipment, preferably a two-stage equipment, whose normal operation requires different pressures to be set, wherein the pressure variation may be achieved by a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire movement of a suitable element. The invention further discloses a method for operating said multi-stage vacuum equipment controlled by a SMA actuator.
Claims19
A vacuum equipment, comprising:
- at least a first stage and a second stage,
- wherein the first and second stage are in fluid communication through a separation stage having a channel with an aperture in its terminal part, said aperture of said channel having an area A,
- wherein said terminal part is in tight contact with a perforated shutter,
- wherein said perforated shutter comprises at least two apertures, a larger aperture having an area equal to or higher than 0.9*A and a smaller aperture having an area Ar comprised between 0.00001*A and 0.01*A,
- wherein at least one of said shutter apertures is aligned and centered with respect to said aperture of the channel by the actuation of at least one shape memory alloy element, and
- wherein said shutter apertures are alternately closed by a second shutter that is independently moved by separated shape memory alloy elements.
3 more elements
A vacuum equipment, comprising:
- at least a first stage and a second stage,
- wherein the first and second stage are in fluid communication through a separation stage having a channel with an aperture in its terminal part, said aperture of said channel having an area A,
- wherein said terminal part is in tight contact with a perforated shutter,
- wherein said perforated shutter comprises at least two apertures, a larger aperture having an area equal to or higher than 0.9*A and a smaller aperture having an area Ar comprised between 0.00001*A and 0.01*A,
- wherein at least one of said shutter apertures is aligned and centered with respect to said aperture of the channel by the actuation of at least one shape memory alloy element, and
- wherein the perforated shutter is guided and supported in its movement by a shutter support provided with two opposite guide grooves in which the perforated shutter is slidingly engaged or with a pivot on which the perforated shutter is pivoted and an opposite guide groove in which the perforated shutter is slidingly engaged.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.