# US 12,004,430 B2 · Piezoelectric valve and method of manufacturing the piezoelectric valve > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,430 B2 - Document ID: US12004430B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/605,914 - Filed: 2020-01-22 - Published: 2022-07-07 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-23 - Assignees: Satake Corporation; Mechano Transformer Corporation - Applicants: Satake Corporation; Mechano Transformer Corporation - Inventors: Takafumi Ito; Tadashi Matsushita; Toshiro Higuchi; Sze Keat Chee; Yoshinobu Mizuno - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004430B2 ## CPC - H10N 30/88: Mounts; Supports; Enclosures; Casings - F16K 31/007: {Piezoelectric stacks} - F16K 31/02: electric {(F16K31/004 takes precedence)}; magnetic - F16K 31/44: Mechanical actuating means - H02N 2/04: Constructional details - H02N 2/043: {Mechanical transmission means, e.g. for stroke amplification} - H10N 30/50: having a stacked or multilayer structure - H10N 30/883: {Additional insulation means preventing electrical, physical or chemical damage, e.g. protective coatings} - F16K 31/004: {actuated by piezoelectric means} - H10N 30/20: with electrical input and mechanical output, e.g. functioning as actuators or vibrators - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - H02N: ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Provided is a piezoelectric valve in which the valve is opened/closed utilizing a displacement of a laminated piezoelectric element, including: a valve main body having a gas pressure chamber that receives compressed gas supplied externally; and an actuator having a valving element, the laminated piezoelectric element that generates a driving force required for operating the valving element as the displacement, and a displacement enlarging mechanism that enlarges the displacement of the laminated piezoelectric element to be acted on the valving element, the actuator being disposed in the valve main body, in which a surface of the laminated piezoelectric element is coated with silicone in a state in which the laminated piezoelectric element is integrated into the actuator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A piezoelectric valve in which the valve is opened/closed utilizing a displacement of a laminated piezoelectric element, comprising: a valve main body having a gas pressure chamber that receives compressed gas supplied externally; and an actuator having a valving element, the laminated piezoelectric element that generates a driving force required for operating the valving element as the displacement, and a displacement enlarging mechanism that enlarges the displacement of the laminated piezoelectric element to be acted on the valving element, the actuator being disposed in the valve main body, wherein a surface of the laminated piezoelectric element is coated with silicone in a state in which after the laminated piezoelectric element is integrated into the actuator, and a pair of projecting pieces being positioned between the laminated piezoelectric element and the displacement enlarging mechanism and on both sides along a longitudinal direction of the laminated piezoelectric element, gaps being formed between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezoelectric element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The piezoelectric valve according to claim 1, wherein after the laminated piezoelectric element is integrated into the actuator, the gaps between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezo electric element are filled with silicone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The piezoelectric valve according to claim 2, further comprising a plate disposed in the valve main body, the actuator being fixed to the plate and disposed in the valve main body together with the plate, wherein the pair of projecting pieces are provided on a surface of the plate, the pair of projecting pieces being positioned on both the sides of the laminated piezoelectric element along the longitudinal direction of the laminated piezoelectric element with the gaps between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezo electric element when the actuator is fixed to the plate, and the surface of the laminated piezoelectric element is coated with the silicone filled between the pair of projecting pieces after the actuator is fixed to the plate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The piezoelectric valve according to claim 3, wherein the displacement enlarging mechanism is formed of a metallic material, and an interconnection line for supplying power to the laminated piezoelectric element is molded in the plate, and an electrode of the interconnection line exposed from the plate is coated with an insulation material in a state in which the electrode is connected to a lead line of the laminated piezoelectric element. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The piezoelectric valve according to claim 1, wherein the displacement enlarging mechanism is formed of a metallic material, and a lead line of the laminated piezoelectric element is arranged on an insulating film bonded to a surface of the displacement enlarging mechanism. ### Claim 6 A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric valve in which the valve is opened/closed utilizing a displacement of a laminated piezoelectric element, comprising: providing a piezoelectric valve, the piezoelectric valve comprising: a valve main body having a gas pressure chamber that receives compressed gas supplied externally, an actuator having a valving element, the laminated piezoelectric element that generates a driving force required for operating the valving element as the displacement, and a displacement enlarging mechanism that enlarges the displacement of the laminated piezoelectric element to be acted on the valving element, the actuator being disposed in the valve main body, and a pair of projecting pieces being positioned between the laminated piezoelectric element and the displacement enlarging mechanism and on both sides along a longitudinal direction of the laminated piezoelectric element, gaps being formed between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezoelectric element; and supplying silicone onto a surface of the laminated piezoelectric element after being integrated into the actuator to coat the surface of the laminated piezoelectric element with the silicone. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of manufacturing a piezoelectric valve according to claim 6, wherein the silicone is supplied onto the surface of the laminated piezoelectric element integrated into the actuator to coat the surface of the laminated piezoelectric element with the silicone filled in the gaps between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezoelectric element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of manufacturing a piezoelectric valve according to claim 7, wherein the piezoelectric valve further includes a plate disposed in the valve main body, the actuator being fixed to the plate and disposed in the valve main body together with the plate, the pair of projecting pieces are provided on a surface of the plate, the pair of projecting pieces being positioned on both the sides of the laminated piezoelectric element along the longitudinal direction of the laminated piezoelectric element with the gaps between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezo electric element when the actuator is fixed to the plate, and after the laminated piezoelectric element is integrated into the actuator and the actuator is fixed to the plate, the silicone is supplied onto the surface of the laminated piezoelectric element to coat the surface of the laminated piezoelectric element with the silicone filled between the pair of projecting pieces and the laminated piezo electric element.