Thermally-actuated microminiature valve
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsGary B. Gordon, Phillip W. Barth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microminiature valve having radially spaced, layered spider legs, with each leg having first and second layers of materials having substantially different coefficients of thermal expansion. The legs include heating elements and are fixed at one end to allow radial compliance as selected heating of the legs causes flexure. Below the legs is a semiconductor substrate having a flow orifice aligned with a valve face. Flexure of the legs displaces the valve face relative to the flow orifice, thereby controlling fluid flow through the orifice.
Claims19
A microminiature valve for controlling the flow of a fluid comprising,
- a seat substrate having a flow orifice defined therethrough,
- a flexural member coupled to said seat substrate to selectively block said flow orifice, said flexural member having a central flap in alignment with said flow orifice and having a plurality of spaced, layered regions extending from said central flap to a peripheral region, first and second layers of said layered regions having substantially different coefficients of thermal expansion, and
- heating means thermally coupled to said layered regions for selectively flexing said layered regions by differential expansions of said first and second layers, wherein said flexing causes displacement of said central flap relative to said flow orifice.
A micromachined valve comprising,
- a semiconductor base having a fluid flow path therein, said fluid flow path having a terminus at a valve seat,
- a valve face aligned with said valve seat at said terminus,
- a plurality of spider legs having first ends attached to said valve face, said spider legs having first and second layers of distinct materials having substantially different coefficients of thermal expansion, and
- support means attached to said second ends of said spider legs for aligning said valve face with said valve seat.
A microminiature valve for controlling flow of a fluid comprising,
- a base having a flow orifice defined therethrough,
- a flexural member coupled to said base for regulating flow through said flow orifice, said flexural member having a center region aligned with said flow orifice, said flexural member having a thermally-actuated region and a set of generally circumferential slots on an outer radial side of said thermally-actuated region, said thermally-actuated region having first and second layers having substantially different coefficients of thermal expansion, said circumferential slots promoting thermal isolation and movement of the thermally-actuated region relative to said outer radial side, and
- heating means thermally coupled to said flexural member for selectively displacing said center region relative to said flow orifice by differential expansions of said first and second layers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.