Back to results
US 6,293,308 B1Granted
Miniaturized valve mechanism
AssigneeBurkert Werke GmbH & Co.
InventorChristoph Hettinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A miniaturized valve mechanism which has a valve containing a channel with at least one inlet and one outlet opening, as well as a device for closing the channel. In order to provide a valve arrangement which can be produced in the smallest possible size, the valve is controlled by a very small linear motor, the driver of which moves the device for closing and opening the channel by the application of a control voltage to a piezoelectric tube.
Claims6
A miniaturized valve mechanism for applications in the nanometer range comprising
- a valve housing defining a valve chamber with at least one inlet and two outlet ports, said inlet and outlet ports communicating through said valve chamber, said outlet ports being formed as valve seats, and
- a miniaturized linear drive accommodated within said valve chamber and comprising a tube of piezoelectric material having a pair of electrodes,
- said linear drive having a pair of shaft sections, each of said shaft sections carrying a seat seal, said shaft sections being commonly axially movable upon application of electric pulses to said electrodes, whereby said seat seals on said shaft sections directly contact or lift away from said valve seats to seal one of said outlet ports while simultaneously opening the other one of said outlet ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.