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US 6,845,962 B1Granted
Thermally actuated microvalve device
AssigneeKelsey-Hayes Company
InventorsRichard J. Barron, Kirt R. Williams, E. Nelson Fuller, Harry A. Hunnicutt
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AssigneeKelsey-Hayes Company
InventorsRichard J. Barron, Kirt R. Williams, E. Nelson Fuller, Harry A. Hunnicutt
Estimating the term…
A microvalve device for controlling fluid flow in a fluid circuit. The microvalve device comprises a body having a cavity formed therein. The body further has first and second pilot ports placed in fluid communication with the cavity. The body also has first and second primary ports placed in fluid communication with the cavity. Each port is adapted for connection with a designated fluid source. A pilot valve supported by the body is movably disposed in the cavity for opening and closing the first and second pilot ports. An actuator is operably coupled to the pilot valve for moving the pilot valve. A microvalve is positioned by the fluid controlled by the pilot valve. The microvalve is a slider valve having a first end and a second end. The slider valve is movably disposed in the cavity for movement between a first position and a second position. The first end of the slider valve is in fluid communication with the first and second pilot ports when the first and second pilot ports are open. The second end of the slider valve is in constant fluid communication with the first primary port. When moving between the first and second positions, the slider valve at least partially blocks and unblocks the second primary port for the purpose of variably restricting fluid flow between the primary ports.
A microvalve actuator, comprising a body defining a generally planar first pressure boundary layer, a generally planar second pressure boundary layer, and at least one intermediate layer disposed between said first pressure boundary layer and said second pressure boundary layer, said at least one intermediate pressure boundary layer being sealingly fixed to said first pressure boundary layer and to said second pressure boundary layer, said intermediate pressure boundary layer defining stationary pressure boundary walls of a chamber bounded by said first pressure boundary layer, said second pressure boundary layer and said stationary pressure boundary walls of said at least one intermediate pressure boundary layer, said chamber containing an actuating member formed at least in part by said at least one intermediate pressure boundary for positioning a microvalve, said body further defining a pressure-reinforcing member extending between and being fixed to both said first pressure boundary layer and said second pressure boundary layer to resist movement of said first pressure boundary layer relatively away from said second pressure boundary layer if pressure in said chamber rises by reducing the surface areas of said first pressure boundary layer and said second pressure boundary layer that are continuously unsupported, said pressure-reinforcing member thus helping maintain the structural integrity of said body at a variety of pressures in said chamber.
A microvalve actuator, comprising a body defining stationary walls of a chamber, said body being comprised of at least three layers including first and second layers defining spaced-apart wall portions of a pressure boundary for said chamber, said chamber having a fluid therein which is in fluid communication with a microvalve actuated by a microvalve actuator contained in said chamber, said body further comprising a third layer disposed between and bonded to said first and second layers, said third layer defining a peripheral pressure boundary of said chamber between said first and second layers, said actuating member including a plurality of spaced apart pairs of ribs forming a plurality of chevrons fixed to a common central spine, said third layer defining a fixed body to which a plurality of said ribs are attached, a pressure-reinforcing member comprising a pressure-reinforcing peninsula extending from said fixed body to a region between two spaced-apart ribs of an adjacent pair of said chevrons, said pressure-reinforcing member being bonded to said first and second layers to fix a portion of said first layer to a portion of said second layer, said pressure-reinforcing member reinforcing the connections between the first and second layers by reducing the surface areas of the first and second layers that are continuously unsupported in the immediate vicinity of the ribs.
A micromechanical actuation device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.