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US 8,066,031 B2Granted
Electro-hydraulic devices
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorRichard P. Welle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microfluidic device includes a substrate including multiple electro-hydraulic valves and/or electro-hydraulic pumps that each include a flow channel and one or more hydraulic control channels, actuators for controlling the electro-hydraulic valves and/or electro-hydraulic pumps, and a hydraulic pressure source operatively connected to the hydraulic control channels.
Claims22
An electro-hydraulic valve apparatus comprising:
- a flow channel configured for transmission of a fluid;
- a hydraulic control channel adjacent to the flow channel;
- a flexible wall interposed between the flow channel and the hydraulic control channel at the electro-hydraulic valve junction, the flexible wall transitioning between an undeformed state and a deformed state, the deformed state occluding the flow channel;
- a bi-phase material within the hydraulic control channel adjacent to the electro-hydraulic valve junction, the bi-phase material having a solid phase and a liquid phase, the bi-phase material having a melting point higher than a melting point of the fluid;
- and
- a heating/cooling element adjacent to the hydraulic control channel, the heating/cooling element being controllable to generate sufficient energy to cause the bi-phase material to selectively transition between the solid phase and the liquid phase so as to transition the flexible wall between the deformed state and the undeformed state, and
- further including:
- an on-board, blow-down hydraulic pressure source operatively connected to the hydraulic control channel,
- wherein the on-board, blow-down hydraulic pressure source comprises a pressurized fluid source, a single-use valve, and a hydraulic sink.
6 more elements
An electro-hydraulic valve apparatus comprising:
- a flow channel configured for transmission of a fluid;
- a hydraulic control channel adjacent to the flow channel;
- a flexible wall interposed between the flow channel and the hydraulic control channel at the electro-hydraulic valve junction, the flexible wall transitioning between an undeformed state and a deformed state, the deformed state occluding the flow channel;
- a bi-phase material within the hydraulic control channel adjacent to the electro-hydraulic valve junction, the bi-phase material having a solid phase and a liquid phase, the bi-phase material having a melting point higher than a melting point of the fluid;
- and
- a heating/cooling element adjacent to the hydraulic control channel, the heating/cooling element being controllable to generate sufficient energy to cause the bi-phase material to selectively transition between the solid phase and the liquid phase so as to transition the flexible wall between the deformed state and the undeformed state,
- wherein the hydraulic control has first and second ends and is closed at both the first and second ends, and wherein the bi-phase material expands upon transition to the liquid phase to apply a hydraulic force against the flexible wall.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.