JP2007214054A - Vacuum valve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum valve in which friction between an airtight ring and a contact face in a valve case is prevented, in which a closed state can be retained with no need of an external force after completing an action to close a partitioning part, in which an bellows type metal expansion tube can be substituted by an inexpensive flexible airtight tube, and in which a problem of high cost is solved. <P>SOLUTION: Regarding the vacuum valve, this is the vacuum valve in which particularly two vacuum chambers are isolated or communicated in an airtight state, and by utilizing an interlocking lever mechanism, linear force of the longitudinal direction is converted into the force of the longitudinal direction and the force of the lateral direction necessary for opening and closing the partitioning part, the force of the lateral direction sufficient for a pressure difference between the two vacuum chambers to make antagonizing is provided, the airtight ring (O-ring) of the partitioning part is simultaneously protected from worn-out in open and close operation, a state that the already closed partitioning part airtightly isolates the two vacuum chambers even at no-force time, the inexpensive flexible airtight tube can be used for the vacuum valve, and the cost of a vacuum field through device can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum valve, and more particularly to a vacuum valve capable of hermetically isolating or communicating two vacuum chambers.

  FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view showing a wedge-shaped vacuum valve, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a partition portion 4 of the wedge-shaped vacuum valve. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wedge-shaped vacuum valve includes a first pneumatic cylinder 1, a second pneumatic cylinder 2, a third pneumatic cylinder 3, and a partition portion 4 that interlocks with these pneumatic cylinders. The partition portion 4 includes a wedge-shaped pressing plate 5 and a tongue piece 6. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, when closing the partition 4, the first pneumatic cylinder 1 applies a force in the direction of the partition 4 to reach the partition 4 to a fixed position. At this time, the wedge-shaped pressing plate 5 has not pushed out the tongue piece 6 yet. Further, the second pneumatic cylinder 2 and the third pneumatic cylinder 3 continue to apply force in the opposite direction to the partition portion 4 to push out the tongue piece 6 to the wedge-shaped push plate 5 and complete the operation of closing the partition portion 4. To do. The process of opening the partition part 4 is a process in the reverse order to the above-described operation process. The disadvantage of the wedge-shaped vacuum valve is that the airtightness between the partitioning portion 4 and the partitioning portion joint surface of the vacuum chamber is not excellent due to insufficient force applied to the tongue piece 6 of the wedge-shaped pressing plate 5, and leakage is easily caused. If the cylinder loses power, the already closed partition 4 cannot be kept airtight.

  FIG. 2A is a three-dimensional view showing a parallelogram vacuum valve, and FIG. 2B is a three-dimensional view showing a partition portion 9 of the parallelogram vacuum valve. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the parallelogram vacuum valve includes a pneumatic cylinder 7, a guide tank 8, and a partition portion 9 that interlocks with the pneumatic cylinder 7. It consists of a plate 11, connecting rods 12 and 13, and guide wheels 14 and 15. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, when closing the partition portion 9, the pneumatic cylinder 7 applies a vertical force in the direction of the partition portion 9 to push the partition portion 9. When the partition 9 moves in the vertical direction, the tongue plate 10 first reaches one end of the guide tank 8 and the pneumatic cylinder 7 continues to apply the force. When the guide wheels 14 and 15 of the force plate 11 reach a fixed position on the guide tank 8, the parallelogram is opened to become a rectangle, and the force plate 11 moves the tongue plate 10 laterally by the connecting rods 12 and 13. And the operation of closing the partition 9 is completed. The process of opening the partition 9 is a process in the reverse order to the above-described operation process. The disadvantage of the parallelogram vacuum valve is that when the partition 9 is opened due to insufficient spring force, the pressure plate 11 and the tongue plate 10 cannot return to the guide tank, and the airtight ring is worn. It is easy to cause, and when the pneumatic cylinder 7 loses power, the already closed partition portion 9 cannot be kept airtight.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the VAT vacuum valve. As shown in FIG. 3, the VAT vacuum valve includes a valve body 16, bellows type metal bellows 17 and 18, and a partition 19 provided at one end thereof. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the operating mechanism provided on the valve body 16 in the VAT vacuum valve is composed of a complicated combination including a pinion, a rack and a connecting rod, and when the partition portion 19 is in an open state, The transmission rod pivotally attached to the connecting rod provided with the pinion is fixed using the semicircular dent tank, and the partition portion 19 is prevented from coming off downward. At this time, the bellows-type metal telescopic tubes 17 and 18 are in a state where the length is relatively short and contracted. As shown in FIG. 3, when the partition portion 19 is closed, the bellows-type metal telescopic tubes 17 and 18 are in a relatively long state, and are semicircular recesses on the rack provided on both sides inside the valve body 16. A tank is used to fix a transmission rod pivotally attached to a connecting rod equipped with a pinion so that the partitioning portion 19 does not open upward, and the transmission structure of the pinion at this time is strong, Can prevent leakage. As described above, after the VAT vacuum valve mechanism and the opening / closing of the partitioning portion 19 are completed, it is not necessary to prevent the opening / closing of the partitioning portion 19 using the force of the pneumatic cylinder, and the state is maintained using the design of the pinion structure. To do. However, many special designs are used for VAT vacuum valves, and speaking of airtight rings, VAT uses special airtight rings that are not of the general standard and are manufactured by VAT. Since the shape of the hermetic ring is a three-dimensional shape, the valve case to be used must also have a special inner valve contact surface adapted to this special hermetic ring. In addition, the VAT vacuum valve employs a vacuum feed-through device using bellows-type metal expansion tubes 17 and 18, and the main advantage of such a vacuum feed-through type is the bellows-type metal expansion tube. The bellows-type metal telescopic tubes 17 and 18 are expensive to manufacture, although they are in a low dust generation amount under a vacuum state of 17 and 18. As described above, since the VAT vacuum valve uses a special airtight ring manufactured by VAT and a valve case adapted to the special shape, not only the application range is limited, but also the bellows type metal expansion tubes 17 and 18. There is a problem that the cost increases due to the use of.

  In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks and problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a vacuum valve capable of repeatedly opening and closing a partition part, and its main object is to sufficiently open and close the partition part with a simple lever mechanism. Provides lateral force and prevents the contact surface in the airtight ring and valve case from being rubbed and broken during vertical movement, and automatically does not require external force after closing the partition. It can be kept closed, and it is designed with an ordinary partition and airtight ring that fits the inner valve contact surface of a typical valve case. An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum valve which can replace an expensive bellows-type metal telescopic tube with an inexpensive airtight tube such as a tube and solves the problem of high cost.

  The vacuum valve of the present invention includes a valve main body, an interlocking plate, a transmission unit, and a partition portion, and one end of the valve main body is joined to a valve case, and a power unit is installed in the valve main body. The interlocking plate is pivotally attached to both sides of the valve body, the interlocking plate and the power unit are pivotally mounted, and the transmission unit includes a flexible airtight tube and a transmission rod. A flexible airtight tube covers a portion between the power end and the partition end of the transmission rod, the power end protrudes from the active end of the flexible airtight tube and is connected to the interlocking plate, and the flexible airtight tube The fixed end of the other end is fixed to one end where the valve body and the valve case are joined, and the partition part end of the transmission rod is extended into the valve case from a fulcrum hole provided in the valve body. It is installed at the end of the transmission rod in the valve case and Providing a gas-tight projection edges on a single plane facing the valve body front parts.

  4 is a three-dimensional view showing the vacuum valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is related to the present embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows a vacuum valve. In FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the mirror image symmetry line of this embodiment is shown by a dotted line in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, so that the member located on either side of the mirror image symmetry line is displayed. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the vacuum valve of the present invention includes a valve body 20, an interlocking plate, a transmission unit, and a partition 48. One end of the valve body 20 is joined to the valve case 21, and the valve body 20 is a pneumatic cylinder 23 having a piston rod 22 as a power unit, a vertical first guide tank 24, and a horizontal second guide tank. 25. The first guide tank 24 includes a curved tank end 26 that is curved at one end close to the valve case 21 of the valve body 20, and is curved laterally toward the opposite surface 27 of the front surface of the valve body 20. A guide wheel contact plate 28 (not shown in FIG. 4) is provided on the front surface of the valve body 20, and a valve hole 29 is provided in the valve case 21. The valve hole 21 has an inner valve contact surface on one side facing the front of the valve main body 20 at the edge of the valve hole 29, and the valve case 21 has two surfaces, a surface facing the front of the valve main body 20 and a surface facing the front. Two vacuum chamber joint surfaces 30, 31 are provided. The interlocking plate is composed of a thrust plate 32 and an interlocking structure plate 33 both ends of which are pivotally attached to both sides of the valve body 20. The interlocking structure plate 33 is located on one surface of the thrust plate 32 toward the valve case 21. A first pivot part 34 and a second pivot part 35 are provided on the thrust plate 32. The first pivot part 34 is located on an axis straight line on which the thrust plate 32 and the valve body 20 are pivotally attached, and the second pivot part 35 is located on one side of the axis line on the thrust plate 32. One end of the piston rod 22 of the first pivot part 34 and the pneumatic cylinder 23 is pivotally attached, and a second pivot part 35 and a fulcrum 36 of the second pivot part provided on one surface of the interlocking structure plate 33 are pivotally attached, and the thrust plate 32 and the interlocking structure plate 33 are provided with thrust plate guide wheels 37 and interlocking structure plate guide wheels 38 at both ends, respectively, and are fitted into the first guide tanks 24 on both sides of the valve body 20, and the thrust plate 32 is on a straight axis. Is further provided with a guide wheel 39 for providing at least one opposite force, and can rotate in contact with the guide wheel abutment plate 28. The transmission unit includes a flexible airtight tube 40 and a transmission rod 41. The flexible airtight tube 40 is a flexible metal tube that covers and covers a portion between the power end 42 and the partition end of the transmission rod 41, and the power end 42 extends from the active end 43 of the flexible airtight tube 40. And installed on the interlocking structure plate 33 of the interlocking plate. A fixed end 44 at the other end of the flexible airtight tube 40 is fixed to one end where the valve body 20 and the valve case 21 are joined, and the partition end of the transmission rod 41 is connected to the valve from a fulcrum hole 45 provided in the valve body 20. It extends into the case 21. The active end 43 of the flexible hermetic tube 40 includes a swinging device 46 that is pivotally attached to the valve body 20 at both ends. The swinging device 46 is located between the interlocking plate and the active end 43 of the flexible airtight tube 40, and the power end 42 of the transmission rod 41 passes through the hole of the swinging device 46 and is connected to the interlocking structure plate 33. . Oscillator guide wheels 47 are provided at both ends of the oscillating device 46 and are fitted in the second guide tanks 25 in the lateral direction provided on both sides of the valve body 20. The partition part 48 is installed at the partition part end of the transmission rod 41 in the valve case 21, and an annular groove tank is provided on a single plane facing the front surface of the valve body 20 of the partition part 48. When the airtight ring forming the airtight projection edge is fitted into the airtight projection and the partition portion 48 is closed, it can be hermetically sealed with the inner valve contact surface of the valve hole 29 on the valve case 21.

FIG. 7A is a three-dimensional view showing the application of the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a view taken along the direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the vacuum chamber, showing the application of the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7C is a side view showing an application of the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment as viewed along the connection direction of the vacuum chamber. As shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, both vacuum chamber joint surfaces 30 and 31 of the valve case 21 of the vacuum valve are joined to the vacuum chambers 49 and 50 in an airtight state, and the valve hole 29 of the valve case 21 By forming a spatial relationship in which the chamber holes of the two vacuum chambers 49 and 50 are connected and opening the partition 48, the object can be transported between the two vacuum chambers 49 and 50 through the valve hole 29. When 48 is closed, the two vacuum chambers 49 and 50 are isolated in an airtight state.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the operation method of the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment is as follows. When the partition 48 is in a state where the vacuum valve is open, the valve hole 29 in the valve case 21 is not shielded, and when the partition 48 is closed, the piston rod 22 of the pneumatic cylinder 23 is the first of the thrust plate 32. The pivot 34 is driven to cause the thrust plate 32 and the interlocking structure plate 33 to move in the vertical direction toward the valve case 21 along the first guide tank 24 of the interlocking structure plate guide wheel 38 and interlock with the thrust plate 32. The depression angle between the structural plates 33 is maintained at a positive value of about 60 degrees, and the state is maintained until the interlocking structural plate guide wheel 38 of the interlocking structural plate 33 reaches a portion of the first guide tank 24 that curves in the lateral direction. At this time, the partition 48 reaches the position where the valve hole 29 in the valve case 21 is extended in the lateral direction, but is not in contact with the inner valve contact surface, and the piston rod 2 of the pneumatic cylinder 23 Continues to be applied in the direction of the valve case 21 with respect to the first pivot portion 34 of the thrust plate 32, and the thrust plate 32 provides the force applied to the guide wheel 39 that provides the force in the direction opposite to the guide wheel contact plate 28. In order to receive a lateral force applied to the thrust plate guide wheel 37 of one guide tank 24, the second pivot 35 of the thrust plate 32 is laterally applied to the fulcrum 36 of the second pivot of the interlocking structure plate 33. The interlocking structure plate guide wheel 38 of the interlocking structure plate 33 is caused to enter the curved tank end 26 in the lateral direction. At this time, the power end 42 of the transmission rod 41 provided on the interlocking structure plate 33 performs a lateral movement toward the opposite surface of the front surface of the valve body 20, and the swinging device guide wheel 47 of the swinging device 46 is the first. A lateral movement is performed along the two guide tanks 25, and the flexible airtight tube 40 provided with the swinging device 46 of the active end 43 is bent about twice toward the opposite surface of the valve body 20 at the same time. The transmission rod 41 performs a lever motion in a fulcrum hole 45 provided in the valve body 20, and causes the partition portion 48 provided at the end of the partition portion of the transmission rod 41 to perform a lateral motion toward the front surface of the valve body 20, The process of closing the vacuum valve is completed by closing the valve hole 29 and tightly contacting the inner valve contact surface. In the process of closing the above vacuum valve, when the interlocking structure plate guide wheel 38 of the interlocking structure plate 33 enters the end of the curved tank, the thrust plate 32 performs a rotational motion about the second pivotal support portion 35, and the thrust plate 32 And the depression angle between the interlocking structure plate 33 is changed from a positive value of about 60 degrees to a negative value of about -5 degrees through 0 degrees, and a strong structure between the valve body 20 and the thrust plate 32, the interlocking structure board 33 and the fulcrum hole 45. The power end 42 of the transmission rod 41 is fixed in a stable state by force, the stable state of the interlocking plate is maintained, and the hermetic sealing state of the vacuum valve is ensured without requiring the power of the pneumatic cylinder 23. When opening the partition 48, the piston rod 22 of the pneumatic cylinder 23 applies a force to the first pivot 34 of the thrust plate 32 in a direction away from the valve case 21, and the thrust plate 32 pushes the second pivot 35. It rotates as an axis, and the depression angle between the thrust plate 32 and the interlocking structure plate 33 is changed from a negative value of about -5 degrees to a positive value of about 60 degrees through 0 degrees, and the holding state of the interlocking plate is released. . At this time, the interlocking structure plate guide wheel 38 of the interlocking structure plate 33 protrudes from the curved tank end 26 in the lateral direction, and the power end 42 of the transmission rod 41 provided on the interlocking structure plate 33 moves laterally toward the front surface of the valve body 20. The oscillating device guide wheel 47 of the oscillating device 46 performs lateral motion along the second guide tank 25, and the flexible airtight tube 40 provided with the oscillating device 46 of the active end 43 is provided. The valve body 20 is bent about twice toward the front, and at the same time, the transmission rod 41 performs a lever movement in a fulcrum hole 45 provided in the valve body 20, and the partition portion 48 provided at the end of the partition portion of the transmission rod 41 has a valve. The main body 20 is moved laterally toward the opposite surface of the main body 20 to move away from the inner valve contact surface, and the piston rod 22 is applied to the first pivot portion 34 of the thrust plate 32 in a direction away from the valve case 21. Continue the force and thrust 32 and the interlocking structure plate 33 are caused to move in the longitudinal direction in the direction opposite to the valve case 21 along the first guide tank 24 of the interlocking structure plate guide wheel 38, and the transmission rod 41 opens the valve hole 29. The process of pulling back the partition 48 to a position where it is not shielded and opening the vacuum valve is completed. It should be noted that the flexible hermetic tube used in the present invention only needs to have a curved range of about 2 degrees and does not require a lengthy expansion / contraction function, so that it is not necessary to use an expensive hermetic soft tube. .

  FIG. 8A is a three-dimensional view showing a case where the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment is applied when the width of the partitioning portion is large (1.2 m or more). As shown in FIG. 8A, when applied to a large vacuum chamber, the requirements of vacuum hermeticity can be satisfied by a system in which two sets of a first vacuum valve 51 and a second vacuum valve 52 are connected side by side. FIG. 8B is a front view of the vacuum valve according to the present embodiment (to a large vacuum chamber).

Three-dimensional view of wedge-shaped vacuum valve Side view of the wedge-shaped vacuum valve partition 3D view of parallelogram vacuum valve Three-dimensional view of partition of parallelogram vacuum valve Top view of VAT vacuum valve 3D diagram showing a vacuum valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. The exploded view which shows the vacuum valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the vacuum valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention Three-dimensional view showing application of vacuum valve according to an embodiment of the present invention The side view which shows the application of the vacuum valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention The front view which shows the application of the vacuum valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention 3D diagram showing a case where the vacuum valve according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied when the width of the partition is large The front view which shows the case where the vacuum valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention is applied when the width | variety of a partition part is large

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st pneumatic cylinder 2 2nd pneumatic cylinder 3 3rd pneumatic cylinder 4 Partition part 5 Wedge shaped push plate 6 Tongue piece 7 Pneumatic cylinder 8 Guide tank 9 Partition part 10 Tongue plate 11 Applying plate 12 Connecting rod 13 Connecting Rod 14 Guide wheel 15 Guide wheel 16 Valve body 17 Bellows-type metal telescopic pipe 18 Bellows-type metal telescopic pipe 19 Partition part 20 Valve body 21 Valve case 22 Piston rod 23 Pneumatic cylinder 24 First guide tank 25 Second guide tank 26 Curved Tank end 27 Opposite surface of valve body 28 Guide wheel contact plate 29 Valve hole 30 Vacuum chamber joint surface 31 Vacuum chamber joint surface 32 Thrust plate 33 Interlocking structure plate 34 First pivot portion 35 Second pivot portion 36 Second pivot portion Fulcrum 37 thrust plate guide wheel 38 interlocking structure plate guide wheel 39 Dewheel 40 Flexible airtight tube 41 Transmission rod 42 Power end of transmission rod 43 Active end of flexible airtight tube 44 Fixed end of flexible airtight tube 45 Support hole 46 Oscillating device 47 Oscillating device guide wheel 48 Partition 49 Vacuum Chamber 50 Vacuum chamber 51 First vacuum valve 52 Second vacuum valve

Claims (5)

Including a valve body, an interlocking plate, a transmission unit, and a partition,
One end of the valve body is joined to a valve case, and a power unit is provided in the valve body.
Both ends of the interlocking plate are pivoted on both sides of the valve body, and the interlocking plate and the power unit are pivotally connected,
The transmission unit includes a flexible airtight tube and a transmission rod, the flexible airtight tube covers a portion between the power end of the transmission rod and the partition end, and the power end extends from an active end of the flexible airtight tube. The fixed end at the other end of the flexible airtight tube is fixed to one end joined to the valve case of the valve main body, and the partition end of the transmission rod is extended to be installed on the interlocking plate. It is extended into the valve case through a fulcrum hole provided in the valve body,
The said partition part is installed in the partition part end of the said transmission rod in the said valve case, and provided the airtight protrusion edge part on the single plane facing the front of the said valve main body of the said partition part, . The interlocking plate further includes a thrust plate having both ends pivoted on both sides of the valve body, and an interlocking structure plate,
The interlocking structure plate is installed on one surface of the thrust plate facing the valve case, and a first pivot portion and a second pivot portion are provided on the thrust plate, and the first pivot portion includes the thrust plate and the thrust plate. The valve main body is located on an axis to be pivoted and is pivotally attached to the power unit, the second pivotal support is located on one side of the axial straight line on the thrust plate, A swing device pivotally attached and having both ends pivoted on both sides of the valve body is provided at the active end of the flexible hermetic tube, and the swing device is located between the interlocking plate and the flexible hermetic tube. The vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the power end of the transmission rod is connected to the interlocking structure plate.   A thrust plate guide wheel and an interlocking structure plate guide wheel are respectively pivotally attached to both ends of the thrust plate and the interlocking structure plate, and are fitted into first guide tanks provided on both sides of the valve body, and interlocked with the thrust plate. The structural plate can be moved in the vertical direction toward the valve case or with the valve case in the back, and the swinging device is provided with swinging device guide wheels, which are provided on both sides of the valve body. The vacuum valve according to claim 2, wherein the vacuum valve is fitted in a two-guide tank, and the swing device can be moved laterally toward the front surface of the valve body or with the front surface as a back.   The first guide tank has a curved tank end at one end of the valve body facing the valve case, and the interlocking structure plate faces the front of the valve body or the front faces the back. 4. The vacuum valve according to claim 3, wherein the interlocking structure plate guide wheel can be moved into the curved tank end to maintain the closed state of the interlocking plate.   The vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the power unit further includes a pneumatic cylinder, the pneumatic cylinder includes a piston rod, and one end of the piston rod is pivotally attached to the interlocking plate.

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