JP4522833B2 - Needle valve - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow rate-adjustable needle valve, and more particularly to a needle valve that achieves compactness, excellent shaft sealing, and durability, as well as ease of assembly.

  Conventionally, in this type of valve, an O-ring made of an elastic member is arranged on the contact surface between the stem and the shaft mounting portion in the valve body to form a shaft sealed state. Yes. The O-ring is attached to a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the stem or a groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft mounting portion, and is sealed on the contact surface between the stem and the shaft mounting portion. The shaft mounting part is sealed with the shaft. As an example, when this method is specifically shown, for example, in a pressure regulating valve described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-67483 (Patent Document 1), an O-ring is attached to a groove provided on the outer periphery of the stem to seal the shaft. Has been done. Further, in the flow control valve described in Japanese Patent No. 2762920 (Patent Document 2), a shaft seal packing is attached to a groove portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the casing, and the shaft is sealed.

By the way, at present, in various fields including manufacturing fields of semiconductors, liquid crystals, etc., from the viewpoints of space saving and labor saving, etc., a flow rate adjusting valve that mounts a small driving means and drives a valve body with a small force. Development is required. In order to realize this, the parts constituting the valve have been reduced in size. In particular, the stem has a very thin diameter (for example, φ3 mm), and the diameter of the valve main body that accommodates the stem. Is the same. In addition, since it is necessary to reduce the pressure receiving area and the frictional resistance with the seal member, naturally, high-precision fine processing is required for manufacturing such a downsized component.
JP-A 63-67483 Japanese Patent No. 2762920

  However, a groove for mounting an O-ring is formed on the stem as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-67483 (Patent Document 1), or a shaft mounting is performed as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2762920 (Patent Document 2). To form a groove for mounting an O-ring on the part, the miniaturized stem is too thin, and the valve body's receiving port is too narrow, and these parts must be finely processed with high precision. It is difficult. Therefore, shaft sealability cannot be required for the flow rate adjusting valve incorporating these components. Moreover, in order to ensure shaft sealability, a double seal structure may be considered, but the number of parts as well as the number of processing steps and the manufacturing cost increase.

  The present invention has been developed as a result of diligent research in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to realize compactness, excellent shaft sealability, durability, and ease of assembly. An object of the present invention is to provide a needle valve that is realized and economical and can be used safely over a long period of time.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is configured such that a mounting groove is formed by fitting a cylindrical protrusion formed in a cylindrical body into a fitting groove formed in a holding portion. An O-ring is mounted, and a shaft portion having a needle at a lower portion is inserted through a shaft portion insertion hole of the holding body formed through the fitting groove and a shaft portion insertion hole of the cylindrical body formed through the protrusion. In addition, a spring is mounted between an engagement piece provided on the upper portion of the shaft portion and a stepped surface formed on the upper surface of the holding body, and the holding body, the cylindrical body, the spring, and the shaft portion And a shaft assembly hole communicating with the valve chamber of the valve body having an inlet and an outlet is opened upward from the valve body, and the needle unit is opened from the shaft mounting hole. And press the annular valve seat provided in the valve chamber of the valve body at the lower end of the cylinder. In addition, the upper surface of the holder of the needle unit inserted into the shaft mounting hole is pressed and fixed with a cylindrical bush, and the upper end of the shaft is pressed with the tip of the output shaft of the direct acting electric motor. The needle valve is configured to hold the spring in a compressed state .

According to the present invention, it is possible to form a mounting groove for mounting an O-ring without performing integral processing as in the prior art, and even with a small size valve, excellent shaft sealing performance is realized, In addition, since the O-ring is attached to a location that does not move the O-ring position, the durability is much superior to the conventional structure where the O-ring is attached to the stem. Therefore, as a needle valve that can be used safely, it can be provided in various fields including semiconductor and liquid crystal manufacturing fields. In addition, manufacturing costs such as processing costs and assembly costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the components built in the valve body can be united and detached, so that the assembling property and the maintenance property can be remarkably improved. Moreover, according to the present invention, it is possible to immediately follow the drive of the needle, for example, the drive of the direct acting electric motor, and the accurate flow path without being affected by the backlash of the electric motor. Control became feasible. As a result, a needle valve that realizes extremely high-precision micro flow rate control can be provided in various fields including semiconductor and liquid crystal manufacturing fields.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a needle valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a needle valve in the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a needle valve in the present invention. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a valve body, reference numerals 2 and 3 denote inlets and outlets provided in the valve body 1, and reference numeral 4 denotes a flow path of the outlets 2 and 3. The provided valve chamber, 5 in the figure, is a shaft mounting hole provided in communication with the valve chamber 4. 6 is an annular valve seat mounted in the valve chamber 4, 7 is a needle seated on the annular valve seat 6, 8 is a shaft portion of the needle 7, and 9 is a needle. 7 is an outer peripheral groove for mounting the O-ring 9, 11 is an O-ring inserted into the shaft portion 8, and 12 is a mounting groove for the O-ring 11. In the figure, reference numerals 13 and 14 denote a cylindrical body and a holding body, 15 in the figure, a spring, 16 in the figure, an engaging piece (a washer in this example) provided on the shaft portion 8, and 17 in the figure, a cylinder Shaped bush. As shown in the figure, the valve body 1 and the bush 17 are provided with communication holes 1a and 17a for communicating with the outside. In the figure, 18 is a direct acting electric motor, 19 in the figure is an output shaft of the electric motor 18, and 20 in the figure is an actuator incorporating the electric motor 18.

  The shaft seal structure in the present invention is realized by a combination of the cylindrical body 13 and the holding body 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the cylindrical body 13 (made of resin in this example) is provided with a cylindrical protrusion 13a, and a shaft insertion hole 13b is formed therein. On the other hand, the holding body 14 (made of resin in this example) is provided with a fitting groove 14a for fitting the projection 13a of the cylindrical body 13, and the shaft part is inserted through the fitting groove 14a. A hole 14b is formed. When the protrusion 13 a provided on the cylindrical body 13 is fitted into the fitting groove 14 a provided on the holding body 14, a mounting groove 12 for mounting the O-ring 11 is formed between the cylindrical body 13 and the holding body 14. The Thereby, the mounting groove 12 can be inserted into the valve body 1 after being processed with high accuracy in advance.

  Accordingly, the O-ring 11 inserted into the shaft portion 8 is mounted in the mounting groove 12 by fitting the projection 13a of the cylindrical body 13 mounted on the shaft and the fitting groove 14a of the holding body 14. It is configured. Although not shown, the mounting groove 12 is similarly formed when a fitting groove is formed in the cylindrical body 13 and a protrusion is formed on the holding body 14. The cylindrical body 13 is provided with a communication portion 13c by cutting out a part of the peripheral wall thereof, and has flow paths for the outflow inlets 2 and 3 therein.

  The cylindrical body 13 assembled with the holding body 14 is inserted into the valve chamber 4 and presses the upper end surface of the annular valve seat 6. One end of the spring 15 is attached, and the other end of the spring 15 is engaged with an engaging piece provided in the shaft portion 8 of the needle 7, in this example, a washer 16. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shaft portion 8 of the needle 7 and the output shaft 19 of the direct acting electric motor 18 are separate, and will be described later in the shaft mounting hole 5 of the valve body 1. The hemispherical tip 19a of the inserted output shaft 19 presses the upper end portion 8a of the shaft portion 8 of the needle 7 and returns to the old position by the elastic force of the spring 15. That is, in this example, the up and down movement of the needle 7 can immediately follow the driving of the electric motor 18 without being affected by the backlash of the direct acting electric motor 18, thereby realizing accurate flow path control.

  The direct acting electric motor 18 in this example includes a rotor (not shown), a screw shaft (output shaft) 19 having a threaded portion, a rotation transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits the rotational force of the rotor to the screw shaft 19, and the like. The rotational force of the rotor is converted into linear motion by the screw shaft 19, and the screw shaft 19 is configured to slide in the axial direction. In the figure, reference numeral 24 denotes a flow meter disposed on the inflow side, which is integrally provided with screws fixed in this example. The flow meter 24 measures the current flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) of the fluid passing through the valve body 1.

  In the needle valve of the present invention, a holding body 14 is assembled to the shaft portion 8 via a cylindrical body 13 and an O-ring 11, and one end of a spring 15 that elastically urges the holding body 14. The other end of the spring 15 is engaged with an engaging piece provided in the shaft portion 8, in this example, a washer 16, and this is configured as a unit (hereinafter referred to as a needle unit 23). In FIG. 2, the O-ring 9, needle 7 (shaft portion 8), cylinder 13, O-ring 11, holding body 14, spring 15, washer 16, and split ring 16a are in a series of temporarily assembled states from the lower side. It enables assembly from the assembled state.

  Furthermore, the needle valve shown in the present embodiment employs a structure that allows easy and reliable alignment during assembly. An annular valve seat 6 is mounted in the annular valve chamber 4 of the valve body 1 with an appropriate gap in the centrifugal direction, and the needle unit 23 is connected to the valve body 1 from the shaft mounting hole 5 formed in communication with the valve chamber 4. After being inserted and positioned on the upper surface of the annular valve seat 6, a bush 17 is inserted from the shaft mounting hole 5 to be positioned on the upper surface of the holding body 14, and the shaft 7 is pushed down to move the needle 7. The ring-shaped valve seat 6 is adjusted in the centrifugal direction through the centering to adjust the center. In this example, the diameter-expanded portion 7 c of the tapered surface 7 a of the needle 7 is configured to align while pressing a part of the reduced-diameter portion 6 c below the inclined surface 6 a of the annular valve seat 6. When the alignment of the annular valve seat 6 is completed, if the casing 20a of the actuator 20 is fixed to the valve body 1 using mounting parts such as bolts, the cylindrical body 13 that is the shaft assembly is held via the bush 17. The body 14 is pressed and the annular valve seat 6 is also fixed to the valve body 1. Accordingly, in this example, when the installation of the actuator 20 is completed, the axis of the needle 7 and the axis of the annular valve seat 6 are in a state of being coincident with each other.

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a slightly opened state of the valve in FIG. The annular valve seat 6 shown in this example is attached to a step portion 1b provided on the inflow port 2 side of the annular valve chamber 4 via a seal ring 21. An inclined surface 6a extending toward the surface is formed. In this example, the metal annular valve seat 6 is adopted, but it may be made of resin or other materials, and is optional depending on the implementation. Of course, the same applies to other components.

  Moreover, the taper surface 7a is formed in the outer peripheral part of the needle 7 (this example metal) shown in this example. An outer peripheral groove 10 is provided at a position above the tapered surface 7a, and an O-ring 9 that seals between the needle 7 and the annular valve seat 6 when seated is mounted. As shown in the figure, the outer circumferential groove 10 has a gap 10a formed by expanding the primary side of the outer circumferential groove 10, and the O-ring contact surface side of the outer circumferential groove 10 is an arc surface 10b. The radius of the circular arc surface 10b is made to substantially coincide with the radius of the O-ring 9. With this structure, the function of reducing the influence of the fluid pressure in the slightly opened valve state and preventing the so-called blowout phenomenon is exhibited.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the needle 7 is attached to the needle 7 during the period from when the needle 7 is seated to the predetermined lift range where the needle 7 is disengaged, at least in a slightly open state of the valve (opening 10%). A pop-out preventing portion 22 for preventing the O-ring 9 from popping out is provided. This pop-out preventing portion 22 is configured such that a clearance L1 between the inner peripheral upper end 6b of the annular valve seat 6 and the enlarged outer peripheral portion 7b of the needle 7 is set smaller than the diameter of the O-ring 9, and the valve is in a slightly opened state. In this case, the O-ring 9 is detached from the needle 7 and functions to prevent jumping out from between the inner peripheral upper end portion 6 b of the annular valve seat 6 and the enlarged diameter outer peripheral portion 7 b of the needle 7. The O-ring 9 employed in this example is freely expandable / contractable, and in particular, one having a high diameter reducing force in the centripetal direction and a high hardness that is difficult to deform is preferable.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. The assembly procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. First, the annular valve seat 6 fitted with the seal ring 21 is inserted into the valve body 1 from the shaft mounting hole 5 formed in communication with the annular valve chamber 4. These are arranged on the step portion 1b provided on the inlet 2 side of the valve chamber 4, and a seal ring 25 for sealing between the holding body 14 and the shaft mounting hole 5 is arranged.

  Subsequently, an O-ring 9 is attached to the outer circumferential groove 10 provided in the needle 7. After the cylindrical body 13 is mounted on the shaft portion 8 of the needle 7, the O-ring 11 is inserted, and the holding body 14 is mounted on the shaft portion 8 with the O-ring 11 interposed. As shown in FIG. 1, when the protrusion 13a provided on the cylinder 13 is fitted into the fitting groove 14a provided on the holding body 14, the upper surface 13d of the cylinder 13 and the lower surface 14c of the holding body 14 come into contact with each other. A mounting groove 12 for mounting the O-ring 11 is formed between the cylinder 13 and the holding body 14. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to integrally process the groove for mounting the O-ring on the stem or the shaft mounting portion, so that excellent shaft sealing performance can be realized even with a small-sized valve. Since it has a structure in which the O-ring 11 is mounted at a position not accompanied by a movement of the position, it has significantly superior durability performance as compared with a conventional structure in which the O-ring is mounted on the stem. Moreover, the O-ring 11 inserted into the shaft portion 8 of the needle 7 is mounted in the mounting groove 12 if the protrusion 13a of the cylindrical body 13 and the fitting groove 14a of the holding body 14 are fitted. Thus, an excellent sealing function can be effectively exhibited.

  Further, the cylinder 13 assembled with the holding body 14 is inserted into the valve chamber 4 and presses the upper end surface of the annular valve seat 6. One end of the spring 15 is attached, and the other end of the spring 15 is engaged with a washer 16 provided on the shaft portion 8 so as to return to the old position by the elastic force of the spring 15. Without being affected by the backlash of the electric motor 18, the up and down movement of the needle 7 can immediately follow the drive of the electric motor 18, and accurate flow path control can be realized.

  Further, in the needle valve of the present invention, a holding body 14 is assembled to the shaft portion 8 via a cylindrical body 13 and an O-ring 11, and one end of a spring 15 that is elastically biased is provided on the holding body 14. And the other end of the spring 15 is engaged with an engaging piece provided in the shaft portion 8, in this example, a washer 16, and this is configured as a needle unit 23. As shown in FIG. O-ring 9, needle 7 (shaft 8), cylinder 13, O-ring 11, holding body 14, spring 15, washer 16, and split ring 16 a can be assembled from this temporary assembly state. And achieves excellent ease of assembly.

  Furthermore, the needle valve shown in the present embodiment realizes a structure that allows easy and reliable alignment during assembly. The needle unit 23 in the temporarily assembled state is inserted into the valve body 1 through the shaft mounting hole 5 formed in communication with the valve chamber 4 and is mounted in the valve chamber 4 with an appropriate gap in the centrifugal direction. It is located on the upper surface of the valve seat 6. Subsequently, a cylindrical bush 17 is inserted from the shaft mounting hole 5 and positioned on the upper surface of the holding body 14, and the annular valve seat 6 is centrifugated through the needle 7 by the pressing operation of the shaft portion 8. Adjustment is made to In this example, the diameter-expanded portion 7 c of the tapered surface 7 a of the needle 7 is configured to align while pressing a part of the reduced-diameter portion 6 c below the inclined surface 6 a of the annular valve seat 6.

  When the alignment of the annular valve seat 6 is completed, the housing 20a of the actuator 20 is fixed to the valve body 1 using mounting parts such as bolts. Thereby, the cylindrical body 13 and the holding body 14 which are shaft bodies are pressed through the bush 17, and the annular valve seat 6 is also fixed to the valve body 1. Therefore, in this example, when the installation of the actuator 20 is completed, the axis of the needle 7 and the axis of the annular valve seat 6 are in a state of being coincident with each other.

  When the assembly is completed, the annular valve seat 6 is firmly fixed in the valve chamber 4, so that the centering and fixing state is reliably maintained unless the casing 20 a of the actuator 20 is removed. As described above, since the alignment of the annular valve seat 6 is completed when the needle valve is assembled, the sliding resistance associated with the alignment of the valve seat / valve body during the valve operation is suppressed, and the shaft portion 8 is made thinner. (In this example, about φ3 mm), the actuator can have a small output, the entire valve can be made compact, and the amount of fluid staying inside the valve can be reduced.

  In addition, the needle valve shown in the present embodiment also realizes highly accurate micro flow control and complete shutoff. The state shown in FIG. 3 is a state in which the tapered surface 7a of the needle 7 at the lowest position is close to the inclined surface 6a of the annular valve seat 6, and the O-ring 9 is all seated on the inclined surface 6a of the annular valve seat 6. Closed. As shown in the figure, the O-ring 9 is in close contact with the circular arc surface 10 b of the outer circumferential groove 10 provided in the needle 7 with a diameter reducing force acting in the centripetal direction. Therefore, in this state, the sealing function of the O-ring 9 is effectively exhibited, and the fluid is completely shut off.

  Next, when the direct-acting electric motor 18 (actuator 20) is driven, the output shaft 19 of the electric motor 18 rises, and at the same time, the shaft portion 8 of the needle 7 pressed by the tip 19a of the output shaft 19 rises. To do. At this time, since the structure that returns to the old position by the elastic force of the spring 15 is employed, the up and down movement of the needle 7 immediately follows the drive of the direct acting electric motor 18 and the backlash of the electric motor 18 is reduced. Accurate flow path control is performed without being affected. As the needle 7 rises, the flow path opening area between the needle 7 and the annular valve seat 6 gradually increases.

  The state shown in FIG. 4 is, for example, a slightly opened state in which the valve is opened by about 10%, and a narrow flow path is formed immediately after the needle 7 is detached from the annular valve seat 6, so that the fluid flow rate is increased. Water pressure decreases. At this time, even if the O-ring 9 is affected by the fluid pressure, the outer circumferential groove 10 is formed with a gap portion 10a by expanding the primary side of the outer circumferential groove 10, and the O-ring contact of the outer circumferential groove 10 is increased. The contact surface side is formed in the circular arc surface 10b, and the radius of the circular arc surface 10b is made to substantially coincide with the radius of the O-ring 9, so that the fluid pressure can be smoothly released from the gap 10a, and the O-ring 9 is No pressure is generated to cause the groove 10 to be detached. In addition, since the O-ring 9 is mounted on the tapered surface 7a of the needle 7, the O-ring 9 is effectively reduced in diameter in the centripetal direction, and the O-ring 9 is difficult to jump out. is doing.

  3 and 4, the gap L1 between the inner peripheral upper end 6b of the annular valve seat 6 and the enlarged outer peripheral portion 7b of the needle 7 is set smaller than the diameter of the O-ring 9, and this Since the gap L1 is secured up to a predetermined lift range where the needle 7 is seated from the seated position, that is, in the present example, when the valve is in a slightly opened state, the valve with the increased fluid flow rate is provided by the jump-out preventing portion 22. Even in the slightly opened state, the O-ring 9 does not jump out from the gap L1.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve open state in FIG. When the electric motor 18 is driven and the needle 7 is lifted together with the output shaft 19, the flow path opening area between the needle 7 and the annular valve seat 6 is further expanded. For example, as shown in FIG. The valve is open. The O-ring 9 reproduces the contact state with the arcuate surface 10b by applying a diameter-reducing force in the centripetal direction during the transition from the valve slightly open state to the valve open state. At this time, fluid does not stay in this part, and an excellent wearing state is always reproduced.

  On the other hand, the same applies to the valve closing operation. When the valve is opened to the slightly opened state as shown in FIG. 4, that is, immediately before the needle 7 is seated on the annular valve seat 6, a narrow flow path is formed. As a result, the fluid flow rate increases and the water pressure decreases, but as described above, the gap 10a provided by expanding the primary side of the outer circumferential groove 10 and the radius that is substantially matched with the radius of the O-ring 9 are used. Since the arcuate surface 10b, the diameter reducing force in the centripetal direction of the O-ring 9 attached to the tapered surface 7a, and the pop-out preventing part 22 function effectively, the O-ring 9 is pushed out and attached. Phenomenon such as shift or complete detachment does not occur.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the needle valve in the present invention. Note that the same members as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 26 denotes an indicator provided so as to be able to display the state of the valve. The indicator 26 is detachably provided on the upper portion of the actuator 20 by bolting or snap fitting. Various substrates (not shown) can be arranged in the actuator 20 including the electric motor 18. In the figure, reference numeral 27 denotes an upstream side pipe connection portion having the inflow port 2. The upstream side pipe connecting portion 27 can rotate in the circumferential direction every 90 degrees, for example, and as shown in FIG. 7, the positional relationship between the inflow port 2 and the outflow port 3 is changed depending on the implementation. It can be set appropriately.

  The needle valve according to the present invention can be applied as a regulating valve for adjusting the flow rate in various fields such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, and a chemical food plant. For example, a cooling medium, pure water, or a chemical solution In delivery or other fields, it is possible to provide a needle valve that achieves compactness and excellent shaft seal, and is economical and can be used safely over a long period of time.

It is sectional drawing which showed an example of the needle valve in this invention. It is the isolation | separation perspective view which showed an example of the needle valve in this invention. It is a partially expanded sectional view in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the valve slight open state in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the valve open state in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the other example of the needle valve in this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the state which rotated the upstream pipe | tube connection part of the needle valve in FIG. 6 180 degree | times.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Valve body 2 Inlet 3 Outlet 4 Valve chamber 5 Shaft mounting hole 6 Valve seat 7 Needle 8 Shaft part 11 O-ring 12 Mounting groove 13 Cylindrical body 13a Protruding part 14 Holding body 14a Fitting groove 15 Spring 16 Washer (engagement) Piece)
23 Needle unit

Claims (1)

A mounting groove is formed by fitting a cylindrical protrusion formed on the cylindrical body into a fitting groove formed in the holding portion, an O-ring is mounted in the mounting groove, and a through-hole is formed in the fitting groove. A shaft portion having a needle at the lower portion is inserted through the shaft portion insertion hole of the holding body and the shaft portion insertion hole of the cylindrical body formed through the protrusion, and the engagement piece provided at the upper portion of the shaft portion and the holding A spring is mounted between the stepped surface formed on the upper surface of the body, and the holding body, the cylindrical body, the spring, and the shaft portion constitute a temporarily assembled needle unit, An annular valve provided in the valve chamber of the valve body by opening a shaft mounting hole communicating with the valve chamber of the valve main body having an outlet opening upward of the valve main body and inserting the needle unit through the shaft mounting hole The needle unit that presses the seat with the lower end of the cylindrical body and is inserted into the shaft mounting hole. The upper surface of the holding body is pressed and fixed by a cylindrical bush, further, it has to hold the spring in a compressed state the upper end of the shaft portion by pressing the tip of the output shaft of the linear type electric motor Needle valve characterized by.

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