JP7315421B2 - Flow regulator - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flow rate adjusting device for adjusting the flow rate of a liquid such as a chemical liquid applied to an object to be coated.

A flow control valve is used between the container and the applicator to apply the liquid in the container from the applicator to the object to be coated. For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, a very small amount of photoresist liquid is applied to a semiconductor wafer. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-101001 describes a flow control valve used to apply such a very small amount of liquid to an object to be applied.

Patent Literature 1 describes a valve unit having a flow control valve and an on-off valve. The valve unit has a unit block in which a flow path for guiding liquid is formed, and an on-off valve that opens and closes the flow path connected to the liquid supply source and a flow control valve that adjusts the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the on-off valve are mounted on the upper surface of the unit block. The on-off valve has a diaphragm-type valve member attached to a piston rod integrated with the piston, and a compression coil spring applies a spring force toward the valve seat to the valve member. When driving the valve member away from the valve seat, compressed air is supplied to the pressure chamber partitioned by the piston. Also, the flow control valve has a spindle for adjusting the degree of opening of the valve.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-263507

Like the on-off valve described in Patent Document 1, the compression coil spring abuts against the outer end surface of the piston in order to apply a spring force to the valve member in the direction toward the valve seat. On the other hand, since the pressure chamber is formed by the inner end surface of the piston on which the piston rod is provided, the pressure receiving area of the inner end surface is set by the annular surface between the outer peripheral surface of the piston rod and the outer peripheral surface of the piston. Even if the pressure supplied to the pressure chamber on the inner end face side of the piston is low, it is necessary to increase the area of the entire outer end face of the piston and the pressure receiving area of the annular surface in order to quickly operate the valve member. If the pressure-receiving area of the annular surface is too small, the valve member cannot operate quickly, and the responsiveness of the valve member decreases.

Further, when the spring force is reduced to bring the valve member into contact with the valve seat, the sealing force applied from the compression coil spring to the valve member is reduced. If the sealing force becomes small, it becomes impossible to stabilize the liquid sealing performance when the valve member is brought into contact with the valve seat. The liquid sealing performance of the valve member and the responsiveness of the valve member are collectively referred to as the operating characteristics of the valve member.

Furthermore, in the valve unit described in Patent Document 1, in which a flow control valve and an on-off valve are integrally provided, it is necessary to provide a V-shaped flow path in a unit block in which a flow path is formed, that is, a flow path block, in order to allow communication between both valve chambers. If such a bent channel is provided in the unit block, foreign matter, ie, particles contained in the liquid may remain in the channel. In addition, when the flow path is cleaned in order to replace or replace the type of liquid applied from the applicator, the cleaning liquid may remain, resulting in poor liquid replacement characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a flow control device capable of improving the operating characteristics of a valve member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flow regulating device that improves the operating characteristics of a valve member, suppresses foreign matter and liquid from remaining in the flow channel in the flow channel block to which the flow control valve is attached, and enhances the liquid replacement characteristics.

A flow regulating device of the present invention includes a flow passage block provided with a valve chamber in which a valve member is arranged, an inflow passage communicating with the valve chamber, and an outflow passage communicating with the inflow passage through the valve chamber; a piston provided with a front surface provided with a piston rod and a rear surface behind the front surface; a cylinder provided with a cylinder hole for reciprocatingly guiding the piston; an interlocking member having a plurality of interlocking legs provided between the driving plate and the driven plate; a rear-side pressure chamber partitioned by the cylinder hole and the rear surface of the piston; A thrust force is applied to the piston in the opening direction to move the valve member away from the valve seat.

The flow regulating device of the present invention is provided with a first valve chamber in which a first valve member is arranged, a second valve chamber in which a second valve member is arranged, a communication passage that communicates the first valve chamber and the second valve chamber, an outflow passage that communicates with the first valve chamber via a first valve seat, and an inflow passage that communicates with the second valve chamber via a second valve seat. a flow path block, a first cylinder provided with a first cylinder hole for reciprocatingly guiding a first piston having a first piston rod provided thereon, and attached to the cylinder mounting surface of the flow path block; a drive plate attached to the tip of the first piston rod; a driven plate facing the drive plate via the first valve chamber and connected to the first valve member; a second cylinder provided with a second piston rod to which a second valve member is attached; and a second cylinder provided with a second cylinder hole for reciprocatingly guiding the second piston provided with the second piston rod, the second cylinder being attached adjacent to the first cylinder on the cylinder mounting surface of the flow path block, wherein the second valve chamber is provided between the flow path block and the second cylinder, and the first valve chamber is provided closer to the mounting surface than the second valve chamber. , the communication channel is formed straight in the channel block;

In a valve chamber formed in a flow path block to which the cylinder is attached, a valve member that moves toward and away from a valve seat is provided in the flow path block so as to face the piston rod, and the valve member is connected to the piston rod via an interlocking member. An outer end face of the piston forms an outer pressure chamber for applying a thrust in the opening direction to the piston to separate the valve member from the valve seat against the spring force applied to the valve member in the direction toward the valve seat. As a result, the required pressure receiving area can be secured without increasing the diameter of the piston. Therefore, it is possible to increase the piston driving force in the opening direction without increasing the air pressure supplied to the outer pressure chamber. As a result, the valve member can be quickly actuated and the operating characteristics of the valve member can be improved.

A first valve member that moves toward and away from a first valve seat is provided in the flow path block in a first valve chamber formed in a flow path block to which the first cylinder is attached, facing the first piston rod, and the first valve member is connected to the first piston rod via an interlocking member. On the other hand, a second valve chamber is formed between a second cylinder attached to the flow path block adjacent to the first cylinder and the flow path block, and a second valve member that moves toward and away from the second valve seat is attached to the tip of the second piston rod. A straight communication passage for communicating the first valve chamber and the second valve chamber is formed in the passage block. Therefore, when the communication channel is washed in order to change the type of liquid supplied to the applicator, the washing liquid and the original liquid do not remain in the communication channel, and the replacement characteristics in the channel formed in the channel block are improved. Furthermore, straightening the communication channel reduces the amount of foreign matter and liquid remaining in the channel.

It is a sectional view showing a flow control device provided with two flow control valves. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the left half of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the right half of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drive plate shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a flow control device with a single flow control valve;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The flow regulating device 10a shown in FIG. 1 includes two flow regulating valves, a first flow regulating valve 11 and a second flow regulating valve 12. The flow regulating valves 11 and 12 share a flow channel block body 13, and the cylinder 31 of the flow regulating valve 11 and the cylinder 61 of the flow regulating valve 12 are attached to the flow channel block body 13 adjacent to each other. The channel block main body 13 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and an inflow channel 14 is formed at the right end in FIG. 1, and an outflow channel 15 is formed at the other end. The inflow channel 14 and the outflow channel 15 are substantially coaxial. An inflow port 14 a communicating with the inflow passage 14 is provided in the inflow joint 16 . An outflow port 15 a communicating with the outflow passage 15 is provided in the outflow joint 17 .

An inflow pipe (not shown) is attached to the inflow joint 16 and fastened to the inflow joint 16 by a screw member 18 . An outflow pipe (not shown) is attached to the outflow joint 17 and fastened to the outflow joint 17 by a screw member 19 . The inflow pipe is connected to a liquid supply source (not shown) containing a liquid such as a photoresist liquid, and the outflow pipe is connected to an applicator (not shown).

Two base blocks 21 and 22 are attached to the lower side of the channel block body 13 in FIG. The lower surfaces of the base blocks 21 and 22 are mounting surfaces 23a and 23b for mounting the flow control device 10a on a support member (not shown). Cylinder mounting surfaces 24a and 24b are provided on the channel block main body 13 so as to be located on the opposite sides of the mounting surfaces 23a and 23b.

A concave portion forming the first valve chamber 25 is provided in the channel block main body 13 so as to be located closer to the installation surface 23 a than the outflow channel 15 . A flow path 15 b extending perpendicularly to the outflow flow path 15 passes through the first valve seat 26 , and the outflow flow path 15 communicates with the valve chamber 25 via the flow path 15 b and the valve seat 26 . The valve seat 26 faces the installation surface 23 a side, and a first valve member 27 is arranged in the valve chamber 25 facing the valve seat 26 . The valve member 27 is molded in a diaphragm shape from a resin material such as fluororesin. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the valve member 27 has a main valve portion 27a movable toward and away from the valve seat 26, an annular portion 27b, and an elastic deformation portion 27c. Also, the valve member 27 faces the inner peripheral surface of the outflow channel 15 via the channel 15b. The base block 21 includes a base plate 21a and spacers 21b. A fastening wall 28 is provided on the spacer 21 b , and the annular portion 27 b of the valve member 27 is sandwiched between the passage block body 13 and the fastening wall 28 .

The size of the clearance between the main valve portion 27a and the valve seat 26 sets the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the outflow passage 15. As shown in FIG. When the main valve portion 27 a comes closest to the position where it contacts the valve seat 26 , the outflow passage 15 is closed by the valve member 27 .

The first flow control valve 11 has a first cylinder 31 attached to the cylinder attachment surface 24a of the flow path block body 13, and the cylinder 31 is composed of a base portion 31a and a cover portion 31b. The cylinder 31, the base block 21, and the passage block main body 13 are combined and fastened together by screw members 30 passing through the four corners of the cylinder 31, as shown in FIG. The flow control valve 11 has a first piston 33 provided with a first piston rod 32, and the piston 33 is guided in a first cylinder hole 34 formed in the cylinder 31 so as to reciprocate in the axial direction.

An interlocking member 35 is arranged in an interlocking member accommodating portion 40 of the flow path block body 13 in order to interlock the axial movement of the piston rod 32 with the movement of the valve member 27 toward and away from the valve seat 26 . The interlocking member accommodating portion 40 is separated from the valve chamber 25 and the flow path communicating with the valve chamber 25 by the flow path block main body 13 and the valve member 27 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the interlocking member 35 has a drive plate 36 attached to the tip of the piston rod 32. The drive plate 36 is threadedly coupled to the screw hole of the piston rod 32 by means of a male screw portion 36a.

As shown in FIG. 5, two interlocking leg portions 37 are provided integrally with the driving plate 36, and the distal end surface 37a of the interlocking leg portion 37 is a flat surface. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the interlocking leg portion 37 passes through a through hole 40b formed in the flow path block body 13 and a through hole 40c formed in the fastening wall 28 of the base block 21. As shown in FIGS.

The interlocking member 35 has a driven plate 38 , which is arranged in a base-side accommodation space 40 d in the base block 21 and abuts on the distal end surface 37 a of the interlocking leg portion 37 . The distance between the two opposing interlocking legs 37 is greater than the outer diameter of the valve member 27 . A driven plate 38 is provided with a ring portion 39 to which the main valve portion 27 a of the valve member 27 is screwed, and the driven plate 38 is attached to the valve member 27 .

A compression coil spring 41 as an elastic member on the flow path block side is arranged in the base block 21. One end of the compression coil spring 41 contacts the inner surface of the base plate 21a, and the other end contacts the ring portion 39 of the interlocking member 35. The compression coil spring 41 applies a spring force to the valve member 27 via the ring portion 39 of the interlocking member 35 in the upward direction in FIGS.

Since the flat tip surface 37a of the interlocking leg portion 37 is in contact with the driven plate 38 due to the spring force of the compression coil spring 41, the axial movement of the piston rod 32 is transmitted to the main valve portion 27a of the valve member 27 while maintaining parallelism between the drive plate 36 and the driven plate 38 and maintaining a constant distance between the drive plate 36 and the driven plate 38. Further, since the interlocking leg portion 37 and the driven plate 38 are not fixed by a screw member or the like, the valve element 27 can stably seal the valve seat 26 even if the interlocking leg portion 37 and the piston rod 32 are inclined.

Thus, the valve member 27 is not directly attached to the piston rod 32 , but is provided in the flow path block body 13 so as to face the piston rod 32 and is attached to the piston rod 32 via the interlocking member 35 . The number of interlocking leg portions 37 is not limited to two, and may be three or more. again. Although the interlocking leg portion 37 is integrated with the drive plate 36 , it may be provided integrally with the driven plate 38 .

A first compression coil spring 42 on the cylinder side is arranged in a spring accommodation chamber 43 , and the spring accommodation chamber 43 is partitioned by the cylinder hole 34 and the radially outer side of the piston rod 32 . One end of the compression coil spring 42 contacts the front surface 45 a of the piston 33 , that is, the end face of the piston 33 on which the piston rod 32 is provided, and the other end contacts the bottom surface of the spring accommodating chamber 43 . The compression coil spring 42 applies an upward spring force to the interlocking member 35, the piston 33 and the piston rod 32 in FIGS. As a result, the spring force of the compression coil spring 41 acts only in the direction of the valve member 27 toward the valve seat 26, eliminating the need to apply force to the piston 33 and the interlocking member, thereby improving the operating characteristics of the valve member 27. However, the compression coil spring 42 can be omitted by using a compression coil spring 41 having a spring force greater than that shown.

A back side pressure chamber 44 is formed by being partitioned by the cylinder hole 34 and the back side 45a of the piston 33. Compressed air in the back side pressure chamber 44 applies pressure, or thrust, to the piston 33 in the opening direction to separate the valve member 27 from the valve seat 26 against the spring force applied to the valve member 27. A first supply/discharge port 46 communicating with the rear side pressure chamber 44 is formed in the cover portion 31b of the cylinder 31, and an air guide pipe (not shown) is connected to the supply/discharge port 46. As shown in FIG.

This air guide pipe is connected to an air pressure source, and compressed air is supplied from the air pressure source into the rear side pressure chamber 44 . A flow path switching valve is provided in the air guide pipe, and when compressed air is supplied from the air pressure source to the rear side pressure chamber 44 by operating the flow path switching valve, the valve member 27 is driven in the opening direction away from the valve seat 26 . On the other hand, when the compressed air in the back side pressure chamber 44 is discharged to the outside, the valve member 27 is driven in the closing direction to approach the valve seat 26 by the spring force. A breather hole 47 communicating with the spring housing chamber 43 is provided in the cylinder 31 , and external air is supplied to and discharged from the spring housing chamber 43 through the breather hole 47 when the piston 33 reciprocates.

By supplying air pressure to the rear pressure chamber 44, the piston 33 drives the valve member 27 in the opening direction. As a result, the pressure in the rear side pressure chamber 44 acts on the pressure receiving surface formed by the entire outer end surface of the piston 33 . Therefore, compared to the case where the valve member 27 is directly attached to the piston rod 32 and the pressure chamber is formed with the inner end face of the piston 33 as the pressure receiving area, it is possible to increase the piston driving force in the opening direction without increasing the air pressure supplied to the back side pressure chamber 44. A required pressure receiving area can be secured without increasing the diameter of the piston 33 . In addition, the spring force in the direction of closing the valve member 27 can be set to be large, and the valve member 27 can be quickly operated to improve the operating characteristics of the valve member. Furthermore, when the valve member 27 is brought into contact with the valve seat 26 to close the flow path, the sealing performance of the valve member 27 can be stabilized.

1, the upward direction of the piston 33 is the backward direction, and the downward direction is the forward direction. Further, the forward limit position of the piston 33 may be set by bringing the inner end face of the piston 33 into contact with the stopper 48 . When the piston 33 is at the forward limit position, the valve member 27 is at the fully open position, the farthest from the valve seat 26 . When the retraction limit position of the piston 33 is set to a position slightly separated from the valve member 27 without contacting the valve seat 26 , a small amount of liquid flows out from the outflow passage 15 . When a small amount of liquid flows out from the outflow passage 15 when the piston 33 is at the backward limit position, the distance between the driving plate 36 and the driven plate 38 when the piston 33 is at the forward limit position and the distance between the driving plate 36 and the driven plate 38 when the piston 33 is at the backward limit position are constant. Further, the distance between the piston rod 32 and the piston 33 that are driven integrally with the driven plate 38 and the driven plate 38 is constant.

A first adjusting screw mechanism 49 is provided on the cylinder 31 for adjusting the opening degree of the valve member 27 to the position where the valve member 27 is closest to the valve seat 26 , i.e., the position slightly away from the valve seat 26 without contacting it.

The adjusting screw mechanism 49 has a support tube 51 fixed to the cover portion 31 b of the cylinder 31 coaxially with the piston rod 32 , and the support tube 51 protrudes into the rear side pressure chamber 44 . A male threaded shaft 52 is incorporated in the support tube 51 and a contact piece 53 is provided at the tip of the male threaded shaft 52 . The contact piece 53 contacts the radial center point of the back surface 45 b of the piston 33 . A rotation preventing pin 54 provided on the contact piece 53 is engaged with a groove 55 axially formed in the support tube 51 , so that the contact piece 53 is axially movable without rotating relative to the support tube 51 . By moving the contact piece 53 in the axial direction in this way, the valve opening degree can be adjusted.

A hollow threaded shaft 56 is incorporated between the support tube 51 and the male threaded shaft 52 . The hollow screw shaft 56 has a female thread 56a threadedly coupled to the male thread of the male threaded shaft 52 and a male thread 56b threadedly coupled to the female thread provided on the support tube 51 . A handle 57 is attached to the projecting end of the hollow screw shaft 56 . The male thread 56b has a larger diameter than the female thread 56a. The pitch of the large-diameter male thread 56b is P1, and the pitch of the small-diameter female thread 56a is P2, which is smaller than P1 (P1>P2), and each is a right-handed thread or a left-handed thread. In this case, when the hollow screw shaft 56 is rotated one turn in the direction of moving toward the piston 33, the male screw shaft 52 moves away from the piston 33, so the abutment piece 53 can be moved by the distance of the pitch difference between the two screws.

Thus, the adjusting screw mechanism 49 is a differential screw mechanism, and the axial position of the contact piece 53 can be finely adjusted by the pitch difference between the two screws. A lock screw 58 is threadedly coupled to the hollow screw shaft 56 , and the hollow screw shaft 56 is fastened to the support pipe 51 by tightening the lock screw 58 to the end face of the support pipe 51 .

The second flow regulating valve 12 has a second cylinder 61 , which consists of a base portion 61 a and a cover 61 b and is attached to the cylinder attachment surface 24 b of the flow path block body 13 . The cylinder 61 , the base block 22 , and the passage block main body 13 are fastened together by screw members 30 penetrating through the four corners of the cylinder 61 in the same manner as the first flow control valve 11 . A portion of the screw member 30 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 .

The flow control valve 12 has a second piston 63 provided with a second piston rod 62 , and the piston 63 is guided in a second cylinder hole 64 formed in the cylinder 61 so as to reciprocate in the axial direction. The piston 63 has a larger diameter than the piston 33 described above. However, the diameter of the piston 63 does not have to be larger than that of the piston 33 as long as the pressure receiving area required for the compression coil spring 71 can be secured.

A concave portion forming the second valve chamber 65 is provided in the channel block main body 13 so as to be located closer to the cylinder mounting surface 24 b than the inflow channel 14 . As described above, the valve chamber 25 is provided on the mounting surface 23a side of the flow path block body 13, while the valve chamber 65 is provided on the cylinder mounting surface 24b side on the opposite side. That is, the valve chamber 25 is closer to the installation surface 23a than the valve chamber 65 is. A downstream end perpendicular to the inflow channel 14 passes through a second valve seat 66 , and the inflow channel 14 communicates with the valve chamber 65 via the valve seat 66 . The valve seat 66 faces the cylinder mounting surface 24b, and a second valve member 67 is arranged in the valve chamber 65 so as to face the valve seat 66. The valve chamber 65 is partitioned by the valve member 67 and the flow path block main body 13.

Like the valve member 27, the valve member 67 is resin-molded into a diaphragm shape, and as shown in FIG. An annular portion 67 b of the valve member 67 is fastened between the flow path block body 13 and the base portion 61 a of the cylinder 61 . A male thread 68 is provided on the main valve portion 67 a , the male thread 68 is threadedly coupled to the piston rod 62 , and the valve member 67 is directly driven by the piston 63 .

When the main valve portion 67 a comes closest to the position where it contacts the valve seat 66 , the inflow passage 14 is closed by the valve member 67 . When the main valve portion 67 a moves away from the valve seat 66 , the inflow passage 14 communicates with the valve chamber 65 . The second valve chamber 65 communicates with the first valve chamber 25 through a communication passage 69 that extends straight and has a uniform inner diameter. The communication channel 69 communicates with the outflow channel 15 via the valve chamber 25 and communicates with the inflow channel 14 via the valve chamber 65 .

The downstream valve chamber 25 is provided on the base block 21 side of the flow path block body 13 , and the upstream valve chamber 65 is provided on the cylinder 61 side of the flow path block body 13 . By displacing both valve chambers 25 and 65 vertically in FIG. The communication channel 69 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the channel block body 13 connecting the inflow channel 14 and the outflow channel 15 . By connecting both the valve chambers 25 and 65 through the straight communication passage 69 in this way, it is possible to prevent foreign matter and liquid from remaining in the communication passage 69 .

In other words, if the communication channel is bent in a V-shape as in the conventional art, foreign substances and liquid in the liquid may remain in the channel. In addition, when the used liquid in the communication channel is washed in order to change the type of liquid supplied to the applicator, the cleaning liquid or the used liquid may remain in the communication channel, which may deteriorate the replacement characteristics. On the other hand, if the communication channel 69 is made straight, the amount of foreign matter and liquid remaining in the channel is reduced, and the liquid replacement characteristics are improved.

A second compression coil spring 71 on the cylinder side is arranged in a spring accommodation chamber 72 which is formed by a hole coaxial with the cylinder bore 64 and the back surface 73 b of the piston 63 . One end of the compression coil spring 71 abuts on the back surface 73 b of the piston 63 and the other end abuts on the bottom surface of the spring housing chamber 72 . The compression coil spring 71 applies a downward spring force to the piston 63 and the piston rod 62 in FIGS. 1 and 3, and the valve member 67 contacts the valve seat 66 due to the spring force. Thereby, the inflow channel 14 is closed by the valve member 67 .

A front pressure chamber 74 is formed by being partitioned by a front surface 73 a of the piston 63 , that is, an end surface of the piston 63 on the side where the piston rod 62 is provided, and the cylinder hole 64 . The compressed air in the front side pressure chamber 74 applies pressure to the piston 63 in the opening direction to separate the valve member 67 from the valve seat 26 against the spring force applied to the valve member 67 .

The pressure receiving area in the opening direction is an annular portion between the outer diameter of the piston rod 62 and the outer diameter of the piston 63 and is smaller than the entire end surface of the piston 63 . However, the diameter of the piston 63 is set larger than the diameter of the piston 33, so that the piston 63 can reliably drive the valve member 67 in the opening direction. However, the diameter of the piston 63 does not have to be larger than that of the piston 33 as long as the pressure receiving area required for the compression coil spring 71 can be secured.

A second supply/discharge port 75 communicating with the front side pressure chamber 74 is formed in the base portion 61 a of the cylinder 61 , and an air guide pipe (not shown) is connected to the supply/discharge port 75 . This air guide pipe is connected to an air pressure source, and compressed air is supplied from the air pressure source into the front side pressure chamber 74 . A flow path switching valve is provided in the air guide pipe, and when compressed air is supplied from the air pressure source to the front side pressure chamber 74 by operating the flow path switching valve, the valve member 67 is driven away from the valve seat 66 . On the other hand, when the compressed air in the front side pressure chamber 74 is discharged to the outside, the valve member 67 is driven toward the valve seat 66 by spring force. A breather hole 76 that communicates with the spring housing chamber 72 is provided in the cylinder 61 , and external air is supplied to and discharged from the spring housing chamber 72 through the breather hole 76 when the piston 63 reciprocates.

When the piston 63 reaches the forward limit position, the valve member 67 comes into contact with the valve seat 66 and reaches the forward limit position. On the other hand, when the piston 63 is at the retraction limit position, the valve member 67 is at the fully open position away from the valve seat 66 . A second adjusting screw mechanism 78 is provided on the cylinder 61 for adjusting the valve opening to set the fully open position of the valve member 67, that is, the maximum opening.

The adjusting screw mechanism 78 is a differential screw mechanism similar to the adjusting screw mechanism 49 described above. In the members constituting the adjusting screw mechanism 78, the members having commonality with the members constituting the adjusting screw mechanism 49 are given the same reference numerals.

Each cylinder 31,61 is of the single-acting type, pneumatically driving a piston 33,63 against spring force to move the valve member 27,67 away from the valve seat, with each valve member 27,67 being set in two positions. As a result, by switching between the supply of compressed air to the back side pressure chamber 44 and the front side pressure chamber 74 and the discharge thereof, the liquid can be supplied from the liquid supply source to the applicator at a plurality of flow rates. Further, the cylinders 31 and 61 may be of double-acting type that supply and discharge compressed air to the spring housing chamber 43 and the spring housing chamber 72 .

An example of the form of liquid supply to the applicator by the flow rate adjusting device 10a described above will be described. For example, the fully open position where the valve member 67 of the second flow control valve 12 is separated from the valve seat 66 is set by the adjusting screw mechanism 78 . This position is a high flow position where a large flow of liquid is discharged from the outflow channel 15 . On the other hand, the adjusting screw mechanism 49 sets the position where the valve member 27 of the first flow control valve 11 is closest to the valve seat 26 . This position is a low flow position where a small flow of liquid is discharged from the outflow channel 15 .

In this state, when the second flow control valve 12 is opened, the liquid from the liquid supply source flows into the communication passage 69 through the valve chamber 65 . Under this condition, when compressed air is supplied to the rear side pressure chamber 44 of the first flow rate control valve 11, the piston 33 comes into contact with the stopper 48 and the valve member 27 is in the fully open position farthest from the valve seat 26. Thereby, a large flow rate of liquid is supplied to the applicator via the outflow channel 15 . On the other hand, when the compressed air supplied to the rear side pressure chamber 44 is discharged to the outside, the valve member 27 is moved to the position closer to the valve seat 26 by the spring force, that is, the low flow rate position. This provides a small flow of liquid to the applicator.

One example of the liquid supply mode described above is suitable for both the case of supplying the liquid to the applicator at a small flow rate and the case of supplying the liquid at a large flow rate. In these supply modes, the valve member 67 is set fully open. When the liquid supply is stopped, the compressed air in the front side pressure chamber 74 is discharged, and the spring force causes the valve member 67 to contact the valve seat 66 to close the inflow passage 14 . The flow control valve 12 functions as an on-off valve.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a flow control device 10b with a single flow control valve. The flow regulating valve 11 shown in FIG. 7 has the same structure as the flow regulating valve 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in FIG. 7, members having commonality with the members shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Since one flow control valve 11 is attached to the flow channel block main body 13, the inflow flow channel 14 has an inclined portion like the communication flow channel 69 of the flow control device 10a shown in FIG. An inflow joint 16 having an inflow port 14a communicating with the slanted portion is provided in the flow path block body 13. As shown in FIG. The outflow channel 15 is the same as the flow regulating device 10a shown in FIG.

The valve seat 26 faces the cylinder mounting surface 24 a , and the valve member 27 is connected to the piston rod 32 via the interlocking member 35 and faces the piston rod 32 . As described above, when the piston 33 is at the forward limit position, the valve member 27 is at the fully open position, which is the farthest from the valve seat 26 . When the retraction limit position of the piston 33 is set to a position slightly separated from the valve member 27 without contacting the valve seat 26 , a small amount of liquid flows out from the outflow passage 15 .

Therefore, when compressed air is supplied to the back side pressure chamber 44 of the flow control valve 11 , the piston 33 advances the driven plate 38 via the interlocking member 35 to reach the limit position where the driven plate 38 abuts against the base block 21 . When the piston 33 is at the forward limit position, the valve member 27 is at the fully open position, the farthest from the valve seat 26 . On the other hand, when the compressed air supplied to the rear side pressure chamber 44 is discharged to the outside, the valve member 27 is moved to the position closer to the valve seat 26 by the spring force, that is, the low flow rate position. In this way, when the liquid continues to flow at either a large flow rate or a small flow rate, the flow rate adjusting device 10b shown in FIG. 7 can be used. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the flow rate adjusting device 10b provided with the flow rate adjusting valve 11 and the flow rate adjusting device provided with only the flow rate adjusting valve 12 shown in FIG.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, each of the adjusting screw mechanisms 49 and 78 may use a screw mechanism having only one screw connection portion consisting of a male screw and a female screw without using a differential screw mechanism. Also, instead of the compression coil springs 41, 42, 71, an elastic member such as a leaf spring that applies an elastic force in a predetermined direction may be used.

10a, 10b flow control device 11 flow control valve (first)
12 flow control valve (second)
13 Channel block main body 14 Inflow channel 15 Outflow channel 20 Channel blocks 21, 22 Base blocks 23a, 23b Mounting surfaces 24a, 24b Cylinder mounting surface 25 Valve chamber (first)
26 valve seat (first)
27 valve member (first)
31 cylinder (first)
32 piston rod (first)
33 Piston (first)
34 cylinder hole (first)
35 Interlocking member 36 Driving plate 37 Interlocking leg portion 38 Follower plate 39 Ring portions 41, 42 Compression coil spring 43 Spring housing chamber 44 Rear side pressure chamber 46 Supply/discharge port 49 Adjusting screw mechanism 51 Support tube 52 Male screw shaft 53 Abutment piece 56 Hollow screw shaft 61 Cylinder (second)
62 piston rod (second)
63 Piston (second)
64 cylinder hole (second)
65 Second valve chamber (second)
66 valve seat (second)
67 valve member (second)
69 Communication channel 71 Compression coil spring 72 Spring housing chamber 73b Rear surface 74 Front side pressure chamber 75 Supply/exhaust port 78 Adjusting screw mechanism

Claims (13)

a flow path block provided with a valve chamber in which a valve member is disposed, an inflow flow path communicating with the valve chamber, and an outflow flow path communicating with the inflow flow path via the valve chamber;
a piston provided with a front surface provided with a piston rod and a rear surface behind said front surface;
a cylinder provided with a cylinder hole for reciprocatingly guiding the piston and attached to the flow path block;
a drive plate attached to the tip of the piston rod, a driven plate facing the drive plate via the valve chamber and connected to the valve member, and an interlocking member provided with a plurality of interlocking legs provided between the drive plate and the driven plate;
a back side pressure chamber partitioned by the cylinder hole and the back side of the piston;
an elastic member arranged in the flow path block and applying an elastic force in a closing direction toward the valve seat to the valve member via the driven plate;
When compressed air is supplied to the back side pressure chamber, the elastic member applies to the piston a thrust force in the opening direction that separates the valve member from the valve seat against the elastic force in the closing direction toward the valve seat that the elastic member applies to the valve member. In the flow control device according to claim 1,
The flow regulating device, wherein the elastic member is a compression coil spring on the channel block side. In the flow control device according to claim 1 or 2,
A flow regulating device, wherein a compression coil spring on the cylinder side is arranged inside the cylinder so as to be positioned radially outside of the piston rod, and applies a spring force to the piston in a direction toward the back side pressure chamber. In the flow control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A flow regulating device, wherein the cylinder is provided with a screw mechanism for valve opening degree adjustment that abuts on the back surface of the piston and adjusts a position where the valve member is closest to the valve seat. In the flow control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The flow regulating device, wherein the interlocking leg is provided integrally with the drive plate, and the driven plate abuts on a tip surface of the interlocking leg. In the flow control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A flow regulating device, wherein the cylinder is provided with a supply/discharge port that communicates with the back side pressure chamber and supplies and discharges compressed air to and from the back side pressure chamber. a first valve chamber in which a first valve member is arranged, a second valve chamber in which a second valve member is arranged, a communication passage communicating between the first valve chamber and the second valve chamber, an outflow passage communicating with the first valve chamber via a first valve seat, and an inflow passage communicating with the second valve chamber via a second valve seat;
a first cylinder provided with a first cylinder hole for reciprocatingly guiding a first piston provided with a first piston rod, and attached to the cylinder mounting surface of the flow path block;
a drive plate attached to the tip of the first piston rod, a driven plate facing the drive plate via the first valve chamber and connected to the first valve member, and an interlocking member having a plurality of interlocking legs provided between the drive plate and the driven plate;
a second piston rod having the second valve member attached to its tip;
a second cylinder provided with a second cylinder hole for reciprocatingly guiding the second piston provided with the second piston rod, and mounted adjacent to the first cylinder on the cylinder mounting surface of the flow path block;
has
The second valve chamber is provided between the flow path block and the second cylinder,
The first valve chest is provided closer to the mounting surface than the second valve chest,
The flow regulating device, wherein the communication channel is formed straight in the channel block. In the flow control device according to claim 7,
a back side pressure chamber partitioned by the first cylinder hole and the back side of the first piston; and an elastic member disposed in the passage block and applied to the first valve member through the driven plate to apply an elastic force in a direction toward the first valve seat. A flow control device for applying a thrust force in an opening direction to the first piston. In the flow control device according to claim 7 or 8,
The position where the first valve member comes closest to the first valve seat is a low flow rate position where a small flow of liquid flows out from the outflow channel, and the position where the second valve member comes closest to the second valve seat is a position where the inflow channel is closed. In the flow control device according to any one of claims 7 to 9,
A flow regulating device, wherein the first cylinder is provided with a first screw mechanism for valve opening degree adjustment that abuts against the back surface of the first piston and adjusts the position where the first valve member is closest to the first valve seat. In the flow control device according to claim 10,
A flow rate adjusting device, wherein the second cylinder is provided with a screw mechanism for adjusting the degree of opening of the valve that contacts the back surface of the second piston and adjusts the maximum degree of opening of the second valve member. In the flow control device according to any one of claims 7 to 11,
A flow regulating device, wherein a second compression coil spring abutting against the back surface of the second piston is arranged in the second cylinder hole to apply a spring force in a closing direction toward the second valve seat to the second valve member. In the flow control device according to any one of claims 7 to 12,
A flow regulating device, wherein the second cylinder is provided with a supply/discharge port that communicates with the front pressure chamber of the first piston and supplies and discharges compressed air to and from the front pressure chamber.

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