JPS6246002Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a variable orifice device that can control the flow rate of fluid by changing the opening area.

B. Prior Art This type of orifice device is installed in a fluid flow path, and controls the fluid flow rate and fluid pressure in connection with this by changing the opening area. Most of the known variable orifice devices have a structure in which a needle valve inserted into a hole on the flow path moves forward and backward with respect to the orifice, or a nozzle flapper mechanism in a servo valve as a servo device. Orifice (nozzle)
It has a structure in which a plate is installed opposite to the orifice and the opening area is changed by moving the plate forward and backward from the orifice.

C Problems to be solved by the invention The variable orifice, which has a structure in which the needle valve moves forward and backward with respect to the pore of the orifice, requires precision in the shape of the needle valve, and the structure is relatively difficult to make it movable. It's complicated. In addition, a method that uses electromagnetic force to operate the needle valve has been adopted, but this method is disadvantageous in terms of energy conservation in terms of power consumption.

On the other hand, the variable orifice of the nozzle flap type operates the plate using electromagnetic force, which has the same energy saving problem as above, and the structure is complicated due to the relationship between the plate and the member receiving the electromagnetic force, which can lead to failure. is also likely to occur. In the variable orifice of the nozzle flap type, fluid pressure acts on the surface of the plate, so a method has been proposed in which the electromagnetic force is applied perpendicularly to the orifice, that is, in the direction of the surface of the plate. The reality is that this is not desirable and the complexity of the structure has not yet been resolved.

The present invention aims to provide a novel variable orifice device that overcomes these conventional drawbacks.

D Means for Solving the Problems The variable orifice device of the present invention is fixedly held in a cantilevered manner and has an electrostrictive type having a constant thickness in which the amount of deflection of the free tip side changes depending on the magnitude of the applied voltage. It is constituted by a combination of an element body and an orifice whose opening surface is located opposite to and in close proximity to the distal end face or side end face of the distal end portion of the element.

E Effect The orifice opening surface and the tip end surface or side end surface of the tip of the electrostrictive element body are close to each other, and
Due to the deflection of the electrostrictive element body due to the applied voltage, the distal end face or side end face of the distal end of the element body is displaced in the direction of the opening surface of the orifice, thereby changing the orifice opening area. The applied voltage is energy-saving, and the structure is simple because the opening of the orifice is adjusted by parallel movement at the tip end face or side end face of the element body itself.

F Example The illustrated embodiment will be described below.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an electrostrictive element body having a constant thickness, the base of which is held by a fixing part 2 in a cantilevered manner, and has a rectangular shape with its long axis in the direction of the cantilever. Reference numeral 4 denotes a lead wire connected to a power source (not shown) for applying voltage to the electrostrictive element body 1. By applying a constant voltage from the lead wire 4, the electrostrictive element body 1 It bends and its tip is displaced.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an opposing plate installed in the vicinity of the distal end surface 1E of the electrostrictive element body 1, which actually constitutes a wall that blocks the flow path or a side wall surface of the flow path. 3H is an orifice drilled on the opposing plate 3 at a position corresponding to the end surface 1E, and when the opposing plate 3 is a flow path blocking wall surface, it becomes a part of the flow path, and when the opposing plate 3 is a flow path side wall surface, it becomes a part of the flow path. These are pores or openings formed in the channel wall. The tip end surface 1E of the electrostrictive element body 1 is an orifice 3
It is parallel to and closely opposed to the opening surface of H, and functions as a flow channel blocker or resistor, or a pore opening/closing valve, as described later.

The mutual arrangement of the above components is shown in Figure 2A.
Shown in B and C.

Since the variable orifice device according to the present invention has the above configuration, when a constant voltage is applied to the electrostrictive element body 1 via the lead wire 4, the electrostrictive element body 1
As shown in FIG. 1', it bends, displacing its tip surface 1E and opening the orifice 3H, and the opening area of the orifice 3H is controlled by the magnitude of the voltage.
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the orifice 3H is half opened.

By changing the opening area of the orifice 3H in this way, the flow rate passing through the orifice 3H is controlled, or the pressure is adjusted by the opening.
In addition, fluid dynamic pressure can be controlled by combining with other orifices. The operating current may be extremely small compared to the electromagnetic force method.

Note that FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views and front views similar to FIGS. 2A and 2B, and 1E' indicates the position of the tip end surface of the electrostrictive element body 1' in a bent state.

Figure 4 shows two orifices 3H ₁ on the opposing plate 3,
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which _3H2 is drilled, and is a diagram showing the relationship in this case. Figure 5 A, B,
C shows a view similar to FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, by switching the voltage applied to the electrostrictive element body 1 between positive and negative, the direction and magnitude of the swelling of the electrostrictive element body 1 are controlled, and the flow rate and pressure are controlled. Do this. That is, when a positive voltage is applied, the electrostrictive element body 1 becomes 1' as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
The orifice _3H2 opens. Conversely, when a negative voltage is applied, the electrostrictive element body 1 bends in a 1" shape as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and the orifice 3H ₁
opens. A and B in FIGS. 6 and 7 are similar to FIG. 2.

Although the changes in the electrostrictive element body 1 are exaggerated in Figures A in Figures 6 and 7 for ease of understanding, in reality, the changes in the orifices 3H ₁ and 3H ₂ are larger than the orifice diameter. The gap with the electrostrictive element 1 is very small, and the tip end surface 1E is displaced approximately parallel to the surface of the orifice, allowing accurate control.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the variable orifice device in which the opposing plate 3 is installed opposite to the side end surface 1S of the tip of the electrostrictive element body 1, and the opening surface of the orifice 3H is the tip of the electrostrictive element body 1. The portion corresponds to the side end surface 1S.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship of each element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operating state. In these figures, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate corresponding members.

FIG. 11 is a modification of FIG. 8, in which two orifices 3H ₁ and 3H ₂ are bored in the opposing plate 3, and the operation is similar to that in FIG. 4. That is, FIG. 13 showing the operating state corresponds to FIG. 7, and FIG. 14 corresponds to FIG. 6. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between each element.

The present invention is not limited to the illustrated example and can be modified in various ways. For example, depending on the shape or restrictions of the flow path, a combination of Figures 1 and 8, a combination of Figures 4 and 11,
A variable orifice device consisting of a combination of the figures, or even a combination of FIGS. 1 and 11, is also possible. The shape of the electrostrictive element body is not only rectangular but also triangular.
Various shapes such as circular shapes are available. It is also possible to have a configuration in which the electrostrictive element bodies are opposed from both sides with the opposing plate in the center. The proximity gap between the distal end face or side end face of the electrostrictive element body and the opposing plate can be set depending on usage conditions and applications. The working fluid can be not only a liquid but also a gas.

G. Effects of the invention As described above, the variable orifice device of the present invention has an extremely small operating current, so it is more economical and helps save energy than the electromagnetic force method. Unlike the electromagnetic force method, it is not necessary to connect the actuating member that receives electromagnetic force and the member facing the orifice surface. Therefore, the structure is extremely simple and inexpensive, and it can be applied under various conditions. It can be implemented in a wide range of areas. In addition, the electrostrictive element body resists the flow pressure in the orifice direction by its rigidity in the direction of its thickness (direction perpendicular to the deflection), compared to the conventional case where the pressure is received by the plate surface of the element body. There are no problems with strength and it has excellent durability. The fact that the pressure receiving direction and the operating direction of the electrostrictive element are orthogonal means that the electrostrictive element is not subjected to force in the operating direction, and can operate smoothly, resulting in extremely good control reproducibility. Furthermore, since the electrostrictive element can be easily finely adjusted, it has the effect of enabling highly accurate control.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elements in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operating state of Figure 1, and Figure 4. is a perspective view showing the configuration of another embodiment, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between each element in FIG. 4, FIGS. 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams of the operating state of FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elements in FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operating state of FIG. 8, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of still another embodiment. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an example, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elements in FIG. 11, and FIGS. 13 and 14 are explanatory diagrams of the operating state of FIG. 11. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Electrostrictive element body, 1E... Electrostrictive element body tip end surface, 1S... Electrostrictive element body side end surface, 2... Fixing part, 3... Opposing plate, 3H, 3H ₁ , 3H ₂ ... Orifice , 4... Lead wire.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] an electrostrictive element body that is fixedly held in a cantilevered manner and has a constant thickness in which the amount of deflection of the free tip side changes depending on the magnitude of an applied voltage; The opening area of the orifice is increased by the bending of the electrostrictive element body due to the applied voltage. A variable orifice device characterized by being configured to change the orifice.