KR102681361B1 - A flexible electromagnet valve, its control method and manifold using it - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a valve that controls the supply and blocking of fluid and a manifold using the valves. In particular, a flexible electromagnetic valve that can be expanded or contracted and at the same time simplifies the configuration and structure, dramatically reducing the size and weight of the valve. and its control method and a manifold using it.
The flexible electromagnetic valve according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a valve housing that has an inlet through which fluid flows in from the outside and an outlet through which fluid inside is discharged, and which expands or contracts according to the inflow and outflow of fluid, and a valve. It includes an opening and closing part that opens and closes the internal flow path of the housing, and a position control part that controls the position of the opening and closing part to open and close the flow path. Also, as a control method for a flexible electromagnetic valve, the initial stage is to open the outlet by moving the opening/closing plate downward due to a load before the inflow of fluid, and when the fluid flows in through the inlet, the opening/closing part moves to the outlet according to the flow of fluid to open the outlet. The technical feature is that it includes a closing step of closing and an opening step of opening the outlet by supplying power to the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field so that the opening and closing part is spaced from the outlet. The manifold according to the present invention is a collection of flexible electromagnetic valves. A valve assembly, a fluid inlet pipe connected to the inlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve, a fluid discharge pipe connected to the outlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve, and a power supply connected to the position control unit of the flexible electromagnetic valve to select and control the opening and closing position of each flexible electromagnetic valve. Its technical feature is that it includes a power control unit that controls the supply and blocking of .

Description

Flexible electromagnet valve, its control method and manifold using it {A flexible electromagnet valve, its control method and manifold using it}

The present invention relates to a valve that controls the supply and blocking of fluid and a manifold using the valves. In particular, a flexible electromagnetic valve that can be expanded or contracted and at the same time simplifies the configuration and structure to dramatically reduce the size and weight of the valve. and its control method and a manifold using it.

A valve is installed in the flow path to control the supply and blocking of fluid moving along the flow path, and the flow path is opened and closed according to the operation of the valve, controlling the supply and blocking of fluid.

Typically, fluids are divided into gas or liquid, and various valves are being developed depending on the characteristics of the fluid and are applied to various industrial fields. In particular, devices that require operation, such as robots, contain many flow paths and valves, and a manifold combining these flow paths and valves is mounted on the robot to control the robot's movement.

A valve typically consists of a valve housing with an inlet through which fluid flows in and an outlet through which fluid flows out, and an opening and closing part that opens and closes a flow path inside the valve housing. If the opening and closing part is operated manually, it is called a 'mechanical valve', and if the opening and closing part is operated and controlled by an electromagnet, etc., it is called an 'electronic valve'.

As described above, most of the existing mechanical valves or electronic valves have an inlet and an outlet formed in the valve housing and are configured to control the supply and blocking of fluid by opening and closing the outlet with an opening or closing part or opening and closing the flow path inside the valve housing. The housing is made of steel.

Valve housings are generally made of steel as rigidity is required, and valve housings made of steel do not change their volume. As the valve is made of high-density steel, there are limits to reducing the size of the valve and there are limits to reducing the weight of the valve. When conventional valves, which have limitations in size and weight reduction, are mounted on a moving robot, the size of the robot increases and the power required to operate the robot also increases.

WO 2018/050534(2018.03.22.) Publication of Patent No. 10-1999-0006673 (January 25, 1999) Public Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0035467 (2019.04.03.) Public Utility Model Publication No. 20-2014-0006457 (December 30, 2014)

Dielectric elastomer actuators used for pneumatic valve technology, Metin Giousouf and Gabor Kovacs (2013)

The present invention was invented to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. By constructing the valve housing with the fluid inlet and outlet formed of a flexible material that can expand and contract, the size and weight of the valve can be dramatically reduced. The purpose of the manifold composed of such valves is to provide a flexible electromagnetic valve with a dramatically reduced size and weight, a control method for the same, and a manifold using the same.

The flexible electromagnetic valve according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a valve housing that has an inlet through which external fluid flows in and an outlet through which internal fluid flows out, and which expands or contracts according to the inflow and discharge of fluid, and a valve. A technical feature is that it includes an opening and closing part that opens and closes the internal flow path of the housing, and a position control part that controls the position of the opening and closing part to open and close the flow path.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing unit opens and closes the outlet of the valve housing.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing portion can reciprocate toward the outlet, and the expansion and contraction directions of the valve housing are influenced by the moving direction of the opening and closing portion.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve housing is a flexible material, such as a material made by pressing polyurethane into cloth, or a rubber or silicone material.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve housing is expandable in the vertical direction with the edges of the upper and lower layers fixed to each other, an outlet is formed in the center of the upper layer, and an inlet is formed at the edges of the mutually fixed upper and lower layers. is formed

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing portion includes a porous plate whose edge is fixed to the valve housing and has elasticity, an opening and closing plate located corresponding to the outlet of the valve housing, and one end fixed to the porous plate and the other end. It is fixed to the opening and closing plate and includes an origami structure that supports the opening and closing plate to move up and down toward the outlet while unfolding or folding according to the fluid flow inside the valve housing.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the opening and closing plate is larger than the cross-sectional area of the outlet.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing plate is polygonal, and the origami structure is fixed to some or all of the plurality of sides of the opening and closing plate.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the position control unit is an electromagnet, and when power is applied to the electromagnet, the opening/closing unit moves toward the electromagnet and opens the outlet by the magnetic field generated.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a ferromagnetic material is fixed to the opening and closing portion.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pocket is formed on the outside of the valve housing opposite to the side where the outlet is located, and an electromagnet is inserted into the pocket.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing portion includes a porous plate whose edge is fixed to the valve housing and has elasticity, an opening and closing plate located corresponding to the outlet of the valve housing, and one end fixed to the porous plate and the other end. It includes an origami structure that is fixed to the opening and closing plate and supports the opening and closing plate to move up and down toward the outlet while unfolding or folding according to the fluid flow inside the valve housing, and a ferromagnetic material fixed to the porous plate, and the porous plate is controlled by the attraction of the electromagnet and the ferromagnetic material. When this elastic deformation occurs, the opening and closing plate is spaced apart from the outlet even if the origami structure unfolds.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing plate is made of a polymer material having viscoelasticity.

The present invention to achieve the above object is a control method of a flexible electromagnetic valve having an expandable and contractable valve housing, which includes an initial stage of opening the outlet by moving the opening and closing plate downward due to a load before the inflow of fluid, and When the fluid flows in through the inlet, it includes a closing step in which the opening and closing unit moves to the outlet and closes the outlet according to the flow of fluid, and an opening step in which the outlet is opened by supplying power to an electromagnet to generate a magnetic field so that the opening and closing unit is spaced apart from the outlet. It is a technical feature.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the closing step and the opening step are repeated one or more times, the inflow of fluid is blocked to proceed to the initial step.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing unit includes an opening and closing plate located corresponding to the outlet of the valve housing, and an origami structure that supports the opening and closing plate to move up and down toward the outlet while unfolding or folding according to the fluid flow inside the valve housing. It includes, and in the closing stage, the opening and closing plate can close the outlet by compensating for the change in the position of the outlet as the valve housing expands in the outlet direction with the unfolding of the origami structure.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an elastic porous plate is fixed inside the valve housing, both ends of the origami structure are fixed to the opening and closing plate and the porous plate, respectively, and when power is supplied, the electromagnet and the porous plate are fixed to the porous plate. The porous plate is elastically deformed by the attraction with the ferromagnetic material, causing the opening and closing plate to separate from the outlet. When the power supply is cut off, the porous plate is restored and the opening and closing plate closes the outlet.

The manifold according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a valve assembly in which flexible electromagnetic valves are gathered, a fluid inlet pipe connected to the inlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve, a fluid discharge pipe connected to the outlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve, and a flexible electromagnet. A technical feature is that it includes a power control unit that is connected to the position control unit of the valve and controls the supply and cutoff of power to select and control the opening and closing positions of each flexible electromagnetic valve.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pump that supplies fluid is connected to the fluid inlet pipe.

Additionally, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an actuator is connected to the fluid discharge pipe.

As described above, the flexible electromagnetic valve and its control method according to the present invention and the manifold using the same have a valve housing capable of expansion and contraction, and thus have a relatively small volume compared to a conventional valve with a steel valve housing. It has the advantage of having a small weight.

As such, the volume and weight of the flexible electromagnetic valve and its control method according to the present invention and the manifold using the same can be configured to be small, so robots and industrial equipment to which the valve and manifold of the present invention are applied can also be miniaturized and lightweight. There is an advantage in that it is possible.

1 is a perspective view showing a flexible electromagnetic valve according to the present invention,
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3a is a partial cross-sectional view of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in Figure 1;
FIG. 3B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in FIG. 1.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which no fluid flows into the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in Figure 1, that is, a state in which the valve is contracted;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which fluid flows into the inlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in Figure 4, but the outlet is closed by the opening and closing part;
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which power is applied to the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in Figure 5 and the outlet is opened.
Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a manifold in which a plurality of flexible electromagnetic valves and pipes shown in Figure 1 are combined;
FIGS. 8A and 8B are conceptual diagrams of operating an actuator by applying power to some flexible electromagnetic valves of the manifold shown in FIG. 7.

Below, preferred embodiments of the flexible electromagnetic valve and the manifold using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a flexible electromagnetic valve according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in FIG. 1, Figure 3b is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in Figure 1. And FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which fluid does not flow into the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in FIG. 1, that is, the valve is contracted, and FIG. 5 shows fluid flowing into the inlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in FIG. 4, but not in the opening and closing part. It is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the outlet is closed, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which power is applied to the flexible electromagnetic valve shown in FIG. 5 and the outlet is opened. In addition, Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a manifold in which a plurality of flexible electromagnetic valves and pipes shown in Figure 1 are combined, and Figures 8a and 8b show power applied to some flexible electromagnetic valves of the manifold shown in Figure 7. This is a conceptual diagram of operating an actuator.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3B, the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 has an inlet 111 through which fluid flows in and an outlet 113 through which the introduced fluid is discharged, and expands or contracts according to the inflow and discharge of fluid. A valve housing 110 made of a flexible material, which is mounted inside the valve housing 110 and has an opening/closing part 120 that opens and closes the outlet 113, and an opening/closing part 120 to open the outlet 113 closed by the opening/closing part 120. It includes a position control unit 130 that controls the position of the opening and closing unit 120.

In the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 configured in this way, when fluid flows in through the inlet 111 of the valve housing 110, the opening and closing part 120 closes the outlet 113 by hydraulic pressure, and the outlet 113 closes the opening and closing part 120. ), the valve housing 110 is filled with fluid and expands as it is closed. Afterwards, when the position control unit 130 operates, the opening/closing unit 120 opens the outlet 113 and fluid is discharged through the outlet 113.

Below, the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 configured as described above will be described in detail. Prior to this, the fluid is in either a gas or liquid state, and the gas, or air, is specifically described below. However, even if the fluid is in a liquid state, the flexible electromagnetic valve according to the present invention can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3B, the valve housing 110 has an inlet 111 formed on the side and an outlet 113 formed on the top, and the valve housing 110 is made of a flexible material to expand and contract. This is possible. More specifically, the valve housing 110 is a flexible material that does not allow internal air to leak, and may be made of polyurethane heat-pressed on cloth. Alternatively, it may be made of rubber or silicone.

The valve housing 110 is configured so that the upper layer 110H and the lower layer 110L are integrated by heat-sealing the contact portions while the upper layer 110H and the lower layer 110L are stacked symmetrically.

Here, an outlet 113 is formed at the center of the upper layer 110H and an inlet 111 is formed at the area where the upper layer 110H and the lower layer 110L contact, and the valve housing 110 configured in this way has an outlet 113. It is desirable that expansion and contraction occur in the direction in which is located. That is, when air flows into the inside of the valve housing 110 and expands, it expands upward and downward, and when the air inside is discharged and no air flows into the inlet, the valve housing 110 returns to its original shape and contracts flat. do.

An opening and closing part 120 is provided inside the valve housing 110, and the opening and closing part 120 is configured to be movable upward toward the outlet 113 or downward toward the opposite side.

Specifically, the opening/closing unit 120 is located inside the valve housing 110 and includes a porous plate 125 that is deformable in the vertical direction toward the outlet 113. More specifically, it is preferable that the edge of the perforated plate 125 is fixed between the upper layer 110H and the lower layer 110L of the valve housing 110 with the edge sandwiched between the upper layer 110H and the lower layer 110L. According to this structure, the perforated plate 125 is positioned horizontally at the midpoint of the inlet 111.

In this structure where the perforated plate 125 is installed, when the outlet 113 of the valve housing 110 is closed by the opening and closing part 120 and air flows into the inlet 111, the pressure inside the valve housing 110 is transferred to the valve housing 110. (110) As it acts uniformly on the entire inner surface, the perforated plate 125 is not deformed and remains horizontal.

In addition, when the outlet 113 is opened and the air flowing into the inlet 111 is discharged through the outlet 113, a fluid flow occurs inside the valve housing 110, and the air below the porous plate 125 is discharged through the porous plate 113. It flows toward the top, that is, the outlet 113, and is discharged through the holes 125H of (125).

A permanent magnet 127, which is a ferromagnetic material, is fixed to the bottom of the porous plate 125 configured as described above. And a pocket 115 is formed on the bottom of the lower part of the valve housing 110, and an electromagnet 131, which is a position control unit, is inserted and positioned in the pocket 115.

Therefore, when power is applied to the electromagnet 131 located on the bottom of the lower layer 110L, a magnetic field is formed, and an attractive force is generated with the permanent magnet 127 fixed to the bottom of the perforated plate 125, causing the permanent magnet 127 to move downward. It moves, and as a result, the porous plate 125 is elastically deformed downward, that is, toward the lower portion 110L of the valve housing 110 where the electromagnet 131 is located. In this state, when the power supplied to the electromagnet 131 is cut off, the attractive force is released and the perforated plate 125 is restored to a horizontal state.

In the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 according to the present invention, an opening and closing plate 121 is located on the upper surface of the perforated plate 125 to block and close the outlet 113 or to open the outlet 113 by being spaced apart from the outlet 113. The opening and closing plate 121 is made of a polymer material and has viscoelasticity, and when the opening and closing plate 121 is in contact with the bottom surface of the outlet 113, the sealing property is excellent due to the viscoelasticity of the polymer.

Meanwhile, the opening and closing plate 121 has a square structure and the cross-sectional area of the opening and closing plate 121 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the outlet 113. Therefore, when the opening and closing plate 121 moves upward and comes into contact with the outlet 113, the opening and closing plate 121 completely covers the outlet 113, and due to the nature of the polymer material, a gap occurs between the outlet 113 and the opening and closing plate 121. won't do it.

The opening and closing plate 121 of a square structure is equipped with an origami structure 123 along four sides of the edge. When the opening/closing plate 121 moves downward by the electromagnet 131, the origami structure 123 folds and the outlet 113 opens. Conversely, when the opening/closing plate 121 moves upward, the origami structure 123 unfolds. As it falls, the opening and closing plate 121 closes the outlet 113.

More specifically, the upper end of the origami structure 123 is fixed along each side of the opening and closing plate 121, and the lower end of the origami structure 123 is fixed to the perforated plate 125, so that each origami structure 123 is folded or The deformation is small in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, which is the unfolding direction.

Therefore, as the origami structure 123 is mounted on each of the four sides of the opening and closing plate 121, which has a square structure, the opening and closing plate 121 only moves in the vertical direction according to the folding structure of the origami structure 123, and moves in the lateral direction. It is configured not to move. Here, the fact that the opening and closing plate is square is only an example, and the opening and closing plate can be made into a polygon and an origami structure can be mounted on each side. Or, depending on the direction of fluid flow, the origami structure may be mounted only on some of the sides of the entire opening and closing plate. .

Below, the operational relationship of the flexible electromagnetic valve according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the initial state (S1) in which air does not flow into the inlet 111 of the valve housing 110, a pressure equal to atmospheric pressure acts inside the valve housing 110, so the opening and closing plate 121 is It moves downward by its own weight and is seated on the upper surface of the porous plate 125, and the origami structure 123 is also seated on the upper surface of the porous plate 125 in a folded state as shown in FIG. 4.

As pressure is no longer applied inside the valve housing 110, the valve housing 110 also maintains its original state, that is, a relatively flat and contracted state compared to the operating state of the valve described below.

In this way, when compressed air flows into the inlet 111 of the valve housing 110 in the initial state (S1), as shown in FIG. 5, the air flows into the upper and lower parts based on the perforated plate 125, and the introduced Since the outlet 113 is open, the air flows in the outlet direction due to the pressure difference. At this time, the air flowing under the perforated plate 125 flows upward through the holes 125H of the perforated plate 125 due to the pressure difference, and the air flowing upward flows through the opening and closing plate ( By pushing up the bottom surface of 121), the opening and closing plate 121 moves upward as shown in FIG. 5.

As the opening and closing plate 121 moves upward by air pressure, the origami structure 123, which was folded in the initial state (S1), is unfolded.

As the origami structure 123 unfolds, the opening and closing plate 121 comes into contact with the bottom of the outlet 113 and closes the outlet 113.

In this way, air flows in through the inlet 111 of the valve housing 110, and the opening/closing plate 121 moves upward due to air pressure to close the outlet 113, which is referred to as a closed state (S3).

In the closed state (S3), the pressure inside the valve housing 110 increases, and when it exceeds the set pressure, the safety device blocks the air flowing into the inlet 111 to prevent the valve housing 110 from continuously expanding. You can also add more.

Meanwhile, as air flows into the inlet 111 in the initial state (S1), some of the air flows into the upper part of the perforated plate 125, but depending on the structural characteristics of the origami structure 123, the opening and closing plate 121 is positioned at the top and bottom. Since it moves only in one direction, the opening/closing plate 121 only moves toward the exit 113 and the direction of movement does not change.

In addition, the existing valves did not change the position of the outlet as the outlet was formed in the steel valve housing, but the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 according to the present invention has the outlet 113 as the valve housing 110 flexibly expands and contracts. The position of is located at various points within the range that can be moved up and down. In this regard, as the origami structure 123 supports the opening and closing plate 121 to move only in the vertical direction, a change in the position of the outlet 113 can be compensated for by folding the origami structure 123. That is, since the origami structure 123 unfolds in the vertical direction and the outlet 113 also changes its position in the vertical direction according to the expansion and contraction of the valve housing 110, the position change of the outlet 113 is reflected in the origami structure 123. Compensation is possible.

When power is supplied to the electromagnet 131 in the closed state (S3) like this, an attractive force is generated between the electromagnet 131 and the permanent magnet 127, and the permanent magnet 127 is connected to the electromagnet 131 by this attractive force. It moves toward, and at this time, the perforated plate 125 is deformed downward.

The range in which the perforated plate 125 is deformed downward is a range in which the opening and closing plate 121 is spaced apart from the outlet 113 due to downward elastic deformation of the perforated plate 125 even when the origami structure 123 is fully unfolded. .

In this way, when the outlet 113 is opened by the attraction of the electromagnet 131 and the permanent magnet 127, the air introduced through the inlet 111 of the valve housing 110 is discharged through the outlet 113, and in this state is called the open state (S5).

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, when in the closed state (FIG. 5), the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 expands the most in volume, and when in the open state (FIG. 6), the volume increases as air is discharged compared to the closed state. is reduced, but has a larger volume than the initial state (Figure 4).

In the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 according to the present invention, when air is introduced in the initial state (S1), the valve housing 110 expands and the outlet 113 is closed by air pressure to enter the closed state (S3), and the electromagnet is in a closed state (S3). When power is supplied to (131), the outlet 113 is opened by manpower in an open state (S5). And if the power is cut off again while air is flowing in, it goes into a closed state (S3), and when the air flowing into the inlet 111 is blocked, it goes into the initial state (S1).

In the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 operating in this way, when the supply and cutoff of power is repeated while air is flowing in, the opening and closing of the outlet 113 is repeated, and accordingly, the operation of the pneumatic actuator connected to the outlet 113 can be controlled.

A plurality of flexible electromagnetic valves 100 according to the present invention may be connected to form a manifold 200.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the manifold 200 includes a valve assembly 210 to which a plurality of flexible electromagnetic valves 100 are connected, and a plurality of inlet pipes connected to the inlet 111 of each valve housing 110. (220), a plurality of discharge pipes 230 connected to the outlet 113 of the valve housing 110, and a pocket 115 formed on the bottom of the valve housing 110 to which the inlet pipe 220 and the discharge pipe 230 are connected. It includes a plurality of electromagnets 131 inserted into, the inlet pipe 220 is connected to the air pump 250, and the plurality of electromagnets 131 are connected to the power control unit 240.

In the manifold 200 configured as described above, the air pump 250 supplies compressed air to each flexible electromagnetic valve 100 through the inlet pipe 220. When air flows into the valve housing 110 through the inlet pipe 220, the valve housing 110 expands and enters a closed state (S3).

In this state, the power control unit 240 selectively applies power to the flexible electromagnetic valve 100, which must supply compressed air to the actuator. Then, only the flexible electromagnetic valve 100 to which power is applied is in the open state (S5), and compressed air is supplied to the actuator through the discharge pipe 230.

According to this operating sequence, some or all of the flexible electromagnetic valves 100 constituting the valve assembly 210 are repeatedly closed (see FIG. 5) and opened (see FIG. 6), and the actuator is operated.

Meanwhile, although not shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the flexible electromagnetic valve in which the inlet pipe 220 is not connected or the inflow of air is blocked even if it is connected is in the initial state (S1) and is in a contracted state as shown in FIG. 4. maintain.

In the case of conventional valves, there is a problem in that the valve housing is made of steel and thus maintains a constant size even when the valve is not used in the manifold. However, in the manifold 200 according to the present invention, the flexible electromagnetic valve in the initial state is in a contracted state. There is an advantage in that the overall size and weight of the manifold 200 can be reduced by maintaining .

The electromagnet 131 can also be inserted into or removed from the pocket 115 formed on the bottom of the valve housing 110, which has the advantage of reducing the weight of the flexible electromagnet valve 100 and the manifold 200.

100: Flexible electromagnet valve
110: valve housing
110H: upper layer
110L: lower layer
111: Entrance
113: exit
115: pocket
120: opening and closing part
121: Opening and closing plate
123: Origami structure
125: Perforated plate
125H: Hole
127: permanent magnet
130: Position control unit
131: electromagnet
200: Manifold
210: Valve assembly
220: inlet pipe
230: discharge pipe
240: Power control unit
250: Air pump

Claims (20)

A valve housing having an inlet through which external fluid flows in and an outlet through which internal fluid flows out, and which expands or contracts according to the inflow and outflow of fluid;
An opening and closing part that opens and closes the internal flow path of the valve housing,
It includes a position control unit that controls the position of the opening and closing portion to open and close the flow path,
The valve housing has edges of the upper and lower layers fixed to each other so that it can expand in the vertical direction. An outlet is formed in the center of the upper layer, and an inlet is formed at the edges of the mutually fixed upper and lower layers.
The opening and closing part,
A perforated plate whose edge is fixed to the valve housing and has elasticity,
An opening and closing plate located corresponding to the outlet of the valve housing,
A flexible electromagnetic valve comprising an origami structure that has one end fixed to a perforated plate and the other end fixed to an opening and closing plate, and which supports the opening and closing plate to move up and down toward the outlet while unfolding or folding according to the fluid flow inside the valve housing.
According to paragraph 1,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that the opening and closing part opens and closes the outlet of the valve housing.
According to paragraph 2,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that the opening and closing portion can reciprocate toward the outlet, and the direction of expansion and contraction of the valve housing is the moving direction of the opening and closing portion.
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The valve housing is a flexible material, a flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that it is a material made of polyurethane pressed into cloth, or a rubber or silicone material.
delete delete According to paragraph 1,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the opening and closing plate is larger than the cross-sectional area of the outlet.
In clause 7,
A flexible electromagnetic valve wherein the opening and closing plate is polygonal and an origami structure is fixed to some or all of the plurality of sides of the opening and closing plate.
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The position control unit is an electromagnet, and is a flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that the opening and closing part moves toward the electromagnet and opens the outlet by the magnetic field generated when power is applied to the electromagnet.
According to clause 9,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized by a ferromagnetic material fixed to the opening and closing part.
According to clause 10,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that a pocket is formed on the outside of the valve housing opposite to the side where the outlet is located, and an electromagnet is inserted into the pocket.
According to clause 9,
The opening and closing unit includes a porous plate whose edges are fixed to the valve housing and has elasticity, an opening and closing plate located corresponding to the outlet of the valve housing, one end fixed to the porous plate and the other end fixed to the opening and closing plate, and a fluid flow inside the valve housing. It includes an origami structure that supports the opening and closing plate to move up and down toward the exit as it unfolds or folds, and a ferromagnetic material fixed to the perforated plate,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that when the perforated plate is elastically deformed by the attraction of the electromagnet and the ferromagnetic material, the opening and closing plate is spaced apart from the outlet even if the origami structure is unfolded.
According to paragraph 1,
A flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that the opening and closing plate is made of a polymer material with viscoelasticity.
As a control method for the flexible electromagnetic valve of claim 1,
Before the inflow of fluid, the opening and closing plate moves downward due to the load and opens the outlet;
When fluid flows in through the inlet, a closing step in which the opening and closing part moves to the outlet according to the flow of fluid and closes the outlet;
A control method of a flexible electromagnetic valve comprising an opening step of supplying power to an electromagnet to generate a magnetic field to separate the opening and closing portion from the outlet, thereby opening the outlet.
According to clause 14,
A control method of a flexible electromagnetic valve, characterized in that the closing and opening steps are repeated one or more times, then the inflow of fluid is blocked and the initial step is proceeded.
According to claim 14 or 15,
The opening and closing unit includes an opening and closing plate located corresponding to the outlet of the valve housing and an origami structure that supports the opening and closing plate to move up and down toward the outlet while unfolding or folding according to the fluid flow inside the valve housing,
A control method of a flexible electromagnetic valve, characterized in that the opening/closing plate closes the outlet by compensating for the change in the position of the outlet as the valve housing expands in the outlet direction in the closing stage by unfolding the origami structure.
According to clause 16,
An elastic porous plate is fixed inside the valve housing, and both ends of the origami structure are fixed to the opening/closing plate and the porous plate, respectively. When power is supplied, the porous plate is elastically deformed by the attraction between the electromagnet and the ferromagnetic material fixed to the porous plate. A control method of a flexible electromagnetic valve characterized in that the opening and closing plate is separated from the outlet, and when the power supply is cut off, the porous plate is restored and the opening and closing plate closes the outlet.
A valve assembly comprising the flexible electromagnetic valves of claim 1,
a fluid inlet pipe connected to the inlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve;
a fluid discharge pipe connected to the outlet of the flexible electromagnetic valve;
A manifold characterized in that it includes a power control unit that is connected to the position control unit of the flexible electromagnetic valve and controls the supply and blocking of power to select and control the opening and closing positions of each flexible electromagnetic valve.
According to clause 18,
A manifold characterized in that a pump that supplies fluid is connected to the fluid inlet pipe.
According to claim 18 or 19,
A manifold characterized in that an actuator is connected to the fluid discharge pipe.

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