SMA valve for controlling pressurized air supply to an air cell in a vehicle seat

• US 10,207,619 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kongsberg Automotive AS (Kongsberg Automotive ASA)
• Inventors: Dankbaar, Frank, Gronhage, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Venkatesan, Umashankar
• Application Number:
  US15/104,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20170015222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 25112906, 251 11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/914 Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/976 massaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/002 actuated by temperature variation thermo-electric F16K31/025

Abstract

The present invention provides a SMA valve for controlling pressurized air supply to an air cell in a vehicle seat comprising: a valve housing, a valve element (4) which is moveably suspended in the housing to be moveable between a closed position and an open position, a spring element adapted to exert a bias force on the valve element urging it to the closed position, and a SMA wire (1) extending between a part fixed in the housing and the valve element and arranged such that shortening of the SMA wire upon exceeding its threshold temperature exerts a force on the valve element which pulls the valve element away from the closed position against the bias force of the spring element, characterized in that the valve element (4) is suspended by a connecting link (10, 10′) connected with one of its ends to the valve element (4) and with its opposite end to a stationary component (8) in the housing by a hinge (12, 12′) enabling pivotal movement of the connecting link (10, 10′) between a first and second position of the connecting link corresponding to the closed and open position of the valve element (4), respectively.

Claims

1. An SMA valve for controlling pressurized air supply to an air cell in a vehicle seat comprising:

a valve housing,

a valve element which is moveably suspended in the housing to be moveable between a closed position in which the valve element is in sealing abutment with a valve seat which establishes a closed state of the valve, and an open position in which the valve element is moved away from the valve seat corresponding to an open state of the valve,

a spring element adapted to exert a bias force on the valve element urging it to the closed position, and

an SMA wire extending between a part fixed in the housing and the valve element and arranged such that shortening of the SMA wire upon exceeding a threshold temperature exerts a force on the valve element which pulls the valve element away from the closed position against the bias force of the spring element,

wherein the valve element is suspended by a connecting link having ends with the connecting linking connected with one of the ends to the valve element and with the opposite end to a stationary component in the housing by a hinge enabling pivotal movement of the connecting link between a first position and a second position of the connecting link corresponding to the closed and open positions of the valve element, respectively; and

wherein the stationary component and the connecting link are integrally formed and the hinge is a solid state hinge with a zone of weakened material thickness.

2. The SMA valve according to claim 1, wherein the stationary component, the connecting link and the moveable valve element are integrally formed of plastic material.

3. The SMA valve according to claim 2, the connecting link is connected to the valve element by a valve element hinge enabling the valve element to keep a longitudinal axis in the same orientation in space during the pivotal movement of the connecting link between the first and second positions.

4. The SMA valve according to claim 2, wherein the connecting link is extending with respect to the valve element such that it is oriented perpendicular to the movement direction of the valve element at least once during the movement of the valve element between the first and second positions.

5. The SMA valve according to claim 1, wherein the connecting link is connected to the valve element by a valve element hinge enabling the valve element to keep a longitudinal axis in the same orientation in space during the pivotal movement of the connecting link between the first and second positions.

6. The SMA valve according to claim 5, wherein the stationary component, the connecting link and the moveable valve element are integrally formed of plastic material and that both the hinge and the valve element hinge are solid state hinges, each having a zone of weakened material thickness.

7. The SMA valve according to claim 5, wherein the connecting link is further defined as a first connecting link extending between a first portion of the valve element and a first hinge on the stationary component, and a second connecting link extending between a second portion spaced apart from the first portion of the valve element in moving direction thereof and a second hinge on the stationary component, the first and second hinges being likewise spaced apart in moving direction of the valve element when moving between the first and second positions so that a parallelogram suspension of the valve element on the stationary component is formed.

8. The SMA valve according to claim 7, wherein the first connecting link and the second connecting link extend parallel to each other.

9. The SMA valve according to claim 8, wherein the stationary component, the first connecting link, the second connecting link, and the moveable valve element are integrally formed of plastic material and that the first and second hinges as well as the valve element hinges connecting the first and second connecting links to the valve element are solid state hinges each having a zone of weakened material thickness.

10. The SMA valve according to claim 7, wherein the stationary component, the first connecting link, the second connecting link, and the moveable valve element are integrally formed of plastic material and that the first and second hinges as well as the valve element hinges connecting the first and second connecting links to the valve element are solid state hinges each having a zone of weakened material thickness.

11. The SMA valve according to claim 1, wherein the connecting link is extending with respect to the valve element such that it is oriented perpendicular to the movement direction of the valve element at least once during the movement of the valve element between the first and second positions.

12. The SMA valve according to claim 1, wherein the SMA wire extends from the valve element in a first rectilinear portion to a deflection member at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the valve element that is smaller than 90°

, and from the deflection member in a second portion at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the valve element that is smaller than 45°

.

13. The SMA valve according to claim 12, wherein the deflection member are provided by a protrusion on the stationary component around which the SMA wire is routed.

14. The SMA valve according to claim 12, wherein the SMA wire extends in the second portion parallel to the longitudinal direction of the valve element.

15. The SMA valve according to claim 12, wherein the SMA wire extends from a first fixation point where it is fixed with respect to the stationary component along said second portion to the deflections member, along said first portion to the valve element where it is guided in a groove around the valve element to an opposite side where the SMA wire is extending in a symmetrical manner along an opposite first portion to an opposite deflection member and from there along an opposite second portion to an opposite fixation point fixed with respect to the stationary component.

16. An SMA valve for controlling pressurized air supply to an air cell in a vehicle seat comprising:

a valve housing,

a valve element which is moveably suspended in the housing to be moveable between a closed position in which the valve element is in sealing abutment with a valve seat which establishes a closed state of the valve, and an open position in which the valve element is moved away from the valve seat corresponding to an open state of the valve,

a spring element adapted to exert a bias force on the valve element urging it to the closed position, and

an SMA wire extending between a part fixed in the housing and the valve element and arranged such that shortening of the SMA wire upon exceeding a threshold temperature exerts a force on the valve element which pulls the valve element away from the closed position against the bias force of the spring element,

wherein the valve element is suspended by a connecting link having ends with the connecting linking connected with one of the ends to the valve element and with the opposite end to a stationary component in the housing by a hinge enabling pivotal movement of the connecting link between a first position and a second position of the connecting link corresponding to the closed and open positions of the valve element, respectively; and

wherein the stationary component is formed by an elongated mounting bar which is adapted to be connectable to a mounting plate to be fixed in the valve housing, wherein the suspension is arranged such that the orientation of the valve element is such that a longitudinal direction of the valve element is essentially parallel to the mounting plate.

17. The SMA valve according to claim 16, wherein the stationary component, the connecting link and the moveable valve element are integrally formed of plastic material and that the hinge is a solid state hinge with a zone of weakened material thickness.

18. The SMA valve according to claim 16, wherein the connecting link is connected to the valve element by a valve element hinge enabling the valve element to keep a longitudinal axis in the same orientation in space during the pivotal movement of the connecting link between the first and second positions.

19. The SMA valve according to claim 16, wherein the connecting link is extending with respect to the valve element such that it is oriented perpendicular to the movement direction of the valve element at least once during the movement of the valve element between the first and second positions.

20. The SMA valve according to claim 16, wherein the SMA wire extends from the valve element in a first rectilinear portion to a deflection member at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the valve element that is smaller than 90°

, and from the deflection member in a second portion at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the valve element that is smaller than 45°

.