Sensor-Equipped Joint Member

• US 20070295414A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shigeaki, Yamaji, Michio, Tokuda, Ichiro, Koyomogi, Mutsunori, Tsubota, Kenji, Mine, Ichiro, Shinoharo, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,896,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/561.00A
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/003 Housing formed from a plurality of the same valve elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85938 Non-valved flow dividers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87885 Sectional block structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a joint member which suppresses the increase of the number of members and enables the provision of a further compactified integrated fluid control apparatus.

A sensor-equipped joint member 10 includes a channel block 41 including a V-shaped channel 41a formed therein for communicating adjacent fluid control devices 16 and 20 to each other at their lower-end openings, and a pressure sensor 42 provided on a side surface of the channel block 41. The channel block 41 is provided with a branched channel 41b which is branched from the V-shaped channel 41a and is communicated to the pressure sensor 42.

Claims

1. A sensor-equipped joint member comprising:

a channel block including a channel formed therein for communicating adjacent fluid control devices to each other at their lower-end openings; and

a sensor provided for the channel block.

2. The sensor-equipped joint member according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided on a side surface of the channel block.

3. The sensor-equipped joint member according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided on a side surface that is perpendicular to a direction of fluid flow.

4. The sensor-equipped joint member according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided with an RFID tag capable of reading and writing of information in a non-contact manner.

5. The sensor-equipped joint member according to claim 4, wherein the RFID tag has information written thereto about the single sensor-equipped joint member, and allows information about assembly to be additionally written thereto during the assembly.

6. The sensor-equipped joint member according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor is a pressure sensor, and

the channel block includes:

a communication channel for communicating adjacent fluid control devices to each other at their lower-end openings, the communication channel being one of V-shaped and U-shaped; and

a branched channel which is branched from the communication channel and is communicated to the pressure sensor.

7. A fluid control apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fluid control devices; and

a plurality of block-shaped joint members each provided with a channel for communicating adjacent fluid control devices to each other at their lower-end openings, wherein

at least one of the block-shaped joint members is the sensor-equipped joint member according to claim 1.

8. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is provided on a side surface of the channel block.

9. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is provided on a side surface that is perpendicular to a direction of fluid flow.

10. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is provided with an RFID tag capable of reading and writing of information in a non-contact manner.

11. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the RFID tag has information written thereto about the single sensor-equipped joint member, and allows information about assembly to be additionally written thereto during the assembly.

12. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the sensor is a pressure sensor, and

the channel block includes:

a communication channel for communicating adjacent fluid control devices to each other at their lower-end openings, the communication channel being one of V-shaped and U-shaped; and

a branched channel which is branched from the communication channel and is communicated to the pressure sensor.