Opening and closing valve

• US 6,092,782 A
• Filed: 06/22/1998
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Tamura, Kazuya, Fujiwara, Nobuhiro, Yamada, Hirosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonderer, David A
• Application Number:
  US09/100,748
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 251/129.04, 251/129.17, 251/335.2, 222/571, 239/104, 239/106, 239/119
• US Class Current: 251/129.04
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 23/00 Valves for preventing drip from nozzles

Abstract

A opening and closing valve comprises ROM in which a plurality of valve-closing program control patterns are stored in order to avoid liquid drip when the valve is closed. The valve further comprises a control unit for controlling a valve plug lift position in a direction to close the valve by controlling an amount of electric power application to a linear voice coil type driving unit in accordance with the valve-closing program control pattern.

Claims

1. An opening and closing valve including a flow passage which is controlled to be open and closed by driving an electric actuator, said opening and closing valve comprising:

a storage means which stores a plurality of valve-closing program control patterns corresponding to characteristics of fluid to be allowed to flow through said flow passage in order to avoid liquid drip when said valve is closed, said pattern being defined by a first slope concerning time for a valve plug lift position to arrive at a predetermined valve plug lift position starting from a timing of instruction to close said opening and closing valve, and by a second slope concerning time for said valve plug lift position starting from said arrival at said predetermined valve plug lift position until closure of said valve, said second slope being gentler than said first slope; and

a control means for controlling said valve plug lift position in a direction to close said valve by controlling an amount of electric power application to said electric actuator in accordance with said valve-closing program control pattern read from said storage means on the basis of said characteristic of said fluid to be allowed to flow through said passage.

2. The opening and closing valve according to claim 1, wherein said characteristic of said fluid include viscosity and surface tension of said fluid.

3. The opening and closing valve according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined valve plug lift position, said first slope, and said second slope are determined on the basis of viscosity and surface tension of said fluid.

4. The opening and closing valve according to claim 1, wherein said control means comprises a lift-detecting means for detecting said valve plug lift position, a difference-computing means for determining a difference between said valve plug lift position detected by said lift-detecting means and said valve plug lift position based on said valve-closing program control pattern, and a current amount control means for sending a current amount based on said difference determined by said difference-computing means to said electric actuator.

5. The opening and closing valve according to claim 4, wherein said lift-detecting means comprises an encoder installed to a stem of said opening and closing valve, and a counter for counting outputs of said encoder.

6. The opening and closing valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve-closing program control pattern is stored in ROM beforehand.

7. The opening and closing valve according to claim 4, wherein said valve-closing program control pattern is stored in ROM beforehand.

8. The opening and closing valve according to claim 1, comprising a valve plug composed of a diaphragm including a first thin film and a second thin film which are stacked with each other.