Proportional micromechanical valve
First Claim
1. A microvalve comprising:
- a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer, a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end; and
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure through the first member to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and second ports;
a second member defined by the second layer and attached to the displaceable structure;
a second actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure through the second member;
first electrical contacts formed through the third layer and coupled to the first actuator to provide a first electrical control signal thereto;
second electrical contacts formed through the third layer and coupled to the second actuator for providing a second electrical control signal to the second actuator;
wherein at least the first actuator thermally expands in response to the first electrical control signal; and
the second layer includes an electrical isolation structure which electrically isolates portions of the second layer so as to allow the first electrical control signal to pass only through the first actuator.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a proportional microvalve having a first, second and third layer, and having high aspect ratio geometries. The first layer defines a cavity with inlet and outlet ports. The second layer, doped to have a low resistivity and bonded between the first and third layers, defines a cavity having a flow area to permit fluid flow between the inlet and outlet ports. The second layer further defines an actuatable displaceable member, and one or more thermal actuators for actuating the displaceable member to a position between and including an open and a closed position to permit or occlude fluid flow. The third layer provides one wall of the cavity and provides electrical contacts for electrically heating the thermally expandable actuators. The thermal actuators and the displaceable member have high aspect ratios and are formed by deep reactive ion etching such that they are displaceable in the plane of the second layer while being very stiff out of the plane. Thus, both actuation and displacement of the displaceable member are in the plane of the layer.
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Citations
66 Claims
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1. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer, a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end; and
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure through the first member to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and second ports;
a second member defined by the second layer and attached to the displaceable structure;
a second actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure through the second member;
first electrical contacts formed through the third layer and coupled to the first actuator to provide a first electrical control signal thereto;
second electrical contacts formed through the third layer and coupled to the second actuator for providing a second electrical control signal to the second actuator;
wherein at least the first actuator thermally expands in response to the first electrical control signal; and
the second layer includes an electrical isolation structure which electrically isolates portions of the second layer so as to allow the first electrical control signal to pass only through the first actuator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer;
the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer;
a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end;
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and second ports; and
wherein the second end of the displaceable structure includes a u-shaped extension which at least partially surrounds the second port, the extension further defining the flow area defined by the second layer. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer, a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end; and
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and second ports wherein the second end of the displaceable structure includes an extension which surrounds the first port.
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30. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer, a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end; and
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state ralative to one of the first and second ports wherein the first actuator includes at least one sensor for sensing actuation of the first actuator.
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31. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer;
the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer;
a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end; and
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and second ports wherein the third layer further defines a third port disposed substantially opposite to the first port of the first layer. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer;
the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined in the second layer;
a first member defined by the second layer;
a displaceable structure attached to the first member and including a first end and a second end; and
a first actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer between an open state and a closed state ralative to one of the first and second ports wherein a pressure sensor is located in the first layer to measure the pressure difference between the inlet port and the outlet port.
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35. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first and third layers, the first layer defines a first port therethrough and at least one of the first and third layers defines a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through a flow area defined in the second layer, a first member suspended within a cavity region defined by the second layer and including a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the first member integrally secured to the second layer;
a second member suspended within the cavity region and including a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the second member integrally secured to the second layer;
a displaceable structure suspended within the cavity region and including a first end and a second end, the displaceable structure integrally secured to the distal end of the first suspended member and to the distal end of the second suspended member;
a first actuator unitarily formed in the second layer and operatively coupled to the first suspended member so as to displace the second end of the displaceable structure in a plane defined by the second layer and at a position between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and second ports;
first electrical contacts formed through the third layer and coupled to the first actuator to provide a first electrical control signal thereto;
a second actuator defined by the second layer and operatively coupled to the displaceable structure through the second member;
wherein the first actuator is operatively coupled to the displaceable structure through the first member; and
wherein the first actuator and the second actuator each includes a plurality of extensible ribs each having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of each of the plurality of extensible ribs protruding from the second layer and the distal end of each of the plurality of extensible ribs coupled to either the first member or the second member. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A microvalve, comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defining a first port therethrough and at least one of the first and the third layers defining a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through a flow area defined by the second layer, the second layer defines a displaceable structure and at least one actuator disposed relative to a first end of the displaceable structure to move the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer, the displaceable structure movable to place a second end portion thereof at a position between an open and a closed position relative to one of the first and the second ports; and
a U-shaped extension at the second end of the displaceable structure which at least partially surrounds the second port, the extension further defining the flow area defined by the second layer. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A microvalve comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defining a first port therethrough and at least one of the first layer and the third layer defining a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through the flow area defined by the second layer, at least a first actuator defined by the second layer and including a first extendable arm and a second extendable arm each extendable in response to an applied signal, the first extendable arm having a greater cross-sectional area than the second extendable arm such that the second extendable arm extends a relatively greater amount than the first extendable arm in response to a given applied signal; and
a displaceable structure having a first end and a second end and disposed relative to the first actuator to move the second end of the displaceable structure between an open state and a closed state relative to one of the first and the second ports. - View Dependent Claims (65)
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66. A microvalve, comprising:
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a first layer, a second layer defining a flow area, and a third layer, the second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer defining a first port therethrough and at least one of the first and the third layers defining a second port therethrough to permit fluid flow from the first port to the second port through a flow area defined by the second layer, the second layer defines a displaceable structure and at least one actuator disposed relative to a first end of the displaceable structure to move the displaceable structure in a plane parallel to the second layer, the displaceable structure movable to place a second end portion thereof at a position between an open and a closed position relative to one of the first and the second ports; and
a fourth layer, the third layer disposed between the second and the fourth layers, wherein the first layer, the second layer and the third layer define a channel therethrough, the channel being enclosed in part by the fourth layer and having an opening in each of the first and the third layers for delivery of fluid from the first layer opening to the third layer opening and into the flow area, the third layer opening being substantially coaxially disposed relative to the first port of the first layer.
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Specification