Valve module for vacuum pump

Abstract

The present invention relates to a valve module for a vacuum pump, the valve module comprising: a through-type body mounted in a pad communication hole of the vacuum pump; and a valve which is disposed in the main body and which opens and closes the central passage during ascending / descending. In the present invention, in particular, an exhaust passage of the pad is an air flow path formed between an inner wall of a main body and an outer wall of a valve to be connected to a passage, the passage including: one or more longitudinal air guide-grooves formed in the inner wall or the outer wall; and a micro-hole formed in the valve or / and in the body to dredge the guide-groove from the central passage. As a result, even if the main body is made of an elastically deformable material, there is no concern that the flow path is clogged or deformed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a valve controlling the flow of gas, and more particularly, to a valve module fastened to a vacuum pump and used for the vacuum pump. BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, the vacuum pump includes a chamber in a hollow form, and an air ejector provided in the chamber in a hose connection or an internal installation, with a pad for adsorption connected through a communication-hole formed on one side of the chamber.

[0003] Briefly, when compressed air is passed at high speed through the ejector in a state that the pad is in contact with the surface of an object, the air inside the pad is drained through the communication-hole and the chamber into the ejector, and is discharged to the outside together with the compressed air. In this process, a vacuum and a negative pressure are generated inside the pad, and the object is adsorbed to the pad by the generated negative pressure.

[0004] The adsorbed object is transferred to a designated position by an automated or robotic system.

[0005] Among them, when the diameter of the communication-hole is too large, the vacuum of the device reaches a level of decrease, and on the contrary, when the diameter is too small, the vacuum reaches a speed of slowness. Thus, a proper valve element needs to be provided on the communication-hole. Actually, a flexible valve, an UP / DOWN plate valve, a ball valve, etc. are used as this valve.

[0006] Figure 1 A valve assembly disclosed in Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-2570475 as the plate valve is shown. Among them, a vacuum pump 110 includes a chamber in a hollow form and a so-called air ejector 112 disposed inside or outside thereof, and the valve assembly 100 is installed through a communication-hole 113 formed on the chamber plate 111. The valve assembly 100 specifically includes a main body 101 of a vertical through type, which is inserted and fixed in the communication-hole 113, and a valve 102, which is movably disposed up and down inside thereof, and further includes a micro-hole 103 formed on an appropriate position of the valve 102.

[0007] In this structure, when compressed air is discharged at high speed through the air ejector 112, a pad 120 for adsorption connected in communication with the lower portion of the main body 101 is exhausted. Reference numeral 'W' indicates an adsorbed object.

[0008] Referring to the drawings, initially the valve 102 is in a state of opening the central passage 104 of the main body 101 in the 'DOWN' position, so that a large amount of exhaust gas can be discharged at the 'initial' moment of operation, and the valve 102 starts to move to the 'UP' position by the air pressure, so that exhaust gas can be discharged only through the micro-hole 103. By this method, the valve assembly 100 functions to simultaneously improve the vacuum reaching speed and level of the device.

[0009] In this structure, in order to discharge the 'initial' exhaust gas, the inner wall of the main body 101 needs to maintain a certain interval path 105 corresponding to the side surface of the valve 102. Therefore, the main body 101 is in principle made of a hard plastic or metal without deformation concerns. However, in this case, there is a problem that the design and manufacture of the main body 101 and the valve assembly 100 are complicated, and it is difficult to perform close and airtight assembly and installation of the communication hole 113.

[0010] In fact, as in the valve structure disclosed in US Patent No. 11,331,813, a portion corresponding to the main body 101 is formed of an elastically deformable material such as an elastomer, so that the problem can be partially eliminated. However, in this case, there is a concern that the path 105 can be greatly reduced or even blocked due to the deformability of the main body 101. Of course, the result can be different depending on the degree of deformability.

[0011] As a countermeasure, a separate rigid support structure can be added to the inner wall of the main body 101, but in this case, the productivity is significantly reduced.

[0012] <Prior Art Documents>

[0013] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-0793323

[0014] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-2652932

[0015] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-2570475

[0016] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-2616159

[0017] US Patent Gazette No. 11,331,813 SUMMARY

[0018] TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0019] The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art described above. The object of the present invention is to provide a valve module for a vacuum pump, the main body part being formed of an elastic material, while a gas exhaust passage is specially designed, so that it is easy to manufacture and install and freely performs gas suction / exhaust operation.

[0020] Technical Solution

[0021] The valve module of the present invention:

[0022] includes: a through-type main body installed in a gasket communication-hole of a vacuum pump; a valve disposed in the main body to open / close a central passage,

[0023] the main body:

[0024] is formed of an elastic deformable material, and includes: an annular installation-groove formed along an outer circumferential surface of the main body; and an expansion-type space part formed in a portion of the passage to enable the valve to move within a certain range;

[0025] the valve:

[0026] is an UP / DOWN valve which moves up / down within the range of the space part by exhaust pressure to open / close the central passage of the main body;

[0027] the gasket exhaust passage:

[0028] is an air flow path formed between an inner wall of the space part and an outer wall of the valve to be connected to the central passage, and includes: a longitudinal air guide-groove formed in the inner wall or the outer wall; and a gap or a micro-hole formed between the valve and the main body to open the guide-groove and the central passage.

[0029] Preferably, the material of the main body is an elastomer or synthetic rubber. In contrast, the material of the valve is plastic.

[0030] Preferably, in order to be easily installed in the communication-hole, the main body includes an annular 'V'-groove formed in depth from the upper surface. In addition, in order to enhance the air tightness of the installation in the communication-hole, the installation-groove is formed in a shape in which the width of the entrance of the groove is narrower than the bottom of the inner surface part.

[0031] Effects of the Invention

[0032] The valve module according to the present invention has the following effects: since the main body installed on the communication-hole is formed of an elastic deformable material, it is easy to manufacture and install, and in particular, even in the case of arbitrary deformation due to the material characteristics of the main body, the exhaust passage is maintained safe and stable due to the constitution of the guide-groove. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of an existing plate valve.

[0034] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a valve module according to the present application.

[0035] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2

[0036] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 2

[0037] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional exploded perspective view of Figure 2

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic view for explaining the installation of a valve module according to the present application.

[0039] Figure 7 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of a valve module Figure 6

[0040] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0041] 10. Valve module

[0042] 11. Body

[0043] 12. Passage

[0044] 13. Valve 13a. Outer wall

[0045] 14. Mounting slot

[0046] 14a. Bottom 14b. Inlet

[0047] 15. Space portion

[0048] 15a. Inner wall 15b. Upper end-rail

[0049] 16. Spring

[0050] 17. Channel

[0051] 18. Guide slot

[0052] 19. V-slot

[0053] 20. Micro-hole

[0054] 21. Air-slot

[0055] 111. Plate

[0056] 112. Injector ​​​​

[0057] 113. communication hole

[0058] 120. pad DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The features and effects of the 'valve module for vacuum pump' (hereinafter referred to as 'valve module') of the present application described above or not described above will be more apparent through the description of the preferred embodiment described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In Figure 2 The valve module of the present application is designated by reference numeral '10' in the accompanying drawings hereinafter.

[0060] Referring to Figures 2 to 6 , the valve module 10 of the present application basically includes: a through-type body 11 installed at a pad communication hole 113 of a vacuum pump; and a valve 13 disposed inside the body 11 to open and close a central passage 12 of the body 11. In general, the vacuum pump includes a hollow chamber and a so-called air ejector provided inside or outside thereof, and the valve module 10 is installed through the communication hole 113 formed on a plate 111 of one side of the chamber (refer to Figure 6 ).

[0061] Specifically, the body 11 is integrally formed as an elastically deformable material, and includes: an annular installation groove 14 formed along an outer circumferential surface of the body; and an expansion-type space portion 15 formed at a portion of the passage 12 to enable the valve 13 to move within a certain range. The material of the body 11 is preferably an elastomer or synthetic rubber.

[0062] The valve 13 refers to an UP / DOWN valve disposed in the space portion 15 and moving up and down within the space thereof to open and close the central passage 12 of the body 11, and is preferably formed of a plastic material. The body 11 is formed of an elastically deformable material, and thus, there is no particular difficulty in disposing the valve 13 inside the space portion 15 when the valve module 10 is assembled.

[0063] In the present embodiment, the valve 13 is formed as a plate-type valve, but in other examples, it can be a ball valve or other type of valve. Reference numeral 16 is a spring disposed at the passage 12 to elastically support the movement of the valve 13, and the valve 13 is formed in a concave shape on the upper surface to enable one end of the spring 16 to be inserted therein. However, such a spring support structure is not particularly essential in the present application.

[0064] Reference numeral 120 is an adsorption pad (refer to Figure 7) of the present application. The air passage 17 of the pad 120 is an air flow path formed between the inner wall 15a of the space portion 15 and the outer wall 13a of the valve 13 to be connected to the central passage 12, and the passage 17 includes one or more longitudinal air guide-grooves 18 formed in the inner wall 15a or the outer wall 13a.

[0065] The body 11 can be arbitrarily deformed due to physical pressure at the time of installation or air pressure at the time of operation due to its material properties. Therefore, it is important to provide a means to prevent the passage 17 from being reduced or blocked due to such deformation, and in the present application, the final passage 17 can be safely and securely maintained due to the guide-groove 18.

[0066] In the present embodiment, the guide-groove 18 is formed in the outer wall 13a of the valve 13. It is judged that this structure is more secure than the case where the guide-groove 18 is formed in the inner wall 15a of the space portion 15. Here, the guide-groove 18 extends from the bottom of the valve 13, but the upward range thereof is not considered.

[0067] Referring to Figure 6 The body 11 of the valve module 10 is inserted into the communication-hole 113 formed in the panel 111, and the installation-groove 14 is correspondingly installed to complete the installation. The lower portion of the valve module 10 will be connected to the pad 120 requiring air exhaust. The body 11 is not difficult to install due to the elastic deformation of the material. However, in order to make the 'initial' insertion with respect to the communication-hole 113 easy, a ring-shaped 'V'-groove 19 having a depth is formed in the upper surface of the body 11 in the present embodiment, so that the end contraction and expansion can be actually enhanced.

[0068] Thus, the body 11 is deformed in shape by the pressure applied when fastened to the communication-hole 113. This deformation also adversely affects the shape of the air passage 17, but since the above-mentioned vertical guide-groove 18 is also present, the function of the passage 17 as an air exhaust flow path is not at all hindered.

[0069] When the body 11 is installed, in particular, reliable air tightness between the installation-groove 14 and the communication-hole 113 is required. Thus, in the present embodiment, the installation-groove 14 is formed in a shape in which the width of the inlet 14b is narrower than the bottom 14a of the inner surface portion of the installation-groove 14 in order to enhance the air tightness of the installation. Thus, elastic pressure is applied from the inlet 14b to the surface of the panel 111 at the time of assembly / installation, and as a result, the air tightness between the installation-groove 14 and the communication-hole 113 can be secured.

[0070] Preferably, the channel 17 further includes a gap or micro-orifice 20 formed between the valve 13 and the body 11 to facilitate the passageway 18 and the central passage 12. The gap refers to the slit between the upper surface of the rising valve 13 and the upper end sill 15b of the space portion 15 of the body 11. In this embodiment, the micro-orifice 20 is configured such that the air slot 21 formed on the upper surface of the valve 13 is variable in its contact / disengagement with the upper end sill 15b of the space portion 15 (see reference). Figure 7 (a), (b)). This structure takes into account the possibility that the gap or micro-orifice 20 may be blocked when the rising valve 13 and the upper end sill 15b of the body 11 are in full contact. However, there are many variations depending on its design.

[0071] Even if the valve 13 performs an 'UP' action to close the direct passage between the channel 17 and the passage 12, fine venting can still be continuously achieved through the micro-hole 20.

[0072] refer to Figure 7 The valve module 10 is inserted into the communication hole 113 formed on the cavity plate 111. In this state, when compressed air passes through the air injector 112 at high speed, the air inside the pad 120 is introduced into the injector 112 through the valve module 10 and via the cavity, and is discharged to the outside together with the compressed air. During this exhaust process, a vacuum and negative pressure are generated inside the pad 120 to hold the work object W.

[0073] First, such as Figure 7 In the stopped state shown in (a), since the valve 13 is placed on the bottom surface of the space 15, the air inside the pad 120 enters the central passage 12 directly after passing through the guide groove 18 of the channel 17 in the longitudinal direction during the initial exhaust phase. Therefore, a large amount of air inside the pad 120 can be quickly discharged during the initial exhaust phase.

[0074] During this period, the valve 13 is gradually pressurized by air, causing its upper part to come into contact with the upper end of the space 15 - the threshold 15b portion. Figure 7 (b) illustrates this state, in which the direct passage between channel 17 and central passage 12 is closed, and from this point onward, continuous, minute venting occurs through the micro-orifice 20. This increases and maintains the vacuum level, allowing for measures to be taken to address any potential vacuum leaks.

[0075] Referring to (a) and (b) above, the valve module 10 of the present invention can meet the requirements for vacuum attainment speed and vacuum level.

[0076] As described above, in the valve module 10 according to the present application, the main body 11 installed in the communication hole 113 is formed of an elastically deformable material, thus facilitating its manufacture and installation, and in particular, even if the main body 11 is arbitrarily deformed, the exhaust passage 17 can be safely and firmly maintained by the constitution of the guide groove 18.

[0077] Functionally, the valve module 10 of the present application can be used to satisfy the vacuum reaching speed and the vacuum level.

Claims

1. A valve module, characterized by Comprising: a main body (11) of a through type installed in a gasket (120) communication-hole (113) of a vacuum pump; a valve (13) disposed in the main body (11) to open and close a central passage (12), the main body (11) is formed of an elastically deformable material, the main body (11) comprising: an annular mounting-groove (14) formed along an outer circumferential surface of the main body (11); an expansion-type space portion (15) formed in a portion of the passage (12) to enable the valve (13) to move within a certain range, the valve (13) is a lift / lower valve that moves up and down within the range of the space portion (15) by exhaust pressure to open and close the passage (12) of the main body (11), an exhaust passage (17) of the gasket (120): which is an air flow path formed between an inner wall (15a) of the space portion (15) and an outer wall (13a) of the valve (13) to be connected to the passage (12), the passage (17) comprising: a longitudinal air guide-groove (18) formed in the inner wall (15a) or the outer wall (13a); and a gap or micro-hole (20) formed between the valve (13) and the main body (11) to open the guide-groove (18) to the central passage (12).

2. The valve module according to claim 1, wherein the material of the main body (11) is an elastomer or synthetic rubber.

3. The valve module according to claim 1, wherein the main body (11) includes an annular 'V'-groove (19) formed from above with a depth that facilitates installation to the communication-hole (113).

4. The valve module according to claim 1, wherein the mounting-groove (14): is configured in a form in which the width of the inlet (14b) of the groove is narrower than the bottom (14a) of the inner portion in order to enhance the air tightness of the installation to the communication-hole (113).

5. The valve module according to claim 1, wherein the micro-hole (20): is configured to be changeable when an air-slot (21) formed on the upper end surface of the valve (13) is in contact with or separated from the upper end-rail (15b) of the space portion (15).

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