Gas transport device

Abstract

To provide a gas transport device with a large flow rate, which prevents a back flow and generates an airflow in one direction.SOLUTION: A gas transport device includes: a housing that includes an exhaust cover, an exhaust end, a storage space, an intake cover, and an intake end; a valve body that includes an exhaust plate, a valve disc and a first plate sequentially stuck and installed in the storage space; and an actuator that has a circular form, is stuck on the valve body, and includes a second plate, a casing, and an actuator element. Therefore, if the actuator is driven, a first through-hole and a valve hole are installed with a deviation, so that if an airflow is a normal direction, the valve body is actuated to open a channel, and if the airflow is in a reversing direction, the valve body is actuated to close the channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas transport device, particularly a gas transport device with a large flow rate.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, in various fields, regardless of industries such as pharmaceuticals, computer science and technology, printing, and energy, products are developing in the direction of refinement and miniaturization. Pumps for transporting fluids contained in products such as micropumps, atomizers, inkjet heads, and industrial printing devices are key elements thereof. Therefore, how to break through the technical bottleneck with an innovative structure is an important content of development.

[0003] With the rapid progress of science and technology, the applications of fluid transport devices are becoming increasingly diversified. For example, industrial applications, biomedical applications, healthcare, electronic heat dissipation, etc. Furthermore, its influence can even be seen in recently popular wearable devices. It can be seen that conventional pumps tend to be miniaturized and have a maximized flow rate.

[0004] However, currently, gas transport devices tend to have a maximized flow rate, and their main structural design is to prevent backflow and generate a unidirectional flow rate. Therefore, how to configure a large-flow gas transport device is the main research and development issue of the present invention.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The main object of the present invention is to provide a gas transport device that stacks and uses an exhaust plate, a valve disc, a first plate, a second plate, and a circular actuator element in this order. When the air flow is in the forward direction, the valve body composed of the structures of the valve disc, the first plate, and the second plate operates to open the flow path, and when the air flow is in the reverse direction, the valve body operates to close the flow path. Thereby, backflow is prevented, a unidirectional air flow is generated, and a large-flow gas transport device is configured.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An embodiment in a broad sense of the present invention is a housing including an exhaust cover, an exhaust end, a housing space, an intake cover, and an intake end, wherein the exhaust cover is installed on the upper part of the housing, the exhaust cover has the exhaust end, the intake cover is installed on the lower part of the housing, the intake cover has the intake end, the housing space communicates with the intake end and the exhaust end, and the exhaust cover and the intake cover cover both the upper and lower sides of the housing space; a valve body including an exhaust plate, a valve disc, and a first plate, which are sequentially stacked in the housing space, are circular in form, and the surface of the valve disc has a recessed portion forming a depth, the valve disc is located between the exhaust plate and the first plate, and by maintaining a gap between the recessed portions of the valve disc and the first plate, the valve disc is displaced by the gap to form a flow path control, the exhaust plate has a plurality of exhaust holes, the first plate has a plurality of first through holes, the valve disc has a plurality of valve holes, and the valve holes and the first through holes are offset, and the valve holes and the exhaust holes are installed corresponding to each other; and an actuator including a second plate, a housing, and an actuator element, which are stacked on the valve body, are circular in form, the second plate is stacked on the first plate of the valve body, the second plate has a plurality of second through holes, the second through holes correspond to the first through holes, the housing is stacked on the second plate, and the actuator element is stacked on the housing. When the actuator is driven, the first through hole and the valve hole are offset, so that when the air flow is in the forward direction, the valve body operates to open the flow path, and when the air flow is in the reverse direction, the valve body operates to close the flow path.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 1C

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 2C

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 3C

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Some typical embodiments showing the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following explanations. It should be understood that the present invention can have various changes in different aspects, all without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the description and drawings are essentially used for exemplification purposes and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0009] The present invention provides a gas transport device 100. Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and 2C, the gas transport device 100 includes a housing 12 including an exhaust cover 11, an exhaust end 111, a receiving space 121, an intake cover 13, and an intake end 131. The exhaust cover 11 is installed on the upper part of the housing 12, and the exhaust cover 11 has the exhaust end 111. The intake cover 13 is installed on the lower part of the housing 12, and the intake cover 13 has the intake end 131. The receiving space 121 communicates with the intake end 131 and the exhaust end 111, and the exhaust cover 11 and the intake cover 13 cover the upper and lower sides of the receiving space 121. The exhaust cover 11, the housing 12, and the intake cover 13 may have a circular or square structure, but are not limited thereto. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the exhaust cover 11, the housing 12, and the intake cover 13 can also be adjusted according to their design requirements.

[0010] For the convenience of description, in the following embodiments, it is described by taking the exhaust cover 11, the housing 12, and the intake cover 13 as circular as an example. The exhaust cover 11, the housing 12, and the intake cover 13 are circular box bodies, having an exhaust end 111, an intake end 131, and a receiving space 121. The exhaust end 111 and the intake end 131 are located on opposite sides of the housing 12 respectively and communicate with the receiving space 121.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A to 2C, the valve body 2 is in a circular form and includes an exhaust plate 21, a valve disc 22, and a first plate 23 that are sequentially stacked and installed in the receiving space 121. The first plate 23 has a concave portion 232 with a recessed surface forming a depth. The valve disc 22 is located between the exhaust plate 21 and the concave portion 232 of the first plate 23, and the valve disc 22 and the concave portion 232 of the first plate 23 maintain a gap G, so that the valve disc 22 is displaced by the gap G to form a flow path control. The exhaust plate 21 has a plurality of exhaust holes 211, the first plate 23 has a plurality of first through holes 231, the valve disc 22 has a plurality of valve holes 221, and the valve holes 221 and the first through holes 231 are offset, and the valve holes 221 and the exhaust holes 211 are correspondingly installed.

[0012] The valve body 2 includes an exhaust plate 21, a valve disc 22, and a first plate 23 that are sequentially stacked and installed in the accommodation space 121. The valve disc 22 is located between the exhaust plate 21 and the first plate 23. In this embodiment, both the exhaust plate 21 and the first plate 23 are metal plates. The valve disc 22 is a flexible film with a thickness of about 0.4 to 0.6 micrometers (μm), most preferably 0.5 micrometers (μm). In this embodiment, it is preferred that the valve disc 22 is a polyimide film, but it is not limited thereto.

[0013] The exhaust plate 21 has a plurality of exhaust holes 211, the first plate 23 has a plurality of first through holes 231, the valve disc 22 has a plurality of valve holes 221, and the positions of the valve holes 221 and the first through holes 231 are offset from each other, so that the valve disc 22 can close the first through holes 231. The positions of the valve holes 221 and the exhaust holes 211 correspond to each other, and the hole diameter d2 of the valve holes is larger than or equal to the hole diameter d1 of the exhaust holes. With such a hole diameter design of the exhaust holes 211, when the valve body 2 opens the flow path, a large flow rate of air flow is quickly discharged from the valve holes 221 through the exhaust holes 211. Further, the first plate 23 has a recess 232 with a concave surface formed thereon, and the valve disc 22 covers the lower part of the first plate 23. Thereby, the valve disc 22 and the recess 232 of the first plate 23 maintain a gap G, and the ratio of this gap G to the thickness of the first plate 23 is from 1:2 to 2:3, which is about 40 to 70 micrometers (μm). In this embodiment, it is most preferably 60 micrometers (μm). With such a design of the valve body 2, when the valve disc 22 is unevenly distributed in the direction of the first plate 23, the valve disc 22 can close the first through holes 231, and the valve body 2 operates to close the flow path (as shown in FIG. 3B). When the valve disc 22 is unevenly distributed in the direction of the exhaust plate 21, the valve disc 22 can vibrate the air flow in the gap G, and the air flow (the path indicated by the arrow) is quickly discharged through the valve holes 221 and through the exhaust holes 211, and the valve body 2 operates to open the flow path (as shown in FIG. 3C). With this design of the valve body 2, it prevents backflow and produces the effect of controlling a large flow rate of unidirectional air flow.

[0014] Referring to FIG. 3A, the actuator 3 is in a circular form and is stacked on the valve body 2, including a second plate 31, a housing 32, and an actuator element 33. The second plate 31 is stacked and installed on the first plate 23 of the valve body 2. The second plate 31 has a plurality of second through holes 311, and the second through holes 311 correspond to the first through holes 231. The housing 32 is stacked and installed on the second plate 31, and the actuator element 33 is stacked and installed on the housing 32. Thus, when the actuator 3 is driven, the first through hole 231 and the valve hole 221 are displaced. When the air flow is in the forward direction, the valve body 2 operates to open the flow path. When the air flow is in the reverse direction, the valve body 2 operates to close the flow path.

[0015] It should be noted that the combination of the valve body 2 and the actuator 3 is called the gas transport device main body 5. In the embodiment of the present invention, the gas transport device main body 5 is accommodated in the accommodation space 121 of the circular housing 12, covered with the circular exhaust cover 11 and the intake cover 13, and the sealing port 122 is sealed. However, it is not limited thereto, and the gas transport device main body 5 can also be accommodated in a rectangular housing 12 (as shown in FIG. 1C). In addition, it should be noted that the material for sealing the sealing port 122 is epoxy resin or any other material that can seal the sealing port 122.

[0016] Also, the actuator 3 includes a second plate 31, a housing 32, and an actuator element 33. The second plate 31 is fixedly installed on the first plate 23, and the thickness of the second plate 31 is greater than that of the first plate 23. The second plate 31 has a plurality of second through holes 311. The number, position, and hole diameter of the second through holes 311 all correspond to the first through holes 231. In this embodiment, the hole diameter of the second through holes 311 is the same as that of the first through holes 231. A contact point (not shown) for electrical connection with a wire may be installed on the second plate 31. In this embodiment, the second plate 31 is a metal plate.

[0017] The housing 32 is positioned and installed on the second plate 31, and the actuator element 33 is positioned and installed on the housing 32. The actuator element 33 includes an intake plate 331, a piezoelectric sheet 332, an insulating housing 333, and a conductive housing 334.

[0018] The intake plate 331 has a plurality of intake holes 3311, and the intake holes 3311 are arranged along a certain shape in the plane of the intake plate 331. In this embodiment, the intake holes 3311 are arranged in a circular pattern. The intake plate 331 defines an operating region 3312 surrounded by the intake holes 3311 and a fixed region 3313 located around the intake holes 3311 according to the arrangement shape of the intake holes 3311. The intake holes 3311 are in a gradually decreasing shape, which can improve the intake efficiency, have the effect of preventing the backflow of gas by making it easy to enter and difficult to exit, and the number of the intake holes 3311 is an even number. In one embodiment, the number of the intake holes 3311 is 48, and in another embodiment, the number of the intake holes 3311 is 52, but it is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the arrangement shape of the intake holes 3311 may be rectangular, square, circular, etc.

[0019] The shape of the piezoelectric sheet 332 is circular, and the piezoelectric sheet 332 is installed in the operating region 3312 of the intake plate 331, and the piezoelectric sheet 332 corresponds to the operating region 3312 of the intake plate 331. In this embodiment, when the intake holes 3311 are arranged in a circular pattern, the operating region 3312 is defined as circular, and the piezoelectric sheet 332 is also circular. As described above, the arrangement shape of the intake holes 3311 may be rectangular, square, circular, etc., and the shape of the operating region 3312 changes according to the arrangement of the intake holes 3311, and the piezoelectric sheet 332 also corresponds to that shape.

[0020] The above-mentioned insulating housing 333 is installed in the fixing region 3313 of the intake plate 331, and the conductive housing 334 is installed on the insulating housing 333. The above-mentioned conductive housing 334 has an electrode 3341 and a pin 3342. The electrode 3341 is in electrical contact with the piezoelectric sheet 332. The pin 3342 is connected to an external wire. The intake plate 331 itself is also made of a conductive material and is in electrical contact with the piezoelectric sheet 332. And the contact point of the housing 32 is connected to another wire, so that the driving loop of the actuator element 33 can be completed. In this way, the gas transport device 100 of the present invention can transmit a driving signal through two wires. One wire transmits the driving signal from the electrode 3341 to the piezoelectric sheet 332 through the pin 3342 of the conductive housing 334. The other wire transmits the driving signal to the piezoelectric sheet 332 through the contact point of the housing 32, where the housing 32 is in close contact with the intake plate 331 and the intake plate 331 is in close contact with the piezoelectric sheet 332. Thereby, the piezoelectric sheet 332 receives the driving signal (driving voltage and driving frequency) and deforms, and further generates a driving force for the actuator element 33 to move up and down (as shown in FIGS. 3B to 3C).

[0021] The shape of the above-mentioned actuator element 33 is circular. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, since the shape of the actuator element 33 is circular, in the peripheral dimensions of the same device, the actuator element 33 adopts a circular appearance design, and its components, namely the intake plate 331, the piezoelectric sheet 332, the insulating housing 333, and the conductive housing 334, also adopt circular shapes correspondingly.

[0022] Further referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A to 2C, 3A to 3C, and 4, the exhaust plate 21, valve disc 22, first plate 23, second plate 31, and actuator element 33 are sequentially stacked and accommodated in the accommodation space 121 of the housing 12, and are fixed above and below the housing 12 by the intake cover 13 and the exhaust cover 11, and the accommodation space 121 is covered to form the gas transport device 100. The actuator element 33 is stacked and fixedly arranged on the housing 32 in the order of the intake plate 331, piezoelectric sheet 332, insulating housing 333, and conductive housing 334. An intake chamber 322 is formed between the actuator element 33, the housing 32, and the second plate 31. Further, the first through hole 231 of the first plate 23 and the second through hole 311 of the second plate 31 are both located below the vertical projection area of the operating area 3312 of the intake plate 331 and correspond vertically to the operating area 3312.

[0023] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, when the piezoelectric sheet 332 receives a drive signal (drive voltage and drive frequency), it is converted from electrical energy to mechanical energy by the inverse piezoelectric effect. The deformation amount of the piezoelectric sheet 332 is controlled according to the magnitude of the drive voltage, and the deformation frequency of the piezoelectric sheet 332 is controlled by operating the drive frequency. The deformation of the piezoelectric sheet 332 starts the gas transport in the actuator element 33.

[0024] Referring further to FIG. 3B, after receiving the driving signal, the piezoelectric sheet 332 begins to deform, moves the intake plate 331 and bends it upward. At this time, the volume of the intake chamber 322 increases, a negative pressure is formed, the valve disc 22 is sucked upward and closes the first through hole 231 of the first plate 23. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas on the intake end 131 side of the intake cover 13 is sucked into the actuator element 33 and enters the intake chamber 322. Referring further to FIG. 3C, the piezoelectric sheet 332 receives the driving signal and deforms again, moves the intake plate 331 and bends it downward, compresses the intake chamber 322. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas on the intake end 131 side of the case 11 is sucked into the actuator element 33, and at the same time, the gas inside the intake chamber 322 is propelled and transported downward through the second through hole 311 of the second plate 31 and the first through hole 231 of the first plate 23 respectively. As a result, when the kinetic energy is transmitted downward from the actuator element 33 to the interval G, the kinetic energy can propel and displace the valve disc 22, the valve disc 22 disengages from the first through hole 231 and abuts against the exhaust plate 21, and further operates to open the flow path, transport the gas downward through the valve hole 221 to the exhaust hole 211 of the exhaust plate 21, and finally discharge the gas from the exhaust end 111 of the exhaust cover 11 (as shown in FIG. 4). Then, as shown in FIG. 3B again, when the piezoelectric sheet 332 moves the intake plate 331 and bends it upward to increase the volume of the intake chamber 322, a negative pressure state is formed in the intake chamber 322, so that the valve disc 22 closes the first through hole 231 to avoid the reverse flow of gas through the valve hole 221, the first through hole 231, and the second through hole 311 into the intake chamber 322. When the gas in the accommodation space 121 enters the intake chamber 322, the gas pressure in the accommodation space 121 is lower than the gas pressure outside the gas transport device 100, and the gas outside the gas transport device 100 enters the accommodation space 121 through the intake end 131 (as shown in FIG. 4).When the piezoelectric sheet 332 receives a drive signal and deforms again, actuating the actuator element 33 to displace downward again, as described above, the gas in the intake chamber 322 is conducted downward and finally discharged from the exhaust end 111. By continuing the above steps with the drive signal, the gas can be quickly introduced from the intake end 131 and discharged from the exhaust end 111, achieving the effect of a large flow rate.

[0025] The exhaust plate 21, valve disc 22, and first plate 23 constitute the valve body 2. The total fluid flow rate of the valve body 2 can be designed and realized according to the hole diameter or number of the exhaust hole 211, valve hole 221, and first through hole 231. Referring to the relationship table of the hole diameter and number of the exhaust hole 211 and the numbers of the valve hole 221 and first through hole 231 shown in Table 1 below, the gas transport device 100 realizes the best effect of achieving a large flow rate.

[0026] Table 1 JPEG0007691376000001.jpg60164

[0027] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust plate 21, valve disc 22, and first plate 23 constitute the valve body 2. In terms of design, the valve disc 22 is a flexible film with a thickness of about 0.4 to 0.6 micrometers (μm), and the distance G held between the valve disc 22 and the concave portion 232 of the first plate 23 is within the range of about 40 to 70 micrometers (μm). Therefore, the piezoelectric sheet 332 of the actuator element 33 maintains an operating frequency of 20 to 22 kilohertz (kHz), most preferably 21 kilohertz (kHz), maintains the vibration of the pressure difference at a wavelength of 30 micrometers (μm), and by combining with the distance G within the range of 40 to 70 micrometers (μm) held by installing the 3 - micrometer (μm) valve disc 22 in the concave portion 232 of the exhaust plate 21, it vibrates within this distance G to form a rough and dense wave, conducts the flow in one direction, and can prevent backflow, obtaining the best effect. As a result, the maximum flow rate is obtained, and minimizing the pressure drop caused by the valve body 2 along with the air flow is important for maximizing the valve performance.

[0028] As described above, the gas transport device provided by the present invention stacks and combines an exhaust plate, a valve disc, a first plate, a second plate, and a circular actuator element in this order, and uses the structures of the valve disc, the first plate, and the second plate to form a valve body. A first through hole, a valve hole, and an exhaust hole are all located below the operating area surrounded by the intake hole within the valve body. When the piezoelectric sheet moves the intake plate, gas can be quickly transported downward. Furthermore, by offsetting the position between the first through hole and the valve hole, backflow of gas is avoided, and it has a structure that avoids large flow rates and backflow of gas. When the air flow is in the forward direction, the valve body operates to open the flow path, and when the air flow is in the reverse direction, the valve body operates to close the flow path, thereby preventing backflow, generating a one-way air flow, increasing the transport volume of gas, significantly increasing the gas flow rate, and constituting a gas transport device with a large flow rate, which has extremely high industrial applicability.

[0029] Those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the present invention, but they will not depart from the scope defined by the claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] 100... Gas transport device 11... Exhaust cover 111... Exhaust end 12... Housing 121... Accommodation space 122... Sealing port 13... Intake cover 131... Intake end 2... Valve body 21... Exhaust plate 211... Exhaust hole 22... Valve disc 221... Valve hole 23... First plate 231... First through hole 232... Recess 3... Actuator 31... Second plate 311... Second through hole 32... Housing 322... Intake chamber 33... Actuator element 331... Intake plate 3311... Intake hole 3312... Actuation region 3313... Fixed region 332... Piezoelectric sheet 333... Insulating housing 334... Conductive housing 3341... Electrode 3342... Pin 5... Gas transport device body d1... Hole diameter of the exhaust hole d2... Hole diameter of the valve hole G... Spacing

Claims

1. A housing including an exhaust cover, an exhaust end, a housing space, an intake cover, and an intake end, wherein the exhaust cover is installed on the upper part of the housing, the exhaust cover has the exhaust end, the intake cover is installed on the lower part of the housing, the intake cover has the intake end, the housing space communicates with the intake end and the exhaust end, and the exhaust cover and the intake cover cover both the upper and lower sides of the housing space, and the housing; A valve body including an exhaust plate, a valve disc, and a first plate, which are sequentially stacked in the housing space and are in a circular form, and the surface has a concave portion forming a depth, the valve disc is located between the exhaust plate and the first plate, and by maintaining a gap between the concave portions of the valve disc and the first plate, the valve disc is displaced by the gap to form a flow path control, the exhaust plate has a plurality of exhaust holes, the first plate has a plurality of first through holes, the valve disc has a plurality of valve holes, and the valve holes and the first through holes are offset, and the valve holes and the exhaust holes are installed corresponding to each other; An actuator including a second plate, a housing, and an actuator element, which are stacked on the valve body and are in a circular form, the second plate is stacked on the first plate of the valve body, the second plate has a plurality of second through holes corresponding to the first through holes, the housing is stacked on the second plate, and the actuator element is stacked on the housing; Including; Thereby, when the actuator is driven, since the first through hole and the valve hole are offset, when the air flow is in the forward direction, the valve body operates to open the flow path, and when the air flow is in the reverse direction, the valve body operates to close the flow path; The actuator element includes an intake plate, a piezoelectric sheet, an insulating housing, and a conductive housing; The intake plate has a plurality of intake holes, and in the plane of the intake plate, an operating region surrounded by the intake holes and a fixed region around the intake holes are defined according to the positions of the intake holes; The piezoelectric sheet is installed in the operating region of the intake plate; The insulating housing is installed in the fixed region of the intake plate; The conductive housing is installed on the insulating housing; The conductive housing has electrodes and pins, the electrodes are in electrical contact with the piezoelectric sheet, the pins are connected to external wires, the intake plate is in electrical contact with the piezoelectric sheet, and the contacts of the housing are connected to another wire to form a drive loop for the actuator element. The first through hole, the valve hole, and the exhaust hole are located below the operating region surrounded by the intake hole in the valve body. When the piezoelectric sheet moves the intake plate, the first through hole and the valve hole are offset from each other. When the air flow is in the forward direction, the valve body operates to open the flow path, and when the air flow is in the reverse direction, the valve body operates to close the flow path. A gas transport device characterized by this.

2. The ratio of the interval to the thickness of the first plate is from 1:2 to 2:3, the interval is 40 to 70 μm, the valve disc is a polyimide film, and the thickness of the valve disc is 0.4 to 0.6 μm. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The hole diameter of the valve hole is larger than or equal to the hole diameter of the exhaust hole, and the hole diameter of the first through hole is the same as the hole diameter of the second through hole. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

4. The intake hole has a gradually decreasing shape. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

5. The number of the intake holes is an even number, and the number of the intake holes is 48 or 52. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

6. The arrangement shape of the intake holes in the plane of the intake plate is any one of a rectangle, a square, and a circle. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

7. The operating region is circular, and the piezoelectric sheet is circular. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

8. The exhaust plate, the first plate, and the second plate are all metal plates, and the piezoelectric sheet of the actuator element maintains an operating frequency of 20 to 22 kHz. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

9. The hole diameter of the exhaust hole is any one of 100 μm, 200 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm, 500 μm, 600 μm, 700 μm, 800 μm, or a combination thereof. The gas transport device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

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