Valve device

Abstract

This valve device comprises: a plurality of blocks that each include a plurality of tapered plate-shaped flanges having a flat surface on one side and an inclined surface on the other side such that the thickness gradually decreases in one direction, the flat surface having a flow path port through which a fluid flows in / out formed thereon; a control unit that is provided in at least one block and controls a valve chamber provided between one flow path port and another flow path port and a flow of the fluid in the valve chamber; a connection bracket that has a tapered flange insertion groove into which a pair of flanges arranged such that the flat surface of one block faces the flat surface of another block and thinner portions of the flanges face each other is inserted, and that connects the flow path port of the one block and the flow path port of the other block in a state in which the pair of flanges is fitted in the flange insertion groove; and an elastic seal ring that is disposed to surround the periphery of the flow path ports between the pair of flanges facing each other.

Description

Valve device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a valve device.

[0002] International Publication No. WO2022-215561 discloses a valve device as a flow rate adjusting device for controlling the flow of a fluid.

[0003] In the valve device according to the above-described conventional example, multiple valve chambers are formed in one block, so if an attempt is made to increase the number of valve chambers, the block must be redesigned, leaving room for improvement.

[0004] The present disclosure provides a valve device that can easily increase the valve chamber.

[0005] The valve device according to a first aspect comprises a plurality of blocks, each having a plurality of tapered plate-like flanges whose thickness gradually decreases in one direction, with flow path openings through which a fluid flows in or out formed on a flat surface on one side and an inclined surface on the other side; a valve chamber provided in at least one of the blocks and between one of the flow path openings and another of the flow path openings; and a control unit for controlling the flow of fluid in the valve chamber; a connecting bracket having tapered flange insertion grooves into which a pair of flanges are inserted, with the flat surface of one of the blocks facing the flat surface of the other of the blocks so that the thinner portions of the flanges face each other, and connecting the flow path opening of one of the blocks with the flow path opening of the other of the blocks when the pair of flanges are fitted in the flange insertion grooves; and an elastic seal ring arranged between the opposing pairs of flanges so as to surround the periphery of the flow path opening.

[0006] In this valve device, one block can be connected to another block by inserting a pair of flanges, with the flat surface of the flange of one block facing the flat surface of the flange of the other block, into the flange insertion groove of the connecting bracket.

[0007] In this valve device, multiple blocks each equipped with a valve body can be connected using a bracket, so that a valve device having a desired number of valve chambers can be easily constructed without having to remake the blocks.

[0008] In this valve device, at least one block is provided with a valve chamber between one flow path port and another flow path port, and a control unit that controls the flow of fluid in the valve chamber. Therefore, by controlling the flow of fluid with the control unit, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the outflowing fluid when the fluid that has flowed in from one flow path port is made to flow out from another flow path port.

[0009] The valve device of the second aspect satisfies B≦A when the groove width of the flange pair inlet of the flange insertion groove in the valve device of the first aspect is A and the distance between the inclined surface of one of the flange pair and the inclined surface of the other of the flange pair measured on the central axis of the elastic seal ring in a first state in which the elastic seal ring sandwiched between the flange pair is not compressed is B.

[0010] As in this valve device, if the relationship between the groove width A and the distance B is set so that B≦A is satisfied, when a tapered flange pair is inserted into a tapered flange insertion groove, the flat surface of the flange of one block and the flat surface of the flange of the other block can be brought close to each other, and the elastic seal ring sandwiched between the flange pair can be compressed evenly around its entire circumference.

[0011] The valve device according to the third aspect is the valve device according to the first or second aspect, in which, when the distance between the one inclined surface and the other inclined surface measured at the end of the thicker side of the flange in the first state is C, B≦A<C is satisfied.

[0012] In this valve device, the relationship between the groove width A, distance B, and distance C is set so that B≦A<C is satisfied, so that when the flange pair is inserted into the flange insertion groove to connect one block to another block, the elastic seal ring arranged between the flat surface of one block and the flat surface of the other block can be reliably compressed.

[0013] The valve device of the fourth aspect is a valve device of any one of the first to third aspects, and has an engaging portion formed on either the connecting bracket or the block, and an engaged portion formed on the other of the connecting bracket or the block, which engages with the engaging portion when the flange is inserted into the flange insertion groove.

[0014] In this valve device, when the flange is inserted into the flange insertion groove, an engaging portion formed on either the connecting bracket or the block engages with an engaged portion formed on the other of the connecting bracket or the block, thereby holding the flange within the flange insertion groove so that the flange inserted into the flange insertion groove does not slip out of the flange insertion groove.

[0015] The valve device according to the fifth aspect is the valve device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the block having the control unit has three flanges on which the flow path openings are formed, and the control unit controls the flow of the fluid between the three flow path openings.

[0016] This valve device has a block provided with three flanges each having a flow path opening, and a control unit for controlling the flow of fluid between the three flow path openings, making this valve device a so-called three-way valve.

[0017] As described above, according to the valve device of the present disclosure, the number of valve chambers can be easily increased.

[0018] 1A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a valve device according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a bottom view showing the valve device shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an on-off valve used in the valve device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1C is an exploded perspective view showing a block and a bracket of the valve device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1D is a partially cross-sectional side view showing a state before a flange pair consisting of a first flange and a second flange is inserted into the bracket. FIG. 1E is a partially cross-sectional side view showing a state in the middle of inserting a flange pair consisting of a first flange and a second flange into the bracket. FIG. 1F is a partially cross-sectional side view showing a state after insertion of a flange pair consisting of a first flange and a second flange into the bracket. FIG. 1G ... conceptual explanatory view of a comparative example showing the process of inserting a flange pair into a flange insertion groove. FIG. 1G is a conceptual explanatory view of an embodiment showing the process of inserting a flange pair into a flange insertion groove. FIG. 1H is a perspective view showing a block of a three-way valve according to a second embodiment. FIG. 1H is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the three-way valve shown in FIG. 9 (cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 9 ).

[0019] [First embodiment] A valve device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described using Figures 1 to 8. Components indicated with the same reference numerals in each drawing are identical or similar components. Note that duplicated descriptions and reference numerals may be omitted in the embodiments described below. Furthermore, all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of the elements shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of the elements do not necessarily correspond between multiple drawings.

[0020] 1, the valve device 10 of this embodiment includes, for example, one on-off valve 12 and one flow rate control valve 14. The on-off valve 12 is a so-called electromagnetic valve, and the flow rate control valve 14 is a so-called motor-operated valve.

[0021] In this specification, descriptions of positions and directions such as up, down, left, and right are given for the sake of convenience in accordance with the drawings to avoid complication of explanation, and do not necessarily refer to positions and directions in actual use. In this specification, the side where drive units 44 and 46 (described later) are arranged is referred to as the upper side, and the side where block 16 is arranged is referred to as the lower side.

[0022] 2 and 3, the on-off valve 12 of this embodiment includes a block 16 made of a metal material or the like as a valve body. Note that Fig. 3 only shows the block 16 of the on-off valve 12, the block 16 of the flow rate adjustment valve 14, and a connecting bracket 38 (described later), and does not show other components.

[0023] The block 16 includes a plurality of tapered plate-like flanges whose thickness gradually decreases in one direction. Specifically, a plate-like first flange 17R, which is an example of a flange of the present disclosure, is formed on the block 16 on the side in the direction of arrow R in the drawing. The side surface of the first flange 17R on the side in the direction of arrow R in the drawing is an example of a flat surface of the present disclosure, which is a first vertical surface 17RV that is perpendicular to the bottom surface 16D of the block 16. An inlet 18, which is an example of a flow path port, opens on the first vertical surface 17RV. The flow path port is a portion through which a fluid flows into or out of the block 16.

[0024] Furthermore, a plate-like second flange 17L, which is an example of a flange of the present disclosure, is formed on the block 16 on the side opposite to the arrow L in the drawing. The side surface of the second flange 17L on the side opposite to the arrow L in the drawing is an example of a flat surface of the present disclosure, which is a second vertical surface 17LV that is perpendicular to the bottom surface 16D of the block 16. An outlet 20, which is an example of a flow path opening through which the fluid flows out, opens on the second vertical surface 17LV. The first vertical surface 17RV and the second vertical surface 17LV are each smooth flat surfaces.

[0025] A seal ring mounting groove 19, which is an annular groove, is formed in the second vertical surface 17LV so as to surround the outflow port 20. An O-ring 21, which is an example of an elastic seal ring, is mounted in the seal ring mounting groove 19. As a result, the O-ring 21 is disposed between the pair of flanges facing each other so as to surround the periphery of the outflow port 20 (flow path opening).

[0026] When the O-ring 21 mounted in the seal ring mounting groove 19 is not compressed (in other words, in a free state), a portion of the O-ring 21 protrudes from the second vertical surface 17LV.

[0027] The height (vertical) dimension La from the lower surface 16D to the center of the inlet 18 is the same as the height dimension Lb from the lower surface 16D to the center of the outlet 20. The inlet 18 and the outlet 20 have the same diameter.

[0028] The surface of the first flange 17R opposite to the first vertical surface 17RV is a first inclined surface 17RS, which is an example of an inclined surface inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 17RV. The thickness of the first flange 17R gradually decreases from the lower end to the upper end, and the first flange 17R has a tapered plate shape in a side view.

[0029] The surface of the second flange 17L opposite to the second vertical surface 17LV is a second inclined surface 17LS, which is an example of an inclined surface inclined with respect to the second vertical surface 17LV. The plate thickness of the second flange 17L gradually decreases from the lower end to the upper end, and the second flange 17L has a tapered plate shape in a side view.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the center of the block 16 is a drive unit mounting portion 16C formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, a stepped hole 22 is formed in the drive unit mounting portion 16C from the upper surface 16T to the lower surface 16D.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2 , an annular guide member 26 that guides the valve stem 24 is attached to the upper portion of the stepped hole 22. The portion of the stepped hole 22 below the guide member 26 forms a valve chamber 28, and a valve hole member 29 with a valve hole 29A formed therein is attached to the lower side of the valve chamber 28. The portion of the stepped hole 22 below the valve hole member 29 forms a vertical passage 30. The valve stem 24 and the valve hole member 29 are an example of a control unit of the present disclosure. The valve chamber 28 is provided in at least one block 16 and is provided between one flow path port and another flow path port (e.g., the inlet 18 and the outlet 20). The control unit is a component that controls the flow of fluid in the valve chamber 28.

[0032] The inlet 18 and the valve chamber 28 are connected by an inlet-side passage 32 that is inclined at an angle θa with respect to a direction parallel to the lower surface 16D (horizontal direction). The outlet 20 and the vertical passage 30 are connected by an outlet-side passage 33 that is inclined at an angle θb with respect to a direction parallel to the lower surface 16D. In this embodiment, the angles θa and θb are set to be the same angle.

[0033] A drive unit 44 that drives the valve stem 24 is provided on the upper part of the block 16. The drive unit 44 of the on-off valve 12 moves the valve stem 24 along the axial direction of the stepped hole 22. In other words, the drive unit 44 of the on-off valve 12 linearly reciprocates the valve stem 24. The lower end of the valve stem 24 is a valve portion 24A that is machined into a tapered shape, and moves between an open state in which the valve portion 24A is spaced a predetermined distance from the valve hole 29A, and a closed state (not shown) in which the valve portion 24A of the valve stem 24 is inserted into the valve hole 29A and tightly contacts it.

[0034] The drive unit 44 of the on-off valve 12 has the same structure as the drive unit of a normal solenoid valve, and is equipped with a solenoid coil, a plunger, a spring, etc. (all not shown) for moving the valve shaft 24.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3 , a horizontally elongated hole 34 as an example of an engaged portion of the present disclosure is formed on the underside 16D of the block side surface 16S on the first flange 17R side of the drive unit attachment portion 16C and the block side surface 16S on the second flange 17L side of the drive unit attachment portion 16C. A cylindrical protrusion 36 serving as an engaging portion provided on a connecting bracket 38 (described later) is inserted into this hole 34. The protrusion 36 (engaging portion) is formed on either the connecting bracket 38 or the block 16. The hole 34 (engaged portion) is formed on the other of the connecting bracket 38 or the block. The hole 34 (engaged portion) engages with the engaging portion when a flange (e.g., the first flange 17R or the second flange 17L) is inserted into the flange insertion groove 40.

[0036] (Flow Rate Regulating Valve) The flow rate regulating valve 14 of this embodiment is a so-called motor-operated valve that can regulate the flow rate. As shown in FIG.

[0037] In the flow rate control valve 14, a drive unit 46 including a motor, a screw mechanism, etc. is provided on top of the block 16. The drive unit 46 moves the valve stem 24 along the axial direction of the stepped hole 22, adjusting the distance between the valve portion 24A of the valve stem 24 and the valve hole 29A, and thereby adjusting the flow rate of the fluid passing through the valve hole 29A.

[0038] (Connection between on-off valve and flow rate adjustment valve) Next, a description will be given of the connection structure between the on-off valve 12 and the flow rate adjustment valve 14. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1 , the on-off valve 12 and the flow rate adjustment valve 14 are connected and integrated by a connecting bracket 38 to form the valve device 10.

[0039] 3, the connecting bracket 38 is a member that connects the flow path opening of one block 16 to the flow path opening (e.g., the inlet 18 and the outlet 20) of another block 6 in a state where the flange pair is fitted into the flange insertion groove 40. The connecting bracket 38 is configured to include a pair of side walls 38A and a top plate 38B that connects the upper end of one side wall 38A to the upper end of the other side wall 38A.

[0040] 3 and 4, the inner surface of the side wall 38A is provided with a cylindrical protrusion 36 that is inserted into a hole 34 formed in the block side surface 16S of the block 16. The connecting bracket 38 of this embodiment can be formed, for example, by pressing a metal plate.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4 , a flange insertion groove 40 is formed in the center of the inner surface of the side wall 38A, into which a first flange 17R and a second flange 17L (hereinafter referred to as a flange pair) are inserted and fitted, with their perpendicular surfaces facing each other. The flange insertion groove 40 extends in the vertical direction (the directions of arrows U and D). The flange insertion groove 40 is tapered. Specifically, the groove width A of the flange pair inlet at the lower end of the flange insertion groove 40, in other words, at the bottom edge 38C side of the flange insertion groove 40 (one end of the groove in the longitudinal direction in this disclosure), is wider than the groove width D at the end on the top plate 38B side. Note that in this embodiment, the length of the flange insertion groove 40 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 4 ) is the same as the height dimension of the flange pair (the vertical dimension in FIG. 4 ).

[0042] Here, in the block 16, when the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 17RS of the first flange 17R relative to the lower surface 16D and the inclination angle of the second inclined surface 17LS of the second flange 17L relative to the lower surface 16D are θ1, and the inclination angle of the groove side surface 40S of the flange insertion groove 40 relative to the bottom edge 38C of the connecting bracket 38 is θ2, θ1 = θ2.

[0043] Next, the second vertical surface 17LV of the block 16 of the on-off valve 12 and the first vertical surface 17RV of the block 16 of the flow control valve 14 are aligned parallel to each other, and an O-ring 21 is fitted into the seal ring fitting groove 19. The O-ring 21 is brought into contact with the bottom of the seal ring fitting groove 19 and the first vertical surface 17RV of the block 16 of the flow control valve 14 so as not to compress the O-ring 21. In this first state, the distance between the second inclined surface 17LS of the second flange 17L and the first inclined surface 17RS of the first flange 17R measured on the central axis 21C of the O-ring 21 is defined as B. Furthermore, the distance between the second inclined surface 17LS and the first inclined surface 17RS measured at the thicker ends of the second flange 17L and the first flange 17R in the first state is defined as C.

[0044] In the block 16 and the connecting bracket 38 of this embodiment, when the groove width A, the distance B, and the distance C are set as described above, the first flange 17R, the second flange 17L, and the flange insertion groove 40 may be configured to satisfy B≦A. Also, the first flange 17R, the second flange 17L, and the flange insertion groove 40 may be configured to satisfy B≦A<C.

[0045] Next, a procedure for connecting the on-off valve 12 and the flow rate adjustment valve 14 with the connecting bracket 38 will be described. First, as shown in Figure 4, the second vertical surface 17LV of the second flange 17L in the block 16 of the on-off valve 12 and the first vertical surface 17RV of the first flange 17R in the block 16 of the flow rate adjustment valve 14 are aligned parallel to each other, and the O-ring 21 is brought into contact with the first vertical surface 17RV of the block 16 of the flow rate adjustment valve 14.

[0046] Next, the connecting bracket 38 is positioned so that the flange insertion grooves 40 of the connecting bracket 38 are positioned above the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L (an example of a flange pair in the present disclosure) that face each other.

[0047] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the connecting bracket 38 is moved downward, and the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L (flange pair) facing each other are inserted into the flange insertion groove 40.

[0048] 6, the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L (flange pair) are inserted until the top plate 38B of the connecting bracket 38 contacts the upper surface 16T of the block 16 and the protrusion 36 of the connecting bracket 38 engages with the hole 34 of the block 16. In other words, the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L (flange pair) are fitted into the flange insertion groove 40.

[0049] As a result, the O-ring 21 is compressed, the first vertical surface 17RV of the first flange 17R and the second vertical surface 17LV of the second flange 17L are brought into close contact with each other, and the inlet-side passage 32 and the outlet-side passage 33 are connected to each other.

[0050] In the valve device 10 of this embodiment, by engaging (inserting) the protrusion 36 of the connecting bracket 38 into the hole 34 of the block 16, it is possible to prevent the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L (flange pair) from coming out of the flange insertion groove 40 of the connecting bracket 38 due to vibration, etc., and it is possible to maintain the connection between the on-off valve 12 and the flow control valve 14.

[0051] In the valve device 10 of this embodiment, multiple blocks 16 each equipped with a valve chamber 28 can be connected by a connecting bracket 38, so that the number of valve chambers 28 can be freely increased within a single valve device 10 simply by increasing the number of connected blocks 16.

[0052] Next, compression of the O-ring 21 will be described with reference to the conceptual diagrams of Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows a block 16, a connecting bracket 38, and an O-ring 21 according to a comparative example. As shown in Figure 7(A), if the groove width A of the flange pair entrance of the flange insertion groove 40 is equal to the distance E of the narrow tapered tip end of the flange pair (first flange 17R, second flange 17L), when the flange pair is inserted into the flange insertion groove 40 as shown in Figure 7(B), tilting of the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L may occur, causing the O-ring 21 to become caught.

[0053] FIG. 8 shows the block 16, connecting bracket 38, and O-ring 21 corresponding to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the groove width A of the flange pair inlet of the flange insertion groove 40 is equal to the distance B of the flange pair measured on the center axis 21C of the O-ring 21 of the flange pair (first flange 17R, second flange 17L) (B = A), or when B < A, when the flange pair is inserted into the flange insertion groove 40 as shown in FIG. 8B, the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L do not tilt as in the comparative example shown in FIG. 7B. Therefore, the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L can compress the O-ring 21 evenly around the entire circumference. This prevents the O-ring 21 from getting caught when the flange pair is inserted into the flange insertion groove 40.

[0054] By setting the relationship between the groove width A, the distance B, and the distance C to satisfy B≦A<C, when the flange pair is inserted into the flange insertion groove 40 to connect the block 16 of the on-off valve 12 and the block 16 of the flow rate adjustment valve 14, the O-ring 21 disposed between the second vertical surface 17LV of the block 16 of the on-off valve 12 and the first vertical surface 17RV of the block 16 of the flow rate adjustment valve 14 to surround the inlet 18 and the outlet 20 can be reliably compressed. This makes it possible to prevent fluid from leaking to the outside from the inlet 18 and the outlet 20. Note that if A≧C, the O-ring 21 cannot be compressed when the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L (flange pair) are inserted into the flange insertion groove 40.

[0055] Second Embodiment Next, a block 116 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] 9 and 10 , a three-way valve 112 serving as a valve device may be configured such that a block 116 equipped with a control unit includes three flanges each having a flow path port formed therein, and the control unit controls the flow of fluid between the three flow path ports. In this embodiment, the block 116 is T-shaped in plan view, and a block side surface 16S extending in the direction of arrow F is integrally formed with a drive unit mounting portion 16C. A third flange 17F, which is an example of a flange of the present disclosure, is provided at the tip of the block side surface 16S. Similar to the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L, the third flange 17F is formed in a tapered plate shape.

[0057] In the block 116 of this embodiment, an outlet 20 is provided in the second vertical surface 17LV of the second flange 17L and the first vertical surface 17RV of the first flange 17R, and an inlet 18 is provided in the third vertical surface 17FV of the third flange 17F.

[0058] A valve element 124 is provided inside the valve chamber 28 of the block 116, and allows the fluid that has flowed in through the inlet 18 of the first flange 17R to flow out through the outlet 20 of the second flange 17L or the outlet 20 of the third flange 17F. A drive unit 144 that rotates the valve element 128 in the direction of arrow A is provided above the block 116. That is, in this embodiment, the block 116, the drive unit 144, and the valve element 124 form the three-way valve 112.

[0059] In the three-way valve 112 of this embodiment, the opening / closing valve 12 or the flow control valve 14 can be connected to the first flange 17R, the second flange 17L, and the third flange 17F using a connecting bracket 38, thereby obtaining a valve device 10 having a different configuration from that of the first embodiment.

[0060] By appropriately combining the on-off valve 12, the flow rate adjusting valve 14, and the three-way valve 112 described in the above embodiment, it is possible to easily configure the valve device 10 that switches between a plurality of flow paths.

[0061] [Other Embodiments] While one embodiment of the valve device of the present disclosure has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the seal ring mounting groove 19 is formed in the second flange 17L in which the outlet 20 is formed, but the seal ring mounting groove 19 may also be formed in the first flange 17R in which the inlet 18 is formed, or may be formed in both the first flange 17R and the second flange 17L.

[0063] In the above-described blocks 16 and 116, the valve chamber 28 is provided between the inlet 18 and the outlet 20, but the inlet 18 and the outlet 20 may be connected only by a passage. That is, the inlet 18 and the outlet 20 may be connected only by a passage, and the block 16 may be used as a joint.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the linear block 16 shown in FIG. 1B and the T-shaped block 116 shown in FIG. 9 are described, but the shape of the block may be other shapes such as an L-shape or a cross shape.

[0065] In the above embodiment, a hole 34 as an example of the engaged portion of the present disclosure is formed in the block 16, and a protrusion 36 as an engaging portion is provided on the connecting bracket 38, but the hole 34 and the protrusion 36 may be provided as needed or may be omitted.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the position of the valve device 10 is illustrated with the drive units 44 and 46 facing upward, but the valve device 10 may also be used with the drive units 44 and 46 facing in a direction other than upward.

[0067] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-14471, filed on February 1, 2024, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards described herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A valve device comprising: a plurality of blocks, each having a plurality of tapered plate-like flanges whose thickness gradually decreases in one direction and whose flow path openings, through which fluid flows in or out, are formed on one flat surface and whose other slopes; a valve chamber, provided in at least one of the blocks, between one of the flow path openings and another of the flow path openings, and a control unit, which controls the flow of fluid in the valve chamber; a connecting bracket having tapered flange insertion grooves into which paired flanges are inserted, with the flat surface of one block facing the flat surface of the other block so that the thinner portions of the flanges face each other, and which connects the flow path openings of one of the blocks with the flow path openings of the other blocks when the paired flanges are fitted into the flange insertion grooves; and an elastic seal ring, arranged between the paired flanges so as to surround the periphery of the flow path openings.

2. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein A is the groove width of the flange insertion groove at the flange pair inlet, and B is the distance between the inclined surface of one of the flange pair and the inclined surface of the other of the flange pair measured on the central axis of the elastic seal ring in a first state in which the elastic seal ring sandwiched between the flange pair is not compressed, and B satisfies B≦A.

3. The valve device according to claim 2, wherein, in the first state, when the distance between the one inclined surface and the other inclined surface measured at the end of the thicker side of the flange is C, the relationship B≦A<C is satisfied.

4. A valve device as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: an engaging portion formed on one of the connecting bracket and the block; and an engaged portion formed on the other of the connecting bracket and the block, which engages with the engaging portion when the flange is inserted into the flange insertion groove.

5. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein the block having the control unit has three flanges on which the flow path openings are formed, and the control unit controls the flow of the fluid between the three flow path openings.