Manual Valve Torque Protection and Corrosion Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manual valves for semiconductor manufacturing devices face issues such as excessive torque leading to valve seat damage, increased complexity and cost, and potential chemical liquid leakage causing spring deterioration, which affects proper valve closure.
Innovation Solution
A manual valve design featuring a rod with an external thread and a cylindrical rod feeding member that is rotatably held and internally threaded, along with an engagement member that elastically deforms to prevent excessive torque transmission, reducing the risk of valve seat damage and using resin components to resist chemical corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the knob is rotated to move the valve element by screw feeding the rod, then the valve opening degree can be adjusted, but excessive torque can cause the valve element to excessively press the valve seat, resulting in damages
Solution Approach 1:
The rod is provided with a rotation preventing portion that prevents the rod from rotating relative to the valve body before excessive torque is applied. This preliminary protective measure ensures that the rod only moves linearly to adjust the valve element position without rotating, thereby preventing the valve element from excessively pressing the valve seat even when the knob is rotated with large torque.
2Reliability
If a spring is provided to bring the valve element into contact with the valve seat for valve closing, then the valve can be closed, but the structure becomes complicated and the number of components increases, leading to cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the spring component from the valve structure. Instead of using a spring to bring the valve element into contact with the valve seat for closing, the design relies on the direct mechanical connection between the rod and the valve element. When the rod moves linearly, it directly drives the valve element to close against the valve seat, eliminating the need for additional spring components and simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rod itself serves the dual function of both actuating the valve element for opening and providing the closing force through its linear movement. The rod's own motion, driven by the knob rotation, is sufficient to close the valve element against the valve seat without requiring external spring assistance, making the system self-sufficient and reducing component count.
3Ease of operation
If the rod is directly connected to the knob, then the valve element can be moved by rotation of the knob, but the rod may rotate along with the knob, preventing proper valve control
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the rod and knob is segmented into two independent functional parts: the rod is prevented from rotating relative to the valve body by the rotation preventing portion, while the knob can still rotate freely to drive the rod's linear movement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function without interfering with the other, ensuring the rod maintains rotational stability while the knob provides operational control.
Solution Approach 2:
The rod is designed with an asymmetric structure where one end is prevented from rotating relative to the valve body, while the other end can rotate relative to the knob. This asymmetric rotational constraint allows the rod to maintain its positional stability for precise valve control while still being driven by the rotating knob, creating a controlled asymmetry in rotational freedom.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design prevents valve seat damage from excessive torque, reduces the number of components and cost, and maintains proper valve closure by preventing chemical corrosion, ensuring reliable operation in semiconductor manufacturing environments.
Implementation Method 1
a rod feeding member of a cylindrical shape, the rod feeding member being rotatably held and internally formed with an internal thread portion to be threadedly engaged with the external thread portion of the rod
Implementation Method 2
an engagement member fixed to the knob, the engagement member being elastically deformable to be engaged with the rod feeding member and disengaged from the rod feeding member when a larger torque than a predetermined value is applied to the engagement member
Data Source
AI summary
A manual valve comprises a valve element, a rod connected to the valve element, and a knob for moving the rod by screw feeding in an opening/closing direction with respect to the valve element. The valve element is moved by rotation of the knob through the rod. The rod includes an external thread portion on an outer periphery thereof and is not connected to the knob and is held against rotation. Further, the manual valve includes a cylindrical sliding nut rotatably held by a body and formed with an internal thread portion to be engaged with the external thread portion of the rod on its inner periphery and a clip fixed to the knob to be elastically deformably engaged with the sliding nut but disengaged when a larger torque than the predetermined value is applied.