Sensor Hood Valve Layout for Compact Internal Operation Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid control devices face challenges in compactly detecting internal operations due to frequent opening and closing operations, leading to potential fluid leakage, and existing solutions do not effectively enable straightforward detection of such operations.
Innovation Solution
A compact fluid control device design incorporating a sensor hood, valve body, diaphragm, cover portion, and circuit board, where the circuit board is aligned with the flow path direction, and a stem that slides to open and close the diaphragm, with a light-emitting unit connected to the circuit board to indicate operations, allowing for internal operation data acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fluid control device incorporates a sensor and circuit board for detecting internal operations, then the ability to monitor and detect fluid leakage improves, but the device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the sensor, circuit board, and sensor hood into a unified assembly where the circuit board is mounted on the sensor hood. This merging of components reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining the capability to detect internal operations and fluid leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor hood serves multiple functions: it houses the sensor for detecting internal operations, provides a mounting surface for the circuit board, and acts as part of the fluid control device structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby reducing device complexity while improving reliability through integrated monitoring.
2Ease of manufacture
If the circuit board is positioned outside the cover portion for easier access, then the ease of manufacturing and assembly improves, but the device size increases and compactness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is nested within the cover portion by being mounted on the sensor hood, which is itself part of the valve body assembly. This nesting arrangement allows the circuit board to be positioned inside the overall device footprint rather than outside, maintaining compactness while the sensor hood provides easy access to the circuit board for manufacturing and assembly purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit board is oriented such that its surface extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow path direction, allowing it to be mounted on the sensor hood in a space-efficient manner. This dimensional arrangement enables the circuit board to fit within the cover portion without increasing the device's footprint in the flow path direction.
3Area of stationary object
If the sensor hood extends further to accommodate the circuit board, then the space for component placement improves, but the device length increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor hood is designed with a localized extended surface that provides sufficient area for mounting the circuit board and sensor, rather than uniformly increasing the length of the entire sensor hood. This local quality approach concentrates the additional surface area exactly where needed for component placement, minimizing the overall length increase of the sensor hood.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor hood features an asymmetric design where the surface area is extended in specific directions to accommodate the circuit board and sensor, rather than symmetrically increasing all dimensions. This asymmetric extension provides the necessary component placement area while keeping the overall length increase to a minimum by strategically adding surface area only where components are located.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a fluid control device that is compact and that enables data regarding an internal operation of the device to be acquired.A fluid control device V is disposed in a flow path of a fluid and enables data regarding an internal operation to be acquired, the fluid control device including a sensor hood 44 to which one or more sensors M2 for detecting an operation in the fluid control device are attached; a valve body 1 connected to the sensor hood; a diaphragm 42 held below the sensor hood, inside the valve body; a cover portion 5 that covers the outer periphery of the sensor hood; and a circuit board 60 that is electrically connected to the sensor(s) and for which a thickness direction of the circuit board and a flow path direction are arranged in the same direction on the inside of the cover portion.