CN116085530A - Miniature three-way valve - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a miniature three-way valve which comprises a base provided with a first air outlet, an upper shell provided with a second air outlet and an air inlet, an outer magnet fixed on the inner side of the upper shell, a plug support arranged on the inner side of the outer magnet, a coil fixed on the plug support, a flexible plug fixed on the plug support, and an elastic support assembly connected between the plug support and the base or between the plug support and the upper shell. When the coil is electrified, the plug support can be driven to move between the first air outlet and the second air outlet, so that the flexible plug plugs one of the first air outlet and the second air outlet. The miniature three-way valve has the advantages of high driving efficiency, high magnetic force utilization rate, difficult disturbance by an external magnetic field and good stability.

Description

Miniature three-way valve

Technical Field

The invention relates to an air valve, in particular to a miniature three-way valve.

Background

The current miniature three-way valve generally adopts a structure with a coil as a stator, a magnet and a magnetic conduction structure as a rotor, and has the defects of low driving efficiency, weak driving force and easiness in being disturbed by an external magnetic field.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a miniature three-way valve with high driving efficiency.

A miniature three-way valve comprising: the base is provided with a first air outlet; the upper shell is connected with the base to define an accommodating space and comprises a top plate and a side wall integrally extending from the periphery of the top plate, and a second air outlet is formed in the top plate; the first air outlet and the second air outlet are positioned on the same straight line or on mutually parallel straight lines; an air inlet provided on a side wall or a base of the upper case; an outer magnet fixed inside the upper case; the plug bracket is arranged on the inner side of the outer magnet; a coil fixed on the plug bracket and spaced and opposite to the outer magnet; the flexible plug is fixed on the plug bracket; and the elastic support component is connected between the plug support and the base or between the plug support and the upper shell. The elastic support component allows the plug support to move between the first air outlet and the second air outlet; when the coil is electrified, the plug support can be driven to move between the first air outlet and the second air outlet, so that the flexible plug plugs one of the first air outlet and the second air outlet.

As one embodiment, the plug bracket includes: the flexible plugs are fixed in the through holes and protrude from two ends of the fixed block; and a hollow frame provided at the outer circumference of the fixing block and connected to the fixing block. Wherein the coil is fixed on the outer surface of the side wall of the frame; in the direction parallel to the central axis of the through hole of the fixed block, a containing groove for inserting the foreign object is formed between the fixed block and the frame or a containing groove for inserting the foreign object is formed in the space which is not occupied by the fixed block in the frame.

As one embodiment, the miniature three-way valve further comprises a magnet support and an inner magnet fixed on the magnet support. The magnet support comprises a base plate and a side plate which extends out from the base plate basically vertically, the base plate is connected with the base plate or the top plate of the upper shell, and the inner magnet is fixed on the side plate; and a containing groove for inserting the side plate and the inner magnet is formed in the plug bracket.

In one embodiment, the side plate is formed with a through hole, and the part of the plug bracket for fixing the coil is also formed with a through hole, so that the inner magnet is spaced and opposite to the coil.

As one embodiment, the miniature three-way valve further comprises an inner magnet connected with the base or the top plate of the upper shell; the plug bracket is provided with a containing groove for the inner magnet to be inserted; the outer magnet, coil and inner magnet are disposed opposite to each other in a direction parallel to the top plate of the upper case.

As one implementation mode, the miniature three-way valve further comprises a magnetism increasing ring, the magnetism increasing ring is fixed on one surface of the base, which faces the upper shell, and one end of the first air outlet is inserted into a hole in the middle of the magnetism increasing ring.

As one implementation mode, the elastic supporting component comprises two lower springs, one end of each lower spring is connected with the plug bracket, and the other end of each lower spring is connected with the base.

As an implementation mode, the miniature three-way valve further comprises two conductive pieces, wherein the two conductive pieces are fixed on one surface of the base, which faces away from the shell, or are integrally formed inside the base in a non-contact manner, each conductive piece comprises a conductive terminal, a hole for the conductive terminal to extend out is formed in the base, the tail end of the conductive terminal is electrically connected with a corresponding lower spring, and the lower spring is electrically connected with a coil on the plug support.

As an implementation mode, the miniature three-way valve further comprises a magnetism increasing ring, the magnetism increasing ring is fixed on one surface of the base facing the upper shell, and one end of the first air outlet is inserted into a hole in the middle of the magnetism increasing ring; the base is also provided with a plurality of through holes, and the magnetism increasing ring and the conductive piece are in spaced opposition through the through holes on the base.

As an implementation mode, the miniature three-way valve further comprises an annular gasket which is fixed on the inner surface of the top plate of the upper shell, the elastic supporting component comprises an upper spring, the upper spring is a plate spring, the inner side end of the upper spring is connected with the plug bracket, and the outer side end of the upper spring is fixedly connected with one surface of the gasket, which is opposite to the top plate of the upper shell.

The miniature three-way valve adopts the coil and the plug support as the active cell, the magnet as the stator, the flexible plug is fixed on the plug support, and the flexible plug seals the corresponding air outlet to control the air outlet from which air outlet by controlling the movement of the active cell. Since the coil mass is small, the driving efficiency is improved. And because the coil is positioned in the magnetic field, the magnetic force utilization rate is high, the coil is not easily disturbed by an external magnetic field, and the stability is good.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a micro three-way valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the micro three-way valve of FIG. 1 taken along line A-A.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the micro three-way valve of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a base of the three-way valve according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a mover of a three-way valve according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of an upper spring and a lower spring of the three-way valve according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a micro three-way valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the micro three-way valve of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the micro three-way valve of fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a base of a three-way valve according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a plug bracket of a three-way valve according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural view of an upper case of the three-way valve of the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

The micro three-way valve of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and drawings.

Embodiment one:

referring to fig. 1 to 3, in one embodiment, the micro three-way valve of the present invention mainly includes a base 10, an upper housing 20, a plurality of external magnets 30, a plug support 40, a coil 41, a flexible plug 42 and an elastic support assembly 50.

Referring to fig. 4, the base 10 is generally square plate-shaped, and a hollow protrusion extending toward two sides of the base is formed at the center thereof as a first air outlet 11. The base is made of non-conductive materials, such as plastics, preferably polymethyl methacrylate plastics, which are integrally formed, and has high strength and light weight. The base 10 has a boss 12 extending toward the upper case 20 near the periphery of one surface of the upper case 20, and a plurality of fixing posts 13 for fixing outer ends 522 of the lower springs 52 (see fig. 6) are symmetrically formed on the boss 12. A through hole 14 for passing the conductive terminal 62 is formed near the fixing post 13. Two through holes 15 are also formed between the boss 12 and the first air outlet 11, and the through holes 15 are symmetrically positioned at two sides of the first air outlet 11.

The upper case 20 includes a top plate 21 and a side wall 22 integrally extending from the periphery of the top plate 21. The end of the side wall 22 is fixedly connected to the base 10 such that the upper shell 20 and the base together form a hollow housing. In this embodiment, the top plate 21 is substantially square plate-shaped, and the second air outlet 23 is provided at the center of the top plate 21. An air inlet 24 is provided in the side wall 22 adjacent the base 10. In this embodiment, the upper shell 20 is made of a metal material with magnetic permeability, such as iron or 430 stainless steel, and can be used as a shell to protect the internal structure, and also can be used as a magnetizer to prevent the internal magnetic field from overflowing, so as to improve the magnetic field utilization rate. A through hole is formed in the center of the top plate 21, and a hollow pipe is connected to the hole periphery to form a second air outlet 23. The second air outlet 23 is also made of a metal material such as 430 stainless steel welded to the upper case 20 with one end protruding from the inside of the upper case 20 and the other end protruding outwardly from the upper case 20. The air inlet 24 is similar to the second air outlet 23, is also a hollow tube welded to the periphery of the hole in the side wall 22, and is also made of a metal material. In contrast, the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 23 preferably protrude inside the housing defined by the upper case 20 and the base 10, so that the air outlets are conveniently blocked from the inside, while the air inlet 24 does not need to protrude inside the upper case 20.

In this embodiment, the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 23 are located on the same straight line. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 23 may lie on different lines parallel to each other.

A plurality of outer magnets 30 (four in this embodiment) are fixed as part of the stator inside the side wall 22 of the upper case 20, for example, but not limited to, by being glued to the side wall 22 of the upper case 20.

The stopper bracket 40, the coil 41, and the flexible stopper 42 are provided as a mover on the inner peripheral side of the plurality of outer magnets 30. Referring to fig. 5, the stopper bracket 40 mainly includes a fixing block 43 formed with a through hole 431 and a hollow frame 45 connected to the fixing block 43 by a plurality of connection arms 44. In the present embodiment, the fixing block 43 is a column of a regular shape (square in the present embodiment), and the through hole 431 is formed on the center thereof. The flexible plugs 42 are long strip structures with plugs at both ends, the middle part of the flexible plugs is fixed in the through holes of the fixed block 43, and the two plugs protrude from both ends of the fixed block 43. One end of the connecting arm 44 extends substantially perpendicularly from the outer wall 432 of the fixed block 43 and is connected at its end to the inner wall of the frame 45. That is, the frame 45 is sleeved on the periphery of the fixed block 43, and the positions of the frame 45 corresponding to the two ends of the fixed block 43 are openings, so that the two ends of the plug are allowed to extend or be exposed. In this way, a plurality of receiving grooves 46 into which foreign objects (in this embodiment, the inner magnets 80) can be inserted are formed between the fixing block 43 and the frame 45 in a direction parallel to the central axis of the through hole 431 of the fixing block 43. In this embodiment, the frame 45 is substantially square, and the fixing blocks 43 are connected to four corners of the frame 45 through four connecting arms 44. In addition, a plurality of through holes communicating with the receiving groove 46 are formed in the frame 45 at positions opposite to the outer wall 432 of the fixing block 43. This structure reduces the weight of the mover, and facilitates the insertion of the inner magnet into the receiving groove 46 to be spaced apart from and opposed to the coil 41, thereby increasing the magnetic force of the magnetic field. The plug holder 40 is made of a non-conductive material, preferably a plastic material.

The outer surface of the side wall of the frame 45 is formed with a wire groove 451 for facilitating winding or housing the coil 41. In this embodiment, the coil 41 is preferably a copper or silver conductive coil, and is wound around the outer wall of the frame 45 in the direction of the central axis of the fixing block through hole 431. The wire groove 451 is thus an annular groove recessed from the side wall surface of the frame 45 or formed with bosses on both sides. When the winding direction of the coil is perpendicular to the direction of the central axis of the fixing block through hole 431, the wire groove may be a square or oval groove or hole formed at the side wall of the frame 45. The plurality of through holes formed in the frame 45 at positions facing the outer wall 432 of the fixed block 43 and communicating with the receiving groove 46, not only reduces the weight of the mover, but also makes the coil 41 and the inner magnet 80 inserted into the receiving groove of the stopper bracket 40 to be spaced apart from each other, thereby improving the driving efficiency.

The flexible plug 42 may be formed by injection molding liquid silica gel into the fixed block 43, which has the advantage of more stable structure. The end face 433 of the fixed block 43 is further formed with a groove 434, and one end of the groove 434 communicates with the through hole 431. The grooves 434 may facilitate shaping and stabilization of the liquid silicone when the liquid silicone is injection molded in the through-hole 431.

The mover is suspension-supported in a housing composed of the base 10 and the upper case 20 by means of an elastic support assembly 50. The elastic support member 50 allows the plug holder 40 to move between the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 23, and the coil 41 and the external magnet 30 are spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the elastic support assembly 50 includes an upper spring 51 and two lower springs 52. Please refer to fig. 6 at the same time. The upper spring 51 is a plate spring including an inner ring (inner end) 511 for fixedly connecting with an upper end (end toward the top plate 21 of the upper case 20) of the stopper bracket 40, an outer ring (outer end) 512 for connecting with the upper case 20, and a plurality of elastic arms 513 meandering between the inner ring 511 and the outer ring 512.

A boss 452 for restricting an upper limit of movement of the plug holder 40 is formed on an upper end 453 of the frame 45 of the plug holder 40. When the stopper bracket 40 moves to the most distal end in the direction of the second air outlet 23, the boss 452 contacts the upper shell 20. In addition, the protruding portion 452 may also serve the purpose of limiting the inner end 511 of the upper spring 51, and may be disposed inside the inner end 511, with its side wall abutting against the inner end 511, and may guide the upper spring 51 to be precisely positioned during assembly.

The lower spring 52 is also a plate spring, preferably made of conductive metal, and also serves as a conductive path for the coil 41. The two lower springs 52 are not in contact, and each lower spring 52 includes an inner side 521 fixedly connected to the lower end (end toward the base 10) of the stopper bracket 40, two elastic arms 523 meandering from both ends of the inner side 521, and an outer side 522 connected to the ends of the elastic arms 523. The outer portion 522 is fixedly connected to the fixing post 13 on the boss 12 of the base 10 and is electrically connected to the conductive terminal 62 in the through hole 14 of the base 10. The inner portion 521 is electrically connected to the end of the coil 41.

In this embodiment, the micro three-way valve further includes two conductive members 60, and the conductive terminals 62 are formed on the conductive members 60. Each conductive member 60 includes a generally rectangular metal sheet 61 and two conductive terminals 62 extending substantially perpendicularly from the edges of the metal sheet 61. Two conductive members 60 are fixed to a side of the base 10 facing away from the upper case 20 without contacting each other, and conductive terminals 62 are inserted into the through holes 14 and exposed to the base 10. Each of the conductive members 60 is electrically connected to one of the lower springs 52. The structure of the conductive member 60 makes the fixation of the conductive terminal 62 more stable, has longer service life, and can exist as a magnetic conductive sheet at the same time, so that a complete magnetic conductive shell is formed outside the miniature three-way valve, and the magnetic focusing effect is good.

In operation, when the coil 41 is energized, the plug support 40 is driven to move between the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 23, so that the flexible plug 42 plugs one of the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 23, and the micro air valve is controlled to be ventilated through the corresponding air outlet. Since the overall mass of the mover is small, the driving efficiency is improved. The coil 41 is positioned in the magnetic field generated by the external magnet 30, so that the magnetic force utilization rate is high, the magnetic force is not easily disturbed by the external magnetic field, and the stability is good.

In order to provide space for deformation of the upper spring 51, the micro three-way valve further includes an annular gasket 25 fixed to the inner surface of the top plate 21 of the upper case 20, and an outer ring 512 of the upper spring 51 is fixed to a side of the annular gasket 25 remote from the top plate 21. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, instead of the spacer 25, a plurality of structures may be formed on the top plate 21 to project toward the inside of the housing.

To further increase the driving force, the micro three-way valve of the present invention further includes a magnet holder 70 and a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) internal magnets 80 fixed to the magnet holder 70. The magnet holder 70 and the inner magnet 80 may be fixed to the upper case 20 or the base 10 as a part of the stator, and in this embodiment, to the upper case.

The magnet holder 70 includes a base plate 71 and a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) side plates 72 extending substantially perpendicularly from the base plate 71. The base plate 71 is connected to the top plate 21 of the upper case 20, and a hole 711 for avoiding the second air outlet 23 is formed in the base plate 71. The inner magnet 80 is fixed to the side plate 72. The magnet holder 70 is preferably made of a magnetically permeable material, such as a ferrous material. To increase the effect of the inner magnet 80, the side plate 72 is provided with a through hole 721, and the inner magnet 80 is fixed inside the hole 721. The side plate 72 is inserted into the insertion groove (receiving groove) 46 of the plug holder 40 with the inner magnet 80, and the inner magnet 80 is spaced apart from and opposed to the coil 41.

The cooperation of the outer magnet 30 and the inner magnet 80 can provide enough driving force, so that the response speed of the miniature three-way valve is improved, the service life of the product is prolonged, and no air leakage can occur even if the miniature three-way valve is used for a long time.

To further increase the driving force, the micro three-way valve of the present invention further includes a magnetism increasing ring 90 fixed to a side of the base 10 facing the upper case 20. A hole for avoiding the first air outlet 11 is formed in the middle of the magnetism increasing ring 90. The magnetism enhancing ring 90 is preferably made of a hard magnetic material, such as Ru-Fe-B. The magnetism increasing ring 90 is spaced and opposite to the electric conduction piece 60 through the through hole 15 on the base, and the magnetic conduction effect is better. The direction and magnitude of the current input to the coil 41 can be controlled to make the magnetic field generated by the coil 41 and the magnetic field of the magnetism increasing ring 90 attract or repel each other, so that the mover part generates larger acting force.

In the above embodiment, the micro three-way valve has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, so the base 10 is substantially square, and the number of the external magnet and the internal magnet is four. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the base may be generally circular or triangular or pentagonal in regular shape, the corresponding micro three-way valve may be generally cylindrical or regular polygonal in shape, and the number of outer and inner magnets may be adaptively adjusted as long as it is ensured that the required magnetic field is provided.

In the above embodiment, the first air outlet and the second air outlet are both protruded towards the inside of the shell to facilitate the plug to plug the shell. It can be understood that the first air outlet and the second air outlet do not protrude from the inside of the casing, as long as the plugs can be used for plugging the corresponding air outlets when the mover moves to the preset position.

In the above embodiment, the boss 12 and the through hole 15 are formed on the base 10. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the boss may be omitted, leaving the fixing post 13. The through holes may be omitted, and the number of through holes is not limited to two but may be more.

In the above embodiment, the flexible stopper 42 is integrally formed and extends from both ends of the fixing block 43 of the stopper bracket 40. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, two flexible plugs may be included and respectively fixed at two ends of the through hole of the fixing block of the plug bracket.

In the above embodiment, the plug bracket 40 includes the fixing block 43, the connecting arm 44, and the frame 45. It is to be understood that the shape of the plug holder is not limited thereto, as long as the plug holder 40 is formed with a receiving groove into which the inner magnet and a part of the magnet holder are inserted, and a fixing block for fixing the flexible plug and a wire groove for fixing the coil are formed.

In the above embodiment, the coil 41 is wound around the plug holder. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the same driving effect may be achieved by replacing 41 with a plurality of coils wound about an axis perpendicular to the central axis of the fixed mass 43, and adapting the appropriate magnets.

In the above embodiment, the upper spring and the lower spring are employed. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the upper spring may be omitted and the inner portion of the lower spring may be connected to the middle portion of the stopper bracket. The structures of the upper and lower springs are not limited thereto as long as the mover is elastically suspended and allowed to move between the first air outlet and the second air outlet.

In other embodiments, the conductive member may be omitted, so long as there is a conductive terminal electrically connectable to the lower spring and connectable to an external circuit.

In other embodiments, the magnet support and inner magnet may be omitted as desired.

In other embodiments, the magnetism enhancing ring may be omitted as desired.

Embodiment two:

referring to fig. 7 to 12, the structure of the micro three-way valve of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, and for convenience of description, the components of the second embodiment, which are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. The main difference between the structure of the micro three-way valve of the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that: (1) an air inlet 24 'is formed in the base 10'; (2) The inner magnet 80 and the magnet bracket 70 are replaced by an inner magnet 90 'similar to the magnetism augmentation ring 90 in structure, and the structure of the corresponding plug bracket 40' is changed; (3) A concave stage 211 concave toward the base 10' is formed near the edge of the top plate 21' of the upper case 20', thereby eliminating the annular gasket 25.

The above differences are described in further detail below.

In this embodiment, the base 10' has a substantially square plate shape, and a hollow boss extending toward both sides of the base is formed at the center thereof as the first air outlet 11. The base 10 'has a boss 12' extending toward the upper case 20 near the periphery of one surface thereof facing the upper case 20, and the boss 12 'has a plurality of fixing blocks 13' symmetrically formed thereon for fixing the outer ends of the lower springs 52. The boss 12' is further formed with a hollow boss extending toward the outside as an air inlet 24', and the base 10' is formed with a recess 16 communicating with the air inlet 24' at a position near the air inlet 24', i.e., the air inlet passage is formed in an L-shape as a whole. The gas first passes through the inlet 24' substantially perpendicular to the first outlet 11 and then enters the interior of the micro three-way valve through the recess 16 in a direction substantially parallel to the first outlet 11. So designed, the air inlet 24 'and the base 10' share an internal space, which is smaller than in the first embodiment, so that the outer magnet 30 can be designed to be larger in size and provide a stronger magnetic field. In addition, the air inlet 24 'and the base 10', the first air outlet 11 can be integrally formed, so that the manufacturing and assembling processes are simplified, and the efficiency is high. In this embodiment, the air inlet 24 'and the base 10', and the first air outlet 11 are made of a non-conductive material, such as plastic, preferably polymethyl methacrylate, which is formed by integral molding, and has high strength and light weight.

In addition, two conductive members (the whole structure of which is not shown) similar to the conductive member 60 in the first embodiment, which may be metal buried wires, are embedded in the base 10', and pads 14' are formed at four corners of the boss 12 'of the base 10' for electrical connection with the lower spring 52, and conductive pins 62 'extend from the bottom of the base 10' for electrical connection with an external circuit.

A plurality of through holes 15' are also formed between the boss 12' and the first air outlet 11, and the through holes 15' are symmetrically located at the peripheral side of the first air outlet 11. A metal sealing plate 60 'made of magnetic permeability material and provided with a through hole in the middle is fixed at the bottom of the base 10', so that a complete magnetic conduction shell is formed outside the miniature three-way valve, and the magnetic concentration effect is good.

The stopper bracket 40', the coil 41, and the flexible stopper 42' are provided as movers on the inner peripheral side of the plurality of outer magnets 30. The plug holder 40' is made of a non-conductive material, preferably a plastic material. The stopper bracket 40 'mainly includes a fixing block 43' formed with a through hole 431 'and a hollow frame 45'. In this embodiment, the fixing block 43' has a substantially square plate shape, two sides of which are connected to the inner side of the upper end of the frame 45', and the other two sides of which are disconnected from the frame 45' to form an opening. That is, the frame 45 'is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fixed block 43', and the positions of the frame 45 'corresponding to the two ends (two sides) of the fixed block 43' are openings, so that the two ends of the plug are allowed to extend or be exposed. The space inside the frame 45 'not occupied by the fixing block 43' is the receiving groove 46 'into which the inner magnet 90' is inserted. The coil 41 is wound in a wire slot in the outer wall of the frame 45'.

The flexible plugs 42 'are dumbbell-shaped structures with plugs at both ends, the waist of the flexible plugs is fixed in the through holes 431' of the fixed block 43', and the two plugs protrude from both ends of the fixed block 43'. Compared with the first embodiment, the fixing block 43 'of the second embodiment is substantially plate-shaped, and thus has a smaller height, and correspondingly, the length of the flexible plug 42' is shorter, and the height of the first air outlet 11 protruding from the base 10 'toward the upper shell 20 is higher, and the first air outlet is inserted into the frame 45' of the plug support 40 'opposite to one end of the flexible plug 42', so that the mover can seal one of the air outlets without moving a longer distance.

The flexible plug 42 'may be formed by injection molding liquid silicone in the fixed block 43', which has the advantage of more stable structure. The end face 433' of the fixed block 43' is also formed with a groove 434', and one end of the groove 434' communicates with the through hole 431 '. The grooves 434 'may facilitate shaping and stabilization of the liquid silicone when the liquid silicone is injection molded in the through-hole 431'.

The upper end 453 of the frame 45' of the stopper bracket 40' is formed with a protrusion 452 for restricting the upper limit of movement of the stopper bracket 40 '. When the stopper bracket 40' moves to the most distal end in the direction of the second air outlet 23, the boss 452 contacts the upper shell 20. In addition, the protruding portion 452 may also serve the purpose of limiting the inner end 511 of the upper spring 51, and may be disposed inside the inner end 511, with its side wall abutting against the inner end 511, and may guide the upper spring 51 to be precisely positioned during assembly.

The inner magnet 90 'has a substantially square shape, and has a hole formed at the middle thereof to avoid the first air outlet 11, one end of which is fixed to the base 10', and the other end of which is inserted into the receiving groove 46 'inside the frame 45'. The outer magnet 30, the coil 41 and the inner magnet 90 'are disposed opposite to each other in a direction parallel to the top plate of the upper case 20'. The inner magnet 90' is preferably made of a hard magnetic material, such as Ru-Fe-B. The inner magnet 90 'is spaced and opposed to the sealing plate 60' through the through hole 15 'in the base 10', and the magnetic conduction effect is better. The magnetic field generated by the coil 41 and the magnetic field of the outer magnet 30 and the inner magnet 90' are attracted or repelled by controlling the direction and magnitude of the current input to the coil 41, so that the mover part generates a larger force. Compared with the first embodiment, the second embodiment omits the inner magnet 80 and the magnet bracket 70, and simplifies the structure and manufacturing and assembling process of the micro three-way valve.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the drawings, are merely for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, all such alternatives, modifications, and variations are included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims (10)

1. A miniature three-way valve, comprising:

the base is provided with a first air outlet;

the upper shell is connected with the base to define an accommodating space and comprises a top plate and a side wall integrally extending from the periphery of the top plate, a second air outlet is arranged on the top plate, and the first air outlet and the second air outlet are positioned on the same straight line or on mutually parallel straight lines;

an air inlet provided on a side wall or a base of the upper case;

an outer magnet fixed inside the upper case;

the plug bracket is arranged on the inner side of the outer magnet;

a coil fixed on the plug bracket and spaced and opposite to the outer magnet;

the flexible plug is fixed on the plug bracket; and

the elastic support component is connected between the plug support and the base or between the plug support and the upper shell;

the elastic support component allows the plug support to move between the first air outlet and the second air outlet; when the coil is electrified, the plug support can be driven to move between the first air outlet and the second air outlet, so that the flexible plug plugs one of the first air outlet and the second air outlet.

2. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 1, wherein said stopper bracket comprises:

the flexible plugs are fixed in the through holes and protrude from two ends of the fixed block; and

a hollow frame arranged at the periphery of the fixed block and connected with the fixed block;

wherein the coil is fixed on the outer surface of the side wall of the frame; in the direction parallel to the central axis of the through hole of the fixed block, a containing groove for inserting the foreign object is formed between the fixed block and the frame or a containing groove for inserting the foreign object is formed in the space which is not occupied by the fixed block in the frame.

3. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 1, further comprising a magnet holder and an inner magnet secured to said magnet holder; the magnet support comprises a base plate and a side plate which extends out from the base plate basically vertically, the base plate is connected with the base plate or the top plate of the upper shell, and the inner magnet is fixed on the side plate; and a containing groove for inserting the side plate and the inner magnet is formed in the plug bracket.

4. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 3, wherein a through hole is formed in the side plate, and a through hole is also formed in the plug bracket at a portion for fixing the coil, such that the inner magnet is spaced apart from and opposed to the coil.

5. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 1, further comprising an inner magnet connected to the top plate of the base or upper housing; the plug bracket is provided with a containing groove for the inner magnet to be inserted; the outer magnet, coil and inner magnet are disposed opposite to each other in a direction parallel to the top plate of the upper case.

6. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetism increasing ring fixed on a surface of the base facing the upper shell, wherein one end of the first air outlet is inserted into a hole in the middle of the magnetism increasing ring.

7. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 1, wherein said elastic support assembly comprises two lower springs, each lower spring having one end connected to the stopper bracket and the other end connected to the base.

8. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 7, further comprising two conductive members fixed on one surface of the base facing away from the upper casing or integrally formed inside the base without contacting each other, each conductive member including a conductive terminal, wherein a hole for the conductive terminal to extend is formed in the base, and the terminal of the conductive terminal is electrically connected to a corresponding lower spring, and the lower spring is also electrically connected to a coil on the plug support.

9. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 8, further comprising a magnetism increasing ring fixed on one surface of the base facing the upper shell, wherein one end of the first air outlet is inserted into a hole in the middle of the magnetism increasing ring; the base is also provided with a plurality of through holes, and the magnetism increasing ring and the conductive piece are in spaced opposition through the through holes on the base.

10. The miniature three-way valve according to claim 1, further comprising an annular gasket fixed to an inner surface of the top plate of the upper housing, wherein the elastic support assembly comprises an upper spring, the upper spring is a plate spring, an inner end of the upper spring is connected to the plug bracket, and an outer end of the upper spring is fixedly connected to a surface of the gasket facing away from the top plate of the upper housing.

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