Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Murata Manufacturingco., Ltd.

Daisuke Kondo

Nobuhira Tanaka

Hiroyuki Yokoi

Kiyoshi Kurihara

Hiroaki Wada

Hiroshi Takemura

Masaaki Fujisaki

Kenjiro Okaguchi

Hiroki Achiwa

Yoshinori Ando

A fluid control apparatus includes a valve and a pump. The valve has a valve chamber surrounded by the first main plate, the second main plate, and the side plate. The first main plate has a first aperture, and the second main plate has a second aperture. The valve further includes a valve diaphragm disposed inside the valve chamber. The valve diaphragm is configured to switch between a state in which the first aperture and the second aperture communicate with each other and a state in which the first aperture and the second aperture do not communicate with each other. The pump includes a vibration unit that has a piezoelectric device and a vibrating plate. The pump has a pump chamber that is defined by the vibration unit and the second main plate. The pump chamber communicates with the valve chamber through the second aperture.

Fluid control apparatus

A valve includes a first plate having a first vent hole; a second plate defining a valve chamber, which communicates with the first vent hole, between the second plate and the first plate, the second plate having a second vent hole that communicates with the valve chamber and that does not face the first vent hole; and a movable plate having a third vent hole that faces the second vent hole and disposed in the valve chamber such that the movable plate is movable between the first plate and the second plate. The second plate has an auxiliary hole that does not face the third vent hole in the movable plate, the auxiliary hole being surrounded by an edge portion that forms a first corner portion having a substantially convex rounded shape in front view of a principal surface of the second plate at a side facing the valve chamber.

Valve and fluid control device including valve

A pump includes a housing, a first vibrating body, a second vibrating body, and a peripheral wall portion that define a pump chamber, and a driving body. The housing has a first wall portion opposed to the first vibrating body and a second wall portion. The first wall portion includes a first concave portion that opens toward the first vibrating body and opposed to a central portion of the first vibrating body and a first circumferential portion adjacent to the first concave portion. A first chamber includes a first wide portion defined by the first concave portion and the first vibrating body, and a first narrow portion defined by the first circumferential portion and the first vibrating body. The first narrow portion overlaps with at least part of the first vibrating body.

Piezoelectric pump with an upper and lower vibrating body

A piezoelectric blower includes a valve unit, a pump unit, a controller, and an outer housing. The valve unit includes a plurality of ejection holes and film holes. The pump unit includes a plurality of communication holes and suction holes. The outer housing covers the valve unit and the pump unit with a gap between the outer housing and each of the valve unit and the pump unit. Thus, the outer housing forms vent passages between the outer housing and the valve unit and between the outer housing and the pump unit. The inlet communicates with the vent passage. The outlet communicates with the vent passage. At least one of the inlet and the outlet is displaced from a central axis of the pump chamber. The ejection holes, the film holes, the communication holes, and the suction holes are symmetric about the central axis of the pump chamber.

Blower

A fluid control apparatus includes a valve and a pump. The valve has a valve chamber. The first main plate has a first aperture through which the valve chamber communicates with the outside, and the second main plate has a second aperture through which the valve chamber communicates with the outside. The valve further includes a valve diaphragm disposed inside the valve chamber. The valve diaphragm is configured to switch the communication state. The pump includes a piezoelectric device. The pump has a pump chamber. The pump chamber communicates with the valve chamber through the second aperture. In addition, in flexural vibration of the vibration unit, a frequency coefficient of the first main plate is greater than a frequency coefficient of the second main plate.

A fluid control device () includes a valve section () and a blower section (). The valve section () allows fluid to flow in one direction. The valve section () has the shape of a cylindrical container with a valve chamber () provided therein. The valve section () includes a top plate (), a side-wall plate (), a bottom plate (), and a film (). A plurality of ejection holes () and a plurality of auxiliary holes () arranged in a predetermined pattern are formed in a central region of the top plate (). A plurality of communication holes () arranged in a predetermined pattern are formed in a central region of the bottom plate (). A plurality of film holes () arranged in a predetermined pattern are formed in a central region of the film ().

Valve and fluid control device

A valve includes a first plate, a side wall plate, a second plate, and a third plate. The first plate has a plurality of first vent holes. The second plate constitutes a valve chamber along with the first plate and the side wall plate. The second plate includes a second principal surface opposing a first principal surface of the first plate. The second plate has a plurality of second vent holes. The third plate has a plurality of third vent holes. The plurality of third vent holes overlaps with the plurality of first vent holes without overlapping with the plurality of second vent holes in a plan view in a direction in which the first plate and the second plate oppose each other. Both principal surfaces of the third plate oppose the first principal surface and the second principal surface. The third plate is disposed in the valve chamber.

Valve and gas control device

A fluid control device includes a pump and an external structure. The pump includes an actuator, a top portion opposed to the actuator such that a gap is disposed therebetween in the thickness direction, and a side wall plate extending from the top portion in the thickness direction and supporting a vibration member. The actuator includes the plate-like vibration member and a piezoelectric element configured to cause the vibration member to vibrate in the thickness direction. The top portion includes a projection portion and a fixation portion projecting beyond the side wall plate in an outward direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The top portion is fixed to an external structure outside the projection portion.

Pump having a top portion fixed to an external structure

Provided is a suction device that can suppress sound and vibration during use. A suction device includes a flow-passage forming section () having a suction port () from which fluid is sucked, a discharge port () from which the fluid is discharged, and a flow passage () which is sealed from an outside except at the suction port () and the discharge port () and through which the fluid flows, and a piezoelectric driving part () that generates a flow of the fluid in the flow passage (). The piezoelectric driving part () includes a diaphragm () and a piezoelectric element () as a moving part that transmits driving force to the fluid. The moving part is entirely disposed inside the flow passage ().

Suction device

An inhalation device includes a nozzle, a separator, a housing, a battery portion, a circuit board, and a piezoelectric blower. The piezoelectric blower has a suction hole that opens near the center of an upper surface of the piezoelectric blower and a discharge hole that opens at the center of a bottom surface of the piezoelectric blower. The piezoelectric blower is mounted on a first main surface of the circuit board on the side of an upper housing. The circuit board applies a drive voltage to the piezoelectric blower to drive the piezoelectric blower. The circuit board has a through-hole facing the discharge hole. The through-hole overlaps the discharge hole, out of the suction hole and the discharge hole, when the first main surface of the circuit board is viewed from a front side.

Inhalation device

A fluid control device () having a flow passage passing through a pump chamber () and a valve chamber () includes a vibration unit () that vibrates to cause fluctuation of an internal pressure in the pump chamber (), a valve bottom plate () facing the valve chamber () and having a communication hole () communicating with the pump chamber () at one end and communicating with the valve chamber () at the other end, and a valve top plate () facing the valve chamber () to be opposed to the valve bottom plate () and having a discharge hole () communicating with the valve chamber (). The communication hole () and the discharge hole () are not opposed to each other, and the valve bottom plate () is elastically deformed by transmission of vibration of the vibration unit () thereto.

Fluid control device

A piezoelectric blower includes an outer casing and a blower main body. The outer casing houses the blower main body. The blower main body includes a top plate, side plate, first vibrating plate, piezoelectric element, intermediate plate, second vibrating plate, side plate, and bottom plate and has a structure in which they are laminated in sequence. The top plate, side plate, and first vibrating plate define a columnar first blower space. The second vibrating plate, side plate, bottom plate define a columnar second blower space. The distance from a neutral plane of the piezoelectric element in the thickness direction to a surface of the second vibrating plate, the surface being near the piezoelectric element, is longer than the distance from the neutral plane to a surface of the first vibrating plate, the surface being near the piezoelectric element.

Piezoelectric blower

A piezoelectric micro-blower includes an inner case to which a peripheral portion of a vibrating plate including a piezoelectric element is fixed such that a blower chamber is defined between the inner case and the vibrating plate and an outer case arranged to cover an outer periphery of the inner case with a gap therebetween. The inner case is elastically retained in the outer case by a plurality of connecting portions. A first opening is provided in a top plate portion of the inner case that faces a central portion of the vibrating plate, and a second opening is provided in a top plate portion of the outer case that faces the first opening. A central space is provided between the top plate portions, and fluid introduced from the outside is guided to the central space through the gap between the inner and outer cases.

Piezoelectric micro-blower

A piezoelectric micro-blower includes an inner case to which a peripheral portion of a vibrating plate including a piezoelectric element is fixed such that a blower chamber is defined between the inner case and the vibrating plate and an outer case arranged to cover an outer periphery of the inner case with a gap therebetween. The inner case is elastically retained in the outer case by a plurality of connecting portions. A first opening is provided in a top plate portion of the inner case that faces a central portion of the vibrating plate, and a second opening is provided in a top plate portion of the outer case that faces the first opening. A central space is provided between the top plate portions, and fluid introduced from the outside is guided to the central space through the gap between the inner and outer cases. The vibrating plate is driven in a bending mode so that air is sucked into the central space and is discharged through the second opening. The connecting portions prevent leakage of vibration of the vibrating plate from the inner case to the outer case, thereby reducing energy loss.

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Kyoto, Japan

Daisuke Kondo