US 12,486,921 B2
Valve comprising a piezoelectric actuator
Frédéric Mosca, La Ciotat (FR); Gilles Grosso, La Ciotat (FR); Simon Clement, La Ciotat (FR); and Alice Aubry, La Ciotat (FR)
Assigned to PYTHEAS TECHNOLOGY, La Ciotat (FR)
Appl. No. 18/726,630
Filed by PYTHEAS TECHNOLOGY, La Ciotat (FR)
PCT Filed Jan. 5, 2023, PCT No. PCT/EP2023/050199
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 3, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/131660, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 13, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2200092 (FR), filed on Jan. 6, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2025/0075820 A1, Mar. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. F16K 31/00 (2006.01); H10N 30/50 (2023.01)
CPC F16K 31/007 (2013.01) [H10N 30/50 (2023.02)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A valve comprising a pressurised fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, said valve including:
a fixed plate wherein first fluid flow channels are arranged,
a flap wherein second fluid flow channels are arranged, said flap movably mounted between:
an opening position wherein the first channels and the second channels are in a configuration allowing the flow of the fluid between the inlet and the outlet, and
a closing position wherein the first channels and the second channels are in a configuration blocking the flow of the fluid between the inlet and the outlet,
a piezoelectric actuator acting upon the flap to move it between the closing position and the opening position, said actuator comprising a piezoelectric pillar formed by a piezoelectric element stack structure, said pillar lengthening when the actuator is switched on and retracting when said actuator is not switched on,
and wherein the inlet is arranged in such a way that, in use, the pressurised fluid exerts a pressure force on an active face of said flap stressing said flap to the closing position,
wherein,
the actuator is axially prestressed by means of one or more prestress rods forming spring elements in which the return force acts in the piezoelectric pillar retraction direction.