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KR-20260066402-A - A vacuum gate valve with a locking unit that is movable in both direction by fluid pressure

KR20260066402AKR 20260066402 AKR20260066402 AKR 20260066402AKR-20260066402-A

Abstract

A vacuum gate valve having a locking part capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a valve housing having an inlet opening for gas to be introduced into a process chamber and an exhaust opening for exhausting the introduced gas to a vacuum pump, a gate located inside the valve housing and moving between a closed position located between the inlet opening and the exhaust opening and an open position retracted from the closed position, and a locking part that closes the gate in the closed position to the inlet opening or the exhaust opening side to isolate the internal environment of the process chamber from the outside.

Inventors

  • 정승욱
  • 박영남

Assignees

  • 주식회사 지엘에스

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20241104

Claims (11)

  1. A valve housing having an inlet opening for gas to enter the process chamber and an exhaust opening for exhausting the entered gas to a vacuum pump; A gate located inside the valve housing and moving between a closed position located between the inlet opening and the exhaust opening and an open position retracted from the closed position; and A locking part that closes the gate in the closed position to the inlet opening or the exhaust opening side to isolate the internal environment of the process chamber from the outside; The above valve housing is, It has a hydraulic chamber in which a close-fitting fluid path and a separation fluid path are connected, The above locking part is, A movable ring disposed inside the hydraulic chamber so as to be positioned between the outlet of the above-mentioned close-fitting channel and the outlet of the above-mentioned separation channel; and A vacuum gate valve having a locking part capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure, comprising: a locking ring which is directly or indirectly connected to the movable ring and changes position together with the movable ring, approaches the gate in the closed position by the hydraulic pressure of the fluid introduced into the hydraulic chamber through the contact channel, and separates from the gate in the closed position by the hydraulic pressure of the fluid introduced into the hydraulic chamber through the separation channel.
  2. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned movable ring is, A ring member disposed inside the above hydraulic chamber; and A vacuum gate valve having a locking portion capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure, comprising: a plurality of piston assemblies, each mounted on the ring member and connected to the locking ring by passing through a piston placement hole penetrating the bottom of the hydraulic chamber.
  3. In paragraph 2, The above piston assembly is, A piston located on one side of the above ring member and passing through the piston placement hole to be coupled to the locking ring; and A vacuum gate valve having a locking portion capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure, comprising: an elastic member located on the rear side of the ring member and providing elastic force to the ring member.
  4. In paragraph 3, The above valve housing is, A main housing formed such that the inlet opening or the exhaust opening is formed, and the hydraulic chamber is recessed around the inlet opening or the exhaust opening; and A vacuum gate valve having a locking portion movable in both directions by fluid pressure, comprising: a hydraulic chamber cover mounted on the main housing to form the ceiling of the hydraulic chamber, and having an elastic member receiving groove formed therein that accommodates at least a portion of the elastic member while mounted on the main housing.
  5. In paragraph 4, The outlet of the above-mentioned sealing channel is, In an initial state without external force, it is not completely covered by the ring member supported by the elastic member, and is located adjacent to the ceiling within the hydraulic chamber, The outlet of the above-mentioned separation channel is, A vacuum gate valve having a locking part capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure, positioned adjacent to the bottom within the hydraulic chamber, and wherein the ring member is not completely obscured by the ring member in a sealed state in which the ring member is moved as far as possible toward the bottom side of the hydraulic chamber.
  6. In paragraph 5, The outlet of the above-mentioned separation channel is, A vacuum gate valve having a locking part movable in both directions by fluid pressure, formed by further recessing the inner wall of the main housing at the bottom of the hydraulic chamber.
  7. In paragraph 4, The above-mentioned movable ring is, A vacuum gate valve having a locking portion movable in both directions by fluid pressure, further comprising a stop pin protruding from one surface of the ring member and extending toward the bottom of the hydraulic chamber.
  8. In Paragraph 7, In the main housing above, A vacuum gate valve having a locking part capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure, located at the bottom of the hydraulic chamber and having a guide groove formed by a slope that narrows as the depth increases to guide the direction of movement of the stop pin.
  9. In paragraph 3, On one side of the above-mentioned locking ring, A placement groove having a width corresponding to the head portion of the above piston; and, A vacuum gate valve having a locking portion movable in both directions by fluid pressure, wherein a side slit is formed, extending to one side of the above-mentioned placement groove, wherein the lower portion has a width corresponding to the head portion, and the upper portion has a width corresponding to the neck portion of the piston, which is thinner than the head portion.
  10. In Paragraph 9, The above locking ring is, A vacuum gate valve having a locking part movable in both directions by fluid pressure, comprising a handle extended in one direction so as to be grasped by a user.
  11. In Paragraph 10, The above valve housing is, A main housing having the inlet opening or the exhaust opening formed therein and the locking ring disposed inside; A sub-housing coupled to the main housing such that its internal space is connected to the internal space of the main housing; and A vacuum gate valve having a locking part movable in both directions by fluid pressure, comprising: a sub-housing cover that is detachably coupled to the sub-housing and forms a ceiling for the internal space of the sub-housing when coupled to the sub-housing.

Description

A vacuum gate valve with a locking unit that is movable in both directions by fluid pressure The present invention relates to a vacuum gate valve having a locking part capable of moving in both directions by the pressure of a fluid. A vacuum gate valve is positioned between a vacuum pump and a process chamber and is used to create a target vacuum atmosphere inside the process chamber and to maintain the created vacuum atmosphere. To this end, the vacuum gate valve is installed in the process chamber to control the pressure and/or exhaust volume generated by the vacuum pump. When the internal environment of the process chamber changes to the target vacuum atmosphere, the vacuum gate valve isolates the internal environment of the process chamber from the external environment. Such gate valves can be further classified into basic gate valves in which the gate reciprocates along a straight path, and pendulum valves that pivot like a pendulum to open and close the path. Generally, the gate of a vacuum gate valve is positioned in a valve housing that forms the overall shape and framework of the valve and moves between an open position and a closed position. At this time, a chamber-side opening connected to a process chamber and a pump-side opening connected to a vacuum pump are formed in the valve housing. In the open position, the gate does not block or blocks minimally the passage between the chamber-side opening and the pump-side opening, and in the closed position, it protrudes as much as possible into the passage. At this time, some conventional vacuum gate valves have a gap between the chamber-side opening and/or the pump-side opening and the gate in the closed position to allow the movement of a small flow rate of gas. A vacuum gate valve, having a gap between the gate in the closed position and the openings, isolated the process chamber using a locking device that pressed the gate against one of the openings when the process chamber reached a target vacuum state. This locking device pressed the gate against the opening by pushing it in one direction and included a locking member that pushed the gate. The locking member was typically provided with elastic force in the pushing direction or the opposite direction by a plurality of springs and was provided with pneumatic pressure to move in the opposite direction of the elastic force. However, in the case of locking devices operating as described above, the springs may age during continuous use, causing the elastic force of some springs to change from their initial state. In this case, it is necessary to replace the springs supporting the locking member at an appropriate time, and if the springs are not replaced, the sealing uniformity of the gate may be reduced. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the usage state of a vacuum gate valve having a locking part capable of bidirectional movement by fluid pressure according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vacuum gate valve having a locking part that can move in both directions by the pressure of a fluid according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a gate portion according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a valve body portion according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a valve body portion according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a drawing showing the locking part and the main housing separately according to an embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 5. Figure 7 is a drawing of the parts shown in Figure 6 viewed from a different angle. FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating a movable ring according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a locking ring in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a locking ring and a movable ring are combined according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating a main housing according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a locking part according to one embodiment of the present invention in a state where it is coupled to a valve housing. The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but can be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the embodiments described herein will be explained with reference to cross-sectiona