阅读说明：本技术 阀和用于制造阀的方法 (Valve and method for producing a valve ) 是由 埃里希·德尔弗勒 于尔根·鲍姆加特尔 赫尔穆特·奥恩哈默 于 2021-05-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：具有阀壳体的阀,该阀壳体包括第一区域和第二区域,至少一个阀室能用空气加压,在每个阀室中,用于打开和关闭阀室的阀开口的致动元件和用于致动致动元件的致动器布置在第一区域中,其中印刷电路板进一步延伸到每个阀室中并且形成为电操作致动器,其中印刷电路板连接到布置在第二区域中的公共的主印刷电路板,其特征在于：每个阀室被阀壳体的边界面围绕,边界面以基本上气密的方式关闭阀室,向阀壳体的至少两个相对设置侧开放的空间在至少两个阀室之间延伸,其中,印刷电路板的连接构件延伸穿过相邻阀室的边界面的连接开口和开放空间,其中,开放空间包含密封材料,密封材料至少在相对设置侧的方向上以气密方式封闭连接构件和连接开口。(Valve with a valve housing, which valve housing comprises a first region and a second region, at least one valve chamber being pressurizable with air, in each valve chamber an actuating element for opening and closing a valve opening of the valve chamber and an actuator for actuating the actuating element being arranged in the first region, wherein a printed circuit board further extends into each valve chamber and is formed as an electrically operated actuator, wherein the printed circuit board is connected to a common main printed circuit board arranged in the second region, characterized in that: each valve chamber is surrounded by a boundary surface of the valve housing, which boundary surface closes the valve chamber in a substantially gastight manner, a space which is open to at least two oppositely situated sides of the valve housing extending between the at least two valve chambers, wherein a connecting member of the printed circuit board extends through a connecting opening and an open space of the boundary surface of the adjacent valve chamber, wherein the open space contains a sealing material which closes the connecting member and the connecting opening in a gastight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely situated sides.)

1. Valve (100) with a valve housing (101) comprising a first region (111) and a second region (112), wherein at least one valve chamber (121) 125) can be pressurized with air, in each valve chamber an actuating element for opening and closing a valve opening (183) of the valve chamber and an actuator (181) for actuating the actuating element (182) are arranged in the first region, wherein a printed circuit board (133) further extends into each valve chamber and is formed to electrically operate the actuator (181), wherein the printed circuit boards are connected to a common main printed circuit board (160) arranged in the second region (112), characterized in that: each valve chamber is surrounded by a boundary surface (131, 132) of the valve housing, which boundary surface closes the valve chamber in a substantially gastight manner, and a space (141) which is open to at least two oppositely situated sides of the valve housing extends between at least two valve chambers, wherein a connecting member (134) of the printed circuit board extends through a connecting opening (184, 185) of the boundary surface (131, 132) of an adjacent valve chamber and the open space (141), wherein the open space contains a sealing material (250) which closes the connecting member and the connecting opening in a gastight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely situated sides.

2. Valve (100) according to claim 1, wherein the open space (141) extends in a plane (E) substantially parallel to a main plane (P) of the printed circuit board and is defined by the boundary surfaces (131, 132) of the valve housing (101) and two further walls (171, 172), wherein the boundary surfaces (131, 132) are arranged opposite each other and the further walls are arranged opposite each other and the walls extend between the boundary surfaces.

3. Valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the open space (141) comprises at least one opening (311) in a base (310) of the valve housing and/or in a cover of the valve housing.

4. A valve according to claim 3, wherein the extension of the open space (141) in at least one direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the opening (311) is larger than the extension of the opening in that direction.

5. The valve according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sealing material (250) at least partially fills the open space (141).

6. The valve according to claim 4, wherein the sealing material (250) at least partially fills the open space (141) and extends into a region extending through the opening (311) into the external space of the valve.

7. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the boundary surfaces (131, 132) in the open space have a spacing of 1 to 5 mm, in particular 1 to 3 mm, in particular 1 to 2 mm.

8. The valve according to any one of claims 2 to 7 and 2, wherein the spacing between the walls (171, 172) is 5 to 15 mm, in particular 7 to 14 mm, in particular 10 to 13 mm, and/or the connecting member (134) has a width of 5 to 15 mm, in particular 8 to 12 mm, in particular 9 to 11 mm along the shortest connecting line of the walls.

9. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the connecting member (134) extends 1 to 3 mm, in particular 1 to 2mm, in particular 1.3 to 1.8 mm in a direction from one oppositely disposed side to the other oppositely disposed side of the valve housing.

10. A valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the valve is an SMA valve, wherein the actuator (181) is an SMA (shape memory alloy) actuator and the printed circuit board (121) and 125) is capable of heating the SMA actuator with electric current to activate it.

11. Method for manufacturing a valve (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising manufacturing a conductor element (161) comprising the printed circuit board (121) and the main printed circuit board (160), wherein in a further step the conductor element is introduced into the valve housing (101) and subsequently the open space (141) is at least partially filled from at least one side with the sealing material (250) such that the sealing material seals the connecting member (134) and the connecting opening (184, 185) in a gastight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely situated sides (171, 172).

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein, prior to introducing the sealing material (250), a cover and/or a base (310) of the valve housing (101) is connected to the valve housing, and subsequently the sealing material (250) is introduced such that the sealing material seals the connecting member (134) and the connecting opening in a gastight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely disposed sides and extends through the opening (311) of the cover and/or of the base (310) into an outer space of the valve.

13. Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the sealing material (250) is introduced in liquid form and subsequently dried.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a valve having a valve housing according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for producing such a valve according to claim 11.

Background

Valves according to the preamble of the independent claim 1 are already known from the prior art and are commonly used in systems for controlling the supply of air, compressed air or other gas to a specific area of a vehicle seat, such as a lumbar support in a car or truck. At the same time, these valves are not only used for supply, but also generally for exhausting air from the respective systems.

A number of techniques for this purpose are known from the prior art.

These valves are used to selectively act air on air cushions, for example in vehicle seats, and possibly to let air out of these air cushions again.

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) are commonly used which change their shape when heated and/or cooled and use this change in shape to switch a valve between closed and open states. Other variations known in the art may also be used in place of the SMA element.

The electrical actuation necessary for the SMA element to control its shape change, and also the electrical actuation of other embodiments of these valves, makes it necessary to provide printed circuit boards extending into the respective valve housings of the valves. Since a large number of valve chambers and valve elements are necessary for supplying compressed air to the respective air cushions in a selective manner in order to achieve e.g. lumbar support, the electrical actuation of the actuation element (e.g. SMA element) has to be achieved separately for each of these valve chambers or valve elements, respectively, and thus the printed circuit board has to extend into each valve chamber. In the prior art, all actuating elements are usually actuated by a main printed circuit board which is connected to other printed circuit boards arranged in the valve compartment, which requires connections between the respective printed circuit board and the main printed circuit board through the valve compartment which is otherwise provided in a gastight manner.

It is known from EP 3281821 to seal the passage of the printed circuit board into the respective valve chambers in order to create an air-tight region, so that the respective valve chambers are isolated from one another and from the outside environment and are acted upon by compressed air and the desired pressure module can be reliably ensured. For this purpose, the electrical components, including the main printed circuit board and the individual printed circuit boards for the valve chamber, are introduced into the housing, and any remaining free space is then provided with adhesive which results in a sealing effect.

DE 202018101851 also shows an adhesive arranged at the passage between the individual separating elements in the valve in order to seal against them.

However, the introduction of adhesives and the secure connection of the printed circuit board to the valve housing have proven difficult.

Disclosure of Invention

Starting from the known prior art, the technical objects to be achieved include the realization of a valve and a method for manufacturing a valve with which a reliable sealing of the valve chamber and a construction of the entire valve that is as space-saving as possible can be achieved.

Solution scheme

According to the invention, said object is achieved by a valve according to claim 1 and a method for manufacturing such a valve according to claim 11. Advantageous developments of the invention are contained in the dependent claims.

The valve according to the invention is characterized in that each valve chamber is surrounded by a boundary surface of the housing, which boundary surface closes the valve chamber in a substantially gastight manner, and a space which is open to at least two oppositely situated sides of the valve chamber extends between the at least two valve chambers, wherein a connecting member of the printed circuit board extends through the boundary surfaces of the adjacent valve chambers and the connecting opening of the open space, wherein the open space contains a sealing material, which seals off the connecting member and the connecting opening in a gastight manner at least in the direction of said oppositely situated sides.

The open space is a space that would be in open communication with an external space in the absence of a sealing material, and thus an open space without a sealing material may be understood as a "hole" in the valve housing. The sealing material need not fill the entire open space but may fill only a portion. According to the invention, the sealing material is filled into the open space at least in such a way that the connection openings in the oppositely arranged boundary surfaces of the valve chamber surrounding the open space are sealed.

Due to this construction, the valve cover and the valve seat surrounding the entire valve or valve housing can be dispensed with, so that the entire structure can be constructed smaller or simpler. This saves space, thereby facilitating installation even in the case where the installation space of the valve is limited. Due to the open spaces which are open on both sides of the valve housing, the sealing material is easier to fill, while the connection openings can be more reliably sealed, since any possible closed bubbles can be prevented.

It can be provided that the open space is delimited by the boundary surfaces and two further walls of the valve housing in a plane extending substantially parallel to the main plane of the printed circuit board, wherein the boundary surfaces are arranged opposite one another and the further walls are arranged opposite one another and the walls extend between the boundary surfaces.

In such an embodiment, the open space is thus delimited at least in the lateral direction by the boundary surface and the two further walls, but does not necessarily have to have a rectangular or square shape. The open space may also have, for example, a circular or oval shape or an elongated shape with rounded ends in said plane.

The main plane of the printed circuit board is understood to be the plane in which the printed circuit board extends substantially or has the greatest extension. The fact that this plane only extends substantially parallel to the main plane of the printed circuit board currently means that slight deviations from exact parallelism are possible, for example because the main plane of the printed circuit board extends at an angle to this plane, for example because the printed circuit board is arranged at an angle in the valve housing. The angle may reach an absolute value of 15 deg., and still be considered "substantially" parallel, at least until the absolute value. In this way, the valve housing itself forms the boundary of the open space into which the sealing material can be introduced.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the open space comprises at least one opening in the base of the valve housing or in the cover of the valve housing.

In order to be able to introduce the printed circuit board into the valve chambers and subsequently close these valve chambers, such a base or cover of the valve housing can be provided. If the open space also extends through the base or the cover, respectively, this can be used advantageously to fix the sealing material in the open space also by means of the base or the cover, since the sealing material in one embodiment extends into the open space and over the area of the cover or the base opposite the open space.

In an embodiment, the extension of the open space in at least one direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the opening is larger than the extension of the opening in that direction. The longitudinal direction of the opening is presently understood to be the direction in which the two open ends of the opening in the cover or base of the valve housing are connected to each other. If the openings are provided in the form of, for example, cylinder bores or cylinder openings, the direction extends from the base to the top surface (or vice versa) and is perpendicular to the imaginary base or top surface. At least in this direction, the area to be sealed is minimized by an opening that is smaller than the open space area.

Furthermore, the sealing material may at least partially fill the open space. For example, the entire volume of the open space can only be filled to 40% or 50% by the sealing material.

It is not necessary to completely fill the open space as long as the desired sealing effect is ensured. This can be achieved, for example, if the connection element and the connection opening in the boundary surface are each surrounded in a gastight manner by a sealing material.

In a further development of this embodiment, the sealing material at least partially fills the open space, and the sealing material extends into the area extending through the opening to the outer space of the valve. If the material extends not only into the open space but also into the outer space of the valve, which is separated by an opening in the base or in the cover, the sealing material is fixed in that it extends partly into the open space and partly out of the open space outside the base or the cover, respectively. It is possible to avoid the sealing material from being undesirably separated and/or slipped off during the operation of the valve and to ensure the sealability of the valve chamber for a long period of time.

The spacing of the boundary surfaces in the open space may be 1 to 5 mm, in particular 1 to 3 mm, in particular 1 to 2 mm. These distances enable a reliable and stable construction of the valve housing and at the same time a reliable introduction of the sealing material. Furthermore, only a small amount of sealing material is required to obtain the desired sealing effect.

Furthermore, the spacing between the walls may be 5 to 15 mm, in particular 7 to 14 mm, in particular 10 to 13 mm, and/or the connecting member has a width along the shortest connecting line of the walls of 5 to 15 mm, in particular 8 to 12 mm, in particular 9 to 11 mm.

Since electrical conductor tracks (electrical conductor tracks) usually also extend over the connecting member, the normal function of the valve can be ensured by a suitable configuration of the open spaces and the connecting member without additional requirements being imposed on the printed circuit board.

The connecting member may extend in a direction from one oppositely disposed side of the valve housing to the other oppositely disposed side by 1 to 3 mm, in particular 1 to 2mm, in particular 1.3 to 1.8 mm. With conventional manufacturing processes of printed circuit boards, it is still possible to reliably manufacture correspondingly sized connection members.

It is possible to set: the valve is an SMA valve, wherein the actuator is an SMA (shape memory alloy) actuator and the conductor element is capable of heating the SMA actuator with an electric current to activate it. In conjunction with the teachings according to the present invention, an SMA valve can be manufactured at low cost and can be reliably actuated during operation.

The method according to the invention for manufacturing a valve comprises manufacturing a conductor element comprising a printed circuit board and a main printed circuit board, wherein in a further step the conductor element is introduced into a valve housing and subsequently the open space is at least partially filled with a sealing material from at least one side, such that the sealing material seals the connection member and the connection opening in a gastight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely situated side.

Using this method the valve according to the invention can be reliably produced.

In an embodiment, the cover and/or the base of the valve housing is connected to the valve housing before the introduction of the sealing material, and the sealing material is subsequently introduced such that the sealing material seals the connecting member and the connecting opening in a gastight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely disposed sides and extends through the opening of the cover and/or the base into the outer space of the valve. This ensures that the material extends both into the open space and into the outer space outside the base or cover and ensures a reliable fixation of the sealing material.

In one embodiment, the following are set: the sealing material is introduced in liquid form and subsequently dried. The introduction of liquid also allows to close off small air spaces so that a reliable sealing can be achieved.

The term "drying" or "drying" is presently understood to mean any process that causes the liquid and/or viscous sealing material to harden or cure during the introduction of the liquid and/or viscous sealing material. The term "drying" thus includes, for example, drying by heating, but also ultraviolet curing, curing of adhesives or liquid plastics with or without the action of heat, cooling and the like resulting therefrom. Ultraviolet curing particularly comprises irradiating the sealing material with ultraviolet light, thereby causing, for example, polymerization and thus curing of the sealing material.

Drawings

Figures 1a and 1b show schematic views of a valve according to the invention and a valve chamber having an actuating element;

FIGS. 2a and 2b show cross-sectional views of a valve according to an embodiment;

fig. 3a and 3b show cross-sectional views of a valve according to another embodiment.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a valve 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Such a valve may be installed in a vehicle seat, for example, for use as an air supply for one or more air cushions for lumbar supports and the like.

The valve 100 includes a valve housing 101, which is shown schematically at present as an outer wall that may be roughly divided into two regions 111 and 112. In the first region 111 is shown a series of valve chambers 121 to 125, which will be described in more detail in fig. 1 b.

The valve chamber is essentially formed by two oppositely disposed boundary surfaces 131 and 132, which are understood to be part of the valve housing 101. An actuator is arranged within the valve chamber and, as will be further explained in fig. 1b, it may actuate an actuation element which in turn may open and/or close a valve opening in order to cause or stop the air supply or bleed out of air.

Furthermore, a printed circuit board 133 is preferably arranged in each valve chamber, which printed circuit board is adapted to actuate the actuator.

If the valve is, for example, an SMA valve (shape memory alloy valve, i.e. a valve comprising a shape memory material for activation), the actuator is formed from or at least comprises the shape memory material. Such shape memory materials are preferably configured to change shape when subjected to a change in temperature. The actuating element can then be moved when the shape is changed. Adjustment of the actuation element between the two settings is achieved because the shape memory materials return to their original shape when the temperature drops.

In this embodiment, which should not be construed as limiting the invention, the respective printed circuit board of the valve chamber is preferably configured such that it is capable of heating the SMA actuator by supplying an electrical current. To this end, the printed circuit board may include a series of electrical and/or electronic components that feed the received current to the SMA actuator.

Each printed circuit board 133 is preferably connected to the adjacent printed circuit board of the adjacent valve compartment and/or the main printed circuit board 160 by suitable connecting elements 134. In one embodiment, it may be set that: all printed circuit boards are connected to the main printed circuit board (only) by means of connection elements. This embodiment is not shown in fig. 1 a. In the embodiment shown, the printed circuit board 125, which is the first one as seen in the direction of the main printed circuit board, is connected to the main printed circuit board by means of a connection element. The further printed circuit boards are then each connected to an adjacent printed circuit board by means of a connecting element.

The main printed circuit board 160 is preferably arranged in the second area and comprises, for example, control electronics for actuating the individual or all printed circuit boards of the individual valve chambers and providing them with an electric current.

The main printed circuit board 160, the connection element 134 and the respective printed circuit boards 133 together form a conductor element 161.

As already described, the valve chamber is delimited by the respective boundary surfaces 131 and 132. These boundary surfaces close the volume of the valve chamber enclosed by them in a substantially gastight manner. This means that such boundary surfaces are preferably gas-tight and thus achieve a gas-tight closure of the valve chamber (taking into account the existing cover and base surfaces in addition to the transverse boundary surfaces 131 and 132) since they enclose a volume (valve chamber) separated from the external environment and thus seal in a gas-tight manner.

However, connecting element 134 extends through the boundary surface of an adjacent valve chamber or through the boundary surface of one valve chamber to second region 112 (e.g., with valve chamber 125). In this region, the valve chamber is therefore not closed off in a gas-tight manner by the boundary surface.

According to the invention, between the boundary surfaces of adjacent valve compartments an open space 141 is formed, into which a connecting element 134 extends, which interconnects the printed circuit boards of adjacent valve compartments. The open space 141 is defined in the presently shown plane E, which is substantially parallel to the main plane P of the printed circuit board, first by the boundary surfaces and further walls 171 and 172, which will be described later. In the view shown, planes E and P coincide.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1a, this means that the boundary surface 132 on the right side of the valve chamber 121 and the boundary surface on the left side of the valve chamber 122 together (except for the passage openings for the connecting elements) at least partially define an open space between the valve chambers. Furthermore, at least in the plane of the drawing shown so far, the open space may be defined by further walls 171 and 172, which extend between the boundary surfaces or from one boundary surface of the first valve chamber to the other boundary surface of the second valve chamber, respectively, so that in the plane of the drawing shown in fig. 1a the open space has an approximately rectangular shape.

According to the invention, the open space is at least partially filled or contains a sealing material. The sealing material is arranged in the open space in such a way that the connecting member and the connecting opening in the respective boundary surface adjoining the valve chamber are surrounded in a gastight manner. This means in particular that no outside air can penetrate into the valve chamber through the open spaces between adjacent valve chambers.

Fig. 1b shows a valve chamber, for example valve chamber 122, in the exemplary illustration a printed circuit board 133 according to the arrangement of fig. 1a and a corresponding connecting element 134 of an adjacent printed circuit board leading to the former are now shown. The boundary surfaces 131 and 132 of the valve chamber are also schematically shown. Respective connection openings 184 and 185 are provided in the boundary surfaces, through which the respective connection elements 134 pass. The connecting openings may be approximately rectangular and their cross-sectional area is selected such that they are only slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the connecting element. For example, it can be provided that the cross-sectional area of the connection opening is up to 5% or 10% larger than the corresponding cross-sectional area of the connection element.

In the presently illustrated embodiment, the printed circuit board 133 is connected to an actuator 181 which is capable of actuating an actuation element 182, which now has the form of a plunger. This actuation can take place in the direction of the double arrow shown and can have the effect that the plunger can close or open the valve opening 183 with the plunger head, for example to introduce compressed air introduced into the valve chamber, for example into an air cushion, through a further opening 184 (which can also coincide with the valve opening 183). The actuation element may for example be formed from or comprise an SMA actuator as known in the art.

Additional walls 171 and 172 extending from adjacent edge interfaces of adjacent valve chambers are also presently shown in phantom. The connecting element 134 extends into a space which is partially delimited by the walls 171 and 172 and the boundary surface 131 (the boundary surface of the adjacent valve chamber is not shown at present) and in which a sealing material according to the invention is arranged, as has already been described with reference to fig. 1a, and is not shown separately at present.

Fig. 2a and 2B show the first embodiment in cross-section along the viewing axes a and B of fig. 1 a.

A view along the visual axis a-a is shown in fig. 2 a. Thus, this view is from a point within the open space in the direction of the connection openings 184, 185 of the boundary surfaces. Additional walls 171 and 172 and a portion of the connecting element are shown. The further walls 171 and 172 are presently configured as part of a hollow body which is formed as part of a valve housing. These hollow bodies may, but need not, have respective cover surfaces 291 and respective base surfaces 292. The advantage of the invention is that only the open space between the walls needs to be sealed. Thus, further sealing of the chamber is unnecessary and weight and material may be saved, for example by omitting the base region and/or the cover region in the region of the further wall between the valve chambers.

Instead of being part of a hollow body, the walls 171 and 172 may also be configured as only substantially planar elements extending from one boundary surface of one valve chamber or one valve chamber to the other boundary surface of the other valve chamber. In one embodiment, the remaining area between the valve chambers may be free of material.

In the presently shown embodiment, the connecting elements 134 interconnecting the printed circuit boards of adjacent valve compartments extend between these walls 171 and 172. The sealing material 250 is also shown in the presently illustrated cross-sectional view as substantially completely surrounding the connecting element 134. This may be, but need not be, the entire size of the open space between adjacent valve chambers as long as at least the sealing of the connecting openings of the adjacent valve chambers and the connecting members 134 extending through these connecting openings is ensured.

However, in order to obtain the most reliable fixing of the sealing material in the open space, it may be provided that: the sealing material completely surrounds the connecting element 134 over the entire dimension of the open space and additionally contacts the further walls 171 and 172.

As can already be seen from fig. 2a, the sealing material 250 need not completely fill the open space 141; i.e. the sealing material need not extend from the lower boundary of the further wall to the upper boundary of the further wall as shown in fig. 2 a. It is sufficient to ensure a (complete) closure of the connecting element and/or a sealing of the connecting opening.

It can also be seen that in the embodiment shown in fig. 2a and 2b, no further material forming part of the valve housing is shown above and below the sealing material. Particularly preferably in this embodiment, it can be provided that: no cover or base or any one is provided for the valve housing, but the open space is only closed by a sealing material. In this way space and material can be saved and the cost of the valve can also be reduced.

Fig. 2B shows a view along the visual axis B shown in fig. 1a, which passes through the connecting element and into the adjacent valve chambers 124 and 125. The valve chambers 124 and 125 are shown with respective adjacent boundary surfaces 251 and 252, which also define the open space 141.

In addition to the boundary surfaces 251 and 252, the valve chambers 124 and 125 comprise further surfaces which, as already described, effect a substantially gas-tight closure of the respective valve chamber. However, no further material of the valve housing need be provided in the region between the boundary surfaces 251 and 252, but the open space between the boundary surfaces may also be sealed only by the sealing material, as long as the connection openings and the connection elements in the boundary surfaces are separated from the external environment by the sealing material.

The distance between the oppositely disposed boundary surfaces 251 and 252 may also be selected according to the dimensional requirements of the valve. In this case it is preferable to ensure that the sealing material does not fail to achieve the intended effect due to capillary effects which may be undesirable during manufacture. For example, the smaller the overall outer dimension of the valve, the smaller the distance between oppositely disposed boundary surfaces may also be selected.

For this purpose: the distance between adjacent edge interfaces 251 and 252 is between 1 and 5 mm, in particular between 1 and 3 mm, particularly preferably between 1 and 2mm, approximately 1.6 to 1.7 mm. These distances are relatively small and therefore even reduce the overall size of the valve. At the same time, however, it can be ensured that the sealing material results in a reliable sealing of the open space. The stability of the printed circuit board and the connecting element is not impaired by these dimensions.

As shown in fig. 2a, however, the distance between the oppositely disposed further walls 171 and 172 can be selected to be greater, in particular due to the generally greater extension of the connection elements in the direction in which the current supply lines of this respective printed circuit board have to run through. The distance between the further walls 171 and 172 may be between 5 mm and 15 mm, in particular between 7 mm and 14 mm, particularly preferably between 10 mm and 13 mm. With these dimensions, common printed circuit boards, which are already used in the case of other embodiments of prior art valves, can also be used for the valve according to the invention, which reduces the costs for manufacturing the valve.

Due to these dimensions between the oppositely arranged walls 171 and 172, it is particularly preferred to have the connecting member have a width of 5 to 15 mm, in particular 8 to 12 mm, particularly preferably 9 to 11 mm, along the shortest connecting line of the walls, to ensure that the sealing material can preferably completely surround the connecting element. It goes without saying that the width of the connecting element in this direction must be smaller than the spacing of the oppositely disposed walls 171 and 172.

It is particularly preferred that the currently illustrated width d of the connecting element 134 is smaller than the spacing h of the walls 171 and 172, preferably by at least 2 mm. During the manufacture of the valve, for example when using a liquid sealing material which is dried after being introduced into the open space during the manufacture of the valve, a complete flow around the connecting element can be achieved, while only one inlet opening or introduction of liquid material from only one direction is required in order to achieve the sealing of the open space and the connecting element 134 introduced therein.

The drying of the sealing material may include: for example, cooling the introduced sealing material and/or irradiating the introduced sealing material with ultraviolet light (ultraviolet light curing) or visible light, and/or drying by heating the introduced sealing material.

Fig. 3a and 3b show an alternative embodiment of fig. 2.

Although the basic configuration or arrangement of the further walls 171 and 172 and the boundary surfaces 251 and 252 is substantially identical to that in fig. 2, it is here additionally provided that: the valve housing of the valve includes a base 310. While the base is presently described, it should be understood that: in contrast to the arrangement of the base, the embodiment of fig. 3 can also be transferred directly to the cover, which is then arranged on the opposite side of the valve housing. It will also be appreciated that a base may be provided as well as a cover in accordance with the embodiments describing the seat.

As shown in fig. 3a, the base 310 includes an opening 311. In this exemplary embodiment, sealing material 250 is provided such that it also penetrates opening 311 at least partially in region 281 and wets or covers the side of base 310 facing away from open space 141, so that opening 311 in base 310 is also closed by the sealing material. However, the opening 311 need not be closed in an airtight manner. It is sufficient to have the material extend partly to the outer space outside the opening.

The diameter d of the opening 311 is preferably smaller than the spacing between the walls 171 and 172, which may be selected according to the values described in fig. 2a and 2 b. The diameter of the opening is preferably at most 75%, preferably at most 50%, particularly preferably at most 25%, of the spacing of the walls 171 and 172 from one another at least in the direction a-a.

Instead of the base surface 292, the base 310 may also define further walls 171 and 172 in the downward direction, so that the respective surface 292 may also be omitted completely, which leads to a saving of material. The base 310 (and similarly the cover) need not extend over the entire dimension of the valve housing, but need only be provided in a manner that limits the open space in the downward direction (or upward direction for the cover) except for the opening 311.

The same applies correspondingly to fig. 3B, in which the open area 141 is viewed from above in the direction B-B.

Here, the provided base also comprises an opening 311 through which the sealing material 250 passes at least partly according to the material 281, such that the sealing material 250 wets the side of the base arranged opposite to the open space. It also tends to have the sealing material seal the entire opening 311 in that direction.

The diameter of the opening 311, here labelled h, may be equal to the diameter d of the opening in figure 3a, although this is not necessarily the case. In particular, the opening need not be a circular opening, but may also be, for example, an elongated, oval, rectangular, square or any shape opening. It is particularly preferred that the opening in the direction of the cross-section shown in fig. 3a is larger than the opening in the direction shown in fig. 3b, as this allows material to enter a larger area in this direction during manufacture of the valve, which simplifies the complete encapsulation of the connecting element 134 in this direction.

In the exemplary embodiment shown here, it is also possible to provide: the base 310 not only defines an open space 141 (similar to a cap) in the downward direction, but it also defines a valve chamber at least in this area. It is also possible to set: the base 310 forms the entire lower boundary of the valve chamber. This is not mandatory, however.

In particular, it is possible to set: the base or cover according to the embodiment of fig. 3b extends over an area above or below the valve housing, respectively, which is only slightly larger than the size of the open space between the respective valve chambers. This allows for a reduction in material and weight of the valve, which reduces costs and produces advantageous results in the installation of the valve.

The dimensions mentioned with reference to fig. 2a and 2b may also be applied analogously to the embodiment of fig. 3a and 3 b.

Although the valve shown in fig. 1-3 is in its intended shape after manufacture, the basic sequence for producing the valve will be described below.

The valve housing is first manufactured. This may be made of individual parts or entirely of one piece, for example as part of an injection moulding process. While before or after, conductor elements 161 are produced, which comprise a main printed circuit board (see fig. 1) and individual printed circuit boards for the individual valve compartments and the respective connecting elements. The conductor elements may be integrally formed, but this is not mandatory. For example, the printed circuit boards for the individual valve compartments can also be manufactured separately and connected with suitable plugs to further printed circuit boards of further valve compartments to provide the necessary printed circuit boards and connecting elements according to the number of individual valve compartments. This embodiment is preferred if the valve housing is manufactured in one piece, since then it is not possible to insert the conductor element.

In any case, the conductor element is then introduced into the valve housing in a next step. Furthermore, a connection to the actuator can be realized to ensure the function of the valve. Furthermore, the valve housing can then be closed at least in the region of the valve chamber, so that they form a closed space (except for the connecting opening).

The sealing material is then introduced, preferably in liquid form, into the open space or open spaces between the individual valve chambers. The sealing material may be an adhesive, but may also be a (curable) plastic material, in particular a plastic material which may be introduced into the open space in the case of an injection molding method. The introduction takes place in such a way that sufficient sealing material is introduced into the open space to achieve a sealing of the opening in the boundary surface and the connecting element against the external space. If a valve according to the embodiment of fig. 3 is provided, the base (or the cap or both elements) is arranged before the sealing material is introduced, and then a certain amount of sealing material is introduced such that the sealing material emerges from the respective openings of the base and/or the cap.

If the introduced sealing material is a liquid material, the drying step may be performed as a subsequent step, for example by ultraviolet curing, heating, etc., so that the sealing material is cured. The valve can then be installed in, for example, a vehicle seat.