Latched valve manifolds for efficient control of pneumatically actuated valve arrays

Two pilot valve manifold designs have been prototyped that can be utilized for efficient, independent control of large numbers of pneumatically actuated fluidic valves. One manifold can be constructed from a variety of inexpensive macro or microvalves, while the other is bulk and surface micromachined from silicon. Both manifolds significantly reduce the cost, increase the reliability, and decrease the size of pilot valve arrays needed to do fluidic valve control. In addition, the micromachined valve manifold utilizes a novel actuation principle known as latching wherein two opposing actuation forces are simultaneously applied in order to achieve memory-like mechanical operation.