Patent ID: 8585007

Claim:
A valve for a fluid, operated by its own medium, comprising: a valve housing having a valve inlet and a valve outlet, a valve seat arranged in the direction of flow of the fluid between the valve inlet and the valve outlet, a closure means which is movably arranged in the valve housing and has a first side and a second side, wherein the closure means closes off the valve seat tightly when the valve is in the closed state, a balancing opening for producing a pressure compensation between the first side and the second side of the closure means, and at least one control actuator, wherein the control actuator closes off the balancing opening of the closure means in a closed position and frees the balancing opening of the closure means in an open position so that the closure means frees the valve seat as a result of a pressure compensation via the balancing opening, wherein the at least one control actuator is in the form of at least one electroactive polymer actuator, wherein the balancing opening can be closed off by a blocking element which can be operated by means of the at least one electroactive polymer actuator, and wherein the blocking element is formed by a sliding bearing having a sliding bearing pin and a sliding bearing bush, wherein the sliding bearing pin can be pushed into the sliding bearing bush by means of the at least one electroactive polymer actuator and wherein the sliding bearing pin and the sliding bearing bush each have a through-opening in their lateral surface so that, when the sliding bearing pin is pushed into the sliding bearing bush, the through-openings are aligned with one another and with the balancing opening and free the balancing opening.