Electricity: magnetically operated switches – magnets – and electr – Magnets and electromagnets – With magneto-mechanical motive device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2001-04-17
Barrera, Ramon M. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: magnetically operated switches, magnets, and electr
Magnets and electromagnets
With magneto-mechanical motive device
C029S596000, C029S607000, C264S272120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218922
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
Manufacture of proportional solenoids.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Proportional solenoids position an armature axially within a housing as a function of applied current or voltage. Ideally, the armature can move to infinitely variable positions corresponding accurately to infinite variations in the applied voltage or current. To accomplish this in practice, though, requires that the armature move with very low friction within the housing, and achieving this has made proportional solenoids expensive.
The housing, the armature, and sometimes bearings arranged between the armature and the housing all have to be machined accurately for the sliding axial fit of the armature within the housing to have minimal friction. Diameters and concentricity of bearing surfaces must be highly accurate to minimize friction, and location and shape of bearing surfaces must be considered to minimize effects of side or off-axis loading. These needs have required that all contacting surfaces be accurately machined, and errors that inevitably occur in attempting to accomplish this adversely affect solenoid performance.
The machining accuracy that is required to keep friction low in proportional solenoids increases their price sufficiently so that some users who could benefit from proportional solenoids avoid them in favor of simpler and lower cost non-proportional solenoids, even though performance is less than optimum. Our invention aims at reducing the cost of making proportional solenoids accurate enough to minimize friction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Our invention recognizes a way that precision bearing surfaces can be molded on a solenoid armature so that precision machining can be limited to a housing for the armature to simplify and reduce the cost of making proportional solenoids. Precision molding of resin bearings formed in imprecise grooves in an armature ensures precise and accurate diameters and concentricity for a pair of armature bearings. These can then slide precisely within one or two machined surfaces of a housing to minimize friction. In effect, precision invested in a bearing mold for an armature eliminates any precision machining of the armature so that relatively simple precision machining of one or two inside diameters of a housing is all that is needed for an accurate fit between the housing and the molded armature bearings to minimize sliding friction of an armature of a proportional solenoid.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3202749 (1965-08-01), White
patent: 3510814 (1970-05-01), Nordfors
patent: 3699282 (1972-10-01), Jepson et al.
patent: 4131866 (1978-12-01), Torr
patent: 4438419 (1984-03-01), Helinski
patent: 4656448 (1987-04-01), Luetzow
patent: 4790345 (1988-12-01), Kolchinsky
patent: 5527117 (1996-06-01), Roy
patent: 5782162 (1998-06-01), Lanteigne
Clark Bruce D.
Priolo, Jr. Philip C.
Barrera Ramon M.
Eugene Stephens & Associates
G. W. Lisk Company, Inc.
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