Fluid handling – With indicator – register – recorder – alarm or inspection means – Position or extent of motion indicator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-27
2001-07-10
Lee, Kevin (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With indicator, register, recorder, alarm or inspection means
Position or extent of motion indicator
C116S277000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257276
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the priority of German Utility Model Application Ser. No. 298 09 667.6, filed May 28, 1998, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a freely programmable position indication apparatus especially but not exclusively for valves, such as diaphragm valves or the like, and including a movable adjusting member.
To date, limit switches are used for position indication, in particular in valves, such as diaphragm valves or the like, whereby the limit are mechanically interact with the adjusting member for defining the ON and OFF positions during movement of the adjusting member. Thus, a purely mechanical detection of the respective end positions of the adjusting member is realized. There are applications, however, in which the switching positions may change in dependence on the travel path of the adjusting member. An example is a diaphragm valve in which the diaphragm has a certain inherent elasticity that may vary in dependence on the material. It may also be desired to trigger certain control sequences at intermediate positions of the travel path of the adjusting member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved freely programmable position indicating apparatus, obviating the afore-stated drawbacks.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved freely programmable position indicating apparatus, in particular for valves with a movable or rotatable adjusting member, which is universally usable and can be suited in a simple manner to the application at hand, while still permitting consideration of structure-based and material-based influencing variables in a simple constructive manner.
These objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter, are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing an adjusting member, a position detection unit operatively connected to the adjusting member for continuously generating an analog output signal commensurate with a position of the adjusting member, and an electronic evaluation unit receiving the output signal for determining the position indication.
In accordance with the invention, the positions of the adjusting member are not mechanically, but electrically detected so that the position indicating apparatus, after installation, for example, in a valve, can be freely programmed, i.e. the position indicating apparatus has the capability to self-learn for detecting and determining the respectively desired positions of the adjusting member. In this manner, the position indicating apparatus according to the invention can be universally utilized in cooperation with movable adjusting members, which, optionally, may also be rotatable, whereby structure-based and/or material-based influencing variables are automatically considered by the self-learning function of the position indicating apparatus according to the invention so that the respective positions of the travel path of the adjusting member can be electrically detected and subsequently determined and stored by electronic evaluation units. Such a configuration eliminates the necessity to carry out a time-consuming fine tuning of the adjusting positions of the adjusting member so that the position indicating apparatus according to the invention has the capability to establish the desired switching positions precisely in the desired fashion. The electronic evaluation unit provided in accordance with the present invention, generates an analog output signal which is transmitted to the position detection unit and processed to determine the respective adjusting position and position indication. The freely programmable position indication apparatus according to the invention is easy to implement and requires a minimum of space, so that its installation can be realized without any problems even if only a tight space for installation is available.
According to another feature of the present invention, the position detection unit extends over the entire travel path of the adjusting member so that the position detection unit is able to continuously detect, recognize and determine the current position of the adjusting member. Thus, the entire travel path of the adjusting member can be scanned.
According to another feature of the present invention, the position detection unit generates an analog output signal which is proportional to the movement of the adjusting member. Such a configuration results in a linear correlation between the travel path of the adjusting member and the position of the adjusting member acquired by the position detection unit. Thus, the electronic evaluation unit can be significantly simplified and implemented in a more cost-efficient manner. During the programming phase, a self-learning function is realized which automatically recognizes and stores the end positions for use as switching threshold.
Suitably, the position detection unit is formed by a linear potentiometer, which, for example, may be designed in the form of the printed circuit board with ohmic layer resistivity. This printed circuit board is disposed parallel to the entire travel path of the adjusting member. Such linear potentiometers require little space in conjunction with the adjusting member arrangement and represent components which are commercially available inexpensively. It is certainly also possible to form the position detection unit by a rotary potentiometer, in the event the adjusting member executes, for example, a rotary motion for realizing the adjusting movement.
The electronic evaluation unit may include a microprocessor and a microswitch for initiating the programming. The microswitch activates the freely programmable position indicating apparatus according to the invention to initiate the self-learning function thereof. When the predetermined switching positions of the adjusting member are detected and determined during execution of the self-learning function, the switching positions can then be stored in the microprocessor and be retrieved for further processing.
According to another feature of the present invention, the electronic evaluation unit includes a light-emitting diode arrangement which serves as indicator for the operational state. With such a light-emitting diode arrangement, the operational state of the freely programmable position indicating apparatus according to the invention, can be reliably and easily recognizably displayed, for example, by means of suitable, color signal coding. In order to simplify the configuration of the position indicating apparatus according to the invention, the electronic evaluation unit is so designed that the microprocessor, the microswitch and the light-emitting diode arrangement are mounted on a common printed circuit board so that these components can be installed in a space-saving fashion.
Suitably, the electronic evaluation unit has an output which is operatively connected to at least one relay for activation thereof so as to trigger respective control functions via the relay. In particular when using the freely programmable position indicating apparatus according to the invention for a valve with an adjusting member in the form of an actuation spindle, such a valve can be activated in the desired manner by configuring the electric evaluation unit, for example, with two outputs which are operatively connected to two switching relays in one-to-one correspondence.
When using the position indicating apparatus according to the invention for a valve, such as a diaphragm valve, the adjusting member as actuation spindle is in forced engagement, for example, with a drive piston which acts upon the respectively associated valve element, such as the valve diaphragm.
Suitably, the position indicating apparatus according to the invention is so integrated as to be protected from environmental impacts so that environmental conditions, such as moisture, temperature or the like, cannot adversely affect the program
Gaida Gregor
Muller Fritz
Feiereisen Henry M.
Gebruder Muller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG
Lee Kevin
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