Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices – circuits – and – Gating – Utilizing three or more electrode solid-state device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-02
2001-07-17
Nuton, My-Trang (Department: 2816)
Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices, circuits, and
Gating
Utilizing three or more electrode solid-state device
C327S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06262620
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to valve driver circuitry, and more particularly to solenoid driver circuitry for latching-type valves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since the advent of the solenoid driven valve, fluid system designers have continued to design more and more complex systems which take advantage of the computer and remote-controllability of these valves. While early designs often required electric power of a given polarity to be continuously applied to the solenoid to maintain the armature of the valve in a given position, continuing developments soon reduced the amount of power required to be applied to the solenoid valve during such holding periods from that which was required to actually initiate and actuate the valve to that given position. Such a reduced holding power configuration greatly improved the efficiency of the systems which utilized such solenoid valves, especially in systems which required several, possibly in the hundreds, of these valves for proper system operation. While such held valves reduced the overall power consumption required by solenoid actuated valves, and while such held valves provided an additional safety feature that allowed them to automatically close (or open depending on the topology) upon loss of electric power, these held valves are not appropriate for installations which do not include a continuous supply of electric power from a utility.
In many remote locations the installation of an electrically held valve is not practical for various reasons, either because utility power is not available at the installation site, or because the routing of electric power to the particular valve locations is problematic or simply inconvenient. In these types of installations, the use of a latching-type valve is preferred. A latching type valve is one that once actuated to a given position, will maintain the valve state in that position without the further application of electric power. The construction of these latching type valves typically includes a permanent magnet and a spring. Both the spring and the permanent magnet are utilized to maintain the current state of the valve in a particular position.
During one position, the spring force is utilized to maintain that position without the necessity for a holding current to be applied to the solenoid. Once actuated to the other position, the magnetic force of the permanent magnet is sufficient to maintain the armature of the valve in the other position, also without the requirement for additional energy to be supplied to the solenoid to maintain that valve position.
The valve is transitioned between these two positions by energizing the solenoid with electric power of one polarity to move the armature to a first position, and of the opposite polarity to move the armature back. The power required must be sufficient to overcome the spring force to move the armature from the “spring held” position to the “permanent magnet held” position, and must be sufficient to overcome the magnetic force of the permanent magnet to move the armature from the “permanent magnet held” position to the “spring held” position. In this way such a valve requires no electric power to maintain the current status of the valve, it only requires a pulse of electricity through the solenoid of a given polarity to transition the value from one state to the other.
While many configurations of such valves exist, an advanced design of such a valve is illustrated in
FIG. 5
, and is the subject of co-pending application Ser. No. 05/942,924, filed Oct. 2, 1997, and assigned to the assignee of the instant application, the teachings and disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference. As may be seen in this
FIG. 5
, a plunger assembly
75
, comprising plunger
62
and a coil spring
76
disposed within a non-magnetic guide tube
78
(for example stainless steel), resides above the diaphragm
58
. The diaphragm
58
(at the location of the anchoring portion
64
) and the plunger assembly
75
(at the location of flange
80
on guide tube
78
) are fixably attached to the valve body
12
by means of plate
82
and fasteners
84
. Although screws are shown as fasteners
24
and
84
, any suitable fasteners may be utilized in the construction of the valve
10
. The plunger moves axially and vertically along axis
86
under the influence of a magnetic field which is developed by a coil assembly
87
which surrounds the guide tube
78
of the plunger assembly. Together, the plunger assembly
75
and the coil assembly
87
form a solenoid which is responsible for actuating (opening and closing) the valve
10
. The coil assembly
87
comprises a wire wound coil
88
, which is wound upon a bobbin
90
and surrounded by coil housing
18
. Together, the plunger assembly
75
, the coil assembly
87
, and the valve formed by primarily valve member
58
and pilot valve member
60
comprise an actuatable value unit which connects the inlet
14
to the outlet
16
.
A metallic inner sleeve or pole piece
92
is disposed between the bobbin
90
and the guide tube
78
of the plunger assembly, pressed fit into the C-shaped bracket
22
. The pole piece serves to fix the position of the coil assembly within the C-shaped bracket. Above the guide tube
78
is disposed a permanent magnet
94
, the axial position of which is adjustable along axis
86
by means of set screw
96
and locking nut
98
. Set screw
96
threads into corresponding threads
100
in the C-shaped bracket. Locking nut
98
threads into corresponding threads
102
on the outside of set screw
96
. The permanent magnet is attracted to the set screw
96
and thus moves therewith. Bracket
22
, having the coil assembly fixedly secured thereto by the pole piece
92
is attached to the plate
82
, and hence the valve body
12
, by means of fasteners
24
.
Operation of this advanced design valve
10
is as follows. When in a closed position, as shown in this
FIG. 5
, the central portion
68
of the primary valve member (diaphragm)
58
rests on wall
74
, and pilot valve member
60
closes the central portion opening
72
. The valve is closed because central orifice
56
(outlet) is isolated from the horizontal annular chamber
54
(inlet). A pair of bleed holes
104
are formed in the webbed portion
66
of the diaphragm
58
. The bleed holes permit fluid to pass from the chamber
54
to an internal cavity
106
of guide tube
78
. As such, in the closed position, pressure is equalized on both sides of the webbed portion of the diaphragm (equal pressures in chamber
54
and cavity
106
). The valve is latched in the closed position by means of the coil spring
76
which exerts pressure on the inside of the top end
108
of the guide tube, on one end, and on the top end
110
of the plunger
62
.
The valve is opened by momentarily applying a voltage to electrical leads
20
to induce an electrical current in the coil which results in a magnetic field being generated having flux lines parallel to the axis
86
. The force of the flux lines is sufficient to overcome the force of the coil spring
76
and the plunger moves upward along axis
86
. The valve is latched in the open position by permanent magnet
94
which attracts the top end
110
of the plunger
62
(the force of the magnet on the plunger, at this plunger location, is greater than the opposing force of the spring). Thus, power need not be continually applied to the coil to maintain the valve in the open position.
To close the valve, a voltage (of opposite polarity used to open the valve) is momentarily applied to electrical leads
20
to induce an electrical current in the coil and a resulting magnetic field having flux lines parallel to the axis
86
(though in a direction opposite in polarity to the flux lines generated during the valve opening process). The force of the flux lines is sufficient to overcome the force difference between the permanent magnet
94
and the spring
76
, and the plunger moves downward along axis
86
. The valve is latched in the closed position by coil spring
78
which
Estes Bay E.
Jenski Leonard W.
Nowobilski Kevin G.
England, Jr. John M.
Martin Terrence (Terry)
Morris Jules Jay
Nuton My-Trang
Ranco Incorporated of Delaware
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