Failsafe integrated transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10352474-B2
Application number	US-201715639903-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A transducer with a lower housing assembly and an upper housing assembly is for connection to a fluid pressure source having a mechanism for setting a pneumatic output via an electrical input signal. The lower housing assembly comprises lower housing configured to receive a supply nozzle, which fluidly communicates with a supply port and intermittently fluidly communicates with an output port of the lower housing through an internal fluid passageway. The lower housing further comprises an exhaust nozzle fluidly communicating with an exhaust port and intermittently fluidly communicates with the output port of the lower housing through the internal fluid passageway. The upper housing assembly comprises an upper housing configured to receive a coil and an armature such that the upper housing, coil and armature define a latching electromagnetic circuit that provides alternating contact of the armature with the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle of the lower housing assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electropneumatic transducer comprising:
a lower block assembly, the lower block assembly comprising a lower housing and a supply nozzle, the supply nozzle in fluid communication with a supply port and in intermittent fluid communication with an output port of the lower housing through an internal fluid passageway, the lower housing further comprising an exhaust nozzle in fluid communication with an exhaust port and in intermittent fluid communication with the output port of the lower housing through the internal fluid passageway; and
an upper block assembly, the upper block assembly comprising an upper housing, a coil and an armature, the upper housing, coil and armature defining an electromagnetic circuit that provides alternating contact of the armature with the supply nozzle of the lower housing assembly, the electromagnetic circuit being arranged to receive an electrical input signal to latch the output port at a high-output state and unlatch the output port to fail-safe, low-output state in the absence of the electrical signal, the armature further including a plurality of hinges, the hinges providing a spring force moment opposing a magnetic force moment to alternatively latch and unlatch the armature immediately adjacent to and nonadjacent to the upper housing.

2. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the transducer is arranged to alternately modulate fluid flow through the supply nozzle and the exhaust.

3. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the lower housing is further configured to receive a bias spring adjustment screw and the upper housing is further configured to receive a bias spring.

4. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 3 , wherein the bias spring and bias spring adjustment screw cooperate to provide a bias spring force to bias the armature of the electromagnetic circuit.

5. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the armature of the electromagnetic circuit is constructed of low magnetic hysteresis material.

6. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the absence of the electrical signal is at least one of a loss of power or a zero-current electrical input signal.

7. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the internal fluid passageway further comprises a pressure chamber, a supply port bore, an exhaust port bore and an output bore.

8. A latching electropneumatic transducer, comprising:
a pneumatic circuit, the pneumatic circuit comprising a lower housing having a supply port, an exhaust port and an output port in fluid communication through an internal fluid passageway and a pressure chamber;
an electromagnetic circuit, the electromagnetic circuit comprising an upper housing, a coil and an armature, the armature including a plurality of hinges, the hinges providing a spring force moment and the armature being movable in response to an electrical input signal, the electromagnetic circuit defining a magnetic force moment, the spring force moment and the magnetic force moment act jointly to alternatively latch the armature immediately adjacent to and nonadjacent to the upper housing, the speed of response of the armature increased by application of a negative-current electrical input signal.

9. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 8 , wherein a supply nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply port and in intermittent fluid communication with an output port through an internal fluid passageway.

10. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 8 , wherein the transducer can operate on a pneumatic supply pressures in a range of approximately 20 psig to 150 psig.

11. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 8 , wherein a predetermined thermal expansion co-efficient of the upper housing assembly and the lower housing assembly cooperate to provide an operational temperature range of about +85 Celsius to −60 Celsius.

12. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 8 , wherein the internal fluid passageway further comprises a pressure chamber, a supply port bore, an exhaust port bore and an output bore.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Gassman George W
• Galbreath Curt

Classifications

• F15B5/003 Primary

  characterised by variation of the pressure in a nozzle or the like, e.g. nozzle-flapper system · CPC title

• F15B2211/8752

  Emergency operation mode, e.g. fail-safe operation mode · CPC title

• F16K31/06 Primary

  using a magnet {, e.g. diaphragm valves, cutting off by means of a liquid} · CPC title

• F15B2211/88

  Control measures for saving energy · CPC title

• F16K31/0672

  the valve member being a diaphragm · CPC title