Control device for controlling a valve arrangement and method for controlling a safety arrangement comprising said control device and said valve arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400905-B2
Application number	US-201615266788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2016
Priority date	Sep 17, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A safety arrangement of at least one of a marine and an offshore application includes a control device and a valve arrangement configured to be positioned in a flow path between a hydraulic cylinder and a pressure accumulator. The control device is configured to control the valve arrangement according to at least one function, in particular a safety function. The valve arrangement includes a main valve that is operable to control a flow along the flow path. A method of controlling the safety arrangement includes controlling the valve arrangement with the control device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a safety arrangement for at least one of a marine and an offshore application, comprising:
controlling a valve arrangement positioned in a flow path between a hydraulic cylinder and a pressure accumulator via a control device according to at least one function, the at least one function including a safety function;
monitoring at least one physical quantity of the valve arrangement on at least one of a cylinder side and an accumulator side of the valve arrangement;
signaling the monitored at least one physical quantity to the control device; and
comparing at least one cylinder side quantity with at least one accumulator side quantity via the control device,
wherein the controlling of the valve arrangement via the control device is performed with reference (i) to the signaled and monitored at least one physical quantity, and (ii) to the comparison between the at least one cylinder side quantity and the at least one accumulator side quantity.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling of the valve arrangement via the control device with reference to the comparison includes at least one of:
controlling the valve arrangement so that the flow path is open in response to the comparison indicating that a cylinder side pressure is substantially equal to an accumulator side pressure; and
controlling the valve arrangement so that the flow path is closed in response to the comparison indicating that one of the cylinder side pressure and the accumulator side pressure is substantially less than the other.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Swagten Gerard
• Boeijen Sander
• Wouters Pierre

Classifications

• F15B2211/8757

  using redundant components or assemblies · CPC title

• F15B2211/8755

  Emergency shut-down · CPC title

• F15B2211/6313

  the pressure being a load pressure · CPC title

• F15B2211/6309

  the pressure being a pressure source supply pressure · CPC title

• F15B20/008

  Valve failure · CPC title