Fluid control device and method for operating a fluid control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10428846-B2
Application number	US-201515768303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A fluid control device including a valve arrangement, the valve arrangement including an air supply valve, and an air outlet valve, and a control means, wherein the control means is electrically connected to the air supply valve and to the air outlet valve, and further includes a sensor input for processing a sensor signal and is connected to a sensor which is configured for determining a functional state of the fluid consumer, wherein the control means is configured for implementing a valve diagnostic process such that a first control signal for the air supply valve and a second control signal for the air outlet valve are each varied between a lower interval limit and an upper interval limit while maintaining a pre-definable sensor signal level of a sensor signal provided by the sensor, and the control means is configured for recording value pairs for the first and second control signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid control device includes a valve arrangement, the valve arrangement comprising an air supply valve for providing a working fluid to a supply port of a fluid consumer, and an air outlet valve for discharging working fluid from the supply port of the fluid consumer, and further comprising a control means, wherein the control means is electrically connected to the air supply valve and to the air outlet valve and is configured for controlling the air supply valve and the air outlet valve, and the control means further comprises a sensor input for processing a sensor signal and is connected to a sensor which is configured for determining a functional state of the fluid consumer and for providing a sensor signal to the control means, wherein the control means is configured for implementing a valve diagnostic process such that a first control signal for the air supply valve and a second control signal for the air outlet valve are each varied between a lower interval limit and an upper interval limit while maintaining a pre-definable sensor signal level of a sensor signal provided by the sensor, and the control means is configured for recording value pairs for the first and second control signals.

2. The fluid control device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured as a position sensor for detecting a position of a fluid consumer component along a movement path.

3. The fluid control device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured as a pressure sensor assigned to the supply port of the fluid consumer.

4. The fluid control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a fluid consumer which is configured as a pilot controlled fluid valve and has a supply port connected to the air supply valve and to the air outlet valve.

5. The fluid control device according to claim 4 , wherein the fluid consumer comprises a valve member received movably in a valve housing for influencing a free cross-section of a fluid channel formed in the valve housing, which fluid channel has a valve seat for tight contact of an elastic sealing means formed on the valve member, and wherein in that the control means is configured for performing a valve diagnostic process such that the tight contact of the elastic sealing means formed on the valve member is retained during performance of the valve diagnostic process.

6. The fluid control device according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply valve and the air outlet valve each have a piezo-actuator formed as an actuator for a valve body.

7. A method for operating a fluid control device with the steps:
provision of a first variable control signal to an air supply valve for a supply of a working fluid stream to a supply port of a fluid consumer; and
provision of a second variable control signal to an air outlet valve for a discharge of a working fluid stream from the supply port of the fluid consumer, wherein the first and the second control signals form a value pair, and the value pair is stored if a functional position of the fluid consumer, detected by means of a sensor signal from a sensor assigned to the fluid consumer, lies within a pre-definable position interval, wherein the two control signals are each varied between a lower interval limit and an upper interval limit.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein, for performance of the valve diagnostic process, the fluid consumer is brought from a rest position to a diagnostic position by the setting of a fluidic equilibrium between the supply and discharge of working fluid to the assigned supply port, and wherein the variable control signals for the air supply valve and the air outlet valve are closed loop controlled within the respective interval limits depending on the sensor signal.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the fluid consumer is configured as a pilot controlled fluid valve with a valve member, a valve seat and an elastic sealing means, wherein the valve member is brought, by the working fluid provided during performance of the valve diagnostic process, from the rest position in which the valve member still lies tightly on the valve seat and in which a high surface pressure exists between the sealing means and the valve seat, into the diagnostic position in which a moderate surface pressure exists between the sealing means and the valve seat and in which the valve member still lies tightly on the valve seat, and wherein that the sensor signal is a position signal which depends on a position of the valve member relative to the valve seat.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a calibration function is calculated from the value pairs and used for operation of the fluid control device.

Assignees

• Festo Ag & Co Kg

Inventors

• Dickhoff Andreas

Classifications

• F16K11/22 Primary

  with an actuating member for each valve, e.g. interconnected to form multiple-way valves · CPC title

• F15B2211/865

  Prevention of failures · CPC title

• G05D7/0635

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K31/006

  having a free end · CPC title

• F16K37/0033

  using a permanent magnet, e.g. in combination with a reed relays · CPC title