Pilot valve arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10443750-B2
Application number	US-201615743322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2016
Priority date	Aug 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a pilot valve arrangement ( 1 ) comprising a pilot valve device ( 2 ) which comprises a pilot valve element ( 13 ), a pilot valve seat ( 14 ) cooperating with the pilot valve element ( 13 ) and a presetting mechanism for presetting an opening pressure of the pilot valve element ( 13 ), the pilot valve arrangement ( 1 ) further comprising a presetting mechanism actuating device ( 3 ) which comprises an actuator element ( 17 ) adapted to create an actuating force in order to actuate the presetting mechanism in the pilot valve device so as to preset the opening pressure. According to the invention, the pilot valve arrangement ( 1 ) comprises a contactless force coupling arrangement adapted to transfer the actuating force from the presetting mechanism actuating device ( 3 ) to the pilot valve device ( 2 ). An inventive pilot valve device ( 2 ) is disclosed and claimed as well. The invention allows to improve maintenance and safety concerning the devices mentioned above.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pilot valve arrangement comprising:
a pilot valve device which comprises a pilot valve element, a pilot valve seat cooperating with the pilot valve element, and a presetting mechanism for presetting an opening pressure of the pilot valve element; the pilot valve arrangement further comprising
a presetting mechanism actuating device which comprises an actuator element adapted to create an actuating force in order to actuate the presetting mechanism in the pilot valve device so as to preset the opening pressure, wherein the pilot valve arrangement comprises a contactless force coupling arrangement adapted to transfer the actuating force from the presetting mechanism actuating device to the pilot valve device,
wherein the pilot valve device comprises a main valve connection arrangement configured to connect the pilot valve device to a valve top plate of a main valve device.

2. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the actuating force is a torque and the contactless force coupling arrangement comprises cooperating magnets in order to transfer the torque over an air gap.

3. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the presetting mechanism actuating device comprises a rotatable axis drivable by the actuator element, the presetting mechanism comprises a rotatable spindle drivable by the rotatable axis, and the contactless force coupling arrangement is adapted to transfer the actuating force from the rotatable axis to the spindle so as to rotate the spindle in order to actuate the presetting mechanism.

4. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the spindle comprises a first spindle end and the axis provides a cavity adapted to house the first spindle end in order to transfer the actuating force from the actuator element to the presetting mechanism via the contactless force coupling arrangement.

5. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the first spindle end comprises one or more spindle magnets being rotationally fixed relative to the spindle, the axis comprises a first axis end, the first axis end comprises one or more axis magnets being rotationally fixed relative to the axis, the one or more spindle magnets each being a first permanent magnet and the one or more axis magnets each being a second permanent magnet, the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet together being cooperating magnets in order to exert a magnetic force on each other so as to allow the axis to rotate the spindle.

6. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 5 , wherein the pilot valve device comprises a bearing in order to facilitate rotation of the spindle magnet.

7. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the pilot valve element is a membrane, the membrane being biased so as to keep the pilot valve element in contact with the pilot valve seat, the presetting mechanism influencing the biasing of the membrane by means of the actuating force and by this presetting the opening pressure.

8. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the presetting mechanism further comprises a nut, the nut being drivable by means of the actuating force, and a spring, the spring biasing the membrane, and the nut being adapted to pretension the spring depending on a position of the nut.

9. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the spring is a coil spring and the spring comprises a first spring end and a second spring end, the first spring end being seated on the nut and the second spring end being seated adjacent to the membrane.

10. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator element is a motor.

11. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the pilot valve device and the presetting mechanism actuating device comprise a fixing arrangement for fixing the pilot valve device and the presetting mechanism actuating device to each other.

12. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contactless force coupling arrangement is hermetically sealed on the side of the pilot valve device.

13. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the pilot valve device comprises a pilot fluid inlet and a pilot fluid outlet, the pilot valve device being configured to control the opening of the main valve device by supplying a pilot fluid to the main valve device passing the pilot valve element and through the pilot fluid outlet.

14. A pilot valve device comprising a pilot valve element, a pilot valve seat cooperating with the pilot valve element, a presetting mechanism for presetting an opening pressure of the pilot valve element, and a main valve connection arrangement configured to connect the pilot valve device to a valve top plate of a main valve device, wherein the presetting mechanism is adapted to receive an actuating force via a contactless force coupling arrangement.

15. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the presetting mechanism actuating device comprises a rotatable axis drivable by the actuator element, the presetting mechanism comprises a rotatable spindle drivable by the axis, and the contactless force coupling arrangement is adapted to transfer the actuating force from the axis to the spindle so as to rotate the spindle in order to actuate the presetting mechanism.

16. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the pilot valve element is a membrane, the membrane being biased so as to keep the pilot valve element in contact with the pilot valve seat, the presetting mechanism influencing the biasing of the membrane by means of the actuating force and by this presetting the opening pressure.

17. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the pilot valve element is a membrane, the membrane being biased so as to keep the pilot valve element in contact with the pilot valve seat, the presetting mechanism influencing the biasing of the membrane by means of the actuating force and by this presetting the opening pressure.

18. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the pilot valve element is a membrane, the membrane being biased so as to keep the pilot valve element in contact with the pilot valve seat, the presetting mechanism influencing the biasing of the membrane by means of the actuating force and by this presetting the opening pressure.

19. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 5 , wherein the pilot valve element is a membrane, the membrane being biased so as to keep the pilot valve element in contact with the pilot valve seat, the presetting mechanism influencing the biasing of the membrane by means of the actuating force and by this presetting the opening pressure.

20. The pilot valve arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the pilot valve element is a membrane, the membrane being biased so as to keep the pilot valve element in contact with the pilot valve seat, the presetting mechanism influencing the biasing of the membrane by means of the actuating force and by this presetting the opening pressure.

Assignees

• Danfoss As

Inventors

• Parastar Behzad
• Matzen Detlef
• Halldorsson Klaus
• Lassen Simon Ahrens

Classifications

• F16K31/10

  with additional mechanism between armature and closure member · CPC title

• F16K27/02

  of lift valves (for reducing the flow resistance of screw-spindle lift-valves F16K1/06) · CPC title

• F16K17/06 Primary

  with special arrangements for adjusting the opening pressure · CPC title

• F16K31/04

  using a motor · CPC title

• F16K27/029

  Electromagnetically actuated valves · CPC title