Integrated transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10539251-B2
Application number	US-201715639774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Jun 30, 2017
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A transducer for a connection to a fluid pressure source having a mechanism for setting a pneumatic output by way of an electrical input signal. The transducer provides a lower housing assembly and an upper housing assembly. The lower housing assembly comprises lower housing configured to receive a supply nozzle. The supply nozzle fluidly communicates with a supply port and intermittently fluidly communicates with an output port of the lower housing through an 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 of the lower housing assembly.

First claim

The invention 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 having a supply seat and an exhaust seat, and being 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 bore 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 a latching electromagnetic circuit that provides alternating contact force of the armature to act upon a plug tip of a valve plug disposed with the supply nozzle of the lower housing assembly, the valve plug further including an exhaust surface configured to engage with the exhaust seat, and the coil being arranged to receive an electrical input signal to activate and de-activate the electromagnetic circuit to latch the output port at a high output state and a low output state and the armature including a plurality of hinges, the hinges providing a spring force moment opposing a magnetic force moment to alternatively latch 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 port and the exhaust port.

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 4 , wherein the electropneumatic transducer is arranged for connection to a pneumatic supply source, and further wherein the transducer is arranged to operate on pneumatic supply pressures in a range of approximately 20 psig to 150 psig.

6. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , 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.

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. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the exhaust surface is frusto-conical.

9. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the valve plug has a generally cylindrical configuration with a 45-degree taper at a conical supply surface.

10. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 9 , wherein the supply surface is configured to be placed in sealing contact with the supply seat.

11. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the armature is configured, when moving in a first direction, to move the valve plug away from the supply seat to place a supply pressure of the supply port at the output port.

12. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 11 , wherein the armature is configured, when moving in a second direction, to move the valve plug until the valve plug contacts the supply seat to close the supply port from the output port.

13. 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, the supply port operatively coupled to a supply nozzle having a valve plug disposed within the supply nozzle, the valve plug including a frusto-conical exhaust surface, a conical supply surface, and a plug tip; and
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 latching electropneumatic transducer is alternatively configurable for direct-acting operation or reverse-acting operation.

14. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 13 , wherein a power of the electrical signal is substantially zero when the armature is latched either immediately adjacent to or nonadjacent to the upper housing.

15. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 14 , 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.

16. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 13 , wherein the transducer can operate on a pneumatic supply pressures in a range of approximately 20 psig to 150 psig.

17. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 13 , 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.

18. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 13 , wherein the internal fluid passageway further comprises a pressure chamber, a supply port bore, an exhaust port bore and an output bore.

19. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 13 , wherein the valve plug has a generally cylindrical configuration.

20. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 19 , wherein the conical supply surface of the valve plug has a 45-degree taper.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Galbreath Curt

Classifications

• F16K31/003

  operated without a stable intermediate position, e.g. with snap action (F16K31/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F15B2013/041

  with two positions · CPC title

• F16K31/0675 Primary

  Electromagnet aspects, e.g. electric supply therefor · CPC title

• Y10T137/86493

  Multi-way valve unit · CPC title

• F15B13/044

  operated by electrically-controlled means, e.g. solenoids, torque-motors · CPC title