Pneumatic valve arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10767665-B2
Application number	US-201815941518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Mar 30, 2017
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A pneumatic valve arrangement for a pneumatically operated field device, such as a control device, of a processing plant, such as a chemical plant, a foodstuff processing plant, a power plant or the like is disclosed. The valve arrangement may include an air supply conduit for receiving pressurized air from a source of pressurized air, a control air conduit for aerating and venting a pneumatic actor of the field device, and a venting conduit for discharging pressurized air to a pressure sink, such as the atmosphere; a venting valve for opening and/or closing the venting conduit and an aerating valve for opening and/or closing the air supply conduit; and a pivotable carrier lever for common actuation of the aerating valve and of the venting valve, wherein the carrier lever holds the venting valve in its closed position while it opens the aerating valve from its closed position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pneumatic valve arrangement, comprising:
an air supply conduit configured to receive pressurized air from a pressurized air source;
a venting conduit configured to discharge the pressurized air to a pressure sink;
a venting valve configured to open and close the venting conduit;
an aerating valve configured to open and close the air supply conduit; and
a pivotable carrier lever configured to: actuate the aerating valve and the venting valve, hold the venting valve in its closed position while opening the aerating valve from its closed position, and provide a first rotational actuating movement to open the aerating valve while the venting valve is in the closed position, wherein:
the aerating valve and the venting valve are coupled together via the pivotable carrier lever,
the pivotable carrier lever is mounted to at least one of: (i) a stationary part of a housing of the pneumatic valve arrangement, (ii) the aerating valve, and (iii) the venting valve, and
the pivotable carrier lever is configured to rotate around (i) a first pivot axis associated with the first rotational actuating movement to open the aerating valve, and (ii) a second pivot axis associated with a second rotational actuating movement to close the venting valve, the second pivot axis being different than the first pivot axis.

2. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising:
a spring configured to bias the pivotable carrier lever against a counter bearing to provide the second rotational actuating movement to close the venting valve and to rotatably secure the pivotable carrier lever relative to the second pivot axis about the counter bearing.

3. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the first rotational actuator movement to open the venting valve around the first pivot axis releases a safety mechanism associated with the second pivot axis.

4. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein a (i) first effective lever length between the first pivot axis and a force input position of the pivotable carrier lever, and (ii) a second effective level length between the second pivot axis and a force input position of the pivotable carrier lever is the same for the first rotational actuating movement and the second rotational actuating movement, respectively.

5. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein (i) first effective lever length between the first pivot axis and a force input position of the pivotable carrier lever, and (ii) a second effective level length between the second pivot axis and a force input position of the pivotable carrier lever is different for the first rotational actuating movement and the second rotational actuating movement, respectively.

6. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising:
an actor is configured to operate the pneumatic valve arrangement,
wherein the pivotable carrier lever for the first rotational actuating movement and the second rotational actuating movement is operated by the actor, and
wherein the force input position of the actor to move the pivotable carrier lever in accordance with the first rotational actuating movement to open the aerating valve acts upon the venting valve in a closing-force-enhancing manner.

7. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 5 , further comprising:
an actor is configured to operate the pneumatic valve arrangement,
wherein the actor is arranged on the outside of the stationary part of the housing of the pneumatic valve arrangement, the actor defining the force input position for operating the pivotable carrier lever outside the pneumatic valve arrangement in a region associated with a pressure sink, the area associated with the pressure sink being external to three air conduits and an air chamber associated with the pneumatic valve arrangement into which the three air conduits lead.

8. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the pivotable carrier lever is rigidly and integrally connected to a valve member of the aerating valve and to a valve member of the venting valve, the pivotable carrier lever being hingedly connected to the valve member of the aerating valve.

9. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the pivotable carrier lever is mounted in a fully floating manner relative to the housing of the pneumatic valve arrangement via a guide, the guide including at least one pin to guide the pivotable carrier lever.

10. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the pivotable carrier lever is mounted in a fully floating manner relative to the housing of the pneumatic valve arrangement via a guide, the guide including at least one interior side wall of an air chamber into which three air conduits lead that are associated with the pneumatic valve arrangement.

11. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein:
the aerating valve includes a first valve member,
the venting valve includes a second valve member, and
the first valve member and the second valve member each has a sealing surface that is at least partially spherical.

12. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 11 , wherein the first valve member and the second valve member is each made of hardened steel.

13. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 11 , wherein the first valve member and the second valve member is each made of ceramic.

14. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the aerating valve is closed and the venting valve is opened when the pneumatic valve arrangement is in a non-actuated condition.

15. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein:
the aerating valve is associated with a first pressure-force-compensation piston,
the venting valve is associated with a second pressure-force-compensation piston, and
the pressure first compensation piston and the second compensation piston each includes a seal.

16. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , wherein:
the aerating valve is associated with a first pressure-force-compensation piston,
the venting valve is associated with a second pressure-force-compensation piston, and
the pressure first compensation piston and the second compensation piston each includes a membrane.

17. The pneumatic valve arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising a control air conduit configured to aerate and/or vent a pneumatic actor of the pneumatic valve arrangement.

Assignees

• Samson Ag

Inventors

• Kolbenschlag Stefan

Classifications

• F16K31/10 Primary

  with additional mechanism between armature and closure member · CPC title

• F16K31/52

  with crank, eccentric, or cam · CPC title

• B60T15/027

  in pneumatic systems · CPC title

• F16K11/185

  with swinging shafts · CPC title

• F16K31/0624

  Lift valves · CPC title