Method for operating a valve device, valve device and data storage medium with a computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10774857-B2
Application number	US-201716090985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A method for operating a valve device for supplying compressed air to compressed air consumer includes the steps of: determination of a first fluid pressure in a first section of a fluid passage of a valve assembly, which extends between an inlet port, and a valve element, determination of a second fluid pressure in a second section of the fluid passage of the valve assembly, which extends between the valve element and an outlet port, determination of a flow value for the valve element from the two fluid pressures and of a flow function, relating of the flow value with a presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate for the pressurised fluid, which flow rate is provided for flow through the fluid passage, to a guide value and determination of a required actuating energy for an actuating device, and provision of the actuating energy to the actuating device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a valve device for supplying compressed air to compressed air consumer, the method comprising the steps of: determination of a first fluid pressure in a first section of a fluid passage of a valve assembly, which extends between an inlet port which is provided for a fluidically communicating connection to a fluid source or a fluid sink, and a valve element, determination of a second fluid pressure in a second section of the fluid passage of the valve assembly, which extends between the valve element and an outlet port which is provided for a fluidically communicating connection to a compressed air consumer, determination of a flow value for the valve element from the two fluid pressures and of a flow function, relating of the flow value with a presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate for the pressurised fluid, which flow rate is provided for flow through the fluid passage, to a guide value and determination of a required actuating energy for an actuating device which is designed for an actuation of the valve element, provision of the actuating energy to the actuating device for adjusting the presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate, wherein the flow value is determined from the flow function set in relation to a quotient of the first fluid pressure and the second fluid pressure, and wherein the actuating energy is determined on the basis of the guide value and of a valve characteristic.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein two independently controllable valve assemblies are provided, their respective second sections of the respective fluid passages being connected to a common outlet port and their inlet ports being connected to different fluid sources or fluid sinks, wherein one of the two valve assemblies is selectively controlled as a function of a pressure differential between the respective inlet port and the common outlet port and of the presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the compressed air consumer has two fluidically separated, kinematically coupled operating chambers, and wherein and that each of the operating chambers is assigned two independently controllable valve assemblies, their respective second sections of the respective fluid passages being connected to a common outlet port and their respective inlet ports being connected to different fluid sources or fluid sinks, and wherein the two operating chambers are synchronously supplied with compressed air with presettable volumetric fluid flow rates by selective control of the respective valve assemblies.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein a first volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate is preset for a first operating chamber of the compressed air consumer and a second volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate is preset for a second operating chamber of the compressed air consumer in order to obtain a movement profile for the connected compressed air consumer, and/or wherein a first pressure pattern profile is preset for the first operating chamber and a second pressure pattern profile is preset for the second operating chamber.

5. A valve device for operating a compressed air consumer, with a valve assembly in which a fluid passage is formed between an inlet port for a fluidically communicating connection to a fluid source or fluid sink and an outlet port for a fluidically communicating connection to a compressed air consumer, and with a valve element which is located movably in the fluid passage for influencing a cross-section of the fluid passage and which is assigned an actuating device for changing a functional position, and with a processing device for a provision of actuating energy to the actuating device, wherein a first pressure sensor is assigned to a first section of the fluid passage between the inlet port and the valve element and a second pressure sensor is assigned to a second section of the fluid passage between the valve element and the output port and wherein the processing device is designed for an execution of the following steps: determination of a first fluid pressure in the first section of the fluid passage, determination of a second fluid pressure in the second section, determination of a flow value for the valve element from the two fluid pressures and of a flow function, relating of the flow value with a presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate for the pressurised fluid to a guide value and determination of a required actuating energy for an actuating device which is designed for an actuation of the valve element, provision of the actuating energy to the actuating device for adjusting the presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate and wherein the processing device is designed for a determination of the flow value from the flow function set in relation to a quotient of the first fluid pressure and the second fluid pressure and for a determination of the actuating energy on the basis of the guide value and of a valve characteristic.

6. The valve device according to claim 5 , wherein two independently controllable valve assemblies are provided, their respective second sections of the respective fluid passages being connected to a common outlet port and their inlet ports being connected to different fluid sources or fluid sinks, and wherein the processing device is designed for a selective controlled of one of the two valve assemblies as a function of a pressure differential between the respective inlet port and the common outlet port and of the presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate.

7. The valve device according to claim 6 , wherein the valve device is designed as a proportional valve.

8. The valve device according to claim 7 , wherein the valve device is designed as a fluidically pilot-controlled proportional valve.

9. The valve device according to claim 5 , wherein the processing device is connected to two pairs of two independently controllable valve assemblies each, the second section of each of the respective fluid passages being connected in pairs to a common outlet port and a first inlet port of each pair being connected to a fluid source and a second inlet port of each pair being connected to a fluid sink, and wherein the processing device is designed for a synchronous compressed air supply of the two operating chambers with presettable volumetric fluid flow rates by optional control of the respective valve assemblies.

10. A data storage medium with a computer program designed for storage in a processing device of a valve device and, if executed in a processor of the processing device, inducing a method comprising the steps of: determination of a first fluid pressure in a first section of a fluid passage of a valve assembly, which extends between an inlet port which is provided for a fluidically communicating connection to a fluid source or a fluid sink, and a valve element, determination of a second fluid pressure in a second section of the fluid passage of the valve assembly, which extends between the valve element and an outlet port which is provided for a fluidically communicating connection to a compressed air consumer, determination of a flow value for the valve element from the two fluid pressures and of a flow function, relating of the flow value with a presettable volumetric fluid flow rate or mass fluid flow rate for the pressurised fluid, which flow rate is provided for flow through the fluid passage, to a guide value and determination of a required actuating energy for an actuating device which is designed for an actuation of the valve element, provision of the actuating energy

Assignees

• Festo Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Neumann Rudiger
• Doll Matthias
• Rager David

Classifications

• F15B2211/63

  Electronic controllers · CPC title

• F15B2211/6306

  representing a pressure · CPC title

• F15B2211/30575

  in a Wheatstone Bridge arrangement (also half bridges) · CPC title

• F15B2211/6303

  using input signals · CPC title

• F15B2211/6313

  the pressure being a load pressure · CPC title