Valve assembly and system including same for controlling fluid flow to and from a clutch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10953863-B2
Application number	US-202017007315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2020
Priority date	Jul 1, 2016
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A system for controlling fluid flow to and from a clutch includes a motor, a pump, and a valve assembly, which includes a housing defining an interior and a first orifice operably coupled to the pump, a second orifice operably coupled to the clutch, and a third orifice fluidly coupled to one of said first and second orifices. A piston is operably coupled to the motor, is disposed within the interior, is movable between a first position for allowing a fluid flow between the first and second orifices, a second position for obstructing the fluid flow between the first and second orifices, and a third position for limiting the fluid flow between the first and second orifices. A biasing member is coupled to the piston, and biases the piston toward the first position when the motor is off. When the pump is activated and a pressure proximate the first orifice is equal to a pressure proximate the second orifice, the motor is energized and moves the piston to the second position. When pressure proximate the second orifice exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure, the energized motor is turned off and the biasing member moves the piston to the first position, or power in the energized motor is reduced and the piston moves to the third position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve assembly operably coupled to a motor, a pump, and at least one clutch, said valve assembly comprising:
a housing defining an interior, with said housing defining a first orifice operably coupled to the pump, a second orifice operably coupled to the at least one clutch, and a third orifice fluidly coupled to at least one of said first orifice and said second orifice;
a piston operably coupled to the motor and disposed within said interior of said housing, with said piston movable between a first position for allowing a fluid flow between said first orifice and said second orifice, a second position for obstructing said fluid flow between said first orifice and said second orifice, and a third position for limiting said fluid flow between the first orifice and the second orifice; and
a biasing member coupled to said piston, with said biasing member biasing said piston toward said first position when the motor is off,
wherein when the pump is activated and a pressure proximate the first orifice is equal to a pressure proximate the second orifice, the motor is energized and moves the piston to the second position, and
wherein when pressure proximate the second orifice exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure, the energized motor is turned off and the biasing member moves the piston to the first position, or power in the energized motor is reduced and the piston moves to the third position.

2. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein when the piston is in the second position, the pump is turned off.

3. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold pressure is measured or calculated in the at least one clutch, or outside of the at least one clutch and proximate the second orifice.

4. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein when the motor is turned off and the biasing member moves the piston to the first position, pressure proximate the second orifice is reduced as fluid flows from the second orifice to the first orifice in the first position.

5. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein when power in the motor is reduced and the piston moves to the third position, fluid flows slowly between the second orifice and the third orifice so that a desired operating pressure of the at least one clutch is not overshot or undershot.

6. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein said housing includes at least a side wall and an end wall, wherein said third orifice is disposed adjacent to said second orifice and defined in said side wall, and wherein in said first position said piston is seated against said end wall of said housing.

7. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein said third orifice is covered when said piston is in said first position and wherein said second orifice is covered when said piston is in said second position.

8. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein in said second position said housing and said piston establish a ball-to-cone engagement.

9. A system for controlling fluid flow to and from at least one clutch, said system comprising:
a motor;
a pump configured to actuate the fluid flow to and from the at least one clutch; and
the valve assembly of claim 1 .

10. A method for controlling fluid flow to and from at least one clutch, said method comprising:
biasing a piston disposed within a housing towards a first position to allow the fluid flow between a first orifice and a second orifice when a motor is off, the first orifice, the second orifice, and a first orifice being defined in the housing, said third orifice fluidly coupled to at least one of said first orifice and said second orifice, said first orifice operably coupled to a pump, and said second orifice operably coupled to the at least one clutch;
activating the pump and energizing the motor when a pressure proximate the first orifice is equal to a pressure proximate the second orifice, wherein the energized motor moves the piston away from the motor and into a second position for obstructing the fluid flow between the first orifice and the second orifice; and
moving the piston into a third position for limiting the fluid flow between the first orifice and the second orifice by reducing power to the energized motor, or moving the piston into the first position by turning off the energized motor, when the pressure proximate the second orifice exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising turning off the pump when the piston is in the second position.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein when the piston is in the second position, the pressure proximate the first orifice approaches 1 bar.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising measuring the predetermined threshold pressure in the at least one clutch, or outside of the at least one clutch and proximate the second orifice.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein when the motor is off and the piston moves to the first position, pressure proximate the second orifice is reduced as fluid flows from the second orifice to the first orifice in the first position.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein when power in the energized motor is reduced and the piston moves to the third position, fluid flows slowly between the second orifice and the third orifice so that a desired operating pressure of the at least one clutch is not overshot or undershot.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein when the piston is in the third position, pressure proximate the second orifice reduces towards 1 bar.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein said step of moving the piston away from the motor and into the second position further comprises seating the piston in a ball-to-cone engagement with the housing.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said step of moving the piston away from the motor and into the second position further comprises covering the second orifice such that no fluid flow occurs through the second orifice.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein said step of moving the piston away from the motor and into the second position further comprises covering the first orifice such that no fluid flow occurs through the first orifice.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein said step of moving the piston away from the motor and into the second position further comprises unsealing the third orifice such that fluid flow occurs through the third orifice.

Assignees

• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Flandrinck Christian

Classifications

• F16K31/1221 Primary

  one side of the piston being spring-loaded · CPC title

• F16K3/246

  Combination of a sliding valve and a lift valve · CPC title

• F16H61/0267

  Layout of hydraulic control circuits, e.g. arrangement of valves · CPC title

• F16H61/64

  controlled by changing the amount of liquid in the working circuit · CPC title

• F16K31/061

  Sliding valves · CPC title