Regeneration valve for a hydraulic circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11053958-B2
Application number	US-201916357459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2019
Priority date	Mar 19, 2019
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A regeneration valve includes a housing defining a first port, a second port, a third port, and a chamber fluidly communicating with the first, second, and third ports. The chamber has a valve element movable between a first position, in which the second port fluidly communicates with the first port, and a second position, in which the second port fluidly communicates with the third port. A resilient member biases the valve element towards the first position. In operation, a flow restrictor element moves between the first port and the second port for restricting fluid flow from the second port to the first port. At a predetermined flow rate between the second port and the first port, if a supply pressure of fluid at the actuation chamber exceeds the bias of the resilient member, the valve element moves to the second position for fluidly communicating the second and third ports.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A regeneration valve for a hydraulic circuit having a hydraulic fluid flowing therethrough, the regeneration valve comprising:
a housing defining a first port, a second port, and a third port;
a chamber formed in the housing and fluidly communicating with the first, second, and third ports;
a valve element disposed in the chamber and movable between a first position, in which the second port fluidly communicates with the first port, and a second position, in which the second port fluidly communicates with the third port;
a resilient member coupled to the valve element and configured to apply a biasing force on the valve element toward the first position;
a moveable flow restrictor element disposed between the valve element and the housing, the flow restrictor element configured to move between the first port and the second port of the housing for restricting flow of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port; and
an actuation chamber located at an end of the valve element in a direction opposite to the resilient member, the actuation chamber disposed in selective fluid communication with the second port via a pilot passageway defined in the housing, wherein:
upon restricting flow of fluid from the second port to the first port by the flow restrictor element and at a predetermined flow rate between the second port and the first port, if a supply pressure of hydraulic fluid at the actuation chamber exceeds the biasing force of the resilient member, the valve element moves to the second position for supplying fluid from the second port to the third port.

2. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve element further defines a groove configured to bear a retaining ring therein so that when the rate of fluid flow from the second port to the first port is greater than, or equal to, the predetermined fluid flow rate, the flow restrictor element moves to abut with the retaining ring causing a pressure differential between the actuation chamber and a resilient member chamber at opposite ends of the valve element to move the valve element from the first position to the second position when the supply pressure of hydraulic fluid at the actuation chamber exceeds the biasing force of the resilient member.

3. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the biasing force of the resilient member is adjustable to achieve the predetermined flow rate of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port so that the moveable flow restrictor moves between the first port and the second port of the housing for restricting flow of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port.

4. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve element includes a land.

5. The regeneration valve of claim 4 , wherein when the valve element is moved into the second position, the land is configured to block flow of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port.

6. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the resilient member is disposed at one end of the valve element and located adjacent to the moveable flow restrictor element.

7. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein a flow slot is formed in the valve element.

8. The regeneration valve of claim 7 , wherein the flow slot is located adjacent to a land and disposed away from the resilient member.

9. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a resilient member chamber configured to receive the resilient member therein.

10. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the moveable flow restrictor element is shaped as a sleeve and disposed about the valve element.

11. The regeneration valve of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic circuit includes a hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder rod end and a cylinder cap end, and wherein the first port fluidly communicates with a fluid reservoir, the second port fluidly communicates with the cylinder rod end, and the third port fluidly communicates with the cylinder cap end.

12. A hydraulic circuit for a machine implement, the hydraulic circuit comprising:
a pressurized hydraulic fluid source;
a fluid reservoir;
a hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder cap end and a cylinder rod end;
a regeneration valve including:
a housing defining a first port fluidly communicating with the fluid reservoir, a second port fluidly communicating with the cylinder rod end, and a third port fluidly communicating with both the pressurized fluid source and the cylinder cap end;
a chamber formed in the housing and fluidly communicating with the first, second, and third ports;
a valve element disposed in the chamber and movable between a first position, in which the second port fluidly communicates with the first port, and a second position, in which the second port fluidly communicates with the third port;
a resilient member coupled to the valve element and configured to apply a biasing force on the valve element toward the first position; and
a moveable flow restrictor element disposed between the valve element and the housing, the flow restrictor element configured to move between the first port and the second port of the housing for restricting flow of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port; and
an actuation chamber located at an end of the valve element in a direction opposite to the resilient member, the actuation chamber disposed in selective fluid communication with the second port via a pilot passageway defined in the housing, wherein:
upon restricting flow of fluid from the second port to the first port by the flow restrictor element and at a predetermined flow rate between the second port to the first port, if a supply pressure of hydraulic fluid at the actuation chamber exceeds the biasing force of the resilient member, the valve element moves to the second position for supplying fluid from the second port to the third port.

13. The hydraulic circuit of claim 12 , wherein the valve element further defines a groove configured to bear a retaining ring therein so that when the rate of fluid flow from the second port to the first port is greater than, or equal to, the predetermined fluid flow rate, the flow restrictor element moves to abut with the retaining ring causing a pressure differential between the actuation chamber and a resilient member chamber at opposite ends of the valve element to move the valve element from the first position to the second position when the supply pressure of hydraulic fluid at the actuation chamber exceeds the biasing force of the resilient member.

14. The hydraulic circuit of claim 12 , wherein the biasing force of the resilient member is adjustable to achieve the predetermined flow rate of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port so that the moveable flow restrictor moves between the first port and the second port of the housing for restricting flow of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port.

15. The hydraulic circuit of claim 12 , wherein the valve element includes a land such that when the valve element is moved into the second position, the land is configured to block flow of hydraulic fluid from the second port to the first port.

16. The hydraulic circuit of claim 12 , wherein the resilient member is disposed at one end of the valve element and located adjacent to the moveable flow restrictor element.

17. The hydraulic circuit of claim 12 , wherein a flow slot is formed in the valve element.

18. The hydraulic circuit of claim 17 , wherein the flow slot is located adjacent to a land and disposed away from the resilient member.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Ferraz Jr John
• Jackson Michael Thomas
• O'Neill William Norbert

Classifications

• F15B13/021 Primary

  Valves for interconnecting the fluid chambers of an actuator · CPC title

• F15B2211/329

  actuated by fluid pressure · CPC title

• F15B2211/88

  Control measures for saving energy · CPC title

• F15B11/024

  by means of differential connection of the servomotor lines, e.g. regenerative circuits · CPC title

• E02F9/2267

  Valves or distributors (position of valves arrangements on upper-structures E02F9/0875) · CPC title