Application-based control of a valve disk

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11143213-B2
Application number	US-201816166083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2018
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

An electronic execution unit controls and regulates a pneumatic valve assembly for a pneumatic movement. An application for controlling and regulating a valve assembly is or can be loaded so that it can be carried out on the electronic execution unit to carry out the pneumatic movement on the pneumatic valve assembly. An electronic valve controller for the open-loop control and closed-loop control of a valve assembly has at least one pneumatic valve for a pneumatic movement task.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic controller for at least one of an open-loop control or a closed-loop control of a pneumatic valve assembly for a pneumatic movement task, the electronic controller comprising:
a memory;
an input interface; and
a processor in communication with the memory and the input interface, the processor being configured to:
load an application into the memory, the application being selected for the pneumatic movement task from a set of different applications for the open-loop control and the closed-loop control of the pneumatic movement task generated during a code generation phase prior to an execution phase, and each of the set of different applications representing a different movement task, wherein the application is generated by a self-learning system which generates different versions or parametrizations of the application for each different movement task based upon closed-loop control variables such that the pneumatic valve assembly can be controlled in an open-loop manner by the different versions or parametrizations of the application, and
execute the application in at least one of an open-loop control manner or a closed-loop control manner to perform the pneumatic movement task on the pneumatic valve assembly.

2. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller is a microcontroller, and wherein the valve assembly is a valve disk.

3. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic valve assembly is arranged directly on a piston-cylinder assembly.

4. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the controller is in communication with a pressure transducer, and
wherein the pressure transducer is configured to:
record pressure signals on the piston-cylinder assembly, and
transmit the pressure signals directly and without any pre-processing to the electronic controller for pre-processing and processing.

5. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 4 , wherein no electrical cabling is provided between the piston-cylinder assembly and the electronic controller.

6. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic valve assembly is arranged at a distance from a piston-cylinder assembly,
wherein the piston-cylinder assembly includes chambers,
wherein the pneumatic valve assembly is in communication with the chambers via corresponding pneumatic channels to operate the chambers of the piston-cylinder assembly.

7. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an input interface configured to read-in the application, and an output interface configured as a working connection to move the piston-cylinder assembly.

8. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the input interface of the electronic controller is configured to read-in the application and to receive the application from an electronic valve controller of a valve island.

9. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller implements the application and is arranged on a valve island to directly control valves in the open-loop control or the closed-loop control, the valves being arranged at least at one of locally on the valve island or to indirectly control a further valve assembly in the open-loop control or the closed-loop control, the further valve assembly being arranged on an offset drive element to execute the respective pneumatic movement task.

10. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 9 , wherein during at least one of an indirect open-loop control or an indirect closed-loop control of the further valve assembly by the application on the offset drive element only one electrical connection is provided between the valve island and the further valve assembly, and wherein all of the valves of the further valve assembly are supplied via a common pneumatic supply line.

11. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the pneumatic supply line of the valves of the further valve assembly extends separately from the electrical connection.

12. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller is arranged on a component other than the one on which the pneumatic movement task is to be executed.

13. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic valve assembly is controlled in the closed-loop control on a basis of internal sensor signals, which are recorded by sensors arranged on the pneumatic valve assembly or arranged remotely on the further valve assembly.

14. A valve assembly being controlled in an open-loop manner or in a closed-loop manner by the electronic controller as claimed in claim 1 .

15. The electronic controller as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the electrical connection transmits sensor data, which have been recorded on the further valve assembly and are transmitted to the application for the closed-loop control.

16. An electropneumatic system comprising:
at least two controllers,
wherein a first controller is configured as an electronic valve controller of a valve island and a second controller is configured as a microcontroller of a valve disk,
wherein an application is received on the first electronic valve controller and is transferred to the microcontroller,
wherein the application is selected for the pneumatic movement task from a set of different applications for the open-loop control and the closed-loop control of a pneumatic movement task generated during a code generation phase prior to an execution phase,
wherein each of the set of different applications represents a different movement task,
wherein the application is generated by a self-learning system which generates different versions or parametrizations of the application for each different movement task based upon closed-loop control variables such that the pneumatic valve assembly can be controlled in an open-loop manner by the different versions or parametrizations of the application, and
wherein the electronic valve controller controls the valve disk in at least one of an open-loop control or a closed-loop control to execute the pneumatic movement task on a piston-cylinder assembly.

17. The electropneumatic system as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the communication connection between the valve disk and the valve island is configured as a point-to-point communication channel, as a point-to-point communication channel with protocol drivers, or as a bus system.

18. An electronic valve controller for at least one of an open-loop control or a closed loop control of a pneumatic valve assembly for a pneumatic movement task, the electronic valve controller comprising:
a memory;
an input interface; and
a processor in communication with the memory and the input interface, the processor being configured to:
load an application into the memory, the application being selected for the pneumatic movement task from a set of different applications for the open-loop control and the closed-loop control of the pneumatic movement task generated during a code generation phase prior to an execution phase, and each of the set of different applications representing a different movement task, wherein the application is generated by a self-learning system which generates different versions or parametrizations of the application for each different movement task based upon closed-loop control variables such that the pneumatic valve assembly can be controlled in an open-loop manner by the different versions or parametrizations of the application, and,
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Assignees

• Festo Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Doll Matthias
• Neumann Rüdiger
• Elmer Stefan
• Hofmann Peter
• Schneider Bernd
• Link Michael

Classifications

• F15B15/202

  Externally-operated valves mounted in or on the actuator · CPC title

• F15B19/005

  Fault detection or monitoring · CPC title

• F15B13/0867

  Data bus systems · CPC title

• F15B13/086

  Sensing means, e.g. pressure sensors · CPC title

• F15B21/087

  Control strategy, e.g. with block diagram · CPC title