System and method for end position damping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11434934-B2
Application number	US-202117230171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2021
Priority date	Apr 15, 2020
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A system including a pneumatic actuator with an actuator member and a compressed air supply device which is configured to apply compressed air to the pneumatic actuator in order to set the actuator member in an actuator member movement towards an end position of the pneumatic actuator, wherein the compressed air supply device is further configured to provide an end position damping for the actuator member movement and, during the end position damping, to adjust a conductance value of a discharge valve, via which the compressed air supply device discharges compressed air from a pressure chamber of the pneumatic actuator which pressure chamber counteracts the actuator member movement, in accordance with a conductance characteristic in dependence of a driving force acting on the actuator member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a pneumatic actuator with an actuator member, and a compressed air supply device, which is configured to apply compressed air to the pneumatic actuator in order to set the actuator member in an actuator member movement towards an end position of the pneumatic actuator, wherein the compressed air supply device is further configured to provide an end position damping for the actuator member movement and, during the end position damping, to discharge, via a discharge valve, compressed air from a pressure chamber of the pneumatic actuator, which pressure chamber counteracts the actuator member movement, and, during the end position damping, to adjust a conductance value of the discharge valve in accordance with a conductance characteristic curve in dependence of a driving force acting on the actuator member, and
wherein the compressed air supply device is configured to provide a closed-loop control of the driving force by adjusting the conductance value.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the conductance characteristic curve describes a relationship between the conductance value to be set and the driving force, according to which relationship the conductance value to be set increases progressively as the driving force decreases.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air supply device is configured, in response to the driving force being greater than a driving force threshold, to adjust the conductance value to a constant reduced conductance value and/or to maintain it at the constant reduced conductance value.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air supply device is configured to activate the end position damping in response to a predetermined activation criterion being met.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air supply device is configured to activate the end position damping in response to the actuator member reaching a predetermined position.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air supply device is configured to adapt the end position damping on the basis of a system parameter.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the system parameter includes an actuator geometry and/or a hose geometry of a hose arrangement connecting the pneumatic actuator to the compressed air supply device.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air supply device is configured to adapt the conductance characteristic curve, and/or an activation criterion on the basis of a system parameter.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the system parameter includes an actuator geometry and/or a hose geometry of a hose arrangement connecting the pneumatic actuator to the compressed air supply device.

10. A system, comprising a pneumatic actuator with an actuator member, and a compressed air supply device, which is configured to apply compressed air to the pneumatic actuator in order to set the actuator member in an actuator member movement towards an end position of the pneumatic actuator, wherein the compressed air supply device is further configured to provide an end position damping for the actuator member movement and, during the end position damping, to discharge, via a discharge valve, compressed air from a pressure chamber of the pneumatic actuator, which pressure chamber counteracts the actuator member movement, and, during the end position damping, to adjust a conductance value of the discharge valve in accordance with a conductance characteristic curve in dependence of a driving force acting on the actuator member, and
wherein the conductance characteristic curve describes a relationship between the conductance value to be set and the driving force, according to which relationship the conductance value to be set increases at least quadratically as the driving force decreases.

11. A system, comprising a pneumatic actuator with an actuator member, and a compressed air supply device, which is configured to apply compressed air to the pneumatic actuator in order to set the actuator member in an actuator member movement towards an end position of the pneumatic actuator, wherein the compressed air supply device is further configured to provide an end position damping for the actuator member movement and, during the end position damping, to discharge, via a discharge valve, compressed air from a pressure chamber of the pneumatic actuator, which pressure chamber counteracts the actuator member movement, and, during the end position damping, to adjust a conductance value of the discharge valve in accordance with a conductance characteristic curve in dependence of a driving force acting on the actuator member, and
further comprising a user interface via which a user parameter for adjusting the end position damping, can be entered.

12. A system, comprising a pneumatic actuator with an actuator member, and a compressed air supply device, which is configured to apply compressed air to the pneumatic actuator in order to set the actuator member in an actuator member movement towards an end position of the pneumatic actuator, wherein the compressed air supply device is further configured to provide an end position damping for the actuator member movement and, during the end position damping, to discharge, via a discharge valve, compressed air from a pressure chamber of the pneumatic actuator, which pressure chamber counteracts the actuator member movement, and, during the end position damping, to adjust a conductance value of the discharge valve in accordance with a conductance characteristic curve in dependence of a driving force acting on the actuator member, and
further comprising a user interface via which a user parameter for adjusting the conductance characteristic curve, and/or an activation criterion can be entered.

Assignees

• Festo Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Klassen Daniel
• Gommel Gerhard

Classifications

• F15B11/006

  Hydraulic "Wheatstone bridge" circuits, i.e. with four nodes, P-A-T-B, and on-off or proportional valves in each link · CPC title

• F15B2211/7053

  Double-acting output members · CPC title

• F15B11/048 Primary

  with deceleration control · CPC title

• F15B11/08

  with only one servomotor · CPC title

• F15B2211/853

  during stopping · CPC title