Valve and a valve assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11655909-B2
Application number	US-201816766239-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2017
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A valve (10) including a first port (12), a second port (14), a third port (16) and a flexure (30), the flexure (30) being moveable between a first position which causes the first port (12) to open, a second position which causes the second port (14) to open, and a third position which causes the first and second ports (12, 14) to close, wherein at least a part of the flexure (30) is magnetisable, to provide a first magnet (32), a second magnet (34) is associated with the first port (12) and a third magnet (36) is associated with the second port (14). A valve assembly includes a pair of valves wherein only one of the valves is operable at any given time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve assembly, comprising:
a first and second valve, each of the first and second valves including a first port, a second port, a third port, and a flexure assembly, the flexure assembly is configured to move to and maintain a first position which causes the first port to open, a second position which causes the second port to open, and a third position which causes the first and second ports to close,
wherein at least a part of the flexure assembly is magnetisable, to provide a first magnet, a second magnet is associated with the first port and a third magnet is associated with the second port,
wherein one valve is configured to maintain a default failsafe position corresponding to the first position while the other valve transitions between the first, second, and third positions, and
wherein the one valve is configured to transition between the first, second, and third positions so as to act as a redundancy for the other valve in the event the other valve cannot transition between the first, second, and third positions.

2. A valve assembly according to claim 1 including a primary supply port and a secondary supply port.

3. A valve assembly according to claim 2 including a third valve which enables the flow of fluid from one of the primary and secondary supply ports to the first and/or second valves whilst inhibiting the flow of fluid from the other of the primary and secondary supply ports to the first and second valves.

4. A valve assembly according to claim 1 including a shared delivery port, and a further valve which enables the flow of fluid from the first port of one of the first and second valves, whilst inhibiting the flow of fluid from the first port of the other of the first and second valves.

5. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and third magnets are electromagnets.

6. A valve assembly according to claim 5 , wherein an energisation of the first magnet enables a movement of the flexure assembly away from the first position, towards the third position.

7. A valve assembly according to claim 5 , wherein energisations of the first magnet and the third magnet enable a movement of the flexure assembly towards the second position.

8. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second magnet is a permanent magnet.

9. A valve assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the permanent magnet comprises a neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnet.

10. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second and third magnets are annular and enable a flow of fluid through the first port and the second port, respectively, of each of the first valve and the second valve.

11. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third magnets associated with each valve form a biasing arrangement, and wherein the biasing arrangement controls a position of the flexure assembly of each of the first valve and the second valve.

12. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the flexure assembly of each of the first valve and the second valve controls an operation of the first valve and the second valve, respectively.

13. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first port of the first valve comprises a first exhaust port, the first port of the second valve comprises a second exhaust port, and the first and the second exhaust ports are communicable with one another to provide a single third exhaust port.

14. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the flexure assembly further includes a pair of moveable members, each of the moveable members being moveable in a direction to open a respective one of the first port and the second port of each of the first valve and the second valve.

15. A valve assembly according to claim 14 further comprising a housing, wherein the flexure assembly of each of the first and the second valve is attached at the housing at a proximal end of a respective flexure, and a distal end of each of the respective flexure extends in a cantilevered manner.

16. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second valve is normally vented, unless a failure is detected in the first valve.

17. A valve assembly according to claim 16 further comprising a primary operating mode.

18. A valve assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the primary operating mode comprises at least three configurations.

19. A valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a failure detected in the first valve causes the second valve to be operable.

20. A vehicle braking system including a valve assembly according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Haldex Brake Prod Ab

Inventors

• Mellings Carl
• Shaw Edward
• Jahnke Andreas

Classifications

• F16K31/082 Primary

  using a electromagnet and a permanent magnet · CPC title

• F16K31/003

  operated without a stable intermediate position, e.g. with snap action (F16K31/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K31/0624

  Lift valves · CPC title

• F16K31/0627 Primary

  with movable valve member positioned between seats · CPC title

• F16K31/0679

  with more than one energising coil · CPC title