Electrically actuated valve having two ways and three positions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494248-B2
Application number	US-201414334881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2014
Priority date	Aug 1, 2013
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

An electrically actuated valve includes a first working way and a second working way and a poppet configured for providing a seal on a valve seat set hydraulically between the first working way and the second working way. The poppet includes a first operating position, a second operating position, and a third operating position, and is displaceable by an electrical-actuation device
In the first operating position, a passage area for a hydraulic fluid defined between said valve seat and said poppet has a maximum value In the second operating position, the passage area is partialized and has a value lower than said maximum value In the third operating position, the poppet is in contact with the valve seat, and the passage area has a substantially zero value, so that the first working way is isolated from the second working way.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically actuated valve including:
a first working way and a second working way and a poppet configured for providing a seal on a valve seat set hydraulically between the first working way and the second working way, the poppet including a first operating position, a second operating position, and a third operating position, and being displaceable by means of an electrical-actuation device,
wherein:
in the first operating position, a passage area for a hydraulic fluid defined between said valve seat and said poppet has a maximum value;
in the second operating position, said passage area is partialized and has a value lower than said maximum value; and
in the third operating position, said poppet is in contact with said valve seat and the passage area has a substantially zero value so that the first working way is isolated from the second working way,

wherein:
the poppet is displaceable from the first operating position to the second operating position by means of a first electrical command imparted to said electrical-actuation device against the resisting action of a first elastic element; and
the poppet is displaceable from the second operating position to the third operating position by means of a second electrical command imparted to said electrical-actuation device against the resisting action of said first elastic element and of a second elastic element; and
said poppet hydraulically balanced and including a head having a hollow cylindrical shape, and a shank integral with the head and having a diameter smaller than that of the head in such a way as to define a shoulder at an interface between said head and said shank, and

the shoulder comprising a ring of through holes providing fluid communication between a cavity within the head of the poppet and an opposite side of the shoulder.

2. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein said poppet is displaceable along a main axis of said valve and is coaxial thereto.

3. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein said first elastic element and said second element have identical stiffnesses.

4. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein said first elastic element and said second elastic element have different stiffnesses.

5. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein:
in said first operating position of the poppet there is a first axial play between a first abutment surface of said poppet and a second abutment surface, exerted on which is the action of said second elastic element and a second axial play between said poppet and said valve seat, wherein said second axial play is greater than said first axial play;
in said second operating position of the poppet said first axial play is overridden; and
in said third operating position of the poppet also said second axial play is overridden.

6. The valve according to claim 5 , wherein a moving element of said electrical-actuation device has a maximum axial travel chosen so as to be greater than the value of said second axial play.

7. The valve according to claim 1 , including a sleeve having a cylindrical tubular shape, provided on which are said first working way and second working way and mounted axially movable within which is said poppet, wherein said electrical-actuation device is fixed to said sleeve.

8. The valve according to claim 7 , wherein the head is slidably mounted within a first stretch of a through hole of said sleeve having a first diameter, and said shank traverses a second stretch of said through hole of said sleeve.

9. The valve according to claim 8 , wherein housed in said second stretch of said axial hole of the sleeve are:
a first spacer ring abutting on a shoulder between said first stretch and said second stretch of the through hole; and
said second elastic element, abutting on said first spacer ring and upon an axially fixed elastic positioning ring.

10. The valve according to claim 9 , further including a second spacer ring abutting on said elastic positioning ring and in turn having a contrast surface for an anchor of an electromagnet defining said electrical-actuation device, said anchor being axially constrained to said shank and being slidable in a cavity within which said first elastic element is housed, abutting on the shank.

11. The valve according to claim 7 , wherein said sleeve includes a central through hole comprising:
a first stretch having a first diameter;
a second stretch having a second diameter; and
a third stretch having a third diameter,
said third diameter being smaller than the second diameter, which in turn is smaller than the first diameter so as to define a first shoulder and a second shoulder,
wherein said poppet has a generally tubular cylindrical shape and is slidably mounted within said axial through hole, guided by said second stretch.

12. The valve according to claim 11 , wherein housed in said first stretch of said axial hole of the sleeve are:
a first spacer ring, set in abutment on said first shoulder;
a second spacer ring in abutment on the first spacer ring and having an internal diameter greater than the internal diameter of said first spacer ring; and
a third spacer ring in abutment on the second spacer ring and having an internal diameter smaller than the internal diameter of said second spacer ring,
said second elastic element having a first end in abutment on the third spacer ring and a second end in abutment on a bushing, provided on which is said valve seat.

13. The valve according to claim 12 , wherein said first elastic element is set with a first end abutting on a shoulder of an axial hole provided in said poppet and a second end abutting on a hub of said bushing, wherein moreover a retaining ring is fixed thereto and axially movable in a region comprised between said first spacer ring and said third spacer ring.

14. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein said electrical-actuation device includes, alternatively, an electromagnet, a piezoelectric linear actuator, or a magnetostrictive linear actuator.

Assignees

• Fiat Ricerche
• C R F Societá Consortile Per Azioni

Inventors

• Stucchi Sergio
• Ricco Raffaele
• De Michele Onofrio
• Gargano Marcello
• Lepore Domenico

Classifications

• F16K31/0655

  Lift valves · CPC title

• Y10T137/8671

  With annular passage [e.g., spool] · CPC title

• F16K31/0613 Primary

  with cylindrical slides · CPC title

• F16K11/0716

  with fluid passages through the valve member (F16K11/0704, F16K11/0708, F16K11/0712 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K1/52 Primary

  Means for additional adjustment of the rate of flow · CPC title