Integrated transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9726299-B2
Application number	US-201514660685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A transducer for a connection to a fluid pressure source having a mechanism for setting a pneumatic output by way of an electrical input signal. The transducer provides a lower housing assembly and an upper housing assembly. The lower housing assembly comprises lower housing configured to receive a supply nozzle. The supply nozzle fluidly communicates with a supply port and intermittently fluidly communicates with an output port of the lower housing through an internal fluid passageway. The lower housing further comprises an exhaust nozzle fluidly communicating with an exhaust port and intermittently fluidly communicates with the output port of the lower housing through the internal fluid passageway. The upper housing assembly comprises an upper housing configured to receive a coil and an armature such that the upper housing, coil and armature define a latching electromagnetic circuit that provides alternating contact of the armature with the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle of the lower housing assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electropneumatic transducer comprising:
a lower block assembly, the lower block assembly comprising a lower housing and a supply nozzle, the supply nozzle in fluid communication with a supply port and in intermittent fluid communication with an output port of the lower housing through an internal fluid passageway, the lower housing further comprising an exhaust nozzle in fluid communication with an exhaust port and in intermittent fluid communication with the output port of the lower housing through the internal fluid passageway; and
an upper block assembly, the upper block assembly comprising an upper housing, a coil and an armature, the upper housing, coil and armature defining a latching electromagnetic circuit that provides alternating contact of the armature with the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle of the lower housing assembly, the coil being arranged to receive an electrical input signal to activate and de-activate the electromagnetic circuit to latch the output port at a high output state and a low output state and the armature including a plurality of hinges, the hinges providing a spring force moment opposing a magnetic force moment to alternatively latch the armature immediately adjacent to and nonadjacent to the upper housing.

2. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the transducer is arranged to alternately modulate fluid flow through the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle.

3. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein the lower housing is further configured to receive a bias spring adjustment screw and the upper housing is further configured to receive a bias spring.

4. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 3 , wherein the bias spring and bias spring adjustment screw cooperate to provide a bias spring force to bias the armature of the electromagnetic circuit.

5. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 4 , wherein the electropneumatic transducer is arranged for connection to a pneumatic supply source, and further wherein the transducer is arranged to operate on pneumatic supply pressures in a range of approximately 20 psig to 150 psig.

6. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein a predetermined thermal expansion co-efficient of the upper housing assembly and the lower housing assembly cooperate to provide an operational temperature range of about +85 Celsius to −60 Celsius.

7. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 1 , wherein internal fluid passageway further comprises a pressure chamber, a supply port bore, an exhaust port bore and an output bore.

8. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 6 , wherein the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle have a predetermined perpendicularity relative to a cylinder defined by a first section of the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle along a longitudinal axis of the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle.

9. A latching electropneumatic transducer, comprising:
a pneumatic circuit, the pneumatic circuit comprising a lower housing having a supply port, an exhaust port and an output port in fluid communication through an internal fluid passageway and a pressure chamber;
an electromagnetic circuit, the electromagnetic circuit comprising an upper housing, a coil and an armature, the armature including a plurality of hinges, the hinges providing a spring force moment and the armature being movable in response to an electrical input signal, the electromagnetic circuit defining a magnetic force moment, the spring force moment and the magnetic force moment act jointly to alternatively latch the armature immediately adjacent to and nonadjacent to the upper housing, the latching electropneumatic transducer is alternatively configurable for direct-acting operation or reverse-acting operation.

10. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 9 , wherein a power of the electrical signal is substantially zero when the armature is latched either immediately adjacent to or nonadjacent to the upper housing.

11. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 9 , wherein a supply nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply port and in intermittent fluid communication with an output port through an internal fluid passageway and an exhaust nozzle in fluid communication with an exhaust port and in intermittent fluid communication with the output port through the internal fluid passageway.

12. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 9 , wherein the transducer can operate on a pneumatic supply pressures in a range of approximately 20 psig to 150 psig.

13. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 9 , wherein a predetermined thermal expansion co-efficient of the upper housing assembly and the lower housing assembly cooperate to provide an operational temperature range of about +85 Celsius to −60 Celsius.

14. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 9 , wherein the internal fluid passageway further comprises a pressure chamber, a supply port bore, an exhaust port bore and an output bore.

15. The latching electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 11 , wherein the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle have a predetermined perpendicularity relative to a cylinder defined by a first section of the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle along a longitudinal axis of the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle.

16. An electropneumatic transducer comprising:
a lower block assembly, the lower block assembly comprising a lower housing and a supply nozzle, the supply nozzle in fluid communication with a supply port and in intermittent fluid communication with an output port of the lower housing through an internal fluid passageway, the lower housing further comprising bias spring adjustment screw and an exhaust nozzle, the exhaust nozzle in fluid communication with an exhaust port and in intermittent fluid communication with the output port of the lower housing through the internal fluid passageway; and
an upper block assembly, the upper block assembly comprising an upper housing, a coil and an armature, the upper housing, coil and armature defining a latching electromagnetic circuit that provides alternating contact of the armature with the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle of the lower housing assembly, the upper housing further comprising a bias spring.

17. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 16 , wherein the coil is arranged to receive an electrical input signal to activate and de-activate the electromagnetic circuit to thereby latch the output port at a high output state and a low output state.

18. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 17 , wherein the transducer is arranged to alternately modulate fluid flow through the supply nozzle and the exhaust.

19. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 16 , wherein the bias spring and bias spring adjustment screw cooperate to provide a bias spring force to bias the armature of the electromagnetic circuit.

20. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 19 , wherein the electropneumatic transducer is arranged for connection to a pneumatic supply source, and further wherein the transducer is arranged to operate on pneumatic supply pressures in a range of approximately 20 psig to 150 psig.

21. The electropneumatic transducer as defined in claim 16 , wherein a predetermined thermal expansion co-efficient of the upper housing assembly and the lower housing assemb

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Gassman George W

Classifications

• F16K31/0624

  Lift valves · CPC title

• F16K31/0672

  the valve member being a diaphragm · CPC title

• F15B2211/8752

  Emergency operation mode, e.g. fail-safe operation mode · CPC title

• F15B2211/88

  Control measures for saving energy · CPC title

• F16K31/0675 Primary

  Electromagnet aspects, e.g. electric supply therefor · CPC title