Integrating valve with soft start

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9933085-B2
Application number	US-201414584455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2014
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A valve includes a modulating chamber for sending and receiving fluid through a first chamber port, a supply chamber, and a damping chamber for sending and receiving a second fluid through a damping chamber port. The valve also includes a passageway between the damping chamber and the supply chamber, and a piston assembly movable within the valve, wherein the piston assembly is configured to open and close a flow control device. The piston assembly includes a rod, a modulating piston attached to the rod movable within the modulating chamber, a supply piston attached to the rod movable within the supply chamber, and a damping piston attached to the rod movable within the passageway and the supply chamber. The piston assembly also includes a damping piston bypass that provides a restricted flow passage between the supply chamber and the damping chamber when the damping piston is located in the passageway.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve comprising:
a modulating chamber for sending and receiving a first fluid through a first chamber port;
a supply chamber directly adjacent to the modulating chamber;
a damping chamber for sending and receiving a second fluid through a damping chamber port;
a passageway between the damping chamber and the supply chamber, the passageway directly adjacent to the damping chamber and the supply chamber, the passageway configured to provide the second fluid to the supply chamber from the damping chamber;
a piston assembly movable within the valve, wherein the piston assembly is configured to open and close a flow control device, the piston assembly comprising:
a rod;
a modulating piston attached to the rod and movable within the modulating chamber, the modulating piston forming a seal within the modulating chamber between the first chamber port and the supply chamber, the first fluid providing a first pressure capable of moving the piston assembly towards the damping chamber;
a supply piston attached to the rod and movable within the supply chamber, the supply piston forming a seal within the supply chamber, the second fluid providing a second pressure to the supply piston capable of moving the piston assembly away from the damping chamber when the second pressure is greater than the first pressure;
a damping piston attached to the rod and movable only within the passageway and the damping chamber; and
a damping piston bypass that provides a restricted flow passage between the supply chamber and the damping chamber when the damping piston is located in the passageway.

2. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the supply piston, the modulating piston, and the damping piston have piston face areas, and wherein the damping piston face area and the supply piston face area are each smaller than the modulating piston face area.

3. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the damping piston bypass comprises a channel through the damping piston.

4. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is air and the valve is pneumatic.

5. A system, including the valve of claim 1 , and further comprising a duct, an upstream pressure source, and a downstream component.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the flow control device is located in the duct.

7. The system of claim 5 and further comprising a torque motor for controlling the flow of the second fluid.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the torque motor comprises an upstream nozzle positioned upstream of the modulating chamber port and a downstream nozzle positioned downstream of the modulating chamber port, wherein the nozzles are commanded to open and close.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the upstream nozzle has a face area equivalent to a face area of the bypass.

10. The system of claim 7 and further comprising a controller for sending control signals to the torque motor, wherein the control signals direct the torque motor to open and close the upstream and downstream nozzles.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the downstream component has a volume that is larger than a volume located upstream of the pneumatic valve.

12. The system of claim 5 , wherein the upstream pressure source is bleed air from a compressor section of a gas turbine engine.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the downstream component is a component of an aircraft environmental control system.

14. A method for controlling the valve of claim 1 , the method comprising:
connecting the first chamber port of the modulating chamber to an upstream pressure to cause movement of the piston assembly that opens the valve;
exhausting air from the supply chamber to the damping chamber and then to the upstream pressure at a first rate while the damping piston is in the passage, and at a second rate when the damping piston is located in the damping chamber.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising:
connecting the first chamber port of the modulating chamber to an ambient pressure to cause movement of the piston assembly that closes the valve.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Lavallee Iii Earl Jean

Classifications

• F16K31/1225 Primary

  with a plurality of pistons · CPC title

• F16K31/1223

  one side of the piston being acted upon by the circulating fluid · CPC title

• F16K1/221

  specially adapted operating means therefor (operating means per se F16K31/00) · CPC title