US 10,352,481 B2 · Electrorheological valve

Abstract

An ER fluid valve includes a housing and a plurality of parallel flow passages through the housing each defined by spaced electrodes at least one of which is controllable independently of other flow passages electrodes. A controller is configured to selectively establish electrical fields for all of the independently controllable electrodes to close all of the flow passages to ER fluid flowing through the housing. By removing the fields from all of the independently controllable electrodes, all the flow passages are open to the ER fluid flowing through the housing. By establishing fields for select independently controllable electrodes to close their associated flow passages and by leaving other flow passages open, restricted flow of the ER fluid through the housing is accomplished to vary the flow rate through the housing.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An electrorheological fluid valve comprising:

at least three fluid ports;
a housing configured to enable an electrorheological fluid to flow between each fluid port;
a grid of electrodes on at least one substrate of the housing;
and
a controller configured to selectively establish an electric field for at least one electrode in the grid,
wherein the electric field causes a restriction in the flow of the electrorheological fluid between each fluid port, and wherein the controller is configured to:
control each electrode in the grid independently from the other electrodes in the grid;
selectively establish an electric field for a group of the electrodes in the grid in order to define a flow passage fluidly connecting a first one of the fluid ports to a second one of the fluid ports;
and
adjust a number of the electrodes in the group of the electrodes in the grid having established electric fields in order to vary a flow rate of the electrorheological fluid between the first one of the fluid ports and the second one of the fluid ports.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electrorheological valve

Life of this patent

Electrorheological valve

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19