# US 12,181,067 B2 · Armature for an electro-mechanical valve, valve having the armature and manufacturing method for the armature

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- Number: US 12,181,067 B2
- Document ID: US12181067B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/332,151
- Filed: 2023-06-09
- Published: 2023-12-14
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2022-06-10
- Assignees: RAPA Automotive GmbH & Co. KG
- Applicants: RAPA Automotive GmbH & Co. KG
- Inventors: Martin Jerschl; Olaf Seewald
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181067B2

## CPC

- F16K 31/0658: {Armature and valve member being one single element}
- F16K 27/029: {Electromagnetically actuated valves}
- F16K 31/0606: {fluid passing through the solenoid coil}
- F16K 31/0627: {with movable valve member positioned between seats}
- F16K 31/0655: {Lift valves}
- F16K 31/0693: {Pressure equilibration of the armature}
- F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)}

## Abstract

A armature assembly for an electromagnetically actuatable 2/2 or 3/2 way valve with a tube-shaped armature outer part of a ferromagnetic material with a longitudinal axis and an armature inner part from a material with a lower density than the ferromagnetic material. The armature inner part being axially inserted in a mounting end of the armature outer part. Between the armature outer part) and the inserted armature inner part there is formed at least one axial through flow duct through the armature assembly, an axial hollow cylinder-shaped recess is formed for receiving a cylindrical spring; and a bottom) of the recess is formed by the armature inner part and/or the armature outer part as a support for an end of the spring.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An armature assembly for an electromagnetically actuatable way valve with a tube-shaped armature outer part of a ferromagnetic material with a longitudinal axis and an armature inner part from a material with a lower density than the ferromagnetic material, said armature inner part being axially inserted in a mounting end of the armature outer part, wherein between the armature outer part and the armature inner part there is formed at least one through flow duct through the armature assembly, and a hollow cylinder-shaped recess is formed coaxially, wherein the recess is open at the end of the armature inner part opposite the mounting end for retaining a cylindrical spring and from the armature inner part and/or the armature outer part a bottom of the recess is formed as a support for an inner spring end of the spring.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1, wherein
the armature inner part has at one attachment end a radially protruding edge that extends in the circumferential direction orthogonally to the longitudinal axis, in which recesses corresponding to the at least one through flow duct are provided; and
the tube-shaped armature outer part has an inner contour complementary to the outer contour of a rotation body defined by rotation of the armature inner part around the longitudinal axis.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1, wherein
the outer diameter of the armature inner part decreases starting from the attachment end in the direction of the longitudinal axis, and
the decrease of the outer diameter extends in stepped manner or linearly or in a combination of both.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one axial through flow duct is defined in the form of an axial groove in the outer surface of the armature inner part, wherein a groove bottom in cross section through the groove and the longitudinal axis of the armature inner part, is disposed at least partly deeper in the armature inner part than the inner diameter of the axial hollow cylinder-shaped recess for receiving the cylindrical spring, and/or wherein the end of the armature inner part opposite the attachment end has an outer diameter which is substantially smaller than or equal to the inner diameter of the axial hollow cylinder-shaped recess for receiving the cylindrical spring.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1,
wherein the armature inner part is fastened by at least one of folding, bending and caulking of the material of the armature outer part in one or several places in the front side and/or at the edge of the mounting end of the armature outer part.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1,
wherein the support for the spring is formed by:
a ring cylindrical recess extending coaxially to the longitudinal axis of the armature outer part in the inner surface of the armature outer part; and/or
a cylindrical recess extending coaxially to the longitudinal axis of the armature inner part in the outer surface of the armature inner part.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1, wherein several through flow ducts are configured in the armature assembly, and wherein the several through flow ducts are arranged in evenly distributed manner over the circumference of the armature inner part with reference to the longitudinal axis of the armature inner part; and wherein the through flow ducts are defined in the form of ring cylinder sectors over an angle range of 360°/(2n), wherein n is the number of through flow ducts.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1, wherein the armature outer part consists of a magnetically soft material, which is selected from the group consisting of: soft iron, steel with a low carbon proportion, steel with added silicon (FeSi), nickel-iron alloys (FeNi), cobalt-iron alloys (FeCo), iron-aluminum alloys (e.g. FeAl, FeAlSi), and ferrites, and/or wherein the armature inner part consists of a hard plastic, which is selected from the group consisting of: high-density polyethylene, HDPE, polypropylene, PP, polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA, polyethylene terephthalate, PET, polyamide, PA, polycarbonate, PC, cellulose acetate, and CS.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The armature assembly according to claim 1,
wherein in the axial front sides of the armature inner part there is integrated by injection-molding or vulcanizing respectively an elastic element as a seal and/or damper of an elastic material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The armature assembly according to claim 9,
wherein the shape of the elastic elements is rotation-symmetric respectively to the longitudinal axis of the armature inner part and the diameter of the elastic elements, with reference to the longitudinal axis of the armature inner part, becomes smaller respectively in the direction of the longitudinal axis toward the inside of the armature inner part, and/or
wherein at least one of the elastic elements projects beyond the material of the armature inner part at the associated end of the armature inner part.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The armature assembly according to claim 9,
wherein the elastic elements consist of an elastomer, which is selected from the group consisting of: acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, ABS, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene rubber, EPDM, silicon, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, NBR or H-NBR, perfluoroelastomer, FFKM, fluororubber, FKM, polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE, polyethylene, PE, polystyrene, PS, and the like.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

An electromagnetically actuatable way valve device with an armature assembly according to claim 1 as an actuation element for actuating the valve.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The electromagnetically actuatable way valve device according to claim 12, further comprising: an electromagnet assembly consisting of an electrically energizable coil, a yoke which girts the coil on the front side respectively with a yoke front part and in the longitudinal direction with a yoke longitudinal part connecting the yoke front parts; a guide tube into which the armature assembly is inserted; a pole part, which is attached at one end of the guide tube in a pressurizing medium-tight manner; a spring introduced in the recess of the armature assembly and supported on the pole part on the inside of the guide tube; and a nozzle part with a first pressurizing medium connector and a second pressurizing medium connector, wherein the first pressurizing medium connector is connected to a first pressurizing medium duct extending coaxially to the guide tube and the second pressurizing medium connector is connected to a second pressurizing medium duct; wherein an end of the first pressurizing medium duct arranged on the inside of the guide tube forms a first valve seat and a first valve together with the first sealing element of the armature assembly caused to abut there by the spring; wherein the nozzle part is attached at the other end opposite the pole part, and, together with the guide tube, defines a valve chamber, which is connected to the second pressurizing medium duct, wherein recesses in the yoke front parts are oriented coaxially to an interior space defined by the coil and thus define a receiving space into which the pole part connected to the guide tube is inserted, and wherein the first pressurizing medium duct and the second pressurizing medium duct can be selectively interconnected or mutually locked via the first valve by means of a movement of the armature assembly in the guide tube through energizing the coil.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The electromagnetically actuatable way valve device according to claim 13, wherein
the pole part has a third pressurizing medium connector and, connected thereto and extending coaxially to the guide tube, a third pressurizing medium duct, the end of which, arranged on the inside of the guide tube, forms a second valve seat and a second valve with the second sealing element of the armature assembly which can be caused to abut there, and
wherein the third pressurizing medium duct can be locked via the second valve by means of a movement of the armature assembly in the guide tube through energizing the coil.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A manufacturing method for an armature assembly, for an electromagnetically actuatable 2/2 or 3/2 way valve according to claim 1, comprising the following steps of:
a) (S10) manufacturing the tube-shaped armature outer part from a ferromagnetic material;
b) (S20) manufacturing the armature inner part from a material with a lower density than the ferromagnetic material;
c) (S30) inserting the armature inner part into the mounting end of the armature outer part;
d) (S40) fastening the inserted armature inner part by at least one of folding, bending and caulking the material of the armature outer part in one or several places in the front side and/or at the edge of the mounting end of the armature outer part;
wherein a rotation-symmetric inner contour of the armature outer part and the armature inner part are configured such during manufacture that by the insertion step c) between the armature outer part and the inserted armature inner part there are formed at least one axial through flow duct through the armature assembly and an axial hollow cylinder-shaped recess for retaining a cylindrical spring, wherein further a bottom of the recess is formed by the armature inner part and/or the armature outer part as a support for an end of a spring.