Pneumatic system flow balancing architecture and method
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsCody Daniel Gray, Kevin Ronald Uleck, Alexander William Feldstein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic system incorporated within a platform. The platform includes an air source that supplies air to an outlet and associated component. The pneumatic system includes conduit that extends between the air source to the outlet. A balancing valve and a flow control valve are positioned along the conduit to adjust the flow of air. The balancing valve and the flow control valve are controlled to provide the air to the outlet to meet the demands of the component. The control also minimizes changes in demand of air from the air source.
Claims20
A pneumatic system within a platform that supplies air from an air source to a downstream outlet, the pneumatic system comprising:
- a conduit that extends between the air source and the outlet;
- a balancing valve positioned along the conduit between the air source and the outlet, the balancing valve configured to adjust a flow of air through the conduit, the balancing valve comprising an exhaust port to exhaust the air from the conduit;
- a flow control valve positioned along the conduit, the flow control valve configured to adjust the flow of the air that is directed to the outlet;
- and
- a computing device that synchronizes adjustments to the balancing valve and the flow control valve to actively control the flow of air through the conduit;
- wherein the exhaust port is configured to exhaust the air at a predetermined level and is not controlled by the computing device.
A pneumatic system within a platform that supplies air from an air source to downstream outlets, the pneumatic system comprising:
- a conduit that directs the air from the air source to the downstream outlets;
- a balancing valve positioned along the conduit, the balancing valve comprising an exhaust port to exhaust the air from the conduit at a predetermined pressure;
- a flow control valve positioned along the conduit;
- wherein the balancing valve and the flow control valve are synchronously controlled to deliver the air that has moved through both the balancing valve and the flow control valve;
- and
- wherein the balancing valve and the flow control valve are controlled to adjust the flow of the air at working levels that are below the predetermined pressure.
A method of controlling air that moves through a pneumatic system from an air source to an outlet, the method comprising:
- directing the air through conduit from the air source to the outlet with the air initially moving through a balancing valve and then through a flow control valve prior to be expelled from the outlet;
- determining a change in a demand for air at the outlet;
- in response to determining the change in the demand, synchronously adjusting both the flow control valve and the balancing valve and thereby decoupling air source dynamics at the outlet from air output demand dynamics at the air source;
- and
- exhausting the air through the balancing valve when a pressure exceeds a predetermined level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.