Electrically operated pressure control valve
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorWilliam J. Arnold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solenoid operated pressure biased spool valve for controlling flow between a pressure inlet port and a valving chamber ported to a control signal port. The spool also controls bleed flow from the valving chamber to an exhaust port. The solenoid armature is connected to an operating rod biased for end-to-end contact with the spool. An adjustment screw is provided in a pole piece and is adjusted at calibration to limit armature and operating rod travel when the exhaust port is fully open at maximum coil current and the pressure bias on the spool tends to zero. Upon de-energization, impulse contact of the operating rod and spool does not occur and pressure transients are thus eliminated.
Claims12
An electrically operated pressure control valve assembly comprising:
- (a) a valve body having a valving bore defining an inlet port, a control outlet port and an exhaust port disposed in spaced relationship along the bore and communicating therewith;
- (b) a valve member disposed in the bore and slidably moveable therein for controlling pressure between the inlet port and the control outlet port and between the control outlet port and the exhaust port;
- (c) a solenoid operator disposed with said body and including a coil and armature moveable in response to electrical energization of the coil for closing a working air gap with a pole piece;
- (d) an actuating member moveable with said armature and contacting said valve member for effecting said movement thereof, wherein, as said armature closes said air gap, said valve member opens said exhaust port and bleeds said control outlet port pressure to exhaust pressure;
- and,
- (e) an adjustable stop operable to limit the movement of said armature and prevent closing of said working air gap as said control port pressure reaches said exhaust port pressure.
A method of operating a solenoid operated pressure control valve of the type having a fluid pressure inlet port, a control pressure outlet port and an exhaust port comprising:
- (a) disposing a valve spool in a bore communicating with said ports;
- (b) disposing a solenoid having a coil and moveable armature adjacent an end of the spool;
- (c) connecting an actuator rod to the armature and controlling the spool with said actuator rod;
- (d) disposing a pole piece with the coil and forming a working air gap with the armature;
- (e) disposing an adjustable stop adjacent said actuating rod and adjusting the limit of movement of said actuator for limiting closing of the working air gap and movement of the armature when said coil is energized at maximum current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.