Solenoid valve with a piston damped armature

Abstract

A valve has a body with two ports and a valve element for controlling fluid flow between those fluid ports. A solenoid actuator includes a moveable armature operatively coupled to the valve element and defining first and second chambers on opposite sides of the armature. A bore extends through the armature between those chambers. A damping piston, slideably located in the bore, has a damping orifice forming a continuously open path there through. A spring biases the damping piston into a normal position in a steady state of the valve and allows bidirectional armature motion therefrom. When the armature moves at low velocity, a pressure increase in one chamber is relieved by flow through the damping orifice. As the armature velocity increases, so too does pressure in the one chamber, causing the damping piston to move relative to the armature, thereby adding damping force from the spring to the armature.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.