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US 2019/0101943 A1Published application
Relay Valve and Force Balancing Method
AssigneeFisher Controls International LLC
InventorChristopher S. Metschke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A relay valve configured according to the various embodiments as described herein advantageously provides consistent, reliable start point pressures for both supply and exhaust functionalities. To achieve this, the relay valves described herein utilize a plurality of diaphragms to neutralize any variable forces due to pressure in an actuator and, optionally, a supply connected to the relay valve.
Claims24
A relay valve comprising:
- a housing including an exhaust chamber, a supply chamber coupled to a supply, an actuator chamber coupled to an actuator, an exhaust port connecting the exhaust chamber to the actuator chamber, a supply port connecting the supply chamber to the actuator chamber, and an I/P chamber coupled to an I/P converter;
- a stack having a first end, a second end, and a valve seat portion, the stack being configured to be shifted within the housing to thereby control opening and closing of one of the exhaust port or supply port with the valve seat portion thereof;
- a spring configured to apply a force on the first end of the stack;
- an I/P diaphragm mounted within the housing to extend across the I/P chamber, the I/P diaphragm configured to apply a force on the second end of the stack based on pressure provided by the I/P converter;
- an actuator diaphragm mounted within the housing and coupled to the stack, the actuator diaphragm disposed on an opposite side of the actuator chamber as the one of the exhaust port or supply port;
- wherein an area of the actuator diaphragm is generally equal to an area of the one of the exhaust port or supply port such that forces acting on the stack due to pressure within the actuator chamber acting on the valve seat portion and the actuator diaphragm cancel one another out.
3 more elements
A relay valve comprising:
- a housing including an exhaust chamber, a supply chamber coupled to a supply, an actuator chamber coupled to an actuator, an exhaust port connecting the exhaust chamber to the actuator chamber, and a supply port connecting the supply chamber to the actuator chamber;
- an exhaust stack having a first end, a second end, and a valve seat portion, the stack being configured to be shifted within the housing to thereby control opening and closing of the exhaust port with the valve seat portion thereof;
- a supply stack having a valve seat portion and being configured to be shifted within the housing to thereby control opening and closing of the supply port with the valve seat portion thereof;
- a first actuator diaphragm mounted within the housing and coupled to the exhaust stack, the first actuator diaphragm disposed on an opposite side of the actuator chamber as the exhaust port, wherein an area of the first actuator diaphragm is generally equal to an area of the exhaust port such that forces acting on the exhaust stack due to pressure within the actuator chamber acting on the valve seat portion and the first actuator diaphragm cancel one another out;
- and
- a second actuator diaphragm mounted within the housing and coupled to the supply stack, the second actuator diaphragm disposed on an opposite side of the actuator chamber as the supply port, wherein an area of the second actuator diaphragm is generally equal to an area of the supply port such that forces acting on the supply stack due to pressure within the actuator chamber acting on the valve seat portion and the second actuator diaphragm cancel one another out.
3 more elements
A method for operating a relay valve having a housing including an exhaust chamber, a supply chamber coupled to a supply, an actuator chamber coupled to an actuator, an exhaust port connecting the exhaust chamber to the actuator chamber, a supply port connecting the supply chamber to the actuator chamber, and an I/P chamber coupled to an I/P converter, the method comprising:
- applying a first force on a first end of a stack disposed within the housing and configured to be shifted therein to thereby control opening and closing of the exhaust port or supply port with a valve seat portion thereof;
- applying a second force on the valve seat portion of the stack based on pressure within the actuator chamber;
- applying a third force on the stack having a magnitude generally equal to the second force in an opposite direction thereof with an actuator diaphragm disposed across a portion of the actuator chamber to thereby negate the impact of the second force on the stack;
- receiving an input pressure from the I/P converter in the I/P chamber;
- applying a fourth force on a second end of the stack with an I/P diaphragm disposed across the I/P chamber based on the input pressure to thereby control shifting of the stack.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.