Fluid control system
OwnerJ. Robert Choateinventor
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Abstract
Described herein is the combination of a fluid pulse generator for generating a sequence of periodic fluid pulses of substantially equal fluid volume in response to a corresponding sequence of periodic digital signals, and a fluid pulse smoother which receives the fluid pulses from the generator and integrates or smooths those fluid pulses to provide a continuous flow of fluid whose volume and rate of flow correspond to the volume and rate of flow of fluid associated with the pulses received from the pulse generator. A workpiece may be driven smoothly and continuously over a predetermined distance by the steady flow of fluid from the pulse smoother merely by providing the necessary number of electrical signals to the pulse generator.
Claims14
A device for hydraulically driving a workpiece in response to a sequence of periodic digital signals from an electronc control, comprising:
- a fluid pulse generator responsive to a sequence of periodic digital signals from the electronic control for generating a corresponding sequence of periodic fluid pulses of substantially equal fluid volume;
- a fluid pulse smoother comprising an accumulator cavity having an input port for receiving a succession of periodic fluid pulses from said fluid pulse generator, and having an output port from which the fluid emerges;
- and a flow-restriction chamber having an input port coupled to the output port of said accumulator cavity, and having an output port communicating with the input port of said chamber;
- and
- means for conditioning said flow-restriction chamber to constrict the flow of fluid between its input and output ports such that a volume of fluid substantially equal to the volume of fluid in a single fluid pulse emerges from the output port of said flow-restriction chamber at a substantially constant rate over an interval substantially equal to the period of a single fluid pulse, whereby a digitally controlled, continuous flow of fluid emerges from the output port of said flow-restriction chamber to provide a continuous hydraulic drive to a work-piece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.