Digital proportional wireless control

• US 10,054,960 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lynch Fluid Controls Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lynch Fluid Controls Inc.
• Inventors: Lynch, Ernest Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Paquette, Ian
• Application Number:
  US15/145,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20160246308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 21/085 using a data bus, e.g. "CANBUS"
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0675 Electromagnet aspects, e.g. electric supply therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 16/20 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 16/2026 with a plurality of throttling means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0617 specially adapted for fluid materials
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0641 using a plurality of throttling means G05D7/067 takes precedence

Abstract

Various embodiments are described herein for a system for controlling fluid systems and for remotely controlling fluid control devices. In some described embodiments, the system includes at least one fluid control device, a proportional valve driver coupled to the at least one fluid control device, a wireless network, and at least one user controller device coupled to the proportional valve driver through the wireless network. In some described embodiments, the proportional valve driver comprises a wireless transceiver, a proportional translation unit, and a parameter unit. The proportional valve driver comprises a wireless transceiver operable to establish a communication channel with a user controller, receive a request signal, transmit the request signal to a processor for deconstruction and execution, and transmit a response signal.

Claims

1. A valve control system comprising:

at least one fluid control device;

a proportional valve driver coupled to the at least one fluid control device,

wherein the proportional valve driver comprises a wireless transceiver, a proportional translation unit and a parameter unit, and

wherein the wireless transceiver of the proportional valve driver enables transmitting at least one existing proportional valve driver parameter recorded in the parameter unit and receiving at least one new proportional valve driver parameter for recording in the parameter unit;

a wireless network; and

at least one user controller device coupled to the proportional valve driver through the wireless network for receiving the at least one existing proportional valve driver parameter and transmitting the at least one new proportional valve driver parameter;

wherein the proportional valve driver is operable to;

receive a request signal from one of the user controller devices using the wireless transceiver, the request signal corresponding to parameters for the proportional valve driver, the request signal comprising a password, at least one action request where each action request defines an operation for the proportional valve driver, and at least one action request value where the action request value corresponds to the operation for the proportional valve driver defined by a corresponding one of the action requests;

identify validity of the request signal based on the password; and

deconstruct and execute the at least one action request upon determining that the request signal is valid.

2. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid control device comprises a valve assembly and a coil assembly.

3. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid control device is an actuator.

4. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the proportional translation unit of the proportional valve driver includes functions to modify an input command signal, the functions include scaling, ramping, linearization, biasing, or analog to digital conversion.

5. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the identifying validity of the request signal comprises:

transmitting an error message to the user controller device when the password is incorrect and receiving a new request signal from the user controller device.

6. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with more than one user controller device,

wherein each of the more than one user controller device communicates through a unique wireless communication network standard.

7. The valve control system of claim 2, wherein the proportional valve driver provides an output signal coupled to the coil assembly.

8. The valve control system of claim 7, wherein the output signal coupled to the coil assembly corresponds to parameters of the parameter unit.

9. The valve control system of claim 7, wherein the proportional valve driver further comprises a user controller interface unit,

wherein the user controller interface unit may be connected to a specialized hardware remote controller by a physical connection.

10. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver of the proportional valve driver is operable to:

establish a wireless communication channel with the at least one user controller device;

transmit the request signal to a processor of the proportional valve driver for deconstruction and execution; and

transmit a data array comprising at least one response signal.

11. The valve control system of claim 10, wherein the response signal comprises:

a status signal, the status signal indicates whether the request signal operation was successful;

at least one parameter name, the parameter name corresponds to a proportional valve driver parameter;

at least one parameter name value, the parameter name value corresponds to a parameter name.

12. The valve control system of claim 10, wherein the communication channel is a wireless Bluetooth communication network.

13. The valve control system of claim 10, wherein the communication channel is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

14. The valve control system of claim 10, wherein the communication channel is a wireless wide area network.

15. The valve control system of claim 1, wherein the user controller device is a configured general purpose computing device, the configured general purpose computing device capable of wirelessly communicating with the wireless transceiver.

16. The valve control system of claim 15, wherein the configured general purpose computing device is a smart phone device, the smart phone device capable of wirelessly communicating with the wireless transceiver.

17. The valve control system of claim 15, wherein the configured general purpose computing device is a portable computer, the portable computer capable of wirelessly communicating with the wireless transceiver.

18. The valve control system of claim 15, wherein the configured general purpose computing device is a tablet device, the tablet device capable of wirelessly communicating with the wireless transceiver.

19. A valve control system comprising:

at least one fluid control device, wherein the at least one fluid control device comprises a valve assembly and a coil assembly;

a proportional valve driver coupled to the at least one fluid control device,

wherein the proportional valve driver comprises a wireless transceiver, a proportional translation unit and a parameter unit, and

wherein the wireless transceiver of the proportional valve driver enables transmitting at least one existing proportional valve driver parameter recorded in the parameter unit and receiving at least one new proportional valve driver parameter for recording in the parameter unit;

a wireless network; and

at least one user controller device coupled to the proportional valve driver through the wireless network for receiving the at least one existing proportional valve driver parameter and transmitting the at least one new proportional valve driver parameter;

wherein the proportional valve driver provides an output signal coupled to the coil assembly;

wherein the output signal coupled to the coil assembly corresponds to parameters of the parameter unit; and

wherein the parameters of the parameter unit comprise values corresponding to maximum and minimum current output, output signal ramp up and ramp down times, command signal deadband, dither frequency, and input signal types.

20. A proportional valve driver for a valve control system that includes at least one fluid control device, the proportional valve driver comprising:

a parameter unit operable to record at least one proportional valve driver parameter;

a proportional translation unit operable to translate the at least one proportional valve driver parameter into an output signal providable to the at least one fluid control device; and

a wireless transceiver operable to communicate with a user controller device through a wireless network;

wherein the proportional valve driver is operable to;

receive a request signal from the user controller device using the wireless transceiver, the request signal corresponding to parameters for the proportional valve driver, the request signal comprising a password, at least one action request where each action request defines an operation for the proportional valve driver, and at least one action request value where the action request value corresponds to the operation for the proportional valve driver defined by a corresponding one of the action requests;

identify validity of the request signal based on the password; and

deconstruct and execute the at least one action request upon determining that the request signal is valid.