Magnetic flow control valve

• US 4,771,983 A
• Filed: 03/10/1987
• Issued: 09/20/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Takagi, Takeo, Imamura, Yoshinori, Sakaguchi, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenthal, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US07/024,217
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 251/129.14, 251/129.08, 251/129.21, 251/129.16, 251/368, 335/90, 335/247, 335/257, 335/271, 137/596.17
• US Class Current: 251/129.08
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0651 the fluid passing through the solenoid coil
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0662 with a ball-shaped valve member
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87217 Motor

Abstract

A magnet for control valve includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet for a pressurized fluid, a valve seat member having a conical inner surface valve seat, a spherical valve body adapted to be in line contact with the valve seat, a throttle adjusting plate made of a magnetic material shiftable toward and away from the valve seat, and an electromagnet for attracting and releasing the throttle adjusting plate to shift the valve body toward and away from the valve seat. According to the invention, a sheet, preferably made of urethane foam is arranged on a side of the throttle adjusting plate opposite to the valve body, thereby eliminating noise caused by self-oscillation of the valve body and throttle adjusting plate, while maintaining high responsibility as a magnet control valve.

Claims

1. A magnetic flow control valve including a valve housing comprising;

a housing body and a cover closing an opening of said housing body having an inlet and an outlet for a pressurized fluid, a valve seat member located in said housing and having a valve seat in the form of a substantially conical inner surface, a substantially spherical valve body to be seated on said valve seat in said housing, a throttle adjusting plate made of a magnetic material arranged in the valve housing opposite the valve seat with respect to said valve body and supported in said valve housing so as to be shiftable toward and away from said valve seat, and electromagnetic means for shifting said throttle adjusting plate toward and away from said valve seat to control flow rate of said pressurized fluid by changing electric current supplied to the electromagnet, and said throttle adjusting plate is provided with a conical rubber cushioning disc substantially similar in shape to said throttle adjusting plate positioned on a side opposite to said valve body for absorbing inertia forces of said throttle adjusting plate as the flow rate of said pressurized fluid is changed.

2. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cushioning disc is attached by means of an adhesive to a portion of said valve housing shiftably supporting said throttle adjusting plate.

3. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cushioning disc is attached to the throttle adjusting plate by means of an adhesive.

4. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said conical disc has a central opening aligned with said valve seat.

5. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve seat member is an elongated member formed along its axis with a passage through which said pressurized fluid flows and formed at its outer end with said inlet and at the other inner and with said valve seat.

6. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 5, wherein said electromagnet is arranged about and spaced apart from said valve seat member.

7. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cover is formed in its inside with a recess for supporting said throttle adjusting plate and said cushioning means.

8. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve seat is made of a ceramic material.

9. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 8, wherein said ceramic material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide and silicon carbide.

10. A magnetic flow control valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve body is formed by a plastic material.

11. A pneumatic actuator control system comprising;

a first magnetic flow control valve having an outlet connectable to an inlet of a pneumatic actuator supplied with compressed air, an inlet connectable to a compressed air supply source, a second magnetic flow control valve having an inlet connectable to an outlet of said pneumatic actuator and an outlet to be opened on a lower pressure side, voltage control means for changing voltages to be applied to said first and second magnetic flow control valves in a manner one voltage increases and the other decreases, each said magnetic flow control valves including a valve housing comprising a housing body and a cover closing an opening of said housing body and having said inlet and outlet, a valve seat member located in said inlet and outlet, a valve seat member located in said housing and having a valve seat in the form of a substantially conical inner surface, a substantially spherical valve body to be seated on said valve seat in said housing, a throttle adjusting plate made of a magnetic material arranged in the valve housing on opposite side of the valve seat with respect to said valve body and supported in said valve housing so as to be shiftable toward and away from said valve seat, and electromagnet means for shifting said throttle adjusting plate toward and away from said valve seat to control flow rate of the compressed air by changing electric voltage supplied to the electromagnet means, said throttle adjusting plate provided with a conical rubber cushioning disc substantially similar in shape to said throttle adjusting plate positioned on a side opposite to said valve body for absorbing inertia forces of said throttle adjusting plate as the flow rate of said pressurized fluid is changed.