Magnetic-latching valve
First Claim
1. A magnetic-latch valve comprising a generally toroidal magnetic circuit having radially spaced inner and outer annular walls that are connected at their axial ends, an inlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at one of said axial ends, an outlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at the other of said axial ends, said inner annular wall having a gap between axially spaced first and second annular pole faces, an electrical excitation coil coupled to said inner annular wall on one axial side of said gap, a disc-shaped armature compliantly supported for axially shuttled displacement in said gap in alternating abutment with one to the exclusion of the other of said pole faces, said disc-shaped armature having an outer circumferentially continuous pole-face surface;
- permanently polarized radially polarizing means carried by and within said outer annular wall in radially spaced confronting relation with the pole-face surface of said armature throughout the range of axially shuttled displacement of said armature for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature; and
valve means for on/off control of port-to-port flow, comprising an annular valve seal radially within one of said pole faces, and a valve member carried by said armature with valve-closed relation to said seat at one shuttled position and with a valve-opened relation to said seat at the other shuttled position.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A magnetic-latching of either of the selected operating positions of a two-position valve utilizes a generally toroidal magnetic circuit that is established by spaced inner and outer annular walls which are connected at their axial ends, with an inlet-port fluid-flow connection at one end to the interior of the inner wall, and with an outlet-port fluid-flow connection from the interior of the inner wall. The inner wall has a gap between axially spaced first and second annular pole faces. A single electrical excitation coil is coupled to the magnet circuit at overlap with the inner annular wall on one side of the gap. A disc-shaped armature is compliantly supported for axially shuttled displacement in the gap in alternating abutment with one to the exclusion of the other of the pole faces. Fixedly mounted radially polarized means within the outer annular wall completes a magnet circuit to the outer wall via the periphery of the armature and one or the other of the pole faces, depending upon the shuttled position of the armature. And valve means for on/off control of port-to-port flow is provided by an annular valve seat radially within one of the pole faces, in coaction with a valve member carried by the armature.
86 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A magnetic-latch valve comprising a generally toroidal magnetic circuit having radially spaced inner and outer annular walls that are connected at their axial ends, an inlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at one of said axial ends, an outlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at the other of said axial ends, said inner annular wall having a gap between axially spaced first and second annular pole faces, an electrical excitation coil coupled to said inner annular wall on one axial side of said gap, a disc-shaped armature compliantly supported for axially shuttled displacement in said gap in alternating abutment with one to the exclusion of the other of said pole faces, said disc-shaped armature having an outer circumferentially continuous pole-face surface;
- permanently polarized radially polarizing means carried by and within said outer annular wall in radially spaced confronting relation with the pole-face surface of said armature throughout the range of axially shuttled displacement of said armature for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature; and
valve means for on/off control of port-to-port flow, comprising an annular valve seal radially within one of said pole faces, and a valve member carried by said armature with valve-closed relation to said seat at one shuttled position and with a valve-opened relation to said seat at the other shuttled position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- permanently polarized radially polarizing means carried by and within said outer annular wall in radially spaced confronting relation with the pole-face surface of said armature throughout the range of axially shuttled displacement of said armature for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature; and
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3. A magnetic-latch valve comprising a generally toroidal magnetic circuit having radially spaced inner and outer annular walls that are connected at their axial ends, an inlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at one of said axial ends, an outlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at the other of said axial ends, said inner annular wall having a gap between axially spaced first and second annular pole faces, an electrical excitation coil coupled to said inner annular wall on one axial side of said gap, a disc-shaped armature compliantly supported for axially shuttled displacement in said gap in alternating abutment with one to the exclusion of the other of said pole faces;
- means including said disc-shaped armature and radially polarizing means for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature;
said radially polarizing means comprising an angularly spaced plurality of polarized magnetic elements; and
valve means for on/off control of port-to-port flow, comprising an annular valve seat radially within one of said pole faces, and a valve member carried by said armature with valve-closed relation to said seat at one shuttled position and with a valve-opened relation to said seat at the other shuttled position. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5)
- means including said disc-shaped armature and radially polarizing means for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature;
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15. A magnetic-latch valve comprising a generally toroidal magnetic circuit of magnetic-flux-conducting material wherein a radially outer annulus surrounds a radially inner annulus and is completed by axial-end closures, with a fluid-flow inlet-port connection through one of said end closures and with a fluid-outlet port connection through the other of said end closures, said inner annulus having an axial gap between a first inner-annulus portion connected to one end closure and a second inner-annulus portion connected to the other end closure, said first inner-annulus portion having an annular pole-face formation in gap-spaced relation to an annular pole-face formation of said second inner-annulus portion, and said second inner-annulus portion having an annular valve seat in axially spaced confrontation of said first inner-annulus portion;
- a disc-shaped armature of magnetic-flux-conducting material interposed between said first and second inner-annulus portions, said armature being compliantly supported for axially shuttled displaceability between limits alternatingly determined by pole-face contact at said inner-annulus portions, a valve member carried by said armature and having valve-closed relation with said valve seat at one of said limits of armature displaceability and valve-open relation with said valve seat at the other of said limits of armature displaceability, a permanently radially polarized annulus surrounding and in clearance relation with said armature throughout shuttled displaceability thereof, said polarized annulus being in fixed adjacency to said radially outer annulus; and
means including an electric coil contained within said radially outer annulus and in inductively coupled relation to one of said inner-annulus portions for selectively exciting said coil with a pulse of first plurality to effect one direction of armature displacement and with a pulse of opposite polarity to effect the opposite direction of armature displacement. - View Dependent Claims (16)
- a disc-shaped armature of magnetic-flux-conducting material interposed between said first and second inner-annulus portions, said armature being compliantly supported for axially shuttled displaceability between limits alternatingly determined by pole-face contact at said inner-annulus portions, a valve member carried by said armature and having valve-closed relation with said valve seat at one of said limits of armature displaceability and valve-open relation with said valve seat at the other of said limits of armature displaceability, a permanently radially polarized annulus surrounding and in clearance relation with said armature throughout shuttled displaceability thereof, said polarized annulus being in fixed adjacency to said radially outer annulus; and
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17. A magnetic-latch valve comprising a generally toroidal magnetic circuit having radially spaced inner and outer annular walls that are connected at their axial ends, an inlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at one of said axial ends, an outlet-port connection to the interior of said inner wall at the other of said axial ends, said inner annular wall having a gap between axially spaced first and second annular pole faces, an electrical excitation coil coupled to said inner annular wall on one axial side of said gap, a disc-shaped armature compliantly supported for axially shuttled displacement in said gap in alternating abutment with one to the exclusion of the other of said pole faces;
- means including said disc-shaped armature and radially polarizing means for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature;
valve means for on/off control of port-to-port flow, comprising an annular valve seat radially within one of said pole faces, and a valve member carried by said armature with valve-closed relation to said seat at one shuttled position and with a valve-opened relation to said seat at the other shuttled position;
external electronic circuitry including a capacitor connected electrically across said coil and tuned to resonate as an LC circuit for one to the exclusion of other of the armature positions of said valve, and means for generating an output signal reflecting oscillation of said LC circuit as an indicator of said armature in said one position. - View Dependent Claims (18)
- means including said disc-shaped armature and radially polarizing means for completing a magnetic circuit to said outer annular wall via one or the other of said pole faces depending upon the shuttled position of said armature;
Specification