Method and device for detecting displacement of valve rod movement in an electropneumatic position regulator with at least one proximity sensor

• US 5,742,161 A
• Filed: 01/11/1996
• Issued: 04/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Karte, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATIDAR, JAY M
• Application Number:
  US08/584,730
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 324/207.12, 324/207.16, 324/207.22, 324/207.24, 324/207.26, 324/225, 324/226, 324/234, 324/236, 324/262, 324/327, 324/207.15, 331/65, 331/66, 331/176, 307/116, 361/179-180
• US Class Current: 324/207.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/02 for measuring length, width or thickness G01B7/004, G01B7/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/023 for measuring distance between sensor and object G01B7/082 and G01B7/102 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2205/775 Tapered profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2205/777 Whorl-shaped profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/202 by movable a non-ferromagnetic conductive element G01D5/2033 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting displacement of valve rod movement in electropneumatic position regulators, by generating a high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field by exciting a high-frequency oscillation within an LC oscillating circuit in an inductive sensor, damping the high-frequency oscillation as a function of displacement via an electrically conductive body moved along by the valve rod, demodulating the oscillator signal and feeding the demodulated signal to a microcomputer without amplification for evaluation of the displacement-dependent damping of the oscillation amplitude, measuring the temperature within the inductive sensor, correlating the temperature with the measured oscillation amplitude in the microcomputer, and determining a corrected displacement signal from the correlation.

Claims

1. A method for detecting displacement of valve rod movement in electropneumatic position regulators, comprising the steps of:

generating a high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field by exciting a high-frequency oscillation within an LC oscillating circuit in an inductive sensor arranged perpendicular to a direction of the valve rod movement;

damping the high-frequency oscillation as a function of displacement of the valve rod via an electrically conductive body connected to and moved by the valve rod so that the surface of the conductive body moves toward and away from the sensor as a function of valve rod movement;

demodulating the oscillator signal and feeding the demodulated signal to a microcomputer without amplification for evaluation of the displacement-dependent damping of the oscillation amplitude;

measuring the temperature within the inductive sensor;

correlating the temperature with the measured oscillation amplitude in the microcomputer; and

determining a corrected displacement signal from the correlation in the microcomputer.

2. A method according to claim 1, including using the inductive sensor in pulse-interval operation.

3. A device for detecting valve rod movement in electropneumatic position regulators, the valve rod being movable in a movement direction, comprising:

at least one stationary inductive displacement sensor that works according to a principle of induction without making contact and has an inductively active range of influence, the inductive displacement sensor being arranged perpendicular to the movement direction of the valve rod; and

at least one electrically conductive wedge provided on the valve rod so as to be in the inductively active range of influence of the displacement sensor, the electrically conductive wedge having a surface that forms an oblique plane relative to the movement direction of the valve rod and having a length equal to a maximum amount of valve rod movement, whereby movement of the wedge with the valve rod causes a distance between the oblique plane and the displacement sensor to change as a function of valve rod movement, the sensor is operative to sense the change in distance.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein two displacement sensors and two electrically conductive wedges are provided which are arranged opposite one another on different longitudinal sides of the valve rod.

5. A device for detecting valve rod movement in an electropneumatic position regulator, comprising:

a stationary displacement sensor;

a cam disk; and

a lever provided to connect the cam disk to the valve rod so that movement of the valve rod causes eccentric rotation of the cam disk, the cam disk having an outer contour which is configured so that a distance of the outer contour of the cam disk from the displacement sensor changes with movement of the valve rod and rotation of the cam disk, the cam disk being arranged so as to be in an inductively active range of influence of the displacement sensor so that the displacement sensor senses the change in distance between the cam disk and the sensor as the valve rod moves.