Multiway valve

• US 6,378,556 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fondse Valves B.V., Frans Lodewijk Rijinberg
• Original Assignee: Fondse Valves B.V., Frans Lodewijk Rijinberg
• Inventors: Fondse, Jan Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivell, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHOENFELD, MEREDITH HOPE
• Application Number:
  US09/611,516
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 251/65, 251/129.01, 137/625, 137/597, 137/625.48
• US Class Current: 137/625.48
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0655 with flat slides
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/06 using a magnet , e.g. diaphragm valves, cutting off by means of a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86493 Multi-way valve unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86879 Reciprocating valve unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87249 Multiple inlet with multiple outlet

Abstract

A description is given of a multiway valve, comprising a chamber, limited by two plane-parallel surfaces, into which chamber at least three feed or discharge ducts open out, the state of being open or closed of the ducts being affected by the positioning of a member comprising a permanent magnet, which member is moveable in two dimensions, accommodated inside the chamber, and which member can be made to interact in a sealing manner with one or more duct openings, and magnet actuating assemblies which are disposed stationarily around the chamber and comprise electromagnets with a soft iron core, which assemblies are designed to generate a magnetic field which attracts or repels the member for moving the member inside the housing.

Claims

1. Multiway valve, comprising a chamber being delimited by at least two substantially plane-parallel surfaces, into which at least three feed or discharge ducts open out, each duct having an open state and a closed state effected by the positioning of a member accommodated inside the chamber in such a manner that the member is moveable in two dimensions in a plane which runs parallel to the plane-parallel surfaces, the member being flattened on two sides, the said flat sides of the member interacting in a sealing manner with the plane-parallel surfaces by means of surface contact, and the member can be made to interact in a sealing manner with one or more duct openings, and control means for moving the member inside the housing, wherein the member comprises a permanent magnet and the control means comprise a plurality of magnet-actuating assemblies which are disposed stationarily around the chamber and comprise electromagnets with a soft iron core, the magnet-actuating assemblies being designed to generate a magnetic field which attracts or repels the member.

2. Multiway valve according to claim 1, wherein at least one magnet-actuating assembly has two pole shoes having a centre axis and wherein the at least one magnet-actuating assembly is disposed in such a manner that the centre axis of two of the pole shoes thereof is positioned at right angles with respect to a centre longitudinal plane (M) of the chamber, the distance between each of the two pole shoes and the said centre longitudinal plane (M) being equal.

3. Multiway valve according claim 2, wherein the centre axis of the two pole shoes of the said magnet-actuating assembly runs inside the chamber, the distance therefrom to the closest transverse wall of the chamber being at maximum equal to the shortest distance from the magnetic centre of the member to the said transverse wall.

4. Multiway valve according to claim 1, wherein the field lines of the said permanent magnet run substantially radially with respect to the plane of movement of the member, and the magnet-actuating assemblies are designed to generate a magnetic field whose field lines run substantially parallel with respect to the said plane of movement.

5. Multiway valve according to claim 1, wherein the field lines of the said permanent magnet run substantially axially with respect to the plane of movement of the member, and the magnet-actuating assemblies are designed to generate a magnetic field whose field lines are substantially transverse with respect to the said plane of movement.

6. Multiway valve according to claim 1, wherein the member comprises a cavity which is delimited by at least one wall of the housing, into which wall the opening of at least one central duct opens out, the opening of the at least one central duct is in communication with the member cavity irrespective of the position of the member in the chamber.

7. Multiway valve according to claim 6, wherein the member comprises a continuous ring section which interacts in a sealing manner with at least one of the walls of the chamber, the member cavity being delimited in the radial direction by the inner circumference of the ring section.

8. Multiway valve according to claim 6, wherein the member cavity is delimited by two walls of the chamber which are situated on either side of the plane of movement.

9. Multiway valve according to claim 6, wherein the central duct can be placed in communication, via the member cavity, with at least one of the other ducts which open out into the chamber.

10. Multiway valve according to claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises at least one transverse wall which is positioned substantially transversely with respect to the plane of movement of the member, into which transverse wall at least one feed or discharge duct opens out.

11. Multiway valve according to claim 1, wherein at least four feed or discharge ducts open out into the chamber, wherein at least three ducts each have an open state and a closed state effected by the positioning of the member.

12. Method for actuating a multiway valve comprising a chamber being delimited by at least two substantially plane-parallel surfaces, into which at least three feed or discharge ducts open out, each duct having an open state and a closed state effected by the positioning of a member accommodated inside the chamber in such a manner that the member is moveable in two dimensions in a plane which runs parallel to the plane-parallel surfaces, the member being flattened on two sides, the said flat sides of the member interacting in a sealing manner with the plane-parallel surfaces by means of surface contact, and the member can be made to interact in a sealing manner with one or more duct openings, and control means for moving the member inside the housing, wherein the member comprises a permanent magnet having magnetic field lines and the control means comprise a plurality of magnet-actuating assemblies which are disposed stationarily around the chamber and comprise electromagnets with a soft iron core, the magnet-actuating assemblies being designed to generate a magnetic field which attracts or repels the member, said method comprising the step of generating with at least one magnet-actuating assembly a magnetic field having field lines that run parallel to the field lines of the member so as to cause the member to move under the influence of the magnetic field into a position inside the chamber resulting in opening or closure of at least one duct opening.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein an electromagnet is accommodated in the magnet-actuating assembly and is energized in such a manner that it attracts or repels the permanent magnet of the member, the member closing or opening at least one of the ducts which open out into the chamber.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the magnetic strength of the permanent magnet of the member is selected in such a manner that the latter, once it has been attracted by an energized electromagnet, maintains the resultant position inside the chamber when the electromagnet has been switched off due to the attraction between the permanent magnet and one or more pole shoes of the switched-off magnet.

15. Method according to claim 13, wherein the magnet-actuating assembly is energized with reversed polarity, so that the member reverses the opening or closure of the duct opening.

16. Method according to claim 12, wherein various magnet-actuating assemblies of a multiway valve are energized simultaneously, in such a manner that one assembly attracts the member and the other assemblies repel the member.

17. Method according to claim 12, wherein a plurality of electromagnets are accommodated in the magnet-actuating assembly and these electromagnets are energized in such a manner that they repel the permanent magnet, the positioning of the member being influenced by varying the magnetic field strength of one or more magnet-actuating assemblies.