Positioner

• US 8,641,009 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Azbil Corporation (Azbil BioVigilant Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Azbil Corporation (Azbil BioVigilant Incorporated)
• Inventors: Inagaki, Yohsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivell, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): JELLETT, MATTHEW WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US13/053,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20110240891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 137/86, 137/487.5, 251/30.02, 251/30.05, 251/129.04, 700/287, 700/289
• US Class Current: 251/129.04
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 5/003 characterised by variation of the pressure in a nozzle or the like, e.g. nozzle-flapper system
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0091 by measuring fluid parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7761 Electrically actuated valve

Abstract

A positioner operating mode identifying function and an use parameter selecting function are provided in a calculating unit. A positive operating parameter and a negative operating parameter are stored in a storing portion. The positioner operating mode identifying function identifies the operating mode of a positioner or from the direction of change of a control output and the direction of change of an amplified pneumatic pressure signal Pout, and the identification result is set automatically as the current operating mode of the positioner. In accordance with the current operating mode identified for the positioner, the use parameter selecting function selects, as the use parameter from the storing portion, the positive operating parameter if the positive operating mode, and the negative operating parameter if the negative operating mode, and sets the selected use parameter automatically.

Claims

1. A positioner comprising:

a control output generator calculating a deviation between a valve opening setting value sent from a higher-level device and an actual opening value that is fed back from a control valve that is subject to control, to generate, as a control signal, an electric signal in accordance with the deviation;

an electro-pneumatic converter converting into a pneumatic pressure signal a control output generated by the control output generator; and

a pneumatic pressure signal amplifier amplifying the pneumatic pressure signal that was converted by the electro-pneumatic converter and outputting, to an operating device for the control valve, as an amplified pneumatic pressure signal,

the positioner further comprising;

a positioner operating mode identifier identifying whether an operating mode of the positioner is a positive operating mode wherein the greater the control output the greater the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the control output the less the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or a negative operating mode wherein the greater the control output the less the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the control output the greater the amplified pneumatic pressure signal;

a positioner positive/negative operating parameter storage storing positive operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the positioner is the positive operating mode and negative operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the positioner is the negative operating mode; and

a use parameter selector selecting, as actual parameters for control to be used, those parameters for control, which correspond to the operating mode that has been identified by the positioner operating mode identifier, among the positive operating parameters for control and negative operating parameters for control stored in the positioner positive/negative operating parameter storage, wherein

the operating mode identified by the positioner operating mode identifier remains unchanged while the opening of the control valve is controlled by the actual parameters selected by the use parameter selector as corresponding to the operating mode.

4. The positioner as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a use parameter notifier providing notification of a parameter for control selected, by the use parameter selector, as a parameter for control to actually be used.

2. A positioner comprising:

a control output generator calculating a deviation between a valve opening setting value sent from a higher-level device and an actual opening value that is fed back from a control valve that is subject to control, to generate, as a control signal, an electric signal in accordance with the deviation;

an electro-pneumatic converter converting into a pneumatic pressure signal a control output generated by the control output generator; and

a pneumatic pressure signal amplifier amplifying the pneumatic pressure signal that was converted by the electro-pneumatic converter and outputting, to an operating device for the control valve, as an amplified pneumatic pressure signal,

the positioner further comprising;

an electro-pneumatic converter operating mode identifier identifying whether an operating mode of the electro-pneumatic converter is a positive operating mode wherein the greater the control output the greater the pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the control output the less the pneumatic pressure signal, or a negative operating mode wherein the greater the control output the less the pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the control output the greater the pneumatic pressure signal;

a pneumatic pressure signal amplifier operating mode identifier identifying whether an operating mode of the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier is a positive operating mode wherein the greater the pneumatic pressure signal the greater the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the pneumatic pressure signal the less the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or a negative operating mode wherein the greater the pneumatic pressure signal the less the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the pneumatic pressure signal the greater the amplified pneumatic pressure signal;

an electro-pneumatic converter positive/negative operating parameter storage storing positive operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the electro-pneumatic converter is the positive operating mode and negative operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the electro-pneumatic converter is the negative operating mode;

a pneumatic pressure signal amplifier positive/negative operating parameter storage storing positive operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier is the positive operating mode and negative operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier is the negative operating mode; and

a use parameter selector selecting, as actual parameters for control to be used, those parameters for control, which correspond to the operating mode that has been identified by the electro-pneumatic converter operating mode identifier, among the positive operating parameters for control and negative operating parameters for control stored in the electro-pneumatic converter positive/negative operating parameter storage, and selecting, as the actual parameters for control to be used, those parameters for control, which correspond to the operating mode that has been identified by the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier operating mode identifier, among the positive operating parameters for control and negative operating parameters for control stored in the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier positive/negative operating parameter storage, wherein

the operating modes identified by the electro-pneumatic converter operating mode identifier and the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier operating mode identifier remain unchanged while the opening of the control valve is controlled by the actual parameters selected by the use parameter selector as corresponding to the operating modes.

5. The positioner as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:

a use parameter notifier providing notification of a parameter for control selected, by the use parameter selector, as a parameter for control to actually be used.

3. A positioner comprising:

a control output generator calculating a deviation between a valve opening setting value sent from a higher-level device and an actual opening value that is fed back from a control valve that is subject to control, to generate, as a control signal, an electric signal in accordance with the deviation;

an electro-pneumatic converter converting into a pneumatic pressure signal control output generated by the control output generator; and

a pneumatic pressure signal amplifier amplifying the pneumatic pressure signal that was converted by the electro-pneumatic converter and outputting, to an operating device for the control valve, as an amplified pneumatic pressure signal,

the positioner further comprising;

an electro-pneumatic converter operating mode identifier identifying whether an operating mode of the electro-pneumatic converter is a positive operating mode wherein the greater the control output the greater the pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the control output the less the pneumatic pressure signal, or a negative operating mode wherein the greater the control output the less the pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the control output the greater the pneumatic pressure signal;

a pneumatic pressure signal amplifier operating mode identifier identifying whether an operating mode of the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier is a positive operating mode wherein the greater the pneumatic pressure signal the greater the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the pneumatic pressure signal the less the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or a negative operating mode wherein the greater the pneumatic pressure signal the less the amplified pneumatic pressure signal, or the less the pneumatic pressure signal the greater the amplified pneumatic pressure signal;

a positioner positive/negative operating parameter storage storing a set of positive operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the positioner is the positive operating mode and a set of negative operating parameters for control used when the operating mode of the positioner is the negative operating mode, established in accordance with a combination of operating modes assumed by the electro-pneumatic converter and the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier; and

a use parameter selector selecting, as the actual parameter set to be used, that parameter set that corresponds to the combination of an operating mode that has been identified by the electro-pneumatic converter operating mode identifier and an operating mode that has been identified by the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier operating mode identifier, from the set of positive operating parameters for control and the set of negative operating parameters for control stored in the positioner positive/negative operating parameter storage, wherein

the operating modes identified by the electro-pneumatic converter operating mode identifier and the pneumatic pressure signal amplifier operating mode identifier remain unchanged while the opening of the control valve is controlled by the actual parameter set selected by the use parameter selector as corresponding to the combination of the operating modes.

6. The positioner as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

a use parameter notifier providing notification of a parameter for control selected, by the use parameter selector, as a parameter for control to actually be used.