METHOD FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING A VACUUM VALVE

• US 20100108151A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Original Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Inventors: Duelli, Bernhard, Geiser, Friedrich
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/14
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/18 by movement of the closure members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0396 Involving pressure control

Abstract

A method for controlling or regulating a vacuum valve that includes: a valve body (1) with a valve opening (2); a closing member (3) that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path (s) for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening (2) in the closed position, in which at least one elastic seal (4) is pressed onto a seal face (35); an actuator (5) for moving the closing member (3); and a control device (9) by which the actuator (5) can be triggered; the point (p) of the closing path (s) at which the elastic seal (4) contacts the seal face (35) and/or a velocity (v) of the closing member (3) at that point is used as a controlling parameter for the control device (9).

Claims

1. Method for controlling or regulating a vacuum valve that comprises:

a valve body (1) with a valve opening (2),

a closing member (3) that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path (s) for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening (2) in the closed position, wherein, in the closed position, at least one elastic seal (4) is pressed onto a seal face (35) and, during movement of the closing member (3) from the open position into the closed position, the elastic seal (4) contacts the seal face (35) at a contact point (p) of the closing path (s),

an actuator (5) for moving the closing member (3), and

a control device (9) by which the actuator (5) is triggered,

Wherein at least one of the contact point (p) of the closing path (s) at which the elastic seal (4) contacts the seal face (35) or the velocity (v) of the closing member (3) at the contact point (p) is used as a controlling parameter for the control device (9).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the velocity (v) of the closing member (3) with which the closing member approaches the contact point (p) is set by the control device (9) as a function of at least one parameter or at least one variable.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the velocity (v) of the closing member (3) with which the closing member approaches the contact point (p) is set to different values by the control device (9) for different materials of the elastic seal (4).

4. Method according to claim 2, wherein the velocity (v) of the closing member (3) with which the closing member approaches the contact point (p) is set to different values by the control device (9) for different process gases with which the elastic seal (4) comes into contact.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one training closing process is performed by the control device (9) in which at least one value of a parameter used for the control or regulation of the vacuum valve is detected.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the contact point (p) in the closing path (s) at which the elastic seal (4) contacts the seal face (35) is detected by the control device (9) at least once.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the contact point (p) is detected repeatedly by the control device.

8. Method according to claim 6, wherein each detected value of the contact point (p) is compared with a limiting value by the control device (9).

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein a service signal is output by the control device (9) as a function of a result of the comparison.

10. Method according to claim 6, wherein an efficiency factor of the actuator and gear elements that transfer the movement of the actuator (5) to the closing member (3) is detected by the control device (9) through determining a time within which the contact point (p) is reached during the closing of the vacuum valve and the efficiency factor is linked with wear of the actuator (5) and the gear elements.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the contact point (p) of the elastic seal (4) on the seal face (35) is determined from a profile reproducing a supply of an operating means to the actuator (5) over the closing path (s).

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the contact point (p) is determined from a profile of a current intensity (I) of current fed to the actuator (5) which is electrically operated over the closing path (s) of the closing member (3).

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein, during the closing of the vacuum valve, at least 20% of the time needed for an entire closing path (s) is used for a last section of the closing path (s) that equals twice a length of the path from the contact point (p) up to the closed position.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein, during the closing of the vacuum valve, at least 40% of a time needed for an entire closing path is used for a last section of the closing path.