Method for controlling or regulating a vacuum valve

• US 8,132,782 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): FRISTOE JR, JOHN K
• Application Number:
  US12/688,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20100108151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 251/193, 251/326, 251/327, 251/328, 251/329
• US Class Current: 251/193
• 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 with a valve opening,

a closing member that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening in the closed position, wherein, in the closed position, at least one elastic seal is pressed onto a seal face and, during movement of the closing member from the open position into the closed position, the elastic seal first comes into contact with the seal face at a contact point of the closing path,

an actuator for moving the closing member, and

a control device by which the actuator is triggered,

wherein the velocity of the closing member at the contact point is used as a controlling parameter for the control device when the control device controls the moving of the closing member from the open position to the closed position.

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

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

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

5. 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 is used for a last section of the closing path that equals twice a length of the path from the contact point up to the closed position.

6. Method according to claim 5, 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.

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

a valve body with a valve opening,

a closing member that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening in the closed position, wherein, in the closed position, at least one elastic seal is pressed onto a seal face and, during movement of the closing member from the open position into the closed position, the elastic seal first comes into contact with the seal face at a contact point of the closing path,

an actuator for moving the closing member, and

a control device by which the actuator is triggered,

wherein the contact point of the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face is used as a controlling parameter for the control device when the control device controls the moving of the closing member from the open position to the closed position.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein at least one training closing process is performed by the control device in which at least one value of a parameter used for the control or regulation of the vacuum valve is determined.

9. Method according to claim 7, wherein the contact point in the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face is detected by the control device at least once.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the contact point is detected repeatedly by the control device.

11. Method according to claim 7, wherein the contact point of the elastic seal on the seal face is determined from a profile reproducing a supply of an operating means to the actuator over the closing path.

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

a valve body with a valve opening,

a closing member that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening in the closed position, wherein, in the closed position, at least one elastic seal is pressed onto a seal face and, during movement of the closing member from the open position into the closed position, the elastic seal first comes into contact with the seal face at a contact point of the closing path,

an actuator for moving the closing member, and

a control device by which the actuator is triggered,

wherein the contact point of the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face is used as a controlling parameter for the control device,

wherein the contact point in the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face detected by the control device at least once, and

wherein each detected value of the contact point is compared with a limiting value by the control device.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein a service signal is output by the control device as a function of a result of the comparison.

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

a valve body with a valve opening,

a closing member that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening in the closed position, wherein, in the closed position, at least one elastic seal is pressed onto a seal face and, during movement of the closing member from the open position into the closed position, the elastic seal first comes into contact with the seal face at a contact point of the closing path,

an actuator for moving the closing member, and

a control device by which the actuator is triggered,

wherein the contact point of the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face is used as a controlling parameter for the control device,

wherein the contact point in the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face detected by the control device at least once, and

wherein an efficiency factor of the actuator and gear elements that transfer the movement of the actuator to the closing member is detected by the control device through determining a time within which the contact point is reached during the closing of the vacuum valve and the efficiency factor is linked with wear of the actuator and the gear elements.

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

a valve body with a valve opening,

a closing member that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening in the closed position, wherein, in the closed position, at least one elastic seal is pressed onto a seal face and, during movement of the closing member from the open position into the closed position, the elastic seal first comes into contact with the seal face at a contact point of the closing path,

an actuator for moving the closing member, and

a control device by which the actuator is triggered,

wherein the contact point of the closing path at which the elastic seal contacts the seal face is used as a controlling parameter for the control device, and

wherein the contact point is determined from a profile of a current intensity of current fed to the actuator which is electrically operated over the closing path of the closing member.