阅读说明：本技术 多端口旋转滑阀 (Multi-port rotary spool valve ) 是由 克里斯托夫·卡莱 法兰克·凡·狄泽 于 2020-03-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种多端口旋转滑阀,其中,补偿密封套管被布置在面向可旋转阀体(2)的用于压力介质源(P)、压力介质储存器(T)以及压力介质消耗器(A、B)的连接管道(P、T、A、B)中,所述补偿密封套管具有相对的密封面,该相对的密封面通过弹簧力以及通过压力介质的压力介质压力被抵靠在阀体(2)的密封面(3)。为了允许在很大程度上没有漏油但相对刚性的这种类型的多端口旋转滑阀中的自动致动,本发明提出阀的致动机构设置有电动机操作的驱动机构(11),该驱动机构(11)具有监测该阀体(2)的每个旋转位置的绝对旋转编码器(17),并且基于该绝对旋转编码器(17)的测量数据,该电动机操作的驱动机构(11)可以借助于微处理器来被控制。(The invention relates to a multiport rotary slide valve, wherein a compensating sealing sleeve is arranged in a connecting line (P, T, A, B) facing a rotatable valve body (2) for a pressure medium source (P), a pressure medium reservoir (T) and a pressure medium consumer (A, B), said compensating sealing sleeve having opposing sealing faces which are pressed against a sealing face (3) of the valve body (2) by spring force and by pressure medium pressure of the pressure medium. In order to allow automatic actuation in a multi-port rotary slide valve of this type which is largely free from oil leakage but relatively rigid, the invention proposes that the valve actuating mechanism is provided with a motor-operated drive mechanism (11), that the drive mechanism (11) has an absolute rotary encoder (17) which monitors each rotational position of the valve body (2), and that the motor-operated drive mechanism (11) can be controlled by means of a microprocessor on the basis of the measurement data of the absolute rotary encoder (17).)

1. A multi-port rotary slide valve having a valve body (2), the valve body (2) being rotatable in a valve housing (1) about an axis of rotation (D), and the valve body (2) comprising a drive shaft (14), the drive shaft (14) being guided out of the valve housing (1) and the drive shaft (14) being provided with a drive mechanism (11),

wherein one or more connecting ducts (4) are provided in the valve body (2), each of the connecting ducts (4) being interconnected with two mouths (5) provided in a sealing face of the valve body, which sealing face extends perpendicularly to the axis of rotation (D),

and wherein connection conduits (P, T, A, B) for a pressure medium source (P), a pressure medium reservoir (T) and a pressure medium consumer (A, B) are arranged in a wall (6) of the valve housing (1) opposite to the sealing surface (3) of the valve body (2), the mouths of the valve body (2) corresponding to the mouths (5) of the connection conduits (4) in the valve body (1), and each of the mouths of the valve body (2) is provided with a compensating sealing sleeve (7), which compensating sealing sleeve (7) has opposite sealing surfaces (9), which opposite sealing surfaces (9) can be brought into abutment against the sealing surface (3) of the valve body (2) by spring force and by pressure medium pressure of the pressure medium passing through the opposite sealing surfaces (9),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the drive mechanism (11) is configured to be motor-operated and comprises an absolute rotary encoder (17), the absolute rotary encoder (17) monitoring each rotational position of the valve body (2), the motor-operated drive mechanism (11) being controllable by means of a microprocessor based on the absolute rotary encoder (17) measurement data.

2. Multiport rotary slide valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing surface (3) of the valve body (2) and/or the opposite sealing surface (9) of the compensating sealing sleeve (7) are provided with an anti-friction coating.

3. Multiport rotary slide valve according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the motor-operated drive mechanism (11) is provided with a torque-increasing transmission (13).

4. A multi-port rotary spool valve according to claim 3, wherein the transmission means (13) is in the form of a worm gear.

5. A multi-port rotary spool valve according to claim 3, wherein the transmission (13) is in the form of a planetary transmission.

6. A multi-port rotary spool valve according to claim 3, characterized in that means for providing a brief voltage overshoot are assigned to the motor-operated drive mechanism (11).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a multi-port rotary slide valve comprising a valve body which is rotatable in a valve housing about an axis of rotation and has a drive shaft which is guided out of the valve housing and is provided with a drive mechanism, and a connection duct or connection ducts which are provided in the valve body, each connection duct being interconnected with two mouths which are arranged in a sealing face of the valve body, which sealing face extends perpendicularly to the axis of rotation, connection ducts for a pressure medium source (P), a pressure medium reservoir (T) and a plurality of pressure medium consumers (A, B) being arranged in a wall of the valve housing which wall is opposite the sealing face of the valve body, the mouths of the connection ducts corresponding to the mouths of the connection duct/ducts in the valve body, and the mouth of each connection duct being provided with a compensating sealing sleeve, the compensating sealing sleeve has an opposite sealing surface which can be brought into abutment against the sealing surface of the valve body by spring force and pressure medium pressure of the pressure medium passing through the opposite sealing surface.

Background

In principle, multiport rotary slide valves of this type have been part of the prior art for decades (see, for example, DE-AS1775343) and are generally also suitable for high-pressure hydraulic systems, since they operate virtually without leakage of oil (even in the event of very high pressures), AS are the seat valves, owing to the compensating sealing sleeves for sealing. However, multiport rotary spool valves of the type described also have the disadvantage that they are relatively rigid, i.e. relatively high torques have to be applied to the valve body in order to initiate and carry out the rotation of the valve body. This is particularly true at high pressure medium pressures and in any case at the beginning of any rotary operation, since in these cases the relatively high static friction between the sealing surface of the valve body and the sealing surface of the compensating gland is always to be overcome first. The inevitable differences in frictional resistance also make it difficult to accurately actuate certain switching positions by means of a motorized drive that rotationally drives the valve body.

Because of this stiffness and the associated difficulties, multi-port rotary spool valves of this type have not been built into high pressure hydraulic systems. These rotary slide valves therefore actually serve only as manual valves, in which the valve body is rotated by means of a manual lever. However, multi-port rotary spool valves of this type, which are actuated by means of a manual lever, cannot be used for all switching operations which need to be actuated, executed and monitored in a largely automated manner.

For the above reasons, in order to ensure highly automatable oil-free operation, valve controllers have been built up in the high-pressure hydraulic sector around the world, essentially functioning with a seat valve, i.e. with a valve comprising a closure member which is pressed into a valve seat under the action of a pressure medium in the flow direction of the pressure medium. In most cases, these seat valves are in the form of solenoid valves that are particularly easy to electrically actuate. However, since solenoid valves of this type usually have only two switching positions, namely a flow-through position and a closed position, a multi-port control requires a plurality of said seat valves which are actuated in a manner adapted to one another.

For example, to actuate a double-acting, high-pressure hydraulic cylinder, a valve controller having the function of a three-position, four-way reversing valve is required. When establishing a valve control of this type using only a seat valve, it is necessary to have two-position, three-way reversing seat valves with electromagnetic actuation and, in addition, one two-position, two-way reversing seat valve with electromagnetic actuation, which can be arranged in a common housing to save space. However, this does not change the fact that: this type of valve controller requires a relatively high number of individual components that are movable relative to each other, as well as a complicated electrical actuation of the three electromagnets comprised in the valve controller, and this results in a variety of error possibilities and a lot of work for production and maintenance. This applies similarly to all multiport valve controllers that function using a combination of solenoid actuated seat valves. All multiport valve controllers of this type have a large number of sealing edges, O-ring seals and linkages for actuation. Thus, in summary, they form a relatively complex mechanism with a large number of possible error sources.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to develop a multi-port rotary slide valve of the type mentioned at the outset such that it is better suited for use in largely automated work flows, while at the same time the design or hydraulic functionality is not substantially changed.

To achieve this object, starting from a multi-port rotary slide valve of the type mentioned at the outset, the invention proposes that the drive mechanism is configured to be motor-operated and has an absolute rotary encoder which monitors each rotational position of the valve body and, on the basis of the measurement data of the absolute rotary encoder, the motor-operated drive mechanism can be controlled by means of a microprocessor.

Compared to a multi-port valve arrangement functioning without oil leakage, the multi-port rotary spool valve functioning without oil leakage according to the invention has firstly the following advantages: has a particularly simple design with only a few moving parts. A further advantage is that by using a rotatable valve body, which has the same outer shape and which differs from each other only due to the arrangement of the connecting conduits in the interior of the valve body, it is possible to produce multi-port valves with different functions in a simple manner without significantly changing the overall design of the valve. This improves the possibility of mass production of multi-port rotary spool valves with different functions. The problems mentioned at the outset, which are caused by the rigidity of the multi-port rotary slide valve which functions without oil leakage, are solved by the invention by means of an electric motor-operated drive mechanism and an absolute rotary encoder which monitors each rotational position of the valve body and on the basis of which absolute rotary encoder measurement data the electric drive mechanism can be controlled by means of a microprocessor.

The absolute rotary encoder used according to the invention recognizes any misalignment of the rotating member caused by different friction conditions and immediately takes appropriate corrective action by means of a correspondingly programmed microprocessor and a motor-operated drive controlled thereby. The valve body of the motor-operated drive (actuated and monitored in this way) therefore functions precisely such that the rotation of the valve body in each movement phase can be precisely controlled, and in particular such that the multi-port rotary slide valve according to the invention can additionally assume the function of a proportional valve. Finally, it is also advantageous that, thanks to the use of an absolute rotary encoder, the full functionality is always maintained, i.e. even after a power failure, it is not necessary to move to the reference angle in order to restore said functionality.

In a preferred embodiment of the multi-port rotary slide valve according to the invention, the sealing surface of the valve body and/or the opposite sealing surface of the compensation seal sleeve is provided with an anti-friction coating. These anti-friction coatings, which may consist of metal or a suitable polymer, adhere firmly to the sealing surfaces of the valve body and/or compensate for the opposing sealing surfaces of the sealing sleeve and ensure extremely low frictional resistance (static and dynamic friction) during rotation of the valve body.

Furthermore, the motor-operated drive mechanism is provided with a torque-increasing transmission. The transmission is configured to: the highest desired torque is reached at the beginning of the rotation of the valve body and with sufficient certainty during its rotation by means of a motor-operated rotary drive.

Preferably, a worm gear, as is known, which can generate a particularly high torque, is used as the transmission for increasing the torque. Alternatively, however, planetary gearing (epicyclicgearing) may also be used for this purpose.

Finally, the device for providing a brief voltage overshoot is assigned to the motor-operated drive. This voltage overshoot is advantageously used when it is determined by means of an absolute rotary encoder that the valve body cannot be put into motion due to excessive static friction. In this case, a high breakaway torque can be generated due to the voltage overshoot triggered by the microcontroller, which sets the valve body into motion by overcoming the static friction.

Drawings

An embodiment example of the invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the main portion of a multi-port rotary spool valve according to the present invention, viewed obliquely from below;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the main portion of a multi-port rotary spool valve according to the present invention, viewed obliquely from above;

FIG. 3 illustrates the multi-port rotary spool valve shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a fully assembled state;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a multi-port rotary spool valve without an actuation mechanism;

fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through a compensating sealing sleeve arranged in the mouth of the pressure medium duct (detail a from fig. 4);

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a bottom housing portion of the multi-port rotary spool valve shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 7 shows the sealing faces of three different valve bodies with a plurality of connecting conduits extending differently in the valve bodies, together with associated representative schematics of the valve functions that can be achieved using each valve body.

Detailed Description

In the figures, a valve housing of a multi-port rotary slide valve according to the invention is designated in its entirety by reference numeral 1. The valve housing 1 comprises a top housing part 1a and a bottom housing part 1 b. In the interior of the housing 1, a valve body 2 is arranged so as to be rotatable about a rotational axis D and has a planar sealing surface 3 extending perpendicularly to the rotational axis D.

In the interior of the valve body 2, one or more connecting ducts 4 are provided, each connecting duct 4 interconnecting two mouths 5 arranged in pairs in the sealing surface 3 of the valve body 2. Furthermore, the four mouths of the four pressure medium ducts P, T, A and B fixed to the housing, which are fixed to the housing, are arranged in the wall 6 of the bottom housing part 1B opposite the sealing surface 3 of the valve body 2 along a circular line around the axis of rotation D of the valve body 2.

The compensating sealing sleeve 7 is inserted into the respective mouths of the pressure medium ducts P, T, A and B, which are fixed to the housing, and is sealed in said mouths by means of O-rings 8 and abuts the sealing surface 3 of the rotatable valve body 2 by means of a larger, opposite sealing surface 9. Due to the force of the disc spring 10 and the pressure prevailing in the corresponding pressure medium conduit, the compensating sealing bushing 7 is pressed against the sealing surface 3 of the rotatable valve body 2, at the sealing surface 3 of the rotatable valve body 2 the compensating sealing bushing 7 providing a substantially oil-tight seal without generating excessive axial forces.

The mouths 5 of the connecting duct 4 in the valve body 2 on the one hand and the mouths of the pressure medium ducts P, T, A and B in the bottom housing part 1B on the other hand are both arranged to correspond with a circular line along the axis of rotation D around the valve body 2, in particular so that the pressure medium ducts P, T, A and B can be connected to each other or disconnected from each other by rotating the valve body 2 according to the desired valve function.

In order to rotate the valve body 2 into the different switching positions, a motor-operated drive mechanism 11 is attached to the outside of the valve housing 1 and has an electric motor 12 and a reduction gear 13 (worm gear or planetary gear), the output shaft of which reduction gear 13 is connected to a drive shaft 14 of the valve body 2, the drive shaft 14 of the valve body 2 being guided out of the valve housing 1.

This motor-operated drive 11 is connected by means of a carriage 15 to a control unit 16, which comprises a voltage converter, a programmable microprocessor and switching elements controlled by the microprocessor for controlling the motor 12. According to the invention, this control unit 16 is connected to an absolute rotary encoder 17, which absolute rotary encoder 17 precisely establishes each rotational position of the valve body 2 and forwards it to the microprocessor of the control unit 16, which monitors the correct operation of the multi-port rotary slide valve in a manner controlled by the program in which it is installed and can initiate the next step for switching and any necessary corrective measures at each rotational position of the valve body.

Finally, fig. 7 shows how it is possible to produce multi-port rotary slide valves with different functions, by way of example only by arranging the connecting duct 4 differently in the valve body 2, while the rest of the design remains otherwise identical, i.e. by way of example a two-position two-way reversing valve (shown on the left), a three-position four-way reversing valve with a closed-centre position (shown in the middle) or a three-position four-way reversing valve with a closed-centre position and a neutral circulation between the pump and the reservoir (shown on the right).