Abstract: Disclosed herein is a valve system for controlling fluid flow and a method thereof. The valve system comprises a valve housing connected with a plunger having a diaphragm attached therewith such that the plunger is movably placed upon a valve seat within the valve housing, wherein the valve housing is connected with an inlet port and an outlet port for receiving and supplying fluid respectively. The valve system further comprises a control unit configured to control positioning of the plunger along with inflation of the diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port. [Figure 1]
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
AND
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
“A VALVE SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING FLUID FLOW AND A METHOD
THEREOF”
Name and Address of the Applicant:
NOCCARC ROBOTICS PVT. LTD., Plot No. T- 142, T Block, Pimpri Industrial Area- MIDC, BHOSARI, Pune- 411026, Maharashtra, India.
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The present invention generally relates to a valve system for controlling fluid flow inside valve body (also referred to as a pneumatic or hydraulic system) and a method thereof. More Particularly, a combination of electrical and pneumatic or hydraulic actuators for controlling fluid flow inside the valve system.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[002] The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[003] Conventionally, individual electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic actuators that exist in general electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems to control the flow of fluid. However, existing individual electrical actuators require high power input to maintain certain sealing performance. One of side effect of operating at such high-power input is that actuators are heated a lot, which further effects its overall lifecycle and functioning over the time. Further, the individual pneumatic and hydraulic or electrical system are limited to stroke lengths and response time along with accuracy of stroke is not as good as electrical actuators.
[004] Therefore, there is a need of art to which overcomes all the above-mentioned difficulties or drawbacks of disadvantages of prior arts mentioned above.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[005] The present disclosure overcomes one or more shortcomings of the prior art and provides additional advantages discussed throughout the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a valve system for controlling fluid flow is disclosed. The valve system comprises a valve housing connected with a plunger having a diaphragm attached therewith such that the plunger is movably placed upon a valve seat within the valve housing. Further, the valve housing is connected with an inlet port and an outlet port for receiving and supplying fluid respectively. The valve system further comprises a control unit configured to control positioning of the plunger along with inflation of the diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein to control the positioning of the plunger, the control unit further configured to displace the plunger connected with an electromechanical device in either upward direction or downward direction to create the pressure within the valve housing.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein to inflate the diaphragm within the valve housing, the control unit further configured to operate a control valve connected with an upper portion of the plunger via a pneumatic tube to create the pressure within the valve housing.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the control unit is configured to continuously monitor an amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port vis-à-vis an amount of fluid flow required by a user, and further control the positioning of the plunger along with the inflating of the diaphragm based on the monitoring.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the plunger is a hollow plunger.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the diaphragm is connected to a base of the plunger.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the control valve is a 3/2 proportional pneumatic or hydraulic valve.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the control unit is further connected with a flow sensor coupled to the outlet port, wherein the flow sensor is configured to measure the amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein to further control the positioning of the plunger, the control unit further configured to measure the displacement of the plunger using an encoder mounted on the electromechanical device.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for controlling fluid flow is disclosed. The method comprises providing a valve housing connected with a plunger having a diaphragm attached therewith such that the plunger is movably placed upon a valve seat within the valve housing. Further, the valve housing is connected with an inlet port and an outlet port for receiving and supplying fluid respectively. The method further comprises controlling, by a control unit, positioning of the plunger along with inflation of the diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The embodiments of the disclosure itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figures la-lb depict a valve system 100 for controlling fluid flow, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 depicts a method 200 for controlling fluid flow, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3-6 illustrates exemplary scenario showcasing results achieved during actuation of plunger and diaphragm of the valve system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRD?TION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying Figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the Figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
Disclosed herein is a valve system and method for controlling fluid flow inside a valve housing. When a certain flow rate of gas is desired from the valve housing, an electromechanical device first controls the plunger position to achieve the fluid flow rate within specified accuracy limits. If the fluid flow rate within specified accuracy limits is achieved, the plunger is affixed in its position via a linear encoder and the electromechanical device. If the upper accuracy limit is exceeded, a control valve then controls the diaphragm inflation/deflation to bring the flow rate within the specified accuracy limits. Due to the varying pressure just below the diaphragm during the actuation of the diaphragm, the electromechanical device, with the help of the linear encoder, continuously controls the plunger to affix it in its previous position. Furthermore, there is also a limit set on the maximum amount that the plunger can be translated upward relative to the desired flow rate. In some embodiments, where the plunger position reaches this limit (and a higher flow rate generates from the valve), flow rates ranging from the desired flow rate to this higher flow rate is achieved via the inflation/deflation of the diaphragm alone. Accordingly, the power consumption of the valve system is significantly reduced compared to similar devices consisting only of electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuators. Moreover, the present invention provides an improved solution for power consumption issue, heating issue etc., Additionally, the present invention delivers better sealing performance, and provides improved accuracy in control of stroke and have better response time.
Figure 1 shows a valve system 100 for controlling fluid flow, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
In one implementation, the valve system 100 comprises a valve housing 102, a plunger 104, a diaphragm 106, one or more inlets ports (fluid supply and fixed pressure source) 108a, 108b, one or more outlet ports 110, a flow sensor 112, a valve seat (114), a control valve (116), one or more pneumatic tubes (118a, 118b, 118c), electromechanical device 120, a linear encoder 122, and a control unit 124. Those of skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described components is explained according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and however, the valve system may comprise additional components as
well according to the requirement. The valve housing 102 may be connected with a plunger 104 having the diaphragm 106 attached therewith. The valve housing 102 may be configured to receive and supply a desired fluid flow to a user. The valve housing 102 may comprise one or more inlet ports 108a, 108b and one or more outlet ports 110 (however only one outlet is shown in figure for ease of understanding). Particularly, the valve housing 102 may be configured to receive fluid from the one or more inlet ports 108a, 108b and supply the fluid to the user from the one or more outlet ports 110. In non-limiting embodiment, the fluid may refer to any one of gas, liquid or semi-solid. In some embodiments, the one more inlet ports may refer to a fluid supply source or a fixed high pressure source. The fluid supply source may include, but not limited to, a compressor, gas tank etc., In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more outlet ports may comprise but not limited to an oxygen mask attached to the user or any other port through which the fluid may be fed outside from the valve system. In some embodiments, the flow sensor 112 may be coupled to the one or more outlet ports 110 to measure amount of fluid flow discharged from the one or more outlet ports. In some embodiments, the flow sensor may include, but not limited to, flow meters. There are different types of flow meters comprising ultrasonic, electromagnetic, floating element, thermal etc.
In some embodiments, the plunger 104 may be movably placed upon a valve seat (114) within the valve housing 102. In some embodiments, the plunger may be a hollow plunger and may be partially placed inside the valve housing 102. As shown in figures 1a-1b, the plunger 104 is inverted T-shaped, however the shape of the plunger may vary and should not be taken into limiting sense. Further, the diaphragm 106 is attached at a base level of the plunger 104. In some embodiments, the combination of plunger and diaphragm may be referred as electropneumatic actuator or electrohydraulic actuator. In some embodiments, the diaphragm 106 may be made up of a rubber or any other suitable material capable of inflating and deflating. In some embodiments, the fluid from the one or more inlet ports may be provided to the valve housing and a control valve (116) through the one or more pneumatic tubes (118a, 118b) respectively, as shown in the figures 1a-1b. The control valve may refer to a hydraulic valve or 3/2 proportional valve or pressure regulating valve
etc., The control valve supplies the fluid in order to inflate or deflate the diaphragm via the pneumatic tube (118c) connected to the plunger.
In some embodiments, the plunger 104 may be connected to the electromechanical device 120 and may be displaced either in upward direction or downward direction with the help of the movement of the electromechanical device 120 in order to create pressure within the valve housing. In some embodiments, the electromechanical device 120 may refer to any one of a linear motor or a voice coil actuator or similar actuator. The electromechanical device 120 may comprise a coil assembly 126 which may be stationary and a permanent magnet assembly 128 which may be translational. In non-limiting embodiments, the permanent magnet assembly 128 may be directly attached to the plunger 104. In another non-limiting embodiment, the permanent magnet assembly 128 may be stationary, and the coil assembly 126 may be translational. In this case, the coil assembly may be directly attached to the plunger. Further, the electromechanical device 120 may be connected to the linear encoder 122. In non-limiting embodiment, the linear encoder may be mounted on the electromechanical device 120. The linear encoder 122 measures the displacement of the plunger 104.
In one embodiment, as mentioned earlier and shown in figure, the valve system 100 also comprises the control unit 124 which may be configured to control positioning of the plunger 104 along with inflation of the diaphragm 106 within the valve housing 102. The control unit 102 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the control unit 124 may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory (not shown). Further, the valve system may further comprise a memory (not shown) which may be configured to store positioning values of the plunger, inflation, or deflation values of the diaphragm, measured values of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port, start value and end value of the plunger position, start and end value of the diaphragm inflation, coefficient values, etc. The significance and use of each of the stored quantities is explained in the upcoming
paragraphs of the specification. In some embodiments, as shown in figure 1a, the control unit 124 may be configured to receive inputs from the flow sensor 112 and a linear encoder 122 and provide the output to the control valve 116 and the linear motor 120. It may be worth noted that the proposed valve system as disclosed in the figure operates in combination with the help of electrical inputs and pneumatic or hydraulic inputs. Thus, in some embodiments, the valve system may refer to, but not limited to, electropneumatic valve system or electrohydraulic valve system.
In accordance with the present disclosure, as shown in figure 1a the plunger 104 is placed upon the valve seat 114 It may be worth noted that the valve seat 114 may be similar to a hollow cylinder and may be circular when seen from top view of the valve body. Thus, the valve housing 102 is in fully closed condition and the fluid supplied into the valve housing 102 from the one or more inlet ports 108a, 10b may not be discharged from the one or more outlet ports 110. In the present disclosure, as shown in figure 1b, the control unit 124 may be configured to control positioning of the plunger along with inflation or deflation of diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation or deflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port.
In some embodiments, the control unit 124 may be configured to continuously monitor an amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port vis-à-vis an amount of fluid flow required by a user. In some embodiments, the control unit 124 may be configured to monitor the amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port vis-à-vis the amount of fluid flow required by the user for one cycle or one PID (proportional integral derivative) cycle. In some embodiments, the control unit 124 comprise a receiving unit (not shown) which may be configured to receive plunger data comprising a start position value and a target position value of the plunger for each cycle. In an exemplary embodiment, the amount of fluid flow required by the user or desired fluid flow may be referred to as target flow rate value to be achieved in a PID cycle. In non-limiting embodiment, one PID cycle may dictate the position of the plunger from a starting position to an end position. When a plunger is said to move from one end or location to another location it will do so in number
of cycles. In some embodiments, the control unit 124 may be configured to control the positioning of the plunger along with inflation or deflation of the diaphragm based on the monitoring.
In some embodiments, the control unit 124 may be configured to displace the plunger 104 connected with the electromechanical device in either upward direction or downward direction to create pressure within the valve housing 102. In some embodiments, the electromechanical device may displace the plunger either in upwards direction or downward direction to achieve the fluid flow within a specified accuracy limit. If the specified accuracy limit is achieved, the plunger is affixed in its position via the electromechanical device 120 and the linear encoder 122. For example, in starting the fluid flow discharged from the outlet port is 50 lpm and the desired fluid flow is 20 lpm, then the plunger is to be displaced in downward direction with the help of the electromechanical device It may be well noted to a person skilled in the art that there would be maximum allowable plunger displacement/translational limit up to which the plunger position may be moved. In some embodiments, the displacement of the plunger or the inflation or deflation of diaphragm may be performed based on technique which describe the following equation:
where,
target = target value to be achieved in a PID cycle,
t = time,
a, b = calculated parameters,
c = variable parameter,
d = fixed parameter. If target = start @ t = 0 and target = end @ t = tct (total cycle time is a time duration in which the desired fluid flow rate is to be achieved), then,
and
As discussed in earlier example the graphical representations of the above equation based on different cases that may arise during the actuation of the valve system have been discussed in detail here below.
Case 1: start point (50) >= end point (20), tct = 300 ms, c = 0.01, d = 2.718. In this case, the transition between the two points can be achieved in two different ways depending on whether c > 0 or c < 0 (as shown in Fig. 3).
Case 2: start point (50) <= end point (90), tct = 300 ms, c = 0.01, d = 2.718. In this case, the transition between the two points can be achieved in two different ways depending on whether c > 0 c < 0 (as shown in Fig. 4).
Once the plunger position is affixed, the control unit 124 may be configured to inflate or deflate the diaphragm to achieve the desire fluid flow. To do so, the control unit 124 may be configured to operate the control valve (116) connected to an upper portion of the plunger (104) via the pneumatic tube to inflate or deflate the diaphragm and create the pressure within the valve housing in order to achieve the desired fluid flow. In some embodiments, the receiving unit may be configured to receive diaphragm data comprising inflation value or deflation value of the diaphragm for each cycle. In order to understand, the inflation or deflation of diaphragm is shown below with help of an example.
Case 3: Current flow rate (with diaphragm inflated) = 50 lpm, New desired flow rate = 90 lpm, Flow rate with the diaphragm fully deflated and plunger affixed in its current position = 70 lpm, tct = 300 ms, c = 0.01, d = 2.718. Operation sequence:
• Plunger remains fixed at its current position.
• Current flow rate being delivered from the device is 50 lpm.
• Diaphragm deflates fully (plunger is still fixed in the aforementioned position) in 64.8 ms, resulting in an increase in the flow rate to 70.1 lpm (Fig. 5a).
• Plunger translates upward in the remaining 235.2 ms, resulting in an increase in the flow rate to a final value of 90 lpm (Fig. 5b).
Fig. 5c shows the total transition from 50 lpm to 90 lpm.
Case 4: Current flow rate (with diaphragm inflated) = 50 lpm, New desired flow rate = 20 lpm, Flow rate with the diaphragm fully deflated and plunger affixed in its current position = 70 lpm, tct = 300 ms, c = 0.01, d = 2.718. Note that the diaphragm deflation and the plunger translation are equally timed at 150 ms, but the time proportions can be different.
Operation sequence:
• Plunger remains fixed at its current position.
• Current flow rate being delivered from the device is 50 lpm.
• Diaphragm deflates fully (plunger is still fixed in the aforementioned position) in 150 ms, resulting in an increase in the flow rate to 70 lpm (Fig. 6a).
• Plunger translates downward in the remaining 150 ms, resulting in a decrease in the flow rate to a final value of 20 lpm (Fig. 6b).
Fig. 6c shows the total transition from 50 lpm to 20 lpm.
In fig. 6c of Case 4, it can be seen that the flow rate first increases then decreases. It may be desirable that the transition instead happen as shown in Fig. 6d (dashed orange curve), where the flow rate continuously decreases. In some embodiments, in order to achieve this continuous decrease, certain techniques may be developed to control the deflation of the diaphragm (which tends to increase the flow rate) and the downward translation of the plunger (which tends to decrease the flow rate) simultaneously.
In some embodiments, the curvature of the flow transition curve changes if the “start”, “end”, or “tct” values are changed. Further, if the resulting curvature is too steep, it might result in undesirable fluctuations or overshoots in the flow rate. To maintain a smooth curvature (as shown by a ‘blue curve' in fig. 7), the parameter “c” can be changed according to some technique. An exemplary flow rate transition curve (blue curve) is shown in Fig. 7 with start = 100 lpm, end = 20 lpm, tct = 150 ms, c = 0.017, d = 2.718. The red line is a straight line joining the start and end points. “smax” is the maximum perpendicular
distance (20.722 units) between the red line and the blue curve and "tmax" is the time (60 ms) in which this maximum distance is achieved. The value of "tmax" is given by the following formula:
where,
b = calculated parameter as aforementioned,
c = variable parameter as aforementioned,
d = fixed parameter = 2.718 as aforementioned,
p = +(slope of the red straight line) if start <= end, and -(slope of the red straight line) if start >= end,
q = -1 if start <= end, and +1 if start >= end.
The curvature of the blue flow transition curve changes if the "start", "end", or "tct" values are changed. To maintain a smooth curvature, the value of "c" should be such that "tmax" from the above formula is 40% of "tct".
For example, if the "tct" value is changed to 10 ms, the value of "c" becomes 0.25 so that tmax = 4 ms (40% of 10 ms). The new smooth curve is shown in Fig. 8.
In other words, if the upper accuracy limit is exceeded, the control valve or the 3/2 proportional valve then controls the diaphragm inflation/deflation to bring the flow rate within the specified accuracy limits as shown in fig. lb. Due to the varying pressure just below the diaphragm during the actuation of the diaphragm, the electromechanical device, with the help of the linear encoder, continuously controls the plunger to affix it in its previous position. There may be a limit set on the maximum amount that the plunger can be translated upward relative to the desired flow rate. In a situation where the plunger position reaches this limit (and a higher flow rate generates from the valve), flow rates ranging from the desired flow rate to this higher flow rate can be achieved via the inflation/deflation of the diaphragm alone. Thus, in these processes, the power
consumption of the valve system is significantly reduced compared to existing devices consisting only of electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuators or which works solely on electrical inputs.
In some embodiments, when a new flow rate of gas is desired from the valve housing 102, the control unit 124 may be configured to perform comparisons of the current fluid flow discharged from the one or more outlet ports 110 vis-à-vis the new fluid flow rate to decide whether to deflate the diaphragm 106 fully and then control the plunger 104 to achieve the new flow rate, or to only inflate/deflate the diaphragm 106 to achieve the new flow rate, keeping the plunger 104 affixed in its current position. However, the description should not be taken into limiting sense. Thus, the present disclosure provides a valve system which creates a better stroke accuracy. When the valve is in fully closed condition, the valve housing of the valve system achieves better sealing, thus reducing power consumption of the valve system.
Figure 2 depicts a method 200 for controlling fluid flow, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 200 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.
The order in which the method 200 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described.
At block 202, the method 200 may comprise providing a valve housing connected with a plunger having a diaphragm attached therewith such that the plunger is movably placed upon a valve seat within the valve housing. In some embodiments, the method may describe that the valve housing is connected with an inlet port or an outlet port for receiving and supplying fluid respectively.
Furthermore, the method at block 204 may comprise controlling positioning of the plunger along with inflation of the diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port. The method at block 304 may be performed by a control unit 124 or any other suitable hardware limitations.
In some embodiments, the method 200 may comprise that controlling the positioning of the plunger further comprises displacing the plunger connected with an electromechanical device in either upward direction or downward direction to create the pressure within the valve housing.
In some embodiments, the method 200 may comprise that inflating the diaphragm within the valve housing further comprises operating a control valve connected with an upper portion of the plunger via a pneumatic tube to create the pressure within the valve housing.
In some embodiments, the method 200 may further comprise continuously monitoring an amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port vis-à-vis an amount of fluid flow required by a user. The method 200 may further comprise controlling the positioning of the plunger along with the inflation of the diaphragm based on the monitoring.
In some embodiments, the method 200 may comprise monitoring the amount of flow discharged from the outlet port. The method 200 may comprise controlling the positioning of the plunger further comprises measuring the displacement of the plunger using an encoder mounted on the electromechanical device.
A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be clear that more than one device/article (whether they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether they cooperate), it will be clear that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.
Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
[0048]
Reference Numerals
Reference Numeral Description
100 Valve system
102 Valve housing
104 Plunger
106 Diaphragm
108a, 108b One or more inlet ports
110 Outlet port
112 Flow sensor
114 Valve seat
116 Control valve
118a, 118b, 118c One or more pneumatic tubes
120 Electromechanical device
122 Linear encoder
124 Control unit
126 Coil assembly
128 Permanent magnet assembly
200 Method
202-204 Method steps
We Claim:
1. A valve system for controlling fluid flow comprising:
a valve housing connected with a plunger having a diaphragm attached therewith such that the plunger is movably placed upon a valve seat within the valve housing, wherein the valve housing is connected with an inlet port and an outlet port for receiving and supplying fluid respectively; and
a control unit configured to control positioning of the plunger along with inflation of the diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port.
2. The valve system as claimed in claim 1, wherein to control the positioning of the plunger, the control unit further configured to displace the plunger connected with an electromechanical device in either upward direction or downward direction to create the pressure within the valve housing.
3. The valve system as claimed in claim 1, wherein to inflate the diaphragm within the valve housing, the control unit further configured to operate a control valve connected with an upper portion of the plunger via a pneumatic tube to create the pressure within the valve housing.
4. The valve system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to:
continuously monitor an amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port vis-à-vis an
amount of fluid flow required by a user; and
control the positioning of the plunger along with the inflating of the diaphragm based on the monitoring.
5. The valve system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plunger is a hollow plunger.
6. The valve system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diaphragm is connected to a base of the plunger.
7. The valve system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control valve is a 3/2 proportional pneumatic or hydraulic valve.
8. The valve system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit is further connected with a flow sensor coupled to the outlet port, wherein the flow sensor is configured to measure the amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port.
9. The valve system as claimed in claim 2, wherein to further control the positioning of the plunger, the control unit further configured to measure the displacement of the plunger using an encoder mounted on the electromechanical device.
10. A method for controlling fluid flow, the method comprising:
providing a valve housing connected with a plunger having a diaphragm attached therewith such that the plunger is movably placed upon a valve seat within the valve housing, wherein the valve housing is connected with an inlet port and an outlet port for receiving and supplying fluid respectively; and
controlling, by a control unit, positioning of the plunger along with inflation of the diaphragm within the valve housing in such a manner that both the positioning of the plunger and the inflation of the diaphragm creates a pressure within the valve housing so that a desired fluid is discharged from the outlet port.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein controlling the positioning of the plunger further comprises displacing the plunger connected with an electromechanical device in either upward direction or downward direction to create the pressure within the valve housing.
12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein inflating the diaphragm within the valve housing further comprises operating a control valve connected with an upper portion of the plunger via a pneumatic tube to create the pressure within the valve housing.
13. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:
continuously monitoring an amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port vis-à-vis an amount of fluid flow required by a user; and
controlling the positioning of the plunger along with the inflation of the diaphragm based on the monitoring.
14. The method claimed in claim 9, wherein the plunger is a hollow plunger.
15. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the diaphragm is connected to a base of the plunger.
16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control valve is a 3/2 proportional or a hydraulic valve.
17. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising measuring the amount of fluid flow discharged from the outlet port.
18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein controlling the positioning of the plunger further comprises measuring the displacement of the plunger using an encoder mounted on the electromechanical device.
| # | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 202221059421-STATEMENT OF UNDERTAKING (FORM 3) [18-10-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-10-18 |
| 2 | 202221059421-FORM 1 [18-10-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-10-18 |
| 3 | 202221059421-DRAWINGS [18-10-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-10-18 |
| 4 | 202221059421-DECLARATION OF INVENTORSHIP (FORM 5) [18-10-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-10-18 |
| 5 | 202221059421-COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [18-10-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-10-18 |
| 6 | 202221059421-FORM FOR STARTUP [20-10-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-10-20 |
| 7 | Abstract1.jpg | 2022-12-16 |
| 8 | 202221059421-Proof of Right [19-12-2022(online)].pdf | 2022-12-19 |
| 9 | 202221059421-FORM-26 [27-03-2023(online)].pdf | 2023-03-27 |