Hydraulic device and brake system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of hydraulic devices, comprising: first circuit, first circuit is used to supply hydraulic fluid to hydraulic brake via first pipeline and include switch valve;Second circuit, second circuit includes the second pipeline fluidly connected upstream of switch valve, and including pollution sensing device and unloading valve arranged downstream of pollution sensing device, pollution sensing device is used to sense the pollution degree of hydraulic fluid in second pipeline;And control device, control device is connected to the pollution sensing device and unloading valve of second circuit, and according to the size of pollution degree to adjust the opening or closure of unloading valve.This hydraulic device can realize the oil pollution degree monitoring upstream of switch valve, and can complete oil cleaning as required, without affecting the quick response of brake, so as to improve the reliability of hydraulic device.In addition, the utility model also relates to a kind of brake system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a hydraulic device and a braking system. More specifically, this utility model relates to a braking system with oil contamination monitoring and oil cleaning functions. Background Technology

[0002] Braking systems in aircraft, such as civilian aircraft, typically employ hydraulic systems. These systems may include shut-off valves to control the opening and closing (connection or disconnection) of the pressure supply portion of the braking system. Internal leakage at the pressure supply and return ports can cause a significant loss of braking capability in a braking system, even if the leakage is small. Even a small leak can prevent the backup hydraulic power source (accumulator) from functioning properly, posing a safety risk. Typically, internal leakage in shut-off valves is easily affected by oil contamination.

[0003] Currently, shut-off valves in civil aircraft typically have an oil filter installed inside the valve or a separate oil filter upstream of the switching valve to mitigate the impact of oil contamination. However, to ensure rapid response and improve the efficiency of anti-skid control in the braking system, the pore size of the oil filter is limited and still affects the rapid response of the brakes to some extent.

[0004] Furthermore, contamination testing of civil aircraft typically involves sampling from specific oil drain ports. However, because oil contamination varies at different upstream and downstream locations in a hydraulic circuit, and different hydraulic equipment has varying contamination tolerances, resulting in different safety hazards, it is difficult to address all these issues simultaneously.

[0005] Hydraulic components in braking systems typically draw oil from the vent valve, but there is no drain port upstream of the switching valve for sampling. Therefore, existing braking systems struggle to detect or assess the cleanliness of the hydraulic fluid upstream of the switching valve, making real-time monitoring impossible. Furthermore, even if fluid contamination is detected, rapid cleaning is not feasible.

[0006] Therefore, it is still necessary to optimize the structure of existing hydraulic devices in order to provide an improved hydraulic device that can overcome one or more of the disadvantages existing in the prior art. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hydraulic device that can monitor the cleanliness of the oil upstream of a switching valve in real time and clean the oil when necessary. Another purpose of this invention is to provide a braking system with oil contamination monitoring and oil cleaning functions.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a hydraulic device is provided, which may include: a first circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic brake via a first pipeline and including a switching valve; a second circuit including a second pipeline fluidly connected upstream of the switching valve and including a contamination sensing device and an unloading valve disposed downstream of the contamination sensing device, the contamination sensing device being used to sense the contamination level of the hydraulic fluid in the second pipeline; and a control device connected to the contamination sensing device and the unloading valve of the second circuit, and adjusting the opening or closing of the unloading valve according to the degree of contamination.

[0009] This hydraulic device can monitor the oil contamination level upstream of the switching valve and can clean the oil as needed without affecting the rapid response of the braking system, thereby improving the reliability of the hydraulic device.

[0010] According to the above aspects of the present invention, preferably, the first circuit may further include a control valve disposed downstream of the switching valve and a pressure sensor disposed downstream of the control valve, wherein the control device may be connected to the control valve and the pressure sensor, and may control the opening degree of the control valve according to the pressure value sensed by the pressure sensor.

[0011] In this way, the braking pressure can be dynamically adjusted according to the pressure in the hydraulic circuit, thereby improving braking performance or anti-skid performance while ensuring the safety margin of the hydraulic circuit.

[0012] According to the above aspects of the present invention, preferably, the second circuit may further include an accumulator disposed between the pollution sensing device and the unloading valve.

[0013] This accumulator can be used to provide a rapidly pressurized hydraulic source, serving as an energy reserve and emergency response for hydraulic devices. It can also be used for pressure regulation and system protection, further improving braking performance.

[0014] According to the above aspects of the present invention, preferably, the hydraulic device may further include an accumulator pressure sensor connected to the accumulator and a wheel speed sensor connected to the wheel.

[0015] This allows for control of the hydraulic fluid's cleanliness based on more parameters, thereby increasing the reliability and flexibility of the hydraulic system.

[0016] According to the above aspects of this utility model, preferably, it may also include a return oil line, which may be connected downstream of the unloading valve for guiding hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic energy system.

[0017] This hydraulic device allows hydraulic fluid to return to the hydraulic power system when needed, thereby enabling operations such as oil cleaning.

[0018] According to the above aspects of this utility model, preferably, the hydraulic power system can be equipped with an oil tank and a filter, the filter being used to filter the hydraulic fluid. In this way, oil cleaning can be achieved by means of the filter in the hydraulic power system.

[0019] According to the above aspects of this utility model, preferably, no additional filter is installed upstream of the switching valve. This ensures a rapid response in the anti-skid control of the braking system and improves anti-skid control efficiency, while reducing system complexity and maintenance costs.

[0020] According to the above aspects of the present invention, preferably, the pollution sensing device may include a photodetector and a light source, wherein light emitted by the light source passes through the hydraulic fluid to reach the photodetector to sense the pollution level of the hydraulic fluid.

[0021] This contamination sensing device can detect particle size by utilizing the change in light intensity caused by the blocking of light by particles, with a detection range from 1μm to 2.5mm, thereby achieving higher precision in oil contamination detection.

[0022] According to the above aspects of the present invention, preferably, in order to increase retrofit flexibility and reduce costs, the pollution sensing device may include at least one of an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a braking system is provided, which may include: a hydraulic device as described above; a hydraulic brake fluidly connected to the hydraulic device; and a wheel on which the hydraulic brake acts to control the braking of the wheel.

[0024] This braking system has the ability to monitor and clean the oil contamination level upstream of the switching valve, which can effectively reduce the risk of internal leakage in the switching valve and improve the reliability of the braking system.

[0025] The beneficial technical effects of the hydraulic device according to this utility model may include, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

[0026] 1) The hydraulic device adds an oil contamination sensor to the accumulator circuit to monitor the oil contamination level upstream of the switching valve;

[0027] 2) This hydraulic device adds control logic to the unloading valve, enabling oil cleaning to be completed on the basis of thermal pressure protection, especially in traditional "dead zone" circuits;

[0028] 3) This hydraulic device reduces the need for a separate oil filter assembly upstream of the shut-off valve, which helps improve braking efficiency.

[0029] Therefore, the hydraulic device of this utility model can meet the usage requirements, overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, and achieve the intended purpose. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To further describe the hydraulic device according to the present invention clearly, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a braking system equipped with a hydraulic device according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0032] Figure 2 A method for detecting contamination levels and controlling oil cleaning according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0033] The above figures are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to scale.

[0034] The reference numerals in the figures are listed in the figures and embodiments: 100 - Hydraulic device, including: 10 - The first circuit includes: 10A - First pipeline; 11 - Switch valve; 12 - Control valve; 13 - Pressure sensor; 20 – Second circuit, including: 20A - Second pipeline; 21 - A pollution sensing device, comprising: 21A – Optoelectronic receiver; 21B – Light source; 22 - Unloading valve; 23 - Accumulator; 23A – Accumulator pressure sensor; 30 – Control device; 40 - Return oil line; 200 - Hydraulic brake; 300 - Wheels, including: 300A - Wheel speed sensor; L1 – Pollution level; P1 – Accumulator pressure; W - Wheel speed. Detailed Implementation

[0035] It should be understood that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the present invention may employ various alternative orientations and sequences of steps. It should also be understood that the specific devices shown in the drawings and described in the specification are merely exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept disclosed and defined herein. Therefore, unless expressly stated otherwise, the specific orientations, directions, or other features involved in the various disclosed embodiments should not be considered limiting.

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a braking system provided with a hydraulic device 100 according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0037] As shown in the figure and as a non-limiting example, the braking system can be used in aircraft such as civil airliners and can mainly include a hydraulic device 100, a hydraulic brake 200, and wheels 300, etc.

[0038] The hydraulic device 100 can provide pressurized hydraulic fluid, thereby providing braking force. The hydraulic brake 200 can be fluidly connected to the hydraulic device 100 and operates based on the hydraulic fluid at different pressures. For example, the hydraulic brake 200 can act on the wheel 300 (e.g., controlling the movement of the corresponding brake disc) to control the braking of the wheel 300.

[0039] As an example, a wheel-mounted sensor and / or a wheel speed sensor 300A may be installed on the wheel 300 to sense the state of the wheel 300 (e.g., whether it is in a landing state) and the rotational speed (wheel speed) W of the wheel or the rotor.

[0040] The hydraulic device 100 may be part of a hydraulic energy system, which may include a hydraulic tank for containing hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic pump for pumping hydraulic fluid, and a filter for filtering hydraulic fluid, and may also include a BCV valve (bypass control valve).

[0041] Example structure of hydraulic device 100 in Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the hydraulic device 100 may mainly include: a first circuit 10, a second circuit 20, and a control device 30.

[0042] The first circuit 10 can be used to supply hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic brake 200 via the first line 10A and includes a switching valve 11. For example, the upstream of the first circuit 10 can be fluidly connected to the hydraulic tank (not shown) of the hydraulic power system, while the downstream of the first circuit 10 can be fluidly connected to the hydraulic brake 200, thereby feeding pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic tank to the hydraulic brake 200. In this way, the first circuit 10 can be used as a brake control hydraulic circuit and can apply braking pressure upon command.

[0043] As shown in the figure, the first circuit 10 may further include a control valve 12 located downstream of the switching valve 11 and a pressure sensor 13 located downstream of the control valve 12. Thus, the switching valve 11, the control valve 12, and the pressure sensor 13 can be arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream along the first circuit 10.

[0044] It should be noted that, according to the concept of this utility model, no additional filter is installed upstream of the switching valve 11. Thus, the hydraulic device 100 can filter the hydraulic fluid solely by means of the filter in the hydraulic power system.

[0045] The second circuit 20 may be fluidly connected to the first circuit 10. For example, the second circuit 20 may include a second line 20A fluidly connected upstream of the switching valve 11, and may include a contamination sensing device 21 and an unloading valve 22 disposed downstream of the contamination sensing device. The contamination sensing device 21 may be used to sense the contamination level L1 of the hydraulic fluid within the second line 20A.

[0046] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, the second circuit 20 may further include an accumulator 23 disposed between the contamination sensing device 21 and the unloading valve 22. The accumulator 23 can be used to provide a hydraulic source for rapid pressurization. Additionally, the accumulator 23 may be equipped with an accumulator pressure sensor 23A to sense the magnitude of the accumulator pressure P1.

[0047] Typically, the second circuit 20, which originates from the first circuit 10, forms a dead zone, making it difficult to filter or clean impurities or contaminants from the hydraulic fluid contained therein. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the unloading valve 22 is configured as an actively controlled unloading valve 22. For example, the unloading valve may be a solenoid valve and may be connected to a control device 30 to control the opening or closing of the unloading valve 22.

[0048] Specifically, the control device 30 is connected to the pollution sensing device 21 and the unloading valve 22 of the second circuit 20, and adjusts the opening or closing of the unloading valve 22 according to the degree of pollution L1.

[0049] In order to quantitatively assess the degree of oil contamination, major industrial countries around the world have established their own oil contamination levels. In recent years, there has been a trend toward adopting unified international standards, such as the US NAS 1638 oil contaminant level and ISO 4406 international standard for oil contamination level.

[0050] The oil contamination level detection method according to this invention can be achieved using the light obstruction method, which is a method of measuring oil contamination level through light / laser, and is therefore also called the light barrier method or light blocking method. This measurement method utilizes the change in light intensity caused by the blocking of light by particles to detect particle size, and the detection range can be from 1μm to 2.5mm.

[0051] As an example of using the photoresist method to detect oil contamination, the contamination sensing device 21 may include a photodetector 21A and a light source 21B. The light source 21B may be, for example, a laser light source, and the light emitted by the light source 21B can pass through the hydraulic fluid to reach the photodetector 21A to sense the contamination level of the hydraulic fluid.

[0052] As an alternative embodiment, methods for measuring oil contamination levels may include gravimetric methods, mechanical float-type weighing methods, electrical property measurement methods, ultrasonic methods, turbidimetric methods, colorimetric methods, microwave measurement methods, ultraviolet absorption methods, fluorescence spectrophotometry, infrared spectrophotometry, nondispersive infrared absorption methods, etc.

[0053] Therefore, the pollution sensing device 21 may include at least one of an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

[0054] As shown in the figure, the hydraulic device 100 according to this utility model may further include a return oil line 40. This return oil line 40 is connected downstream of the unloading valve 22. Therefore, when the unloading valve 22 is opened as needed, hydraulic fluid can be guided to the hydraulic power system, where it can be cooled and / or filtered to improve system reliability.

[0055] The control device 30 may include a memory and a processor. The memory may store control instructions, which can be executed by the processor to issue corresponding control signals. As an example, the control instructions may include an oil contamination cleaning algorithm, and based on received signals from an oil contamination sensor, wheel speed sensor, and accumulator pressure sensor, and after satisfying control logic, issue a cleaning instruction or a termination instruction.

[0056] For example, the control device 30 can be connected to the control valve 12 and the pressure sensor 13, and control the opening degree of the control valve 12 according to the pressure value sensed by the pressure sensor 13.

[0057] Figure 2 A method for detecting contamination levels and controlling oil cleaning according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0058] The method can begin at point 110. Next, at point 120, the method can collect signals. Specifically, the oil contamination level signal L1, wheel speed signal W, wheel load signal G, and / or accumulator pressure signal P1 can be received via control device 30.

[0059] Next, a command judgment can be performed at point 130. Specifically, if it is determined at point 140 that the oil contamination degree L1 exceeds the threshold α, i.e., L1>α, then the method proceeds to point 150.

[0060] At 150, the method can determine whether any wheel speed W is 0. If it is "yes", the method proceeds to 160.

[0061] At 160, the method determines whether the duration for which the liquid contamination level L1 exceeds the threshold α is a first threshold time T1, which is typically several seconds. If the result is "yes", the method proceeds to 170.

[0062] At 170, the method executes a cleaning command. For example, at this time, control device 30 can operate unloading valve 22 to open, allowing fluid from second circuit 20 to return to the hydraulic power system via return line 40.

[0063] If the oil contamination level L1 is determined to be less than the threshold α at 140, the method proceeds to 180. At 180, the method can determine whether the accumulator pressure P1 is less than β. If the result is "yes", the method proceeds to 190.

[0064] At point 190, the method determines whether the duration exceeds a second threshold time T2, which is typically several seconds. If the result is "yes", the method proceeds to point 150.

[0065] If the result is "no" at point 150 or 160, the method proceeds to point 199 to execute the termination command. For example, the termination command can be executed when any wheel speed signal W is not 0, or when the cleaning command time reaches the threshold T1.

[0066] The terms “upstream” and “downstream” used herein to indicate orientation or direction, and “first” and “second” used to indicate sequence, are merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the concept of the present invention as illustrated in the preferred embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless otherwise stated, all sequences, orientations, or directions are used only to distinguish one element / component / structure from another, and unless otherwise stated, do not indicate any particular order, sequence of operations, direction, or orientation. For example, in an alternative embodiment, “first threshold time” could be “second threshold time”.

[0067] In summary, the hydraulic device 100 according to the embodiments of this utility model overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and achieves the intended purpose of the utility model.

[0068] While the hydraulic device of this utility model has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should recognize that the above examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the utility model. Therefore, various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model within the spirit and scope of the claims, and all such modifications and variations will fall within the scope claimed by the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A hydraulic device (100), characterized in that, The hydraulic device (100) includes: A first circuit (10) is used to supply hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic brake (200) via a first line (10A) and includes a switching valve (11). A second circuit (20) includes a second pipeline (20A) fluidly connected upstream of the switching valve (11), and includes a contamination sensing device (21) and an unloading valve (22) disposed downstream of the contamination sensing device. The contamination sensing device (21) is used to sense the contamination level (L1) of the hydraulic fluid within the second pipeline (20A); and A control device (30) is connected to the pollution sensing device (21) and the unloading valve (22) of the second circuit (20), and adjusts the opening or closing of the unloading valve (22) according to the degree of pollution (L1).

2. The hydraulic device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first circuit (10) further includes a control valve (12) disposed downstream of the switching valve (11) and a pressure sensor (13) disposed downstream of the control valve, wherein the control device (30) is connected to the control valve (12) and the pressure sensor (13) and controls the opening degree of the control valve (12) according to the pressure value sensed by the pressure sensor (13).

3. The hydraulic device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second circuit (20) also includes an accumulator (23) disposed between the pollution sensing device (21) and the unloading valve (22).

4. The hydraulic device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hydraulic device (100) also includes an accumulator pressure sensor (23A) connected to the accumulator (23) and a wheel speed sensor (300A) connected to the wheel (300).

5. The hydraulic device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a return line (40) connected downstream of the unloading valve (22) for guiding the hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic power system.

6. The hydraulic device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The hydraulic power system is equipped with an oil tank and a filter, the filter being used to filter the hydraulic fluid.

7. The hydraulic device (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that, No additional filter is installed upstream of the switching valve (11).

8. The hydraulic device (100) according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The pollution sensing device (21) includes a photodetector (21A) and a light source (21B), wherein light emitted by the light source (21B) passes through the hydraulic fluid to reach the photodetector (21A) to sense the pollution level of the hydraulic fluid.

9. The hydraulic device (100) according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The pollution sensing device (21) includes at least one of an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

10. A braking system, characterized in that, The braking system includes: The hydraulic device (100) according to any one of claims 1-9; A hydraulic brake (200), fluidly connected to the hydraulic device (100); and The wheel (300) is subjected to a hydraulic brake (200) to control the braking of the wheel (300).

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