Bistable Hydraulic Solenoid Valve With Magnetic Spool Latching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor-operated hydraulic valves in aircraft are heavy, bulky, expensive, and energy-consuming, affecting fuel economy due to their size and weight, and existing solutions do not adequately address these issues.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic valve with a bistable valve spool and solenoids, where permanent magnets and solenoids work together to push and pull the spool between positions, allowing for efficient fluid flow paths without constant electrical power, using rare-earth magnets and low-carbon steel components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If motor-operated hydraulic valves are used to control fluid flow, then reliable position control is achieved, but weight and size increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the motor-operated mechanical system with a magnetic field-based solenoid system. The solenoid generates a magnetic field that directly actuates the valve spool through magnetic attraction, eliminating the need for motors, gear trains, and other heavy mechanical components. This substitution of mechanical actuation with electromagnetic actuation achieves reliable position control while dramatically reducing valve weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the actuation mechanism from continuous mechanical power transmission to intermittent electromagnetic field application. By controlling the electrical current to the solenoid coil, the valve can be positioned and held in desired positions through magnetic field strength modulation, providing reliable control without the continuous mechanical power requirements of motor-operated systems.
2Productivity
If motor-operated hydraulic valves are used to ensure precise flow control, then functional performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical transmission systems with a direct-acting solenoid mechanism. The solenoid plunger directly moves the valve spool through magnetic attraction, eliminating gear trains, linkages, and multiple moving mechanical parts. This simplification maintains precise flow control capability while dramatically reducing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary intermediate mechanical components from the actuation system. By using a solenoid that directly actuates the spool, the design eliminates motors, gearboxes, belts, and other intermediate transmission elements, resulting in a simpler overall valve structure with fewer parts that require maintenance and assembly.
3Use of energy by moving object
If permanent magnets are used in the solenoid assembly, then energy consumption is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the permanent magnet assembly with the solenoid structure, integrating the magnetic field generation function into the existing electromagnetic actuator. This combination allows the permanent magnets to provide a bias field that reduces the energy required by the solenoid coil to achieve and maintain valve positions, while the integrated design minimizes additional manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the magnetic field generation approach by incorporating permanent magnets into the solenoid assembly. This modification alters the energy requirements by providing a persistent magnetic field that reduces the electrical energy needed from the coil, while the permanent magnets themselves are positioned and secured using standard manufacturing techniques that minimize cost increase.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration reduces energy consumption, weight, and manufacturing costs while maintaining reliability and efficiency in fluid flow control, improving fuel economy and simplifying mechanical design.
Implementation Method 1
a first permanent magnet attached to a first spool end of the valve spool and including a first magnetic face; a second permanent magnet attached to a second spool end of the valve spool and including a second magnetic face
Implementation Method 2
the first solenoid is energized to have a first polarity that attracts the first permanent magnet, and the second solenoid is energized to have an opposite polarity that repels the second permanent magnet
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A bistable hydraulic solenoid valve (10) has a valve spool (30) that transitions between two positions, remaining in one of the two positions under an attractive magnetic force when the solenoids (12, 22) are not energized. The valve spool (30) has a first permanent magnet (36) attached to one end (32) and a second permanent magnet (46) attached to the other end (34), so that the first permanent magnet (36) faces a first solenoid (12), and the second permanent magnet (46) faces a second solenoid (22). The first solenoid (12) is energized to have a first polarity, and the second solenoid (22) is energized to have an opposite polarity to concurrently push and pull the valve spool (30) within the valve body (56) between a first position and a second position, the first position establishing a first flow path (F1) and the second position establishing a second flow path (F2) through the valve body (56) and valve spool (30) so as to enable flow of hydraulic fluid.