End-of-Stroke Regulator for Piston Pressure Converters

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Solution Overview

Problem

Piston pressure amplifiers and reducers experience significant energy losses due to the compressibility of hydraulic fluids, especially at high pressures, as the stored compression energy is dissipated as heat when the pistons reach the end of their stroke, making them inefficient for applications beyond a few hundred bars.

Innovation Solution

The end-of-stroke regulator for piston pressure converters includes a progressive-acting lever transmission system with a return spring and trigger valves that allow the conversion of compression energy into additional hydraulic fluid flow without significant pressure drop, enabling energy recovery and improved efficiency up to two thousand bars or more.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stress or pressure

If piston pressure amplifiers or reducers are used at high pressures (thousands of bars), then the compression rate of hydraulic fluid increases, but energy losses due to compressibility deteriorate performance significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperating pressureVSAvoidenergy loss due to compressibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Stress or pressureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent captures the compression energy that would normally be lost as heat when the transmitter piston reaches the end of its stroke and uses it to pre-compress hydraulic fluid in an accumulator. This converts the harmful energy loss into a beneficial resource that drives the receiver piston, enabling operation at high pressures while recovering what would otherwise be wasted energy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The accumulator pre-compresses hydraulic fluid before the receiver piston needs to move. By accumulating compressed fluid in advance during the transmitter piston's stroke, the system prepares the energy needed to drive the receiver piston forward, eliminating the energy loss that would occur if the fluid had to be compressed from scratch at the end of each stroke.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the transmitter piston returns to the start of its travel after reaching the end of stroke, then sequential operation is maintained, but compression energy is dissipated as heat without useful work

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesequential operationVSAvoidcompression energy dissipation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of allowing compression energy to dissipate as heat when the transmitter piston returns to its starting position, the patent uses the accumulator to capture and store this energy. The pre-compressed fluid in the accumulator then drives the receiver piston during the return stroke, converting the previously wasted energy into useful work and maintaining sequential operation without energy loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Duration of action of moving object

If the master cylinder is decompressed to allow the emitter piston to restart in the opposite direction, then continuous operation is enabled, but energy is lost without transforming compression energy into additional pressurized fluid flow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous operationVSAvoidcompression energy loss during decompression
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The accumulator performs preliminary compression of hydraulic fluid during the emitter piston's forward stroke. This pre-compressed fluid is then available to drive the receiver piston during the decompression phase, allowing continuous operation while preserving the compression energy that would otherwise be lost during the decompression cycle.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the decompression process from an energy-wasting operation into an energy-recovering operation. By using the pre-compressed fluid in the accumulator to drive the receiver piston during decompression, the system converts what would be pure energy loss into useful pressurized fluid flow, enabling continuous operation with significantly reduced energy losses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 solution effectively recovers compression energy, enhancing the efficiency of piston pressure converters and reducing energy losses, particularly beneficial for high-pressure applications, such as hydraulic hybrid transmission systems, by transforming compression energy into additional hydraulic flow, thus reducing fuel consumption.

Implementation Method 1

progressive-acting lever transmission system with a return spring and trigger valves that allow the conversion of compression energy into additional hydraulic fluid flow

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Advantage: Mechanical Advantage

Implementation Method 2

progressive-acting lever transmission system with a return spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

Piston pressure amplifiers or reducers generally consist of at least one transmitter cylinder in which a transmitter piston can move rigidly connected to at least one receiver piston which can move in a receiver cylinder

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPascal's Law: Pascal's Law

Data Source

PatentEP3143288B1Pressure converter with pistons comprising end-of-stroke pressure reducer
Publication Date: 2018.11.07 RABHI VIANNEY
  • EP3143288B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3143288B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3143288B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The end-of-stroke expander (1) for a piston-type pressure converter (2) of which the emitter cylinder (3) and the receiver cylinder (4) respectively define an emitter chamber (9) and a receiver chamber (10), comprises an expansion emitter cylinder (12) which communicates with the receiver chamber (10) and in which cylinder there may move an expansion emitter drive piston (14) mechanically connected by a progressive lever-effect transmission (11) to an expansion receiver pump piston (15) which can move in an expansion receiver cylinder (13), said transmission (11) being intended so that when the expansion emitter drive piston (14) is at top dead centre, the expansion receiver pump piston (15) is at bottom dead centre, and vice versa, whereas an expansion unblocking actuator (30) can set said transmission (11) in motion.