Fluid Circuit Sizing for Exhaust-Air Reuse and Stroke Time Limits

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing energy-saving fluid circuit designs that reuse exhaust air face performance deterioration due to inappropriate sizing of drive units such as fluid control valves, pipes, check valves, and silencers, making it difficult to meet requirements and specifications.

Innovation Solution

A fluid circuit selection system and method that utilizes databases to select appropriate sizes of drive units based on stored data, performing simulations to determine optimal stroke times and post-return pressures, with reselection mechanisms to ensure compliance with maximum stroke times and minimum working pressures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If exhaust air is reused in the fluid circuit to return the fluid pressure cylinder, then energy is saved, but the performance deteriorates due to inappropriate sizes of drive units

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidcircuit performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically adjusts the sizes of drive units (fluid control valves, pipes, check valves, silencers, tanks) by changing their physical parameters to optimize both energy efficiency and performance. The selection system calculates appropriate dimensions based on circuit configuration and operational requirements, ensuring that exhaust air reuse does not compromise performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If the sizes of drive units are not appropriately selected, then the energy-saving fluid circuit cannot be implemented, but selecting appropriate sizes increases system complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecircuit implementationVSAvoidselection process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The selection system performs automatic self-service by autonomously determining the appropriate sizes of all drive units based on input parameters and stored database information. The system eliminates the need for manual calculation and selection by automatically processing circuit configurations, calculating required dimensions, and selecting suitable components, thereby simplifying the implementation process despite the complexity of the selection criteria.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Manufacturing precision

If stroke time exceeds maximum or post-return pressure is insufficient, then the circuit does not meet specifications, but adjusting sizes increases manufacturing complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespecification complianceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and selecting the appropriate sizes of drive units before the circuit is manufactured or assembled. The selection system uses stored database information and calculation formulas to determine optimal dimensions that will ensure specification compliance (maximum stroke time and minimum post-return pressure) is met from the outset, eliminating the need for post-manufacturing adjustments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3809290B1Fluid circuit selection system and fluid circuit selection method
Publication Date: 2023.10.25 SMC CORP
  • EP3809290B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3809290B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3809290B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A selection system (100) for hydraulic circuits has: a cylinder selection processing unit (120); a database (DB8) in which information pertaining to a combination of a plurality of apparatuses is registered in advance; combination selection processing units (124A, 124B) for reading information pertaining to the combination of the plurality of apparatuses in order of size from the database, and selecting an apparatus; and re-selection processing units (128A, 128B) for re-selecting an apparatus that is the next size up when a stroke time obtained by a simulation including some of the apparatuses selected by the combination selection unit exceeds an upper-limit stroke time, or when pressure after a return process is less than or equal to minimum working pressure.