Pilot Cap With Integrated Proportional Valve for Easy Valve Retrofit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control valves require significant modifications and replacement of valve housings to switch from non-electromagnetic to electromagnetic proportional valve control, making specification changes cumbersome and difficult.
Innovation Solution
A cap with an integrated electromagnetic proportional valve that includes a pilot cap with a spool, a supply port, a discharge port, a primary pressure passage, a secondary pressure passage, and a drain passage, allowing for direct connection to hydraulic pumps and tanks, enabling easy conversion to pilot pressure control by the electromagnetic proportional valve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electromagnetic proportional valve is provided separately from the control valve and connected by pipeline, then the valve housing can be replaced to change specification, but the device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic proportional valve is integrated into the pilot cap, which is mounted on the valve housing. The cap includes built-in oil passages (supply port, discharge port, primary pressure passage, secondary pressure passage, drain passage) that eliminate the need for external pipelines. This merging of the electromagnetic proportional valve and oil passage system into a single replaceable cap unit reduces device complexity while maintaining specification change capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control valve system is segmented into modular components: the valve housing, the pilot cap with integrated electromagnetic proportional valve, and the spool assembly. The pilot cap can be independently replaced to change specifications without replacing the entire valve housing or the electromagnetic proportional valve itself, thus reducing overall system complexity while enabling adaptability.
2Device complexity
If the oil passages are provided in the valve housing in advance, then the electromagnetic proportional valve can be integrated, but the valve housing cannot be easily replaced when specification changes are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The oil passages are transferred from the valve housing to the pilot cap. The pilot cap is a separate, replaceable component that can be mounted on different valve housings. This segmentation allows the oil passage configuration to be changed simply by replacing the pilot cap, maintaining system simplicity while enabling specification changes without replacing the entire valve housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The pilot cap is designed as a universal interface component that can be mounted on standard valve housings. Different pilot caps with different oil passage configurations can be used with the same valve housing, allowing the system to adapt to different specifications while keeping the valve housing and other components unchanged.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electromagnetic proportional valve and oil passages are integrated in the pilot cap, then specification changes become easy, but the cap structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic proportional valve, oil passages (supply port, discharge port, primary pressure passage, secondary pressure passage, drain passage), and mounting features are merged into a single integrated pilot cap unit. This consolidation allows the entire pressure control system to be replaced by swapping one component, simplifying specification changes despite the internal complexity of the cap structure.
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
Enables seamless specification changes by allowing the cap to be swapped into existing control valves, eliminating the need for extensive valve housing modifications and facilitating direct pipeline connections, thus simplifying the transition to electromagnetic proportional valve control.
Implementation Method 1
an electromagnetic proportional valve mounted on the pilot cap and adapted to control a pressure of a working fluid supplied to the pilot chamber
Data Source
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AI summary
A cap (100) with electromagnetic proportional valve, includes a pilot cap (101) mounted on a valve housing (1) and defining a pilot chamber (3), and an electromagnetic proportional valve (150) mounted on the pilot cap (101) and adapted to control a pressure of a working fluid supplied to the pilot chamber (3). The pilot cap (101) includes a supply port (111) into which a working fluid of a fluid pressure supply source (4) is supplied, a discharge port (112) from which the working fluid is discharged to the tank (5), a primary pressure passage (141) which leads the working fluid at a primary pressure to the electromagnetic proportional valve (150) from the supply port (111), a secondary pressure passage (142) which leads the working fluid whose pressure is reduced to a secondary pressure by the electromagnetic proportional valve (150) to the pilot chamber (3), and a drain passage (143) which leads the working fluid discharged from the electromagnetic proportional valve (150) to the discharge port (112).