Pinch Valve Magnetic Latching for Fail-Safe Position Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pinch valve systems lack operational safety and flexibility, particularly in scenarios where external energy supply failures occur, as they rely on external power to maintain critical fluid system operations and do not ensure reliable switching between open and closed positions without energy input.
Innovation Solution
A pinch valve system with a permanent magnetic holding device and an electromagnetic actuating device, integrated with an energy storage device and control unit, allowing the system to maintain or switch between open and closed positions even without external energy, ensuring operational reliability and flexibility by predetermining a rest position for the closing element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pinch valve systems rely on external energy supply for operation, then the system can maintain basic functionality, but operational safety deteriorates during energy supply failures
Solution Approach 1:
The energy storage device is pre-charged during normal operation to store sufficient energy for at least one switching process. This preliminary energy accumulation ensures that the closing element can be actuated even when external energy supply fails, maintaining operational safety without continuous external power.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own operational energy to pre-charge the energy storage device during normal functioning. This self-service approach allows the system to prepare for potential failures using its own resources, reducing dependency on external energy supply while maintaining reliability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the pinch valve system uses permanent magnetic holding device for position maintenance, then energy consumption is reduced, but flexibility deteriorates in switching between positions
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic actuating device serves as an intermediary that temporarily provides additional force to overcome the permanent magnetic holding. By applying electromagnetic force as a mediator, the system can switch between positions maintained by permanent magnets, combining low energy consumption with switching flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The electromagnetic actuating device is activated periodically or on-demand to enable switching between positions. This periodic activation allows the system to maintain positions passively through permanent magnets while retaining the ability to switch when needed, balancing energy efficiency with operational flexibility.
3Reliability
If the system integrates energy storage device and control unit, then operational reliability is improved during energy failures, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The energy storage device and control unit are integrated into the existing pinch valve system architecture. By merging these components with the permanent magnetic holding device and closing element, the system achieves improved reliability without proportionally increasing overall complexity, as the components work together in a coordinated manner.
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
The system ensures operational reliability by enabling at least one switching process during energy supply failures, allowing the pinch valve to maintain or switch to a predetermined rest position, enhancing safety and flexibility based on application needs.
Implementation Method 1
a permanent magnetic holding device which is designed in such a way that it can hold the closing element by a permanent magnetic force in two different stable equilibrium positions
Implementation Method 2
The actuating means comprise a coil which is arranged such that it can exert on the closing element an electromagnetic force acting in the direction of the closed position or in the direction of the open position
Data Source
AI summary
A pinch valve system includes a closing element arranged in an axial direction and includes a closing piece, a permanent magnetic holding device to hold the closing element by a permanent magnetic force in an open or closed position, without energy being supplied to the permanent magnetic holding device, an electromagnetic actuating device to carrying out a switching process, with which the closing element is configured to be moved from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position, an energy storage device to store an electrical energy which is sufficient to carry out the switching process, and a controller programmed with a predetermined rest position, which is the open or closed position, and the controller configured to trigger the switching process with which the closing element is brought to the rest position by the energy stored in the energy storage device.