Redundant Direct Drive Servovalve Motor Binding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional direct drive servovalves lack redundancy in motor systems, leading to operational failures when one or more motors become inoperable due to jamming or binding, which can prevent the remaining motors from properly operating the drive shaft and valve member.
Innovation Solution
A direct drive servovalve with redundant drive motors coupled to a common valve drive shaft through a connection device that allows continued operation even if one or more motors become inoperable, using a connection device configured to share the load and enable translation of the valve member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple motors are connected to a common drive shaft to provide redundancy, then the reliability of the servovalve is improved, but the risk of binding or jamming preventing remaining motors from operating the drive shaft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive shaft is segmented into multiple independent drive elements, each capable of being engaged or disengaged from the common shaft. This segmentation allows individual motors to operate independently without binding the entire system, resolving the contradiction between redundancy and binding risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between motors and the drive shaft is made dynamic rather than fixed. The drive elements can dynamically engage or disengage from the common shaft based on motor operational status, allowing the system to adapt to failure conditions and prevent binding propagation.
2Reliability
If a motor becomes inoperable due to jamming or binding, then the reliability of the servovalve decreases, but the complexity of the connection device increases to prevent this
Solution Approach 1:
A connection device acts as an intermediary between the motors and the common drive shaft. This intermediary component isolates the binding effect to the individual motor level while maintaining the overall redundancy architecture, enabling continued operation without excessive complexity.
3Reliability
If redundant motors are implemented, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple motors and connection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple drive elements from different motors are merged onto a single common drive shaft, combining their rotational output into unified mechanical motion. This merging approach achieves redundancy while consolidating the mechanical structure, balancing reliability improvement with controlled complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A direct drive servovalve (10) includes redundant drive motors (14) coupled to a common valve drive shaft (22,24) by a connection device (26). The connection device (26) is configured to allow operation of the servovalve (10) in the case where one or more of the drive motors (14) becomes inoperable, such as caused by jamming or binding of a rotor associated with the drive motor. By use of the connection device (26), in the event that one of the drive motors (14) was to become jammed, the remaining operable motors (14) can continue to stroke or cause translation of a valve member (18) of the direct drive servovalve (10) to allow its continued operation.