Valve Device Top-Mounted Motor Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve devices for mobile working machines, particularly in agricultural machinery, face challenges with narrow design requirements due to low torque and high self-locking issues from stepper motors, leading to slow operation and complex assembly with flexible coupling rods.
Innovation Solution
A valve device design featuring an electric motor with a gear system where the motor is integrated within the valve housing, allowing a direct drive mechanism without lateral protrusion, using a permanently excited internal rotor synchronous motor with a compact design and reduced self-locking, enabling rapid and reliable actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a stepper motor is used to actuate the valve piston, then the valve device can be electrically actuated, but the available torque is very small and the operation speed is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the stepper motor with an electric motor that directly drives the valve piston through a rack and pinion mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for high gear ratios and provides sufficient torque for rapid valve actuation, resolving the contradiction between available torque and operation speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the motor type from stepper motor to electric motor, fundamentally altering the torque-speed characteristics. The electric motor provides high starting torque and rapid response, enabling fast valve operation without requiring complex gear reductions.
2Force
If a stepper motor with high gear ratio is used to increase torque, then the available torque increases, but the self-locking due to cogging torque becomes very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the stepper motor with an electric motor that does not exhibit cogging torque. The electric motor provides smooth torque delivery and eliminates self-locking effects, allowing the valve to achieve a reliable spring-centered neutral position without difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the harmful cogging torque effect by using an electric motor instead of a stepper motor. This conversion removes the self-locking problem entirely, enabling reliable neutral position control through simple spring force without the need to overcome motor cogging.
3Ease of operation
If the electric motor and gear drive are flanged to the end face of the valve housing, then the valve device can be actuated, but the longitudinal size becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the electric motor from the end face mounting to the top surface of the valve housing. This dimensional change allows the motor to drive the valve piston through a top-mounted rack and pinion mechanism, reducing the longitudinal projection and achieving a more compact overall design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates the electric motor and gear drive components within the valve housing boundaries, with the motor positioned on the top surface and the rack and pinion mechanism nested within the valve body. This nesting approach minimizes external projections and achieves a compact design.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible connecting rod is used to connect the rack to the valve piston, then the control valve can be moved over the rack, but the assembly effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rack and valve piston into a single integrated unit, eliminating the need for a separate flexible connecting rod. The rack is directly attached to the valve piston, simplifying the assembly process while maintaining the capability for the control valve to move over the rack during operation.
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 solution achieves a slim, space-saving design with improved operational reliability and reduced self-locking, allowing for efficient side-by-side arrangement of valve segments and simplified assembly, suitable for series applications in mobile machinery.
Implementation Method 1
an electric motor (23), serving as an actuator, arranged on the housing end part (11)
Implementation Method 2
the valve piston (1) has a rack (29) at one free end which meshes with a drive pinion (27) of a gearbox
Implementation Method 3
the valve piston (1) has a rack (29) at one free end which meshes with a drive pinion (27) of a gearbox
Implementation Method 4
a seal against the motor housing (33) of the electric motor (23) is formed by a rotary seal (35) radial to the drive shaft (25)
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
AI summary
Valve device consisting of at least one valve piston (1) which is arranged in a valve housing (3) in such a way as to be longitudinally movable along a movement axis (5) by an electric motor (23) and which at least partially connects or disconnects fluid connection points (P, A, B) in the valve housing (3) to or from each other, said valve device being characterized in that the drive axis (25) of the electric motor (23) intersects the movement axis (5) of the valve piston (1), runs through the top face (6) and/or the bottom face (8) of the valve housing (3), and is arranged in the valve housing (3) in such a way as to extend (10) parallel or at an angle to the fluid connection points (P, A, B).