Valve Contamination Dislodgement via Oscillation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contamination in proportional pressure-relief valves of cooling fan hydraulic circuits causes the fan to fail in increasing speed, leading to machine overheating and downtime, requiring human intervention for dislodgment.
Innovation Solution
An electronic control system is integrated with a fluid circuit and sensor to output a dislodgement control signal, causing the valve to oscillate between partially opened and closed positions to remove contamination, restoring functionality without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the valve operates continuously without intervention, then productivity is improved, but contamination accumulates in the valve causing it to stick and fail
Solution Approach 1:
The control system implements periodic oscillation of the valve spool between opened and closed positions to dislodge contamination. This periodic mechanical action prevents contamination accumulation while maintaining continuous operational productivity, resolving the contradiction between uptime and valve reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-diagnosis and self-cleaning by monitoring operational parameters and automatically initiating oscillation when contamination is detected. This eliminates the need for external human intervention, simultaneously improving productivity and maintaining valve reliability through autonomous contamination management.
2Ease of operation
If the valve is left to operate normally, then ease of operation is improved, but contamination causes the spool to stick open preventing fan speed increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors operational parameters and uses this feedback to detect when the valve is stuck due to contamination. Based on this feedback, the system automatically initiates oscillation to restore proper valve function, maintaining both ease of operation and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve system monitors its own performance and automatically corrects contamination-induced sticking through self-initiated oscillation. This self-service capability maintains ease of operation while preventing reliability degradation from contamination accumulation.
3Reliability
If manual intervention is used to dislodge contamination, then valve functionality is restored, but machine downtime increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system automatically detects contamination and initiates oscillation to dislodge it, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This self-service approach restores valve functionality while preventing machine downtime, simultaneously improving both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical intervention with an automated electronic control system that uses electrical signals to induce oscillation. This substitution eliminates the need for human operators to physically access and clean the valve, maintaining reliability while maximizing productivity.
4Reliability
If the valve oscillates to dislodge contamination, then valve functionality is restored, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve oscillates periodically only when contamination is detected, rather than continuously. This conditional periodic action restores valve functionality while minimizing energy consumption by activating oscillation only when necessary, not as a constant operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system changes the valve's operational parameters from normal steady-state operation to oscillation mode only when contamination is detected. This parameter change approach maintains reliability by restoring functionality when needed while minimizing energy consumption by limiting oscillation to contamination events only.
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
This solution effectively prevents machine overheating by automatically dislodging contamination from the valve, enhancing uptime and productivity by automating the restoration of valve functionality.
Implementation Method 1
outputting a dislodgement control signal that is independent of any setpoint for the operational parameter and causes the valve to oscillate between at least a partially opened position and at least a partially closed position to attempt to dislodge contamination
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprises a fluid circuit comprising a fluid actuator and a valve operable to control an operational parameter associated with the fluid actuator, a sensor positioned to sense the operational parameter and to generate a parameter signal indicative of the operational parameter, and an electronic control system coupled electrically to the valve and the sensor. The control system is configured to override a setpoint control signal by outputting a dislodgement control signal to oscillate the valve to attempt to dislodge contamination that may have collected in the valve. An associated method is disclosed.