US-12624766-B2 - Valve for controlling a fluid flow

US12624766B2US 12624766 B2US12624766 B2US 12624766B2US-12624766-B2

Abstract

A valve for controlling fluid flows, including a valve housing in which a control bore extends along a bore axis, in which a first valve member is moveably accommodated along the bore axis between a first open position and a first closed position for a first fluid channel and in which a second valve member is moveably accommodated along the bore axis between a second open position and a second closed position for a second fluid channel and further including a first drive assigned to the first valve member and a second drive assigned to the second valve member, in which a helical compression spring extends along the bore axis from the first valve member to the second valve member and has a central spring section with a central coil pitch which is at least virtually identical to a wire diameter of the compression spring.

Inventors

Eduard Usinger
Eduard Wenske

Assignees

FESTO SE & CO. KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240523
Priority Date: 20230531

Claims (10)

1 . A valve for controlling a fluid flow, comprising: a valve housing in which a control bore extends along a bore axis, wherein a first valve member is accommodated movable along the bore axis in the control bore between a first open position and a first closed position for a first fluid channel, wherein a second valve member is accommodated movable along the bore axis in the control bore between a second open position and a second closed position for a second fluid channel, further comprising a first drive, which is assigned to the first valve member for providing a first actuating force along a first force direction, and further comprising a second drive, which is assigned to the second valve member for providing a second actuating force along a second force direction, wherein a helical compression spring extends along the bore axis from the first valve member to the second valve member, wherein the compression spring has a central spring section which is arranged between the first valve member and the second valve member and the second valve member and which has a central coil pitch which is at least identical to a wire diameter of the compression spring.
2 . The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the compression spring has a first spring section with a first coil pitch, which first spring section is assigned to the first valve member, and wherein the compression spring has a second spring section with a second coil pitch, which second spring section is assigned to the second valve member, wherein the first coil pitch and the second coil pitch are larger than the central coil pitch.
3 . The valve according to claim 2 , wherein the first valve member is provided with a first blind hole starting from a first end face facing the second valve member and extending along the bore axis, wherein the first spring section is received in the first blind hole, and wherein the second valve member is provided with a second blind hole starting from a second end face facing the first valve member and extending along the bore axis, wherein the second spring section is received in the second blind hole.
4 . The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the second force direction is oriented opposite to the first force direction and points in the direction of the first valve member.
5 . The valve according to claim 1 , wherein an extension of the compression spring along the bore axis is at least 10 times larger than an outer diameter of the compression spring.
6 . The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the compression spring has an internal prestress which is dependent on a distance between the first valve member and the second valve member in an installed state and wherein the central spring section of the compression spring is block-wound.
7 . The valve according to claim 6 , wherein the first drive is a pneumatic drive, wherein the first valve member delimits a variable-size first drive chamber with the control bore, or wherein the first drive is a solenoid drive, wherein the first valve member is accommodated movably as an armature in a solenoid coil.
8 . The valve according to claim 1 , wherein an end region of the first spring section facing away from the second valve member has a coil pitch which decreases with increasing distance from the second valve member.
9 . The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the first fluid channel extends between a first inlet connection on the valve housing and a first outlet connection on the valve housing and comprises a first bore section with a valve seat or a spool bore, wherein the first valve member is a seat valve member or a spool valve member for selectively blocking or releasing a flow cross-section in the first bore section.
10 . A valve for controlling a fluid flow, comprising: a valve housing in which a control bore extends along a bore axis, wherein a first valve member is accommodated movable along the bore axis in the control bore between a first open position and a first closed position for a first fluid channel, wherein a second valve member is accommodated movable along the bore axis in the control bore between a second open position and a second closed position for a second fluid channel, further comprising a first drive, which is assigned to the first valve member for providing a first actuating force along a first force direction, and further comprising a second drive, which is assigned to the second valve member for providing a second actuating force along a second force direction, wherein a helical compression spring extends along the bore axis from the first valve member to the second valve member, wherein the compression spring has a central spring section which is arranged between the first valve member and the second valve member and the second valve member and which has a central coil pitch which is at least identical to a wire diameter of the compression spring, wherein the compression spring has a first spring section with a first coil pitch, which first spring section is assigned to the first valve member, and wherein the compression spring has a second spring section with a second coil pitch, which second spring section is assigned to the second valve member, wherein the first coil pitch and the second coil pitch are larger than the central coil pitch, wherein the first valve member is provided with a first blind hole starting from a first end face facing the second valve member and extending along the bore axis, wherein the first spring section is received in the first blind hole, and wherein the second valve member is provided with a second blind hole starting from a second end face facing the first valve member and extending along the bore axis, wherein the second spring section is received in the second blind hole, wherein the central spring section extends into the first blind hole and extends into the second blind hole.

Description

This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2023 114 217.8 filed May 31, 2023, which is incorporated by reference. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a valve for controlling a fluid flow, with a valve housing in which a control bore is formed which extends along a bore axis and in which a first valve member movable along the bore axis between a first open position and a first closed position for a first fluid channel and a second valve member movable along the bore axis between a second open position and a second closed position for a second fluid channel are accommodated, with a first drive, which is assigned to the first valve member for providing a first actuating force along a first force direction, and with a second drive, which is assigned to the second valve member for providing a second actuating force along a second force direction, and with a compression spring, which extends along the bore axis from the first valve member to the second valve member and is designed as a helical spring. With a valve of this type, fluid flows in the first and second fluid channel, each of them extending through the valve housing can be influenced individually and independently of each other with the aid of the associated first and second drives. Since the first valve member and the second valve member are accommodated in the same common control bore and a common use of the compression spring formed as a helical spring is provided, a cost-effective and compact design of the valve can be achieved. The task of the invention is to provide a valve for controlling fluid flows which valve has improved operational reliability. This task is solved for a valve of the type mentioned at the beginning in that the compression spring has a central spring section which is arranged between the first valve member and the second valve member and which has a central coil pitch which is at least virtually identical, in particular identical, to a wire diameter of the compression spring, in particular to a wire diameter of the compression spring in the central spring section. The compression spring, which is arranged between the first valve member and the second valve member and is designed as a helical spring, serves to provide compressive forces on the first valve member and the second valve member. When the first valve member moves relative to the valve housing and the second valve member and also when the second valve member moves relative to the valve housing and the first valve member, compression or expansion of the helical spring takes place depending on the respective direction of movement of the respective valve member. This relative movement manifests itself in an increase or decrease in the deformation energy stored in the helical spring. The helical spring is formed by a plurality of, preferably circular, coils of a spring wire, whereby a longest extension of the helical spring is aligned along the bore axis of the control bore when the helical spring is used in the valve. A distance between adjacent coils of the helical spring is also referred to as a pitch, whereby the pitch together with a coil diameter of the, preferably circular, coil and a wire diameter of the spring wire, which spring wire is preferably formed with a circular cross-section, determine the deformation properties of the helical spring. The compression spring intended for use in the valve has a central spring section that extends between a first spring section and a second spring section. The central spring section serves to connect the first spring section to the second spring section. The first spring section and the second spring section are designed in such a way that a relative movement of the first valve member and/or the second valve member along the bore axis leads to compression or expansion, i.e. to a shortening or lengthening of the first spring section and the second spring section. The task of the central spring section when used in the valve is to ensure stable force transmission between the first spring section and the second spring section. In a valve known from the prior art, the first spring section and the second spring section are each formed by separate helical springs and the two helical springs are connected by a rigid connecting element such as a round rod or a tube section. The disadvantage here is that at least three components are required with the first spring section, the connecting element and the second spring section, which results in higher manufacturing costs and an increased installation space requirement compared to the one-piece compression spring according to the invention with its differently configured spring sections. In order to ensure advantageous force transmission between the first spring section and the second spring section, the central spring section has a central coil pitch in which a distance between adjacent coils corresponds at least almost to the wire diameter prov