Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Schweiz Ag

Adrian Huwiler

Daniel Schoop

Karl-Heinz Petry

Ladislav Kucera

Rolf Kunzmann

Sacha Soltermann

Wolfgang Huber

Ronald Reichmuth

Martin Zurfluh

Robin Adam Varekamp

Carlo Kämpf

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a method for operating a valve comprising: determining a nonlinear characteristic curve function indicating a required relationship between a valve opening position and flow of a fluid; storing the function in an ECU; and using the function to set the valve opening position with a control signal indicating a target flow. The function is calculated automatically using a parameter value, with an analytic function, or by interpolation with specified supporting values by a user. The function comprises an inverse function based on a characteristic curve for a heat exchanger and a target function. The curve for the heat exchanger indicates a relationship between a heating power or a cooling power and the flow of a fluid. The target function indicates a relationship between the heating power or the cooling power of the heat exchanger based on the valve opening position. The characteristic curve for the heat exchanger depends on the same parameter value as the characteristic curve function.

Method for operating a valve, associated electronic control unit, and valve drive

The present disclosure relates to actuators. The teachings thereof may be embodied in an actuator drive for a flap or for a valve for setting a gaseous or liquid volume flow, for example in the heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning of a building, for a DC motor with a reduction gear connected downstream and a gearbox-side output. The actuator may include: a motor control unit and a voltage supply unit. The motor may be a brushless two-phase DC motor with a stator comprising a quadruple T armature, each armature comprising an armature coil and a radially outward-lying rotor mounted to rotate relative to the stator. Each armature may have precisely four alternating permanent magnetic poles uniformly distributed. The rotor is connected to a spring applying a restoring force to the rotor if the rotor is deflected from a rest position. The motor control unit includes switches for the DC motor and connects the armature coils to the voltage supply unit as a function of a rotational position of the rotor and the armature coils are interconnected in such a way that, when subjected to current excitation, two adjacent armature coils never form magnetic poles having the same polarity.

Actuator with a brushless two-phase DC motor

During displacement of an actuating element to a target position, a brushless direct-current motor is driven by a driving commutation pattern derived from rotor position signals. After the target position is reached the brushless direct-current motor is transferred to a holding mode in which it is driven by a commutation pattern providing a required holding torque. In the holding mode the holding current necessary for providing the required holding torque is minimized by an iterative holding current reduction method to a holding current value guaranteeing the required holding torque.

Method and device for driving brushless direct-current motor during displacement of actuating element

A motor control of a motor has a DC circuit with a back-up capacitor and a switching device that can connect a motor to the back-up capacitor. A spring device applies a restoring force to the rotor of the motor when deflected from an idle position. When the DC Circuit feeds energy into the back-up capacitor from a power supply network, a control device activates switching elements of the switching device to adjust an actual deflection of the rotor to a required deflection. When the rotor is deflected from the idle position and the back-up capacitor receives no energy from the power supply network, the control device, supplied with energy by the back-up capacitor, sets the required deflection to the idle position and activates the switching elements such that the motor, upon being restored by the spring device, feeds energy into the back-up capacitor via the switching elements.

Spring-loaded drive with active feedback in DC circuit

Growing community of inventors

Honau, Switzerland

Adrian Huwiler