Caterpillar Inc.

Mikhail A Sorokin

Kevin L Martin

Matthew James Beschorner

Paul Arthur Zwart

Michael Charles Marstall

Pengfei Ma

Lonnie J Devier

Jason Brinkman

Wesley Thomas Payne

Andrew Kleitsch

Salik Abdul Syed

A spool for a spool valve assembly defines a spool longitudinal axis and includes a first land module defining a first land module circumferential surface, a second land module defining a second land module circumferential surface, and a first metering module. The first metering module has a first end cap and a second end cap. The first end cap is coupled to the first land module, and the second end cap is coupled to the second land module, to form the spool. The first metering module may further include at least two pillars extending from the first end cap to the second end cap, wherein the at least two pillars are entirely disposed within a virtual first metering module hollow cylinder area that surrounds a virtual first metering module central core area concentric with the spool longitudinal axis.

Spools for spool valve assemblies and methods of fabricating spools

A method of manufacturing a hydraulic valve component using additive manufacturing includes laying successive layers to form a flow aperture for a hydraulic valve component, and creating a lattice or mesh structure that at least partially defines the flow aperture of the hydraulic valve component, or a feature that forms an undercut along a direction that is parallel to a flow direction of the flow aperture, or a flow aperture having a size varying along a circumferential direction of the valve component.

Additively manufactured hydraulic valve components

A valve body defines a work passage, a high-pressure channel fluidly connected to the work passage, a tank passage, and a cavity disposed between the high-pressure channel and the tank passage. The cavity fluidly connects the high-pressure channel and the tank passage. The cavity is defined at least in part by a first portion within which a relief valve threadedly engages, a second portion disposed adjacent to the high-pressure channel, and an annulus interposed between the first portion and the second portion. The annulus fluidly connects to the tank passage. A surface area of the relief valve exposed to the annulus is greater than a cross-sectional area of the high-pressure channel.

Relief valve cavity

A spool assembly is disclosed for use in a valve. The spool assembly may have a cylindrical body that is hollow and has a least one radially oriented orifice that passes through a wall of the cylindrical body. The spool assembly may also have an insert slidably disposed inside the cylindrical body. The insert may have a land that axially divides a space inside the cylindrical body.

Valve having spool assembly with insert divider

A spool assembly is disclosed for use in a valve. The spool assembly may have a cylindrical body with a first end, a second end, and a bore passing from the first end through the second end. The spool assembly may also have a first insert with a first land slidably disposed inside the bore at the first end, and a second insert separate from the first insert. The second insert may have a second land slidably disposed inside the bore at the second end.

Valve having open-center spool with separated inserts

An independent metering valve circuit includes an actuator, a set of independent metering valves, an independent metering valve pre-compensator, an inverse resolver, and a signal conditioning element. The set of independent metering valves are fluidly coupled to the actuator and configured to independently control a flow of a hydraulic fluid to the actuator. The independent metering valve pre-compensator is configured to control the flow of the hydraulic fluid to the set of independent metering valves. The inverse resolver is configured to receive a first pressure signal from the independent metering valve circuit and a second pressure signal from a load-sense hydraulic system and output a third pressure signal. The signal conditioning element is configured to receive the third pressure signal and output a forth pressure signal configured to control a pump fluidly coupled to the load-sense hydraulic system and the independent metering valve circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Naperville, IL, United States of America

Mikhail A Sorokin