Sturman Industries, Inc.

Other

Sturman Digital Systems, LLC

Ara4 Consulting LLC

Steven E Massey

Oded Eddie Sturman

Robert Evan Strom

Tibor Kiss

Christopher North

David Drury

A hydraulic valve actuation system with controlled valve seating velocity and method therefor are proposed. The system includes an actuator with a housing and a drive assembly formed from a drive piston within the housing and an adjustment pin. In an internal combustion engine application, the adjustment pin contacts and moves an engine valve that controls air and fuel entering an engine cylinder. The actuator provides velocity dampening of the drive piston, via an annulus-shaped fluid communication path defined by at least one surface of the drive piston and at least one opposing surface of a damping chamber formed within the housing. The dampening hydraulically cushions the impact of a bottom of the drive piston against a bottom stop of the actuator during opening of the engine valve, which reduces noise and engine wear. In another example, the system is configured to control an engine valve seating velocity.

Hydraulic valve actuation system with controlled valve seating velocity and method therefor

Actuators with printed actuator coils facilitate efficient manufacturing and reliable operation. The printed actuator coils are in coil segments on multiple layers on a multilayer printed circuit board, which may contain a printed actuator coil for one or more additional actuators, and/or electronic circuitry, such, as may be used for control of the actuator(s).

Pressure balanced spool poppet valves with printed actuator coils

Hydraulic internal combustion engines having at least one combustion piston not mechanically connected to a crankshaft or any other combustion piston, but instead acting on hydraulic plungers through valving that is electronically controlled to control the piston position and velocity, typically through an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a combustion or power stroke and an exhaust stroke. Electronically controlled fuel injection and electronically controlled engine valves provided great flexibility in the operating cycles that may be used, with the engine pumping hydraulic fluid to a high pressure accumulator for use in hydraulic motors or other hydraulic equipment. Embodiments using high pressure air injection to sustain combustion are also disclosed.

Hydraulic internal combustion engines

A three position digitally latched actuator actuated fluid control valve. The control valve includes a housing which has a cylinder port, a supply port and a return port. The control valve also contains an internal valve that moves between a first position, a second position and a neutral position. In the first position the internal valve provides fluid communication between the cylinder port and the supply port. In the second position the valve provides fluid communication between the cylinder port and the return port. In the neutral position the valve prevents fluid communication between the ports. The control valve has a first actuator and a second actuator that are actuated by digital pulses to move the internal valve between the first, second and neutral positions. The control valve may have a pair of springs that bias the internal valve to the neutral position, wherein the actuator can be actuated to latch the valve into the first position and the second actuator can be actuated to latch the valve into the second position.

Double solenoid control valve that has a neutral position

Double actuator control valve that has a neutral position

A fuel injector that contains no springs and is controlled by a valve assembly that has more than two modes of operation. The fuel injector includes a housing which has a supply port, a drain port and a cylinder passage that is in fluid communication with an intensifier. The intensifier moves between a first position and a second position within a fuel chamber. The fuel chamber is coupled to a fuel port. Movement of the intensifier into the second position pressurizes the fuel within the fuel chamber. The pressurized fuel opens a needle valve so that fuel is ejected through an aperture of the housing. The cylinder passage is coupled to a first fluid control valve and a second fluid control valve. Each control valve can be actuated between a closed position and an open position. When the first control valve is moved to the open position the supply port is in fluid communication with the cylinder passage so that a fluid flows through the passage to push the intensifier to the second position and eject fuel from the ejector. When the second control valve is actuated to the open position the cylinder passage is coupled to the drain port. The intensifier is coupled to a supply line that provides fluid to move the intensifier back to the first position. The needle valve is also coupled to the return line to move the needle back to a closed position.

Fuel injector and method using two, two-way valve control valves

The present invention is a fuel injection system having one or more fuel injectors and an electronic control system therefore. The preferred fuel injector has a double magnetic latching solenoid three-way or four-way spool valve that controls the flow of a working fluid that is used to control the discharge of fuel into the combustion chamber or intake manifold of an engine through the nozzle of the injector. The control system provides actuating current pulses to each of the solenoids to actuate and latch the solenoids to effect initiation and termination of the injection. Disclosed are control systems that provide a snap action in one or both actuating directions of the valve by electromagnetically retaining the valve in the latched condition until the force in the actuated solenoid builds to a high level, and then releasing the valve for higher acceleration to the actuated position. Also disclosed is an exemplary control system that senses the arrival of valve at the actuated position so that the actuating current pulse can be terminated as soon as possible so as to allow a strong current pulse drive, but of low total energy, for fast actuation of a relatively small valve. Other embodiments, features and uses of the invention are disclosed.

Valve controller systems and methods and fuel injection systems

A fluid flow control valve which has a pair of solenoids that move a hollow ball valve between a first position and a second position. When the ball valve is in the first position, fluid is allowed to flow from an inlet port to a cylinder port. When the ball valve is in the second position, fluid is allowed to flow from the cylinder port to a drain port. The ball valve sits against one of two valve seats which are constructed from steel and a have radial shape that conforms to the shape of the ball. The hystersis of the steel maintains the ball valve in one of the two positions, so that power does not have to be continuously provided to the solenoids. The ball valve has a hollow inner chamber which significantly reduces the weight of the ball and increases the response rate of the control valve.

Double solenoid latching ball valve with a hollow ball

A statically and dynamically pressure balanced fluid control valve. The valve contains a spool that is moved within an inner chamber of a valve housing by a pair of solenoids. The ports are symmetrically located on each side of a center port, wherein the resultant fluid forces on the spool are in opposite directions. The opposing forces create a net fluid force of approximately zero, so that the spool is dynamically pressure balanced when the valve is switched to a new position. The spool also has an inner channel and a pair of end openings that are in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the valve. When the spool is pulled to a new position, the end openings and inner channel allow fluid within the inner chamber to flow out of the space between the end of the spool and the housing. The flow of fluid through the end openings and inner channel prevent the formation of hydrostatic fluid pressure that will counteract the movement of the spool. The end openings and inner channel thus statically pressure balance the spool within the valve.

Growing community of inventors

Woodland Park, CO, United States of America

Steven E Massey