Eaton Corporation

Borg-warner Automotive Electronic & Mechanical Systems Corporation

Borgwarner Inc.

Borg-warner Automotive Gmbh

Todd L King

George H Studtmann

Alan L Miller

Charles J Tennies

William P Umlauf

Jerome J Zawada

Kenneth R Gallaher

Mark Allan Juds

Earl T Piber

Michael S Baran

Rick L Boyer

Stanley B Quinn, Jr

Peter J Malone

Everett R Geis

Martin W Hamilton

James E Mading

James R Gary

Daljit Singh

Denis Leverque

A solenoid operated proportional control expansion valve having a tubular armature guide of non-magnetic material disposed externally of the valve blocks with a magnetic pole piece welded on the end of the tubular guide. A plastic encapsulated coil is received over the guide. The armature guide has a flange therein which in one embodiment is welded to a second flanged tube threaded into the valve blocks. In other embodiments the guide flange is directly mechanically fastened to the valve block. A cup-shaped pole frame is received over the coil for completing the magnetic flux loop about the coil.

Electric expansion valve

A method and system for controlling an electromechanical actuator assembly and measurement of actuator position via two drive wires to the actuator assembly. The system includes sensing the changing inductance of the actuator through the electrical drive line and associating the sensed inductance with a corresponding position of the actuating member.

Two wire position sense and control of modulating gas valve or other

A method for remotely controlling flow of gaseous fuel to a burner having an electrically operated electromagnetically actuated modulating valve. The electromagnetic actuator comprises a coil having about one thousand turns of fine wire disposed proximate an annular permanent magnet. Either the magnet or coil may be attached to a moveable valve member which has a resilient poppet biased to close on a valve seat to shut off gas flow. Upon energization of the coil, a magnetomotive force is generated and moves the poppet off the seat to permit flow. Increased current flow in the coil proportionately increases opening of the poppet and movement of a metering member which throttles flow. When the poppet is fully open, flow is reduced to minimum metered level. A single user operated, remotely located potentiometer can be used to effect the proportional control of flow to the burner. In the preferred embodiment the metering member is cylindrical with a varying area grove or recess. In another embodiment, the metering member is a reversely conically tapered member throttling in a conically tapered metering passage.

Remotely controlling modulated flow to a fuel gas burner and valve

A fluid coupling device is disclosed of the type having an output coupling assembly (13) and an input coupling member (11). Control of the flow of viscous fluid between a reservoir chamber (35) and an operating chamber (33) is controlled by rotation of a valve arm (43), to cover or uncover a fill opening (45). Rotation of the valve arm is affected by an actuator assembly (61). An electrical signal to a coil (69) results in a flux path (FP) through a stationary ferromagnetic housing (63), with the flux passing through an armature (83) which is attached to the valve member. The flux path passes from armature segments (105) through respective pole pieces (111), which comprise part of the outer cylindrical surface of the reservoir chamber (35). Thus, energization of the coil (69) results in rotation of the valve member (43) without the need for frictional engagement of friction surfaces.

Viscous fluid coupling and external actuator assembly therefor

A programmer for an appliance having a line power switch and a plurality of program switches sequentially actuated by a cyclic cam mechanism. The program switches are latched to the actuated condition and uplatched independently of the cyclic mechanism by electrically energized release mechanisms, individually controlled by an electronic controller having a microcomputer which employs a user selected programmed sequence.

Programmable appliance controller

A solenoid operated hydraulic control valve system including a solenoid operated valve having a specially ported spool valve to statically balance spool forces in the opened and closed positions.

Solenoid operated hydraulic control valve

A solenoid operated hydraulic control valve which has a specially ported spool valve to statically balance spool force in the opened and closed positions, and a specially designed solenoid operator which includes very small ratios of gaps to cross-sectional areas for the working and non-working gaps between the armature and stator.

A method and apparatus for solenoid driver control of high speed solenoid actuators which includes supplying a high regulated level of acceleration current to operate the actuator, monitoring and controlling the current requirements of solenoid actuation, automatically reducing the solenoid current at a rapid rate to a lesser level of regulated solenoid hold current for the remaining duration of actuator operation, and rapidly reducing the solenoid current between acceleration and holding levels and for rapid solenoid release. Current is controlled at the different levels using switch mode power control techniques for power efficiency.

Driver for high speed solenoid actuator

Highly reliable and consistent starting is achieved by first initializing the rotor position, namely establishing the rotor in a known starting position. This is accomplished by gating on two pairs of SCRs in sequence and supplying current pulses through the gated SCRs to the stator of the motor to rotate the rotor to a first position and then to a second position, the rotor coming to a complete stop in each of those positions. The rotor aligns itself with the magnetic field created by the stator in each position and any ambiguity in the rotor position is eliminated. Thereafter, the inverter is operated asynchronously in a second mode with predetermined pairs of the inverter SCRs being sequentially gated into conduction at an increasing frequency to current pulse energize the motor to effect step-by-step rotation of the rotor at a faster and faster rate, the motor current being reduced to zero at the termination of each energizing pulse to force commutate the conducting pair of SCRs. After the motor has reached a preset speed, operation in a third mode occurs and the inverter is synchronized with the motor, gating of the SCRs being controlled by the motor voltage in order that the rotor position will be synchronized to the revolving magnetic field created by the stator. During this third operating mode the motor speed continues to increase and the SCRs are forced commutated, as a result of which the rotor follows the stator magnetic field very closely and synchronization will be perfected. When the motor subsequently reaches a given speed sufficiently high to permit motor commutation exclusively, the starting system switches to a fourth and normal running mode wherein the gating of the inverter SCRs continues to be synchronized with the motor and controlled by the motor voltage, but the SCRs will now be commutated only by the motor voltage. Operation in the third mode provides a buffer and ensures a very smooth, reliable, consistent and a relatively short transition from asynchronous, forced-commutation operation to synchronous, motor-commutated operation.

Growing community of inventors

Cedarburg, WI, United States of America

Todd L King