DE20119954U1 - valve assembly - Google Patents

Description

G 19863 - les November 28, 2001

FESTO AG & Co, 73734 Esslinaen Valve arrangement

The invention relates to a valve arrangement with a plurality of electrically actuated valve units combined in a modular manner, with connection means for feeding in externally provided actuating energy for the valve units and with manual actuating means for manually actuating individual valve units without the control signals supplied by an electronic control device during normal operation.

A valve arrangement of this type can be found, for example, in the catalogue "Products 2000", edition 2000, pages 5.1-3 and 5.1-6, of FESTO AG & Co. It contains several valve units combined in a modular manner to form a single unit, which are actuated in normal operation on the basis of control signals provided by an external or integrated electronic control device. The actuation energy is provided externally and fed into the valve arrangement via electrical cables and suitable connection means.

Particularly during commissioning or maintenance work, it is usually necessary to operate individual valve units independently of the control program stored in the electronic control device.

In order to avoid uncontrolled activation of the entire arrangement, the external actuation energy is usually not available. Therefore, the valve arrangement is equipped with manual actuation means that have manually operable operating means that, when activated manually, can act mechanically on the valve element of the associated valve unit in order to switch it over.

Particularly in the case of very small valve units, the limits of what is feasible are reached with mechanical hand-operating means. It is therefore the object of the present invention to create a valve arrangement of the type mentioned at the beginning which, even with small dimensions, can still be equipped with a reliable and easy-to-use hand-operating device.

To achieve this object, it is provided that the manual actuation means are designed for manually induced electrical actuation of the valve units, wherein the required actuation energy is provided by an energy storage device located on board the valve arrangement.

This is a departure from the purely mechanical manual actuation devices of the state of the art. Activation is still manual, but the actual actuation process of the valve unit concerned is triggered electrically, using the electrical valve drive means used in normal operation. In order to be independent of the externally provided actuation energy, the energy required for manual operation is

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Actuation energy is provided by an energy storage device located directly on board the valve arrangement. The required energy can be provided relatively easily, especially in the case of very small valve arrangements, since the power consumption of the electrical valve drive means is relatively low. This applies in particular to valve drive means that operate on an electrostatic or piezoelectric principle.

Combined manual and electric hand-operated devices are already known as such from the German utility model 20004747.7. There they are integrated into the plug-type connection part of the valve unit in question. However, operation independent of an external power supply is not possible.

Advantageous further developments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

The energy storage device, which is in particular completely integrated into the valve arrangement, is preferably formed by at least one battery. It is expediently a rechargeable design. It is particularly advantageous if the rechargeable energy storage device is charged by the electrical actuation energy fed in from outside during normal operation, so that the need for replacement at intervals is generally not necessary. Charging means that ensure such an operating mode can be located on board the valve arrangement, which in particular also control the charging process.

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access to control the storage media used
protect.

With a suitable design of the valve arrangement,
There is also an electronic control device on board,
which supplies the valve units with the necessary electrical control signals during normal operation. It can be
It can be a control device with an integrated control program and/or a field bus station that sends the control signals intended for the valve units based on information
issued by an external electronic
The manual control means can in this case be designed in such a way that they enable a manually
caused by the operation of the electronic control device
can be carried out, whereby the electronic control device is supplied by the energy storage device with which the valve arrangement
Is provided.

It is also advantageous if there is a setting electronics on board the valve arrangement, which allows a specific setting of the values that can be triggered by the manual actuation means.
In this way, the conditions of the operational management of the valve arrangement during special operation can be defined in such a way that undesirable or impermissible actuation processes are excluded.
or very specific switching sequences can be specified.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the valve arrangement, the manual actuation means have a
remaining main part of the valve assembly removable

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operating part. This design can be understood as a safety function, in that unauthorized manual operation of the valve arrangement is prevented by temporarily removing the operating part. In addition or alternatively, the removable operating part can also be provided to enable manual remote operation, for example via a connecting cable or, preferably, via wireless transmission technology. In this way, the user does not need his own additional control device to operate the valve arrangement and does not have to fiddle with a valve arrangement that may be difficult to access, but can carry out the necessary interventions comfortably from a convenient location.

With wireless signal transmission, the integrated transmitter electronics can be very small; designs such as those already used in car keys, including in a codeable form, are possible. Since such transmitter electronics are used on a large scale, they are available at relatively low cost.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a valve arrangement equipped with manual actuation means according to the invention and

Fig. 2 the valve arrangement from Fig. 1 in a more objective representation with indication of the

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Removability of the control panel for the hand-operated devices.

The valve arrangement 1 shown as an example contains a plurality of valve units 2 which are combined in the manner of an assembly and firmly connected to one another. The valve units 2 are expediently arranged in a row one after the other, with the direction of the row being indicated in dash-dotted lines at 3 in Fig. 1. The valve units 2 are expediently originally individual components which are held together when attached to one another by connecting means (not shown in detail). However, it is also possible to use a strip-shaped or plate-like support on which the valve units are mounted.

Each valve unit 2 contains a main valve part 4, which is equipped with a valve element (not shown in detail), in particular a valve slide. The valve element can be positioned in different switching positions in which it connects internal valve channels to one another in different ways according to a predetermined scheme. Fluid outlets 5 are provided on the main valve parts 4, which can be connected to consumers via suitable fluid lines, for example to fluid-operated drives. A typical mode of operation of the valve units 2 provides that the fluid outlets 5 are optionally connected to a feed channel or a relief channel, depending on the switching position of the valve element, in order to feed in or discharge the fluid required for the operation of the consumers. Pressure fluid is preferably used as the fluid.

air is used, whereby the relief channel is a ventilation channel.

Each valve unit 2 is equipped with electrical valve drive means 6, which are attached to the main valve part 4 or integrated into it. They ensure the desired positioning of the associated valve element on the basis of received electrical signals. Preferably, valve drive means are used that are based on electromagnetic, piezoelectric or electrostatic functional principles. They can be designed as direct drives or be part of a pilot valve with which the main valve part 4 can be activated in a pilot-controlled manner.

The valve arrangement 1 is expediently equipped with an electronic control device 7 which, during normal operation of the valve arrangement, outputs the electrical control signals required for actuation to the valve drive means 6 of the valve units 2 via suitable control lines 8. In the exemplary embodiment, the electronic control device 7 contains a control program in which the desired circuit sequences are stored in order to obtain a desired actuation sequence of the connected valve units 2. The operation of the electronic control device 7 is initiated by a further, external electronic control device 12 which is connected to the previously mentioned internal electronic control device 7. The connection is made by electrical connection means 13 provided on the valve arrangement 1. The signal transmission between the external and the internal control device 12,

is conveniently carried out by a suitable bus 14, in particular in serial signal transmission technology.

The internal electronic control device 7 can alternatively be designed as a simple field bus station which receives control signals from the external control device 12 and then, after appropriate processing, forwards them to the valve units 2 in the correct assignment via the control lines 8.

In normal operation of the valve arrangement 1, the valve units 2 are therefore actuated in the electronically controlled manner described. The actuating energy required for the electrical valve drive means 6 and preferably also for the integrated electronic control device 7 is fed in from the outside via the connection means 13. In the exemplary embodiment, the energy source is part of the external electronic control device 12, but can also easily be designed separately. It is also possible to feed the required control signals and actuating energy into the valve arrangement 1 via separate connection means.

The valve arrangement 1 is further equipped with manual actuation means 15. These means, which can also be referred to as manual auxiliary actuation means, enable the actuation of individual valve units 2 without the control signals supplied by the internal electronic control device 7 during normal operation on the basis of manually entered commands. In other words, the manual actuation means 15 enable ma-

Manually induced actuation of the valve units 2 when the automated control device is switched off. Such a state occurs in particular when the valve arrangement 1 has to be put into operation again or, as part of the conversion of connected consumers, has to be readjusted. Emergency operation is also possible in this way, for example in the event of a failure of the control system or the electrical power supply.

The manual actuation means 15 have the advantage that they enable electrical actuation of the valve units 2 even when the external power supply is disconnected. The actuation chain between the manually activated operating elements 16 of the manual actuation means 15 and the valve elements of the valve units 2 (not shown in detail in the drawing) is therefore not entirely mechanical, but rather a combination of mechanical and electrical. Actuation commands entered mechanically by actuating the operating elements are converted into electrical signals that actuate the electrical valve drive means 6 as if they were actuated during normal operation. The design effort and space requirement of the manual actuation means 15 is therefore extremely low.

A further particular advantage of the manual actuation means 15 is that the actuation energy required for activating the electric valve drive means 6 is provided directly within the valve arrangement 1, namely by an on-board energy storage device 17.

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One possible embodiment of the manual actuation means 15 is shown in highly schematic form in Fig. 1. Here, the individual valve units 2 are each connected to the on-board electrical energy storage device 17 via at least one electrical auxiliary line 18, with a switch 22 being interposed in the course of the electrical auxiliary line 18, which is able to selectively release or interrupt the line connection. In particular, this can be a mechanical switch 22, which normally assumes the open position and can be closed when required by activating the associated control element 16.

During normal operation of the valve arrangement 1, all switches 22 are open. However, if a special operating state exists in which the external electrical energy supply is disconnected from the valve arrangement 1, the switches 22 can be closed as required by operating the operating elements 16 in order to operate the relevant electrical valve drive means 6 using the electrical energy stored in the energy storage device 7. The operating elements 16 are indicated as arrows in Fig. 1 for the sake of simplicity. In fact, they will in particular be operating buttons, as indicated in Fig. 2. They are expediently grouped together in an easily accessible control panel on the outside of the valve arrangement 1.

One or more batteries can be used as energy storage 17, for example, and can be replaced when

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they are used up. It is advisable to use rechargeable batteries, for example rechargeable batteries, as is the case in the embodiment.

A particularly advantageous design is one in which the rechargeable energy storage device 17 does not have to be removed from the valve arrangement 1 for charging. In this case, it is expediently provided that the charging process takes place during normal operation of the valve arrangement 1, with the electrical energy being taken from the actuation energy that is fed in from the outside via the connection means 13. In this context, the manual actuation means 15 are equipped with charging means 23 located on board the valve arrangement 1, which are indicated in Fig. 1 in the form of a charging circuit.

Deviating from the described mode of operation of the manual actuating means 15, it is also possible to provide a design such that the valve units 2 receive their control signals from the electronic control device 7 not only in normal operation, but also in manual operation. In this case, the internal electronic control device 7 is supplied with the required energy in normal operation by the connected external energy source and outside of normal operation by the internal energy storage device 17, whereby activation of the operating elements 16 activates the internal electronic control device 7 in such a way that it outputs the desired actuation signal to the selected valve unit 2 via the relevant control line 8. This design has the advantage

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This means that even in emergency operation, when no external power supply is available, the full functionality of the electronic control device 7 can be made available.

Nevertheless, in such a case it is expedient to take measures that only allow a limited range of functions of the electronic control device 7. For example, there can be an additional presetting electronics 24 formed directly by the electronic control device 7, with which the switching functions of the valve units 2 that can be triggered by the manual actuation means can be specified, in particular in a programmable manner. This ensures a safety function that can, for example, prevent certain switching functions that could lead to undesirable collisions between machine parts whose movements are controlled by the valve units 2.

A further safety aspect can result from the fact that the operating elements 16 are provided on an operating part 25, which can be removed from the remaining main part 26 of the valve arrangement 1 if necessary. This prevents unintentional or unauthorized activation of the manual actuation means 15. The operating part 25, which is designed as a plate or strip, for example - indicated in Fig. 1 by a dash-dotted frame - can be releasably fixed to the main part 26, for example by latching or locking. In Fig. 2, an arrow 27 indicates the possibility of

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ability to remove the operating part 25 from the valve arrangement 1 as required.

In conjunction with a removable control unit 25, the ease of use of the manual actuation means 15 can also be increased considerably. It is possible to use the control unit 25 as a remote control unit, which allows manual-electrical activation of the valve units 2 from a convenient position without having to carry out manipulations directly at the location of the valve arrangement 1.

For signal transmission, for example, a cable connection can be provided, which is either permanently present or is established when required, for example by means of suitable plug-in connection means.

However, an even more convenient, because particularly unconstrained, operation is possible if the structural design allows wireless signal transmission between the operating part 25 and the main part 26 of the valve arrangement 1, as is the case in the exemplary embodiment. Here, the operating part 25 has transmitting means 28, and the main part 26 is equipped with receiving means 32. When the operating elements 16 are activated, actuation signals can thus be transmitted, for example on an infrared basis, but preferably on a radio basis, to the components of the manual actuation means 15 remaining on the main part 26.

To obtain the required transmission power, the control unit 2 5 is expediently equipped with its own energy storage

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33. This can also be a rechargeable battery, whereby it can be provided that a charging process takes place when the control unit 25 is installed on the main part 26 and the external energy supply of the valve arrangement 1 is in operation.

If required, the control unit 25 can be equipped with a control unit electronics 34 which, for example, specifies the permissible operating procedures.

The actuation signals fed in via the receiving means 32 can, for example, be transmitted to the switches 22 directly or, as shown, with the interposition of a microcontroller 35. Alternatively, transmission to the internal electronic control device would also be possible if the manual actuation of the valve units 2 is to take place using this electronic control device 7.

For example, in order to display the switching states of the individual valve units 2 or to visualize actuation options or operating modes, the control unit 25 can be equipped with optical display means 36. LEDs or an integrated display are particularly possible here. Such display means are also useful if no removable control unit 25 is provided. In this case, the display means 36 are located directly at a suitable location on the valve arrangement 1.

Claims (19)

1. Valve arrangement, with several electrically actuated valve units ( 2 ) combined in the form of an assembly, with connection means ( 13 ) for feeding in externally provided actuating energy for the valve units ( 2 ) and with manual actuating means ( 15 ) for manually actuating individual valve units ( 2 ) without the control signals supplied by an electronic control device during normal operation, characterized in that the manual actuating means ( 15 ) are designed for manually actuating the valve units ( 2 ), the required actuating energy being provided by an energy store ( 17 ) located on board the valve arrangement ( 1 ). 2. Valve arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the energy storage device ( 17 ) is formed by at least one battery. 3. Valve arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by a rechargeable energy store ( 17 ), for example in the form of at least one battery. 4. Valve arrangement according to claim 3, characterized by on-board charging means ( 23 ) by means of which charging of the rechargeable energy store ( 17 ) can be brought about by the electrical actuating energy fed in from outside during normal operation. 5. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by an on-board electronic control device ( 7 ) which supplies the valve units ( 2 ) with electrical control signals during normal operation and which, at least when the external energy supply is switched off, is fed by the on-board energy store ( 17 ), wherein the manual actuation means ( 15 ) can be used to manually actuate the electronic control device ( 7 ) in order to cause it to output control signals for the valve units ( 2 ). 6. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by on-board, preferably programmable, presetting electronics ( 24 ) for specifying the switching functions of the valve units ( 2 ) that can be brought about by the manual actuation means ( 15 ). 7. Valve arrangement according to claim 6, characterized in that the setting electronics ( 24 ) is a component of an on-board electronic control device ( 7 ) required for normal operation. 8. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the manual actuating means ( 15 ) have operating elements ( 16 ) assigned to the individual valve units ( 2 ), which are formed, for example, by operating buttons. 9. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the manual actuation means ( 15 ) have manually operable electrical switches ( 22 ) which are interposed in the electrical connection between the energy storage device ( 17 ) and the individual valve units ( 2 ) in order to be able to selectively establish or interrupt this electrical connection. 10. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the manual actuating means ( 15 ) have an operating part ( 25 ) which is removable from the remaining main part ( 26 ) of the valve arrangement ( 1 ). 11. Valve arrangement according to claim 10, characterized in that the operating part ( 25 ) in the removed state forms a remote control part for the components of the manual actuating means ( 15 ) remaining on the main part ( 26 ). 12. Valve arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the operating part ( 25 ) has transmitting means ( 28 ) and the main part ( 26 ) has associated receiving means ( 32 ), such that when the operating part ( 25 ) is removed, a manually induced remote actuation of the valve units ( 2 ) is possible. 13. Valve arrangement according to claim 12, characterized in that the transmitting means ( 28 ) and receiving means ( 32 ) are designed for wireless transmission of actuation signals, in particular for radio or infrared transmission. 14. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the operating part ( 25 ) is equipped with an energy storage device ( 33 ) which in particular supplies the energy required for wireless signal transmission. 15. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the operating part ( 25 ) is equipped with an operating part electronics ( 34 ) which in particular defines the possible operating processes. 16. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the operating part ( 25 ) has optical display means ( 36 ), in particular for the actuating state of the individual valve units ( 2 ). 17. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that the operating part ( 25 ) is designed in the form of a plate or strip. 18. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that the valve units ( 2 ) are arranged one after the other in a row. 19. Valve arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the valve units ( 2 ) are equipped with electrical valve drive means ( 6 ) based in particular on an electrostatic, piezoelectric or electromagnetic functional principle.