Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K37/00—Special means in or on valves or other cut-off apparatus for indicating or recording operation thereof, or for enabling an alarm to be given
  • F16K37/0025—Electrical or magnetic means
  • F16K37/0041—Electrical or magnetic means for measuring valve parameters
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K31/00—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices
  • F16K31/02—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic
  • F16K31/04—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor
  • F16K31/041—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor for rotating valves
  • F16K31/042—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor for rotating valves with electric means, e.g. for controlling the motor or a clutch between the valve and the motor
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K31/00—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices
  • F16K31/02—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic
  • F16K31/04—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor
  • F16K31/041—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor for rotating valves
  • F16K31/043—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor for rotating valves characterised by mechanical means between the motor and the valve, e.g. lost motion means reducing backlash, clutches, brakes or return means
  • F16K31/045—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices electric; magnetic using a motor for rotating valves characterised by mechanical means between the motor and the valve, e.g. lost motion means reducing backlash, clutches, brakes or return means with torque limiters
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
  • Y10T137/8158—With indicator, register, recorder, alarm or inspection means
  • Y10T137/8225—Position or extent of motion indicator
  • Y10T137/8242—Electrical

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a valve whose operation is provided by a remote controlled actuator. More particularly, the invention relates to a device and a method for detecting faults in the main components of a valve, such as a drive shaft, a valve motor, particularly when the valve is used in a circuit. important for safety reasons such as an aircraft fuel system.
• Aircraft fuel systems typically include fuel valves to perform functions such as engine power outages, fueling entry, or fuel transfer between independent tanks.
• a fuel valve 1, as illustrated in Figure 1, comprises an actuator 11, driven by an electric motor 12 coupled to a gear.
• the actuator 11 rotates a spherical nut 13 by means of a drive shaft 14 which penetrates inside a fuel tank 15.
• the spherical nut 13 is inserted into a valve body 16 and is mounted integral in rotation about an axis 132 inside said valve body.
• the spherical nut 13 has a through opening 133, axis 134, substantially perpendicular to the axis 132.
• the valve body 16 comprises two substantially cylindrical ends 161, of diameter substantially smaller than a diameter of the spherical nut, on which fix the flow conduits 17 of the fuel.
• the two ends 161 are substantially aligned, of axis 171, substantially perpendicular to the axis 132.
• the axis 134 of the opening 133 of the spherical nut 13 and the axis 171 of the flow conduits 17 are substantially coaxial.
• the axis 134 of the opening 133 of the spherical nut 13 and the axis 171 of the flow ducts 17 are substantially perpendicular.
• the current methods of monitoring these valves are to compare the controlled position of the valve and the detected position of the valve by means of switches positioned in the actuator 11.
• a defect of the monitoring devices is related to the risk of failure of the valve. one or more switches, due for example to problems of electrical contacts or damage to the mechanism of the switch. In this case, the position of the valve can not be determined and an error message, such as for example "unknown failure" is returned to a surveillance system of the aircraft.
• a maintenance intervention is then necessary to close the valve in a known position and to replace the actuator 11, which can lead to immobilization of the aircraft and to the detection and execution times of failure more or less long.
• Another limitation lies in the fact that only the position of the actuator 11 is monitored, and not the actual position of the spherical nut 13 or the drive shaft 14. This limitation leads to the possibility of hidden failures.
• the position of the actuator 11 is detected and transmitted to the control cabin while the spherical nut 13 is not in the corresponding position, for example, following an undetected failure of the shaft 11.
• These hidden failures, including that of the drive shaft 11, are likely to affect the operational availability of an aircraft and it is necessary to schedule maintenance operations at regular intervals to verify the valve operation, which can be detrimental for operating airlines.
• the present invention provides a valve and a method of diagnosing the operation of a valve during its operation to detect a failure on said valve.
• An aircraft fuel system valve has a nut in a valve body adapted to be connected to fuel flow conduits, said nut being rotatable about an axis of rotation in said valve body and secured to a first end of a drive shaft rotated by an electric actuator.
• the nut has a through opening, with an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and has two stable positions, at two ends of a rotation range of said nut, such that: in a first position of the nut, said open position, the axis of the opening is oriented to allow the flow of fuel in the ducts,
• the axis of the opening is oriented to prohibit the flow of fuel in the ducts.
• the valve comprises:
• Torque generating means positioned at one end of a secondary shaft integral with the nut, said torque generating means generating a torque, variable depending on the position of the nut in the valve body, on the driving shaft and able to cause an increase in a current solicited by the actuator,
• Position detection means positioned at a second end of the drive shaft, opposite to the first end, and adapted to deliver signals characterizing positions of said drive shaft.
• the torque generating means and the position detection means are positioned so that when moving from an open position to a closed position the torque increases before the detection of the closed position and when passing from a closed position to an open position the torque increases before the detection of the open position.
• the torque generating means do not generate significant torque to a proximity of the two ends of the rotation range and generate a progressively increasing torque from a proximity of each end to the end concerned.
• the torque generating means comprises:
• a disc secured to the secondary shaft on the side of the free end, comprising at least one projecting element
• the torque generating means comprise:
• a disc secured to the secondary shaft on the side of the free end, comprising at least one projecting element
• a stop element positioned on the valve body, arranged so that the at least one projecting element is in contact with a first side of said abutment element when the nut is substantially before the open position and the at least one projecting element; is in contact with a second side of said stop member when the nut is substantially before the closed position.
• the position detection means generates at least one characteristic signal of the open position and at least one characteristic signal of the closed position.
• the position detection means comprise:
• the position detecting means comprise at least two position detectors at each end of the rotation range, positioned so that when moving from an open position to a position closed, the first position detector delivers the characteristic signal of the position of said drive shaft before the second position detector and when moving from a closed position to an open position, the first position detector delivers the characteristic signal the position of said drive shaft before the second position detector.
• the invention also relates to a method for diagnosing the operation of a fuel circuit valve during operation, wherein a coherence of a control signal, sent to the actuator to rotate the nut, with the signals generated by the torque generating means and the position detecting means (19) is checked or an inconsistency is detected.
• the invention also relates to a device for implementing the method.
• the device comprises: control means, able to control the rotation of the electric actuator, and to record the signals generated by the torque generating means and the position detection means, supply means capable of supplying an electric current necessary to the actuator,
• - Maintenance means adapted to generate an alarm message in the event of failure of the valve.
• FIG. 1 already mentioned, a sectional view of a fuel valve according to the prior art, FIG. 2, a sectional view of a fuel valve according to the invention,
• FIG. 5 a view of the position detection means associated with the fuel valve
• FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a fault detection device comprising the fuel valve according to the invention.
• a fuel valve 1 of a fuel circuit in an aircraft according to the invention comprises an actuator 11 driven by at least one electric motor 12 coupled to a gearbox.
• the motorized actuator 11 rotates a drive shaft 14 which penetrates inside a fuel tank through a sealed passage of a wall of the tank.
• the drive shaft 14 drives at a first end 143 a spherical nut 13.
• the spherical nut 13 is integral with a secondary shaft 131 and is inserted into a fuel valve body 16 with the secondary shaft 131 projecting outwardly of said valve body.
• the spherical nut 13 and the secondary shaft 131 are integrally rotatably mounted about an axis 132 inside the valve body 16.
• the present invention is described in the case of a spherical nut 13.
• the nut may have any other form since it has a surface of revolution about the axis 132, such as for example a cylindrical shape.
• the valve body 16 comprises two substantially cylindrical open ends 161, of diameter substantially smaller than a diameter of the spherical nut 13, on which flow conduits 17 of the fuel are fixed.
• the two ends 161 are substantially aligned, of axis 171 substantially perpendicular to the axis 132.
• the spherical nut 13 has a through opening 133, axis
• the positioning of the opening 133 of the spherical nut 13 relative to said two flow conduits 17 is achieved by a rotation of the spherical nut 13 around the axis 132, between two stable positions:
• a first position said open position, to allow the passage of the fuel, wherein the axis 134 of the opening 133 of the spherical nut 13 and the axis 171 of the flow ducts 17 are substantially coaxial, - a second position, said closed position, to block the passage of fuel, wherein the axis 134 of the opening 133 of the spherical nut 13 and the axis 171 of the flow ducts 17 are substantially perpendicular.
• the fuel valve 1 further comprises means for generating torque 18, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.
• the shaft 131 has, at one end 135 accessible from the outside of the valve body 16, a face 136 on which is mounted a disk 181, preferably substantially of the same diameter as the face of the shaft 131.
• Said disk comprises, on an outer peripheral surface 182, at least one projecting element 183.
• the at least one projecting element 183 is an excrescence of the disc 181, forming a single piece.
• the at least one projecting element 183 is formed by a frustoconical element, integral with the outer peripheral surface of the disc by the large base.
• the disk 181 is made of an elastomer material, said material to be chosen from rigid materials and resistant to fuel.
• the disc 181 includes, over all or part of the outer peripheral surface 182, a sheet covering said outer peripheral surface to provide a wear-resistant surface.
• the sheet is made of a metallic material.
• the disc 181 is held integral with the secondary shaft 131 by means of a cover plate 185.
• the cover plate 185 comprises locking means 186, such as that for example a locking groove or anti-rotation device.
• the cover plate 185 and the disk 181 are fixed to said secondary shaft by means of a fastener element 187.
• the fastener element is a nut associated with a washer 188.
• the nut passes through the cover plate 185 and the disc 181, to engage a thread 137 associated with said nut, machined in the shaft 131.
• Two stop members 189 are attached to the valve body 16 by means of fasteners, such as for example a screw.
• the at least one projecting element 183 comes into contact, for a given angular position of the disc 181 with a first stop element 189 and comes into contact, for another given angular position of the disc 181, with a second stop element 189.
• the two abutment members 189 are arranged such that when the spherical nut 13 is in the open position, the at least one protruding member 183 of the disc 181 is in contact with a first abutment member 189 and when the spherical nut 13 is in the closed position, the second projecting element 183 is in contact with the second abutment element 189.
• the disc 181 in order to arrange the abutment elements 189 in positions as remote as possible with respect to the axis 132, the disc 181 comprises two angularly offset projecting elements to obtain the same result. .
• the abutment members 189 are made of a strong material such as steel.
• the abutment elements 189 are formed by cylinders, one of whose bases is integral with the valve body 16.
• the disc 181 is representative of the position of the spherical nut 13 which it is secured to the shaft Training 14.
• a range of rotation of the spherical nut 13 is thus delimited at each end by an increase in measurable torque from an increase in the level of current required by the at least one motor 12.
• the value of the torque increase is sufficient to create a clear and repeatable current draw, but care is taken to limit the motor torque to a reasonable value so as not to introduce fatigue problems at the level of the motor. actuator gear teeth.
• the variation of torque can be controlled by adjusting the level of deformation of the projecting elements 183 of the disc 181.
• This deformation adjustment is made for example by modifying the diameter of the disc 181 or by modifying the spacing between the abutment members 189 and the secondary shaft 131 integral with the spherical nut
• a single stop member 189 is attached to the valve body 16 and at least one projecting member 183 contacts a first side of the stop member 189 for a position. given angle angular disc 181 and a second side of the stop member 189 for another given angular position of the disk 181.
• the fuel valve 1 also comprises position detection means 19 positioned inside the actuator 11 , as illustrated in FIG. 5.
• Said position detection means comprise a cam 191, integral with the drive shaft 14 at a second end 141 situated on the side actuator 11, so outside the fuel tank.
• the cam 191 comprises, on an outer peripheral surface 192, at least one projecting element 193 which actuates, for a given angular position of the cam 191, an angular position detector 195 and which actuates for another given angular position of the cam 191, another angular position detector 195.
• the two position detectors 195 and the cam 191 are arranged such that one of the position detectors 195 is actuated when the spherical nut 13 is in the open position and the other detector position 195 is actuated when the spherical nut 13 is in the closed position.
• the cam 191 comprises two salient elements angularly offset to obtain the same result.
• the projecting elements 193 are excrescences of the cam 191, forming a single piece.
• the projecting elements 193 are formed by frustoconical elements, integral with the outer peripheral surface. 192 of the cam 191 by the large base.
• the position detectors 195 are contact sensors such as, for example, switches whose control lever 196 comes into contact with one of the two projecting elements 193 of the cam 191.
• the position detectors 195 are non-contact sensors such as for example Hall effect sensors.
• the position sensors 195 provide an indication of the position of the actuator 11 of the carburetor valve 1.
• the position detection means 19 comprise second position detectors 197 located near each position detector 195.
• the role of the second position detectors 197 is twofold. On the one hand, when the position sensors 195 are faulty, said second position sensors act as additional means for returning a signal characteristic of the position of the actuator 11. On the other hand, when the drive shaft 14 is defective, the second position sensors 197 are used as a means of signaling an overshoot of the rotation range of the actuator. In another exemplary embodiment, the second position detectors 197 are non-contact sensors such as for example Hall effect sensors. Because they are without contacts, the second position detectors 197 are more reliable.
• the fuel valve is advantageously integrated in a device 20 for detecting a fault, schematically illustrated in FIG. 6.
• Said device comprises control means 21 able to control the at least one motor by supply means 22.
• the rotational movement of the spherical nut 13 is initiated in response to a command generated by the control means 21, as a function of signals received from other systems (not shown) and or by means of a control member actuable by the crew, such as for example a switch 23, positioned in a cockpit of the aircraft.
• control means 21 When a command is generated, the control means 21 transmit a signal to the power supply means 22 via a data bus 24, and said supply means supply, from an electrical distribution network 25, a current of supplying power to the at least one motor 12 by power cables 29.
• the activation of the at least one motor 12 causes rotation of the actuator 11, rotation of substantially a quarter turn in the controlled direction, of the drive shaft 14 which, in turn, drives the spherical nut 13, to move from the open position to the closed position or vice versa.
• the power supply means 22 further comprise current control means 26 which make it possible to measure the intensity of the current and to analyze the current biased by the at least one motor.
• current control means 26 which make it possible to measure the intensity of the current and to analyze the current biased by the at least one motor.
• a current is supplied to the at least one motor 12 located near the actuator 11.
• Said actuator drives the drive shaft 14 in rotation which, in turn, rotates the spherical nut 13 integral with the means for generating the torque 18.
• the spherical nut 13 pivots until the at least one projecting element 183 of the disc 181 comes into contact with a stop member 189. This contact causes a resistance which opposes the rotation of the spherical nut and leads to an increase in the torque on the drive shaft 14 resulting in a call the current biased by the at least one motor 12.
• the control means 21 When the current draw is detected, the control means 21 generate the pre-stop signal of the at least one motor.
• a second signal, said power supply cut signal of the at least one motor 12, is then sent to the control means 21 which cut off the supply of the at least one motor 12, which has the effect of stopping the rotational drive of the drive shaft 14, and of the spherical nut 13 is in the open position or in the closed position, according to the command generated by the control means 21.
• the main failures of such a fuel valve 1 are: - a blocking of the spherical nut 13,
• any incoherence detected from the signals generated by the torque generating means 18 and the position detection means 19 is recorded by the control means 21 and a failure message is generated and then transmitted by the control means 21 to monitoring means 27 via the data bus 24.
• all the data necessary for the maintenance personnel to identify the fault including for example which element is faulty and the time available before performing the repair, depending mainly on the criticality of the fuel valve 1, are stored in a maintenance means 28. Failure of the position sensors 195
• the fault detection device may for example detecting a failure of the position detectors 195 by means of the second position detectors 197.
• the first signal is turned on and the drive shaft 14 continues to rotate. If the position sensors 195 are faulty and therefore do not transmit signals to the control means 21, the drive shaft 14 continues to rotate a fraction of a degree further until the at least one projecting element 193 of the In this situation, said second position detectors substitute for said first position detectors and transmit a signal to the control means 21 at least one motor 12.
• Said control means transmit a maintenance message, for example of the "faulty switch" type to the maintenance means 28, so that replacement operations of the position detectors 195 defective. Knowledge of this failure of position sensors 195 does not cause immediate immobilization of the aircraft.
• the fuel valve 1 can thus remain in service because the spherical nut 13 rotates well and the second position sensors 197 temporarily replace the position detectors 195.
• failure when, following a command from the control means 21, no current is biased by the at least one motor 12, the supply of said at least one motor is interrupted. This failure is interpreted as a failure of the at least one engine 12 and a maintenance operation is programmed to proceed to the replacement of the defective motorized actuator 11. Depending on the criticality of the fuel valve, the maintenance operation is programmed to more or less long term.
• the power-off signal is not detected by the control means 21 and the shaft 14 continues to pivot until the at least one projecting element 193 of the cam 191 of the detection means 19 actuates with one of the two position detectors 195.
• the actuation of the position detectors 195 is considered as a first complementary signal and the supply of the at least one motor 12 is cut off as soon as the at least one projecting element 193 is detected by the second position detectors 197.
• a message is then transmitted by the s control means 21 to the maintenance means 28 to prevent the loss of movement of the spherical nut 13, and schedule an immediate maintenance operation. In this way, the crew is immediately aware of the nature of the breakdown and the frank break of the tree drive 14 must lead to the replacement of the valve before a next flight.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Indication Of The Valve Opening Or Closing Status (AREA)
• Electrically Driven Valve-Operating Means (AREA)
• Taps Or Cocks (AREA)
• Electrical Control Of Air Or Fuel Supplied To Internal-Combustion Engine (AREA)
• Preventing Unauthorised Actuation Of Valves (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-07-12 FR FR0705053A patent/FR2918731B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2008
  • 2008-07-08 US US12/668,607 patent/US8807161B2/en active Active
  • 2008-07-08 RU RU2010104862/06A patent/RU2471106C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-07-08 CN CN2008801043098A patent/CN101784827B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-07-08 WO PCT/FR2008/051276 patent/WO2009016299A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2008-07-08 JP JP2010515574A patent/JP5592257B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-07-08 BR BRPI0814682 patent/BRPI0814682A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-07-08 CA CA 2693093 patent/CA2693093C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-07-08 EP EP08826848A patent/EP2171328A2/fr not_active Withdrawn

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