Thanks to recent technological advancements, valves and locks may now be managed without the installation of any extra sensors. The drive systems experts at Saarland University, lead by Professor Matthias Nienhaus, just require a metal piston, a tiny chip, and brief pulses of current to create a sustainable and cost-effective solution.
The piston may travel back and forth at any speed, hold in place at any point, and then gently return to its stop position. The proprietary actuation mechanism is low-power and easily incorporated into systems using a custom-made chip. At Hannover Messe, the group will demonstrate their innovative technologies.
Solenoid valves are employed in a wide variety of settings, including but not limited to automated door locks, kitchen appliances, HVAC systems, and even the food processing sector. They're quick and dependable, yet often rigid in their approach. Common solenoids may 'open' and 'shut,' but sometimes fairly suddenly.
It can get pricey, though, if they need to open slowly or extremely swiftly, retain a specific position, or fall softly and silently at the stop position. The addition of new sensors complicates problems since it necessitates the installation of new hardware and wiring.
These more complicated designs also require more energy to run. Certain fire doors, for example, require locking mechanisms to maintain a "open" or "closed" state at all times, which can result in substantial ongoing power usage.
Professor Matthias Nienhaus's research group at Saarland University has created sustainable solutions that can function without the inclusion of any sensors. The new method can significantly reduce power consumption, especially in systems that need to maintain a "open" or "closed" state indefinitely. A tiny microprocessor in the motor's control circuitry and a magnetically conductive metal pin in a coil of wrapped copper wire are all that's required.
"There is no further necessity. Just the basic solenoid's original parts are used "elucidates Nienhaus, Matthias. This demonstrates that their technology is robust enough to be employed under extreme conditions. Nienhaus, an expert on drives, argues that "here is where systems that rely on sensors typically meet their limits," especially when oil or braking fluids are involved.
The researchers at Saarbrücken were able to rapidly and correctly determine the piston's location by analyzing the current that goes through the coil to move the valve's piston. Engineers can learn everything they need to know from the flow of electricity.
"The inductance is being constantly monitored. We do a time-varying current analysis of the winding. This implies that the magnetic state may be seen by measuring voltage and current, tracking fluctuations over time, and analyzing the results "explains Niklas König, a doctorate student working with Matthias Nienhaus on this method.
While the piston moves, the magnetic field and associated current fluctuations shift accordingly. "Because of this, we can zero in on the specific location of the piston. Using this data, we can regulate the pin's location with great accuracy "Niklas König elaborates. This allows the engineers to control the rate at which the piston travels, whether it extremely slow or very fast, or very fast but with a gentle last movement before stopping.
The scientists have modeled motion sequences so that they may utilize smart algorithms to pre-program each piston's location. In addition, the system may be utilized to perform an integrated safety check by observing whether or not a predetermined pin position is maintained, such as whether or not the valve is fully closed. All of these cutting-edge features broaden the technology's possible uses.
This simple yet brilliant fix is also quite economical. Microelectronics are an integral part of our technology, which is why we provide them as part of the package," says Matthias Nienhaus. Its proprietary technology is included on a single chip that controls all the major functions of the system. It requires a small amount of electricity and can be set up quickly.
"It can even help you save money on your power bill. In an unrestricted system, maintaining a fixed posture will quickly deplete the power source. Nevertheless, with our technology, the right position can be ensured with the evaluation of tiny current pulses, and just a small amount of energy is needed to keep it there "He elaborates.
The innovation relies on cutting-edge science and engineering. The signals received by the researchers from the coil are quite noisy and not particularly instructive. The way Nienhaus and his team use to smooth these signals has been patented. The necessary measurement signals are isolated by the engineers. Nienhaus elaborates, "It is much like continually computing the average speed when driving a car," when the pace varies from moment to moment.
Researchers can now pinpoint the exact location of the pin within the winding thanks to their findings. "The end result is a measuring signal with virtually minimal background noise. Even if the pin is little off center in the coil, we can leverage this to our advantage "He elaborates.
The engineers will demonstrate the precision and kinetics of their technique by floating a steel ball up and down in response to command using only current control signals and no extra sensors at the Hannover Messe from April 17-21 (Hall 002, exhibit B34).
Citation :
Conference: www.hannovermesse.de/en/
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