Showing papers on "Solenoid published in 1976"

Solenoid-actuated valve

Abstract: Solenoid-actuated valve adapted for heavy duty use by having the coil of the solenoid divided into high and low power windings connected in and automatically energized in succession by a solid state control circuit for providing in sequence high power of predetermined short duration for opening the valve and low power of usually longer duration for holding the valve in open position.

Solar water heating system

Abstract: A solar water heating system in which piping arrangements and solenoid operated valves are combined with a water storage heater and solar heater or collectors in a manner to protect the system against over temperature and against freezing without the use of antifreeze or auxiliary heat exchanger systems.

Constant volume seal-free reciprocating pump

Abstract: A reciprocating pump having a piston completely enclosed by and moving within a cylinder. The pumping action is provided by the interaction between a magnetic component embedded in the piston and an external varying magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet, solenoid, etc. The necessary back-and-forth motion is produced by momentarily offsetting the gravitational force by the spatial driving or time variation of the magnetic field and a suitable combination of valves is provided to control the fluid flow through the cylinder.

Fail-safe ground fault receptacle circuit

Abstract: A fail-safe ground fault receptacle circuit includes a ground fault circuit interrupter inductively coupled to a load, directly coupled to one potential source terminal, and coupled by way of a series connected solenoid winding and contacts of a circuit breaker shunted by a series connected impedance and indicating lamp to another potential source terminal whereby manually closing the circuit breaker causes current flow through the solenoid winding shunting the indicator lamp and preventing activation thereof and excessive current flow through the solenoid winding opens the circuit breaker to cause current flow through and activation of the indicating lamp

Ferrofluidic electrical generator

Abstract: This disclosure is related to electrical generators which utilize heating and cooling of separate points in a closed circuit ferrofluid system to generate electrical power directly from heat energy. The characteristic of ferrofluids to experience rapid change in their magnetic properties with temperature is utilized by placing a magnet around the circuit to create a self-pumping action of the ferrofluid through a solenoid to generate electric power.

Live roller conveyor

Abstract: A live roller conveyor having a supporting frame and a plurality of load supporting transport or carrier rollers rotatably supported from the frame and a plurality of drive wheels in frictional driving contact with the rollers for frictionally driving the rollers. Certain of the drive wheels are powered from a power source and all of the drive wheels are spring biased toward the rollers. In one embodiment, the drive source is a line shaft having a friction drive connection to the powered drive wheels. In a second embodiment, the drive source is a small electric motor driving each powered drive wheel. A third embodiment includes a switch controlled solenoid for selectively engaging and disengaging the drive to the rollers. The drive sources and drive wheels may be arranged in many combinations to create separate and distinct drive zones of the load supporting rollers. The drive zones may be energized or deenergized by control mechanisms to provide positive load transport control.

Seat actuated fluid drive neutralizing arrangement

Abstract: A fluid drive arrangement of a vehicle is shiftable to forward and reverse drive conditions when actuating fluid from an auxiliary source of pressurized fluid is directed to a hydraulic actuator device of the fluid drive arrangement and is shifted to a neutral position automatically when the flow of actuating fluid to the hydraulic actuator device is blocked. A solenoid operated valve device is disposed between the auxiliary source of fluid and the hydraulic actuator device and has an energized fluid supplying position for directing actuating fluid to the hydraulic actuator device and a de-energized fluid blocking position for blocking pressurized fluid from the hydraulic actuator device. An electrical switch is disposed within a conductor line connecting a source of electrical energy to the solenoid operated valve device and has a closed position for completing an electrical circuit to energize the solenoid operated valve device and an open position for de-energizing the solenoid operated valve device. The electrical switch is disposed beneath an operator's seat of the vehicle in a position to be engaged by the seat and actuated to its closed position when the seat is moved to its lowered occupied position and is actuated to its open position when the seat is moved to its raised unoccupied position.

Method and apparatus for measuring cross sectional area and weight per unit length of elongated, conductive material by magnetic field displacement

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed whereby a solenoid coaxially surrounding an elongated electrically conducting material generates a radio frequency magnetic field of such a frequency that the material within excludes or displaces magnetic lines of force therefrom. One or more search coils are mounted coaxially within the solenoid, but outside of the material. By comparing the signal induced in the search coils when the material is present with the signal induced in the search coils when the material is absent, the outer cross sectional area of the material may be measured by measuring magnetic field exclusion or displacement, from the search coil andfrom this data, weight per unit length of solid material may be inferred. Furthermore, a pattern of deformations on the material may also be inferred, when the material is moving at known speed, from any high frequency modulation of the signal picked up by the search coil. When the mean mass per unit length of hollow elongated materials is known the mean wall thickness may be inferred.

Circuit breaker solid state trip unit incorporating trip indicating circuit

Abstract: A separate electronic switch controls energization of each of a plurality of parallel connected electromagnetic targets. An additional electronic switch controls energization of a circuit breaker trip solenoid. The individual trigger circuits for each target switch are common with the trigger circuit for the trip solenoid switch, such that a trigger signal to any one of the target switches is also applied to the solenoid switch to achieve concurrent, but independent energization of the associated target and the trip solenoid.

Appliance programmer including a safety circuit

Abstract: An appliance programmer, in particular an automatic washer programmer, employs a memory circuit and a sequence control for establishing a predetermined program. Included in the programmer are a safety circuit and a water level sensing circuit whose function is to detect malfunction in the filling and draining operations of the appliance. Thus, when the machine has progressed to a washing operation during which the wash tub normally has a sufficient amount of water to perform the washing operation, the sensing circuit will sense a low water level condition and will reenergize the water fill valve solenoid to bring the water level up to the desired point. The programmer logic permits the safety circuit to reenergize the fill valve solenoid twice in response to low water level indications after which the logic will interrupt the program in response to a third low water level indication and will deenergize the appliance. In addition a service light is energized to call attention to the malfunction by the machine operator. Another portion of the safety circuit interrupts the program and deenergizes the machine function and energizes a service light when water is detected in the machine tub at the end of a draining operation.

Water valve operating solenoid

Abstract: A water valve operating solenoid is disclosed having a unitary housing including a relatively thin plunger tube and a threaded nipple and formed of a non-magnetic plastic material. A coil bobbin having inner reinforcing sleeves is positioned around the plunger tube with a split sleeve bobbin cover positioned around the bobbin. Split washers are positioned at both ends to concentrate the flux path.

Ground fault protection system

Abstract: A conventional residential ground fault circuit interrupting (GFCI) device is utilized to control a traditional circuit interrupter in protecting a large power distribution circuit against ground faults. The GFCI device is connected in an energization circuit for a solenoid operable to open the interrupter contacts. A sensor responds to ground faults on the distribution circuit by impressing the current signal on one side of the energization circuit, thus creating a current imbalance effective to trip the GFCI device. Interruption of the energization circuit causes the solenoid to initiate opening of the interrupter contacts. In an alternative embodiment, the GFCI device is adapted to initiate opening of the interrupter contacts upon degradation of ground circuit continuity.

Analytic solutions for constant‐tension coil shapes

Abstract: An analytical solution of the differential equation describing the shape of a flexible filamentary conductor (incapable of supporting bending stresses) in a toroidal magnetic field has been obtained—previously only numerical solutions were available. The solution derives from a series expansion of modified Bessel functions of integer order. The characteristics of toroidal field magnets for proposed tokamak devices are obtainable by term integration of the solution series. General expressions are given for the following coil characteristics: the conductor turn length, the solenoid inductance, the area enclosed by the coil, and the coil support dimensions. For several particular cases of interest these coil chararacteritics are obtained as closed‐form analytical formulas. A new type of coil, called a compound‐constant‐tension coil, is proposed. It is formed by selecting and matching (point and slope) segments chosen from two or more members of the one parameter family of solution curves found for the shape equation. These coils may be supported by tension members at the intersections of the solution curves or by a compression ring support and provide a unique and highly attractive solution to the toroidal field coil centering force support problem of tokamak designs.

Solenoid driver circuit

Abstract: A driver circuit for limiting the magnitude of current flowing through a solenoid wherein the level of the current flowing through the solenoid is sensed and fed back to a driving switch. A level of current above a set level cuts off the drive voltage allowing the current in the solenoid to decay. A timing means fixes the time that the driving switch is off. During off times a conserving voltage is applied to the solenoid to prevent the rapid decay of the solenoid current.

Car mirror with U-shaped slot means and solenoid control

Abstract: A car mirror angling device designed to eliminate "blind spots" in rearward viewing. The device utilizes a solenoid connected to a rotatable post. Actuation of the solenoid rotates the post, which in turn, pivots the mirror. The pivot angle is adjustable by means of thumb screws which are presettable by the driver.

On demand fluid pump

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an on-demand fluid pump having a solenoid actuated reciprocating piston. The pump's electrical circuit comprises an oscillator generating at predetermined intervals short duty cycle sample signals which are applied to the solenoid. The reciprocating piston is nonresponsive to the applied sample signals, however, the sample signals induce a signal in a position sensor. The value of the signal induced in the position sensor is a function of the piston's position. A detector circuit generates a signal switching a bi-stable electronic switch to a SET state in response to an induced signal having a value indicative of the piston being at the end of its spring actuated pump stroke. The bi-stable switch in the SET state activates the solenoid to retract the piston against the force of the spring. The next sequential sample signal resets the bi-stable switch to its RESET state deactivating the solenoid. The time interval between the sample signals is selected to be just long enough for the solenoid to retract the piston from its position at the end of the pumping stroke to its start position. The position sensor in the preferred embodiment is two spatially disposed sensing coils connected in a signal opposing relationship so that the induced signal reverses polarity when the piston is at the end of its pumping stroke.

Plunger type solenoid

Abstract: An improved plunger type solenoid comprises a solenoid coil, a plunger to be attracted into the solenoid coil, a piston directly or indirectly connected to the plunger and a cylinder filled with oil for containing the piston. The piston is subject to the pressure of the oil, such that the speed of movement of the plunger is widely controlled.

Solenoid operated blood pump drive system

Abstract: A solenoid operated drive system or actuating unit for driving blood pumps such as intra-arterial "balloon" pumps, implantable pulsatile pumps, external pumps and the like, wherein a shaft attached to the movable end of a bellows is caused to move back and forth by a pair of oppositely disposed solenoids. The extent of the excursion of the shaft and hence the movable end of the bellows is variably controlled by a first stopper fixedly attached to the frame and a second stopper fixedly attached to a carriage which is adjustably carried within the frame. The solenoids are alternately actuated and/or controlled by suitable control signals which are keyed to the heartbeat or R wave. At the beginning of each cycle for each solenoid and for a short time thereafter, depending on the cycle, a voltage is applied to provide maximum drive. At the end of the maximum drive portion, a reduced voltage is applied to provide a drive and/or holding force of lesser magnitude and is maintained until after the shaft has stopped moving. Thereafter, the reduced voltage is removed and/or current flow through the solenoid is prevented for a further period of time until the next cycle for this solenoid begins with the application of the high voltage. Adjustable noise reducing bumpers are provided to keep impact noises at a minimum and insure the maintenance of a fixed stopping point over extended periods of time.

Method and apparatus for stabilizing the through flow of electromagnetic injectors

Abstract: In order to stabilize the open time of an electromagnetic fuel injector against variation of vehicle battery voltage, first and second threshold values of solenoid current for opening and closing of the injector are predetermined experimentally, the duration of the injection control signal being determined from the time the first current threshold is reached. The battery voltage dependent delay between the end of the injection control signal and the reaching of the second current threshold as the solenoid current decays is subtracted from the duration of the injector opening control signal for the subsequent injection cycle.

Solenoid-controlled diaphragm valves

Abstract: A diaphragm controlled solenoid valve is disclosed having a small pressure inlet orifice in the diaphragm and is characterized by an internal groove provided in the bonnet with at least a portion of the groove being in the same vertical plane as the orifice. The groove is at least as wide and preferably is of greater width than the diameter of the orifice. A manually operable cam is provided for lifting the actuator of the solenoid in case of its malfunction. The spring which normally actuates the diaphragm is eliminated.

Hydraulic system for an automatic transmission of an automotive vehicle

Abstract: An automotive vehicle has an automatic transmission to which fluid is supplied from a source through a control valve having a body which is displaceable to control the flow of the fluid to the load constituted by this tranmission. A plurality of binarily stepped pilot faces are provided on one side of the valve body and the other side is connectable to the source of fluid pressure. A plurality of pressurizable chambers at each of the surfaces are each connected via a respective line to a respective solenoid valve itself connected to the high-pressure side of this system. Binary actuation of these pilot surfaces via the solenoid valves in accordance with motor speed allows the transmission very smoothly to be upshifted and downshifted.

Solid state switching circuit for an electromagnetic pump

Abstract: A solid state switching circuit for an electromagnetic pump is disclosed herein. The circuit comprises a Darlington amplifier controlling the current flow through the pump's solenoid in response to the state of a piston position sensitive electrical switch, a Zener diode and capacitance in the base circuit of the Darlington amplifier in parallel with the electrical switch and an inductive clamp circuit in parallel with the pump's solenoid coil.

Low-mass short-stroke voice-coil actuator for integrated disk file module

Abstract: A low-mass low-inductance short-stroke voice-coil actuator used with a positionable transducer and magnetic disk to provide fast memory access in a low cost-per-bit disk file memory system. Enclosed in a sealed disk module, the actuator and transducing system provide access to any disk information track within one disk revolution or less. Integral with said actuator is a total moving mass of less than 50 grams. A short voice-coil, of one inch or less, is always contained within the magnetic flux of the air gap; and the voice-coil, when energized, can provide a full stroke access (across said magnetic disk) within 16 milliseconds. A pair of spider flexures support (for longitudinal movement) a central rod, which is part of a differential velocity transducer and which is integral with the voice-coil. The central rod is also capable of being rotated by a solenoid to turn a cam which will "unload" or remove the transducing heads away from the disk surfaces.

Acceleration sensitive switch

Abstract: A switch structure detects acceleration in a preselected direction such as, for example, along the pitch axis of an aircraft. The switch has a spring supported mass urged toward a stable centered position within the switch housing. Acceleration displaces the mass such that it trips a spring wire switch mechanism for controlling such avionic devices as the autopilot system of the aircraft. A pair of solenoid coils are wound around the spring mass system on opposite sides of the centered position of the mass. The switch may be preflight tested by successively energizing the solenoid coils to attract the mass toward the centers of the solenoid fields, thereby artifically displacing the mass against the spring wire switches.

Voltage regulation in an electronic engine control system having digital effector actuators

Abstract: The unregulated AC electrical power provided by an engine driven alternator to an airborne electronic engine control system which controls the performance of a gas turbine engine, is rectified to provide unregulated DC voltage signals for system electrical power. The system provides position control of a plurality of controlled surfaces within the engine through a plurality of digital effector servo actuators, each of which includes a mechanical assembly for providing displacement of the surface in each of two directions in response to a magnetic field provided by a respective one of two oppositely polarized solenoids disposed within the actuator. The unregulated DC voltage signal is presented to one or the other of the solenoids, in dependence on a desired displacement direction, through a corresponding one of a pair of gated switches in response to the ON portion of a position gate signal presented to a gate input thereof, the energized solenoid providing a magnetic field with a polarity in dependence on the selected displacement direction. Voltage regulation circuitry provides voltage regulation gate signals having an ON portion with a time duration proportional to the excess amplitude of the unregulated DC voltage signal amplitude above that of a reference voltage level, and presents the regulation gate signals, simultaneously, to both solenoid gated switches in each of the plurality of actuators in the absence of a position gate signal to the respective actuator to provide cancelling magnetic fields which inhibits actuator displacement while increasing the current load to cause attenuation of the unregulated voltage signal amplitude.

CO2‐laser–produced plasma columns in a solenoidal magnetic field

Abstract: A 1‐GW CO2 laser pulse has been used to produce extended column breakdown of hydrogen at low pressure in a 20‐cm‐long solenoid. Magnetic fields of up to 110 kG were used to inhibit radial losses of the plasma column. A differential pumping scheme was devised to prevent formation of an opaque absorption wave travelling out of the solenoid back toward the focusing lens. Target burns give direct evidence for trapped laser beam propagation along the plasma column.

Coil bobbin and matching cover for solenoid assembly

Abstract: An improved bobbin and cover assembly for use in the manufacture of an electrical solenoid includes internal centering lugs for the hollow core bobbin which position the solenoid core. Ridges are integrally molded in the end flange of the bobbin and cover for cooperation with a solenoid field assembly to provide insulation of the field assembly from the leads and to provide for centering of the field assembly.

Transmission disconnect system

Abstract: A system for disconnecting or neutralizing a transmission including a normally open switch, which is closed upon depression of the secondary brake pedal, wired in series with a brake light switch and the coil of a solenoid operated valve. When the coil is energized the valve is shifted to cause the transmission to be neutralized.