Exemplary control valves that may be configured as a load sense, closed-center, and/or open-center valve. The control valve may include optional individual valve force sensing to potentially allow an operator to smoothly operate devices operating on low-load work ports even when a variable displacement pump is inducing pressure to operate a device connected to a high-load work port of a separate valve or worksection in the same stack. This optional force sensing may be employed on any or all worksections associated with any valve stack, and may further be included on one or both workports for any given worksection. Each worksection may include parallel and variable paths of fluid supplied by the pump. Also, flow priority to one or more worksections or external valves in a corresponding hydraulic system is optional and can be customized using the variable flow path and a corresponding fixed restriction.

A hydraulic system includes a hydraulic valve, a load-holding valve arrangement, a flow-control valve arrangement, a working pressure sensor, a differential pressure sensor, and a speed sensor. The load-holding valve arrangement includes first and second load-holding valves connected to opposite ends of the hydraulic cylinder. The flow-control valve arrangement includes a directional flow-control valve and a hydraulic pump. The differential pressure sensor measures pressure over the load-holding valve arrangement. A desired extension or retraction speed of the hydraulic cylinder is controlled by adjusting the position of the directional flow-control valve, the first load-holding valve and the second load-holding valve based on a measured working pressure in the hydraulic system and a measured speed of the hydraulic cylinder or a differential pressure over the load-holding valve arrangement.

A directly-controlled hydraulic directional valve includes a housing, control piston, first and second springs, double-stroke solenoid, spring plate, adjustment device, and electronics. The piston is longitudinally displaceable in a bore in the housing, either directly or via a control sleeve. The springs are positioned in a region of an end of the piston remote from the solenoid. One end of each spring is supported on the spring plate, which is clamped between the springs and the piston. The other end of the first spring is fixed to the housing, and the other end of the second spring is fixed to the adjustment device. The first spring exerts a force on the piston in a first direction, and the second spring exerts a force on the piston in a second opposite direction, so as to bias the piston into a preferred position. The solenoid is mounted on a side of the housing, and is operable to move the piston out from the preferred position in opposite directions proportional to an electric current from the electronics, such that the piston moves to the preferred position in response to each of non-actuation of the solenoid and a fault in the electronics. The adjustment device is operable to alter a position of the other end of the second spring to adjust the preferred position of the piston.

A control device for controlling a hydraulic consumer (2), such as a working cylinder, has at least one control valve (18) having a control spool (20). Control spool (20) is guided in a valve housing (22) in a longitudinally movable manner and is actuated by an electric motor (24). Electric motor (24) can be controlled by control electronics (MC), which receive input signals from a sensor device (58, 60, 62) detecting at least one operating state of the consumer (2).

A hydraulic system can include a hydraulic actuator including a piston rod slidably disposed within a housing having a base-side port and a rod-side port, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic reservoir, an accumulator, a first control valve operable to selectively control flow from the pump to the base-side port and from the base-side port to the reservoir, a second control valve operable to selectively control flow from the pump to the rod-side port and from the rod-side port to the reservoir, a third control valve operable to selectively allow flow between the base-side port and the accumulator, and a controller for operating the hydraulic system and including a ride control mode in which damping is provided to the hydraulic actuator by operation of the first, second, and third control valves.

An example valve includes a first port fluidly coupled to a source of fluid, a second port fluidly coupled to an actuator, a third port fluidly coupled to a reservoir, and a fourth port configured to export a load-sense (LS) fluid signal. The valve can operate in: a neutral state, wherein fluid is allowed to flow from the second port to the third port, while the first port and the fourth port are blocked; a first actuated state, wherein fluid flow is throttled from the second port to the third port, while the first port and the fourth port remain blocked; or a second actuated state, wherein fluid flow from the second port to the third port is blocked, while fluid flow is allowed from the first port to the second port and from the second port to the fourth port.

1. Control Device

2. A control device for controlling a hydraulic consumer (2), such as a working cylinder, consisting of at least one control valve (18) having a control spool (20), which is guided in a valve housing (22) in a longitudinally movable manner and which can be actuated by means of an electric motor (24) and which can be controlled by means of control electronics (MC), which receive input signals from a sensor device (58, 60, 62), which detects at least one operating state of the consumer (2).

A servo valve has a movable element disposed inside a body, and a drive unit to slide the movable element in the axial direction. A first elastic portion on one end portion side of the body has a first elastic force to press the movable element toward the drive unit connected to another end portion of the body; a second elastic portion on another end portion side of the body has a second elastic force to press the movable element toward the one end portion side of the body. A connecting portion is connected to the second elastic portion, wherein at a neutral position of the movable element, the connecting portion abuts against an inner peripheral surface of the body and against the movable element. An end of one of the first and second elastic portions is fixed directly to the movable element, and an end of the other of the first and second elastic portions is connected to the connecting portion.

The invention provides a hydraulic circuit for feeding an actuator (1) comprising first and second chambers (5, 6), the circuit comprising a slide valve (10) with a slide (16) that is movable between first and second extreme positions (18, 19) on either side of a stable central position (17) so that: in the central position, it connects the chambers (5, 6) of the actuator to a return port; in the first extreme position (18), it connects the first chamber (5) to a feed port and the second chamber to the return port; and in the second extreme position (19), it connects at least the second chamber (6) to the feed port. According to the invention, the hydraulic circuit includes pressure-maintaining means (20) for maintaining pressure in the first chamber of the actuator while the slide is passing through the central position on being moved from the first extreme position to the second extreme position.

An example valve includes a first port fluidly coupled to a source of fluid, a second port fluidly coupled to an actuator, a third port fluidly coupled to a reservoir, and a fourth port configured to export a load-sense (LS) fluid signal. The valve can operate in: a neutral state, wherein fluid is allowed to flow from the second port to the third port, while the first port and the fourth port are blocked; a first actuated state, wherein fluid flow is throttled from the second port to the third port, while the first port and the fourth port remain blocked; or a second actuated state, wherein fluid flow from the second port to the third port is blocked, while fluid flow is allowed from the first port to the second port and from the second port to the fourth port.