A system including a pneumatic actuator having an actuator element, the system further including a compressed-air provision device which is configured to carry out a closed-loop position control of the actuator element by applying compressed air to the pneumatic actuator. The compressed-air provision device is further configured to carry out an assistance procedure in which the actuator element is set in an oscillation movement, pressure values and position values are detected, and, on the basis of the detected pressure values and the detected position values, friction information and/or mass information is determined and/or verified.

The electro-hydrostatic actuator system for raising and lowering aircraft landing gear (1) is provided with at least one hydraulic actuator (21, 22) that is constituted so as to perform retraction and deployment of landing gear (11), a hydraulic circuit (33), a hydraulic pump (32), an electric motor (31), a controller (4) constituted so as to control the operation of the electric motor upon receiving an instruction relating to retraction of the landing gear or an instruction relating to deployment of the landing gear, and a sensor (34) that detects the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump. The controller feeds back the discharge pressure that the sensor has detected, and controls the operation of the electric motor so that the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump becomes a target discharge pressure.

A servo valve for precisely controlling a position of a pneumatic cylinder does not require a servo amplifier and a small sized and/or high durability servo valve unit. The servo valve comprises a unit body having first and second portions, first and second valve portions, first and second seal members that open and close the first and second valve portions, respectively, first and second drive mechanisms that drive first and second seal members by first and second electric pulses, respectively, a supply flow path between the first end and first valve, an exhaust flow path between the second end and second valve, a common flow path connected to the supply and exhaust flow paths via first and second valve portions, and a drive flow path connected to the pneumatic actuator. First and second drive mechanisms are arranged in a drive mechanism arrangement portion located between first and second end portions.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a servo-control system comprising at least one pneumatic actuator comprising a movable member, at least one proportional pneumatic valve configured to control fluid flow between the at least one pneumatic actuator and a pressurized fluid supply or a vent, a plurality of pressure sensors each configured to independently measure pressure in a respective supply line to the at least one pneumatic actuator, at least one position sensor configured to measure a position of the moveable member, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a control signal based at least in part on pressure measurements of the plurality of pressure sensors and a position measurement of the at least one position sensor, and apply the control signal to at least one proportional pneumatic valve to move the movable member to a target position.

A process valve apparatus (10), including: a process fitting (1) with a valve member (2), a pneumatic valve drive (3) for actuating the valve member (2), and a control device (4) with a pneumatic valve device (5) for pneumatically actuating the valve drive (3), wherein the control device (4) is configured to carry out a partial stroke test and, within the partial stroke test: to actuate the valve drive (3) pneumatically by means of the valve device (5), so that the valve drive (3) sets the valve member (2) in a test movement sequence in which the valve member (2) performs a first test movement from a first position (x1) to a second position (x2) and a second test movement from the second position (x2) back to the first position (x1), to detect pressure information related to the pneumatic actuation of the valve drive (3) and, taking into account the pressure information, to determine status information indicating the functioning and/or the wear of the process valve apparatus (10).

A method for operating a fluid system including the steps: receiving or determining a set value for a stroke of the working valve, determining an actual value for the stroke of the working valve using a sensor signal of a position sensor, determining a deviation value of a working valve in dependence on sensor signals of a supply pressure sensor and a working pressure sensor and a position sensor and a sensor system, and performing a processing of the set value for the stroke of the working valve, the actual value for the stroke of the working valve and the deviation value to a control signal for driving the working valve.

A method is for controlling an actuation force exerted by an actuating device having a first working chamber and a second working chamber supplied with pressurized air from a source of pressurized air by a first pressure regulator and a second pressure regulator. The method includes calculating, by an optimization algorithm based on a dynamic model of the actuating device and of the first and second pressure regulators, desired values for control signals for the first and second pressure regulators to generate an actuation force equal to a desired value for the actuation force. An estimated value for the actuation force, estimated values for pressures inside the first and second working chambers and for first derivatives of the pressures, are determined by a state observer based on a measured value for the actuation force and on measured values for the pressures in the first and second working chambers.

An actuator system includes a piston-cylinder arrangement including a piston that is movable with respect to a cylinder. A first flow path is in fluid communication with the piston-cylinder arrangement and a second flow path is in fluid communication with the piston-cylinder arrangement. A control system is operable to fluidly connect the first flow path to a source of high-pressure fluid and to connect the second flow path to a drain to move the piston in a first direction. A pressure sensor is fluidly connected to the first flow path and is operable to measure sufficient pressure data during the movement of the piston to generate a pressure versus time curve. The control system is operable to compare the generated pressure versus time curve to a known standard pressure versus time curve stored in the control system to determine the condition of the piston-cylinder arrangement.

This control device controls movement of a valve body of a valve device included in a hydraulic system and includes: a stroke command calculator that calculates a stroke command for the valve body on the basis of an opening command that is input to the stroke command calculator; an observer that estimates, on the basis of the stroke command, a dynamic deviation of a stroke of the valve body that corresponds to the stroke command; and a flow force estimator that estimates, on the basis of the stroke command and the dynamic deviation, a flow force acting on the valve body. The stroke command calculator calculates the stroke command on the basis of the flow force in addition to the opening command.

Method of adjusting the pressure balance or a control device, in particular of a servo valve, the requisite adjusting movement being applied by a disc translator.