A drive unit for a gate valve controls a flow rate of fluid passing through an opening in a valve seat by forward and backward moving a valve plate against the opening in the valve seat. This drive unit includes a shaft connected to the valve plate, a linear motor for driving the shaft and drive control means to control the drive of the linear motor. The linear motor has a plurality of coils for generating a magnetic field by electric current and a permanent magnet assembly to react to the magnetic field generated by the plurality of coils. The plurality of coils forms a stator while the permanent magnet assembly is connected to the shaft and displaced together with the shaft to form a mover to forward and backward move the valve plate. Each of the plurality of coils is connected to its own control circuit and the drive control means individually controls the current flowing through each of the plurality of coils via the control circuit. The drive control means may be provided with a linear encoder to detect the current position of the permanent magnet assembly.

A valved manifold module is disclosed, constructed and arranged to be readily connected in a chain with similar modules to form a manifold assembly. The modular manifolds allows for expansion or modification of the manifold assembly to control a group of pneumatically or hydraulically driven pumps, valves or combinations thereof in a liquid flow control apparatus. The valved manifold module can be configured to accept a group of four substantially identical valve assemblies, and can be controlled by a local controller mounted to the manifold module, thus forming an independently programmable valved manifold module. The resulting modular system is expandable to allow for coordinated operations of a liquid flow control system, using substantially independent controller functions originating at the manifold assembly level.

An adjustable damping valve device for a vibration damper, includes a main stage valve which is controlled by a pre-stage valve with a pre-stage valve body, which pre-stage valve can be actuated by an electromagnetic actuator, wherein an emergency operation valve controls the main stage valve during emergency operation, wherein an emergency operation armature is preloaded on the pre-stage valve body of the pre-stage valve by an emergency operation spring so that the pre-stage valve forms the emergency operation valve.

The absence of high efficiency, compact fluidic pumps has until recently blocked the consideration of using hydraulic devices within portable and/or alkaline battery powered consumer and non-consumer products. The higher the functionality and programmability desired for a consumer and/or non-consumer product exploiting a fluidic pump then the more complex the overall fluidic system in terms of the number of actuators, valves, switches etc. within the fluidic system coupled to the one or more fluidic pumps. Accordingly, there exists a requirement to provide compact fluidic valves and switches to support configurability, programmability, and operation of these portable battery-operated consumer and non-consumer devices in conjunction with these newly available high efficiency, compact fluidic pumps. Such fluidic valves and switches should offer high efficiency, have a small footprint, be low complexity for high reliability and ease of manufacture, and low cost.

A method for measuring the hardware and operational state of a dual-circuit solenoid valve including first and second coaxial coils each associated with a circuit is disclosed. The method includes the steps of injecting a sinusoidal current into the first coil; measuring the voltage induced across the terminals of the second coil; and plotting at least one curve of a first magnitude proportional to the measured induced voltage as a function of a second magnitude proportional to the injected sinusoidal current.

The invention relates to a shut-off valve (1) for a pressurized-gas vessel, comprising a valve closing body (2) which can perform stroke movements and which is preloaded by the spring force of a closing spring (3) against a valve seat (4), such that, when the valve closing body (2) is in a closed position, a connection of a valve inlet (5) to a valve outlet (6) is shut off, and furthermore comprising an actuator arrangement (7) for opening the valve closing body (2). According to the invention, the actuator arrangement (7) interacts with an actuating element (8) which is arranged spaced apart from and coaxial with respect to the valve closing body (2) and which is movable by means of the actuator arrangement (7) in the direction of the valve closing body (2), such that, when the actuating element (8) abuts against the valve closing body (2), an opening impulse can be generated. The invention furthermore relates to a pressurized-gas vessel having a shut-off valve (1) according to the invention.

A directional control valve includes: a housing having a cylindrical spool hole communicating with an inlet port letting a fluid from an external supply source at a predetermined pressure and an outlet port flowing the fluid to a working cylinder; a spool movable in the spool hole axially and changing an amount of flow of the fluid; a first solenoid driving section having a first needle coupled to or integral with a first end portion of the spool and driving the spool; and a second solenoid driving section having a second needle coupled to or integral with a second end portion of the spool and driving the spool, the directional control valve including a pressure equalization circuit equally applying a pressure to the end portions.

An electromagnetic valve has a solenoid, which includes a coil, a plunger, a fixed core, and a plunger spring. The fixed core is E-shaped and has a base, a first outer leg, a second outer leg, and a central leg. The first outer leg, the second outer leg, and the central leg extend from the base. The first outer leg has a first outer attraction surface configured to attract the plunger. The second outer leg has a second outer attraction surface configured to attract the plunger. The central leg has a central attraction surface configured to attract the plunger. The central attraction surface is larger in area than each of the first and second outer attraction surfaces.

A remote control unit of a remote control device wirelessly transmits a first instruction signal or a second instruction signal instructing to operate a solenoid valve, to a solenoid valve control unit. The solenoid valve control unit receives the first instruction signal or the second instruction signal and generates a first drive signal or a second drive signal on the basis of the received first instruction signal or the received second instruction signal, respectively. The solenoid valve is of a double solenoid type, and includes a first solenoid to which the first drive signal is supplied and a second solenoid to which the second drive signal is supplied.

A solenoid comprises first and second coils connected to an electrical power supply circuit. In a first mode of operation the power supply circuit is arranged to provide a current flowing in opposite directions through the respective first and second coils, e.g. to produce a self-heating effect. In a second mode of operation the power supply circuit is arranged to provide a current flowing in the same direction through the respective first and second coils, e.g. to generate a magnetic force. In some embodiments, the power supply circuit includes a bridge rectifier or full wave rectifier connected to a bi-directional current driver.