EP3524866B1 - Fluid valve

Abstract

Hydraulic valves often require actuators or servo motors with dedicated electronics and dedicated electrical power supply. So, you have usually "2 signals" to provide to the actuator/motor : the command signal, which is usually low voltage and/or low current (no real power with it) and the power supply. The actuator/motor requires electronics to handle both signals (and that is expensive, and in some applications, hazardous). This patent is proposing multiple architectures of hydraulically amplified valves that only require the command signal (and no dedicated electronics). Only a small actuator such as a (proportional) solenoid can be used.