摘要:
A valve control system for an internal combustion engine, the engine having at least one cylinder (4) with at least one intake or exhaust valve (12, 14) and a piston (2) and the valve being operable independently of the rotation of the engine crankshaft. The system is configured to generate a control signal that controls a preconditioning actuation cycle of an actuator (30, 32) prior to a first combustion cycle of the engine, receive a feedback signal (52, 54) relating to an operating condition of the actuator during the preconditioning actuation cycle, and generate a modified control signal (44, 46) that controls a combustion actuation cycle of the actuator, modified with reference to the feedback signal. This recalibration of the valve control signals allows the current operating conditions of the valve train to be taken into account before the first combustion cycle of the engine.
摘要:
A lock assembly for use in automotive and industrial transmission systems comprises: an actuator (2) having an impeller (6) movable between two rest positions by energising the actuator, wherein the impeller is retained in each of the two rest positions by passive magnetic forces generated by the actuator; a locking arrangement (10, 22; 42, 52; 62, 64; 70, 74; 80, 96) switchable between a first configuration in which rotation of a shaft is unimpeded by the locking arrangement and a second configuration in which rotation of said shaft is blocked by the locking arrangement; and a linkage (14, 16; 44, 46, 61, 88) between the impeller and the locking arrangement, wherein the assembly is arranged such that in one of the impeller rest positions, the locking arrangement is in its first configuration and said shaft is freely rotatable, and in the other of the impeller rest positions, the locking arrangement is urged towards and into its second configuration.
摘要:
An electronic device (4) for deployment in a remote location such as a well-bore comprises two main device terminals (26) for connection to a remote power supply and communication assembly (2) via two electrical couplings (6); a power storage arrangement (C1) having two power input terminals (20); a device communication arrangement (22) having two device communication terminals (24); a device switching arrangement (S2) for selectively connecting each of the two power input terminals (20) or each of the two device communication terminals (24) to a respective one of the main device terminals (26); and a device controller (28) for controlling the operation of the switching arrangement. A power supply and communication assembly (2) is also provided and arranged to be coupled to one or more of the devices (4).
摘要:
A rotary electromagnetic actuator is provided which is suitable for opening and closing a valve for example. The actuator comprises a rotor (10), a stator (16), and a biasing arrangement (20, 100, 102, 104, 106) for applying a torque to the rotor during at least part of its rotation. A plurality of stable rest positions (200; 316, 318; 400) for the rotor are defined by forces acting on the rotor and the actuator is controllable to move the rotor from one stable rest position to another. The torque applied by the biasing arrangement varies with the rotational position of the rotor such that at a primary rest position and at least a second rest position, it is sufficiently low to enable selection of those positions, and then it increases beyond the second rest position.
摘要:
An electro-magnetically operated device is described in which a magnetisable armature, typically a length of thin naturally resilient mild steel, is sandwiched between, and extends from, two parts of a magentic circuit which contains an air gap into which the armature extends. An electromagnet polarizes the armature along its length so as to cause the end thereof in the air gap to be attached to one or the other of the two poles of the magnetic circuit defining the gap. The armature is designed so as to be capable of adopting a mid-position between the poles of the air gap if the curent flowing in the electromagnet is reduced to zero. Equalising the air gaps and adjusting the size of the gap relative to the resilience of the armature will produce a bistable characteristic in which the armature will not remain in the mid-position, but will always remain in contact with one pole or the other, and is shifted from one to the other by a pulse of current of appropriate polarity. Adjustment of the size of the air gap on one side or the other of the armature introduces an out of balance in the magnetic circuit enabling the device to adopt a monostable characteristic instead of a bistable characteristic.