US 12,000,412 B2
Gas-powered drive system and operating method
Olivier Georg Reinertz, Kettenis (BE); and Katharina Schmitz, Aachen (DE)
Assigned to RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE (RWTH) AACHEN KOERPERSCHAFT DES OEFFENTLICHEN RECHTS, Aachen (DE)
Appl. No. 18/024,789
Filed by Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts, Aachen (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 6, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/074528
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 6, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/049298, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 10, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 123 331.0 (DE), filed on Sep. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0304514 A1, Sep. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. F15B 11/044 (2006.01); F15B 11/05 (2006.01); F15B 11/064 (2006.01); F15B 13/044 (2006.01)
CPC F15B 11/044 (2013.01) [F15B 11/05 (2013.01); F15B 11/064 (2013.01); F15B 13/044 (2013.01); F15B 2211/526 (2013.01); F15B 2211/6653 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas-powered drive system,comprising a drive comprising a first chamber and a second chamber, which are separated from one another by a movable work element of the drive, the first chamber being configured to be connected to a gas source to form a chamber configured to drive the work element, and the second chamber being configured to be connected via an exhaust air throttle to a gas sink by means of a reversing valve, to form a chamber configured to counteract movement of the work element, wherein a control valve is provided to the driving chamber, the control valve being configured so that through the control valve the first chamber can be filled with gas from the gas source, the control valve also being configured so that an opening cross-section of the control valve can be set as a function of a control pressure prevailing upstream from the exhaust air throttle in a flow direction or as a function of a control pressure which is a pressure drop across the exhaust air throttle, the control valve also being configured so that the opening cross-section of the control valve can be increased when the pressure drop across the exhaust air throttle is to below a first limit pressure and can be decreased to close the control valve when the pressure drop across the exhaust air throttle further drops below a second limit pressure.
 
12. A method for operating a gas-powered drive system, the gas-powered drive system comprising a drive comprising a first chamber and a second chamber, which are separated from one another by a movable work element of the drive, the first chamber being connected to a gas source to form a chamber configured to drive the work element and the second chamber being connected via an exhaust air throttle to a gas sink by means of a reversing valve to form a chamber configured to counteract movement of the work element, the method comprising assigning a control valve to the driving chamber through which the driving chamber is filled with gas from the gas source and setting an opening cross-section of the control valve as a function of a control pressure prevailing upstream from the exhaust air throttle in a flow direction or a control pressure which is a pressure drop across the exhaust air throttle so that the opening cross-section is increased by way of the control valve when the control pressure drops below a first limit pressure and the opening cross-section is decreased so that the control valve is closed when the control pressure further drops below a second limit pressure.