Patent ID: 9394897
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: F04B,G05D,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A pressure controller comprising: a housing including a first port, a second port, and a cavity, the cavity having a piston that varies a volume of the cavity by undergoing a compression stroke and an expansion stroke during operation of the pressure controller; a first control valve having an open state and a closed state, the first control valve selectively connecting the cavity in fluid communication with a fluid source via the first port when the first control valve is in the open position; a second control valve having an open state and a closed state, the second control valve selectively connecting the cavity in fluid communication with a system to be controlled via the second port when the second control valve is in the open position; and a computing device configured to actuate the first control valve and the second control valve between the open and closed states so as to operate the pressure controller in two modes of operation, the first mode of operation being as a compressor configured to supply fluid from the fluid source to the system, and the second mode of operation being as a vacuum pump configured to remove fluid from the system, wherein the computing device is further configured to send control signals to the first and second control valves to independently open and close the first and second control valves for one or more time durations that are less than a time duration equal to complete the expansion or compression stroke of the piston.