# US 10,309,541 B2 · Guide element for a valve actuator and actuator provided with said guide element > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,309,541 B2 - Document ID: US10309541B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/312,786 - Filed: 2015-05-21 - Published: 2017-04-13 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-05-22 - Assignees: Flowserve Corporation - Applicants: Flowserve S.R.L. - Inventors: Ferruccio Pellinghelli; Ivo Contardi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10309541B2 ## CPC - F16K 5/0442: {Spindles and actuating means} - F16C 17/10: for both radial and axial load - F16C 31/02: Sliding-contact bearings - F16K 27/065: {with cylindrical plugs} - F16K 31/1635: {for rotating valves} - F16K 31/528: with pin and slot - F16C 2361/91: Valves - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS ## Abstract Disclosed is a guide element, for supporting and guiding a pin (P) of a glyph in a slot along a sliding direction. The guide element includes a central body (10) provided with a seat adapted to house a portion of the pin (P) and at least one lateral portion (10, 30) which has a sliding surface (21, 31) adapted to slide in contact with a respective lateral wall of the slot. The central body (10) and the at least one lateral portion (20, 30) are configured to rotate relative to each other about an axis (X) parallel to the sliding direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Guide element of a pin (P) in a valve actuator, adapted to support and guide said pin (P) in a slot of a glyph along a sliding direction, which comprises: a central body (10) provided with a seat adapted to house a portion of said pin (P); at least one lateral portion (10, 30) which has a sliding surface (21, 31) adapted to slide in contact with a respective lateral wall of the slot; wherein said central body (10) and said at least one lateral portion (20, 30) are configured to rotate relative to each other about an axis (X) parallel to the sliding direction, and wherein the guide element further comprises constraint means adapted to constrain the translation of the at least one lateral portion (20, 30) with respect to the central body (10) along a direction (X) parallel to the sliding direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The guide element according to claim 1, wherein the central body has at least one outer bearing surface (12, 13), at least partly cylindrical, whose axis (X) is parallel to the sliding direction, and the at least one lateral portion (20, 30), on an inner face (20c, 30c), has a corresponding inner bearing surface (22, 32) at least partly cylindrical, adapted to rotate in contact with the outer bearing surface (12, 13). ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The guide element according to claim 2, wherein the outer bearing surface (12, 13) extends by the entire length of the central body (10). ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The guide element according to claim 2, wherein the inner bearing surface (22, 32) of the lateral portion (20, 30) has an angular extension between 60° and 120°. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The guide element according to claim 1, wherein said constraint means comprise a front flap (23, 33) and a rear flap (24, 34), protruding from the inner bearing surface (22, 32), adapted to at least partly respectively overlap on a front face (10a) and a rear face (10b) of the central body (10). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The guide element according to claim 1, wherein said constraint means comprise at least one element projecting from the inner bearing surface (22, 32) adapted to be inserted in a slot formed on the outer bearing surface (12, 13) of the central body (10). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The guide element according to claim 1, further comprising two lateral portions (20, 30) provided with respective sliding surfaces (21, 31) arranged specular with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) of the guide element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The guide element according to claim 7, wherein the central body (10) has two outer bearing surfaces (12, 13) at least partly cylindrical, the axes of said outer bearing surfaces (12, 13) being coincident. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Actuator for controlling a valve which comprises: a glyph element (102) connectable to a valve plug; a pin (106) sliding along a slot (105) of said glyph element; actuating means acting on the pin (106) for rotating the glyph element (102); and a guide element (1), according to claim 1; wherein said guide element (1) is connected to said pin (106) and is housed in the slot (105) slidably in contact with at least one lateral wall (108) of said slot. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The guide element according to claim 3, wherein the inner bearing surface (22, 32) of the lateral portion (20, 30) has an angular extension between 60° and 120°. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The guide element according to claim 2, further comprising two lateral portions (20, 30) provided with respective sliding surfaces (21, 31) arranged specular with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) of the guide element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The guide element according to claim 3, further comprising two lateral portions (20, 30) provided with respective sliding surfaces (21, 31) arranged specular with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) of the guide element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The guide element according to claim 4, further comprising two lateral portions (20, 30) provided with respective sliding surfaces (21, 31) arranged specular with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) of the guide element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 5) The guide element according to claim 5, further comprising two lateral portions (20, 30) provided with respective sliding surfaces (21, 31) arranged specular with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) of the guide element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The guide element according to claim 6, further comprising two lateral portions (20, 30) provided with respective sliding surfaces (21, 31) arranged specular with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) of the guide element. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The guide element according to claim 11, wherein the central body (10) has two outer bearing surfaces (12, 13) at least partly cylindrical, the axes of said outer bearing surfaces (12, 13) being coincident. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) Actuator for controlling a valve which comprises: a guide element (1), according to claim 2, a glyph element (102) connectable to a valve plug; a pin (106) sliding along a slot (105) of said glyph element; actuating means acting on the pin (106) for rotating the glyph element (102); and wherein said guide element (1) is connected to said pin (106) and is housed in the slot (105) slidably in contact with at least one lateral wall (108) of said slot. ### Claim 18 (depends on 3) Actuator for controlling a valve which comprises: a guide element (1), according to claim 3, a glyph element (102) connectable to a valve plug; a pin (106) sliding along a slot (105) of said glyph element; actuating means acting on the pin (106) for rotating the glyph element (102); and wherein said guide element (1) is connected to said pin (106) and is housed in the slot (105) slidably in contact with at least one lateral wall (108) of said slot. ### Claim 19 (depends on 5) Actuator for controlling a valve which comprises: a guide element (1), according to claim 5, a glyph element (102) connectable to a valve plug; a pin (106) sliding along a slot (105) of said glyph element; actuating means acting on the pin (106) for rotating the glyph element (102); and wherein said guide element (1) is connected to said pin (106) and is housed in the slot (105) slidably in contact with at least one lateral wall (108) of said slot. ### Claim 20 (depends on 7) Actuator for controlling a valve which comprises: a guide element (1), according to claim 7, a glyph element (102) connectable to a valve plug; a pin (106) sliding along a slot (105) of said glyph element; actuating means acting on the pin (106) for rotating the glyph element (102); and wherein said guide element (1) is connected to said pin (106) and is housed in the slot (105) slidably in contact with at least one lateral wall (108) of said slot.