# US 2018/0129338 A1 · Valve positioner

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2018/0129338 A1
- Document ID: US20180129338A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/574,603
- Filed: 2016-05-20
- Published: 2018-05-10
- Earliest claimed: 2015-05-22
- Assignees: Metso Flow Control Oy
- Applicants: Metso Flow Control Oy
- Inventors: Tero IHALAINEN; Juha YLI-PETÄYS
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180129338A1

## CPC

- F15B 15/2815: {Position sensing, i.e. means for continuous measurement of position, e.g. LVDT}
- F16K 31/12: actuated by fluid ({fluid-actuated lift valves F16K1/126} ; fluid-actuated check valves F16K15/00; fluid-actuated safety valves F16K17/00)
- F16K 31/122: the fluid acting on a piston (F16K31/143, F16K31/163, F16K31/363, F16K31/383 take precedence)
- G02F 1/13338: {Input devices, e.g. touch panels}
- G05B 19/44: pneumatic
- G05D 7/0623: {characterised by the set value given to the control element}
- H03K 17/962: {Capacitive touch switches}
- H03K 17/9631: {using a light source as part of the switch}
- A01G 25/16: Control of watering
- G05B 2219/23044: Transparent overlay with touch sensors, put over display panel, select function
- G05B 2219/23377: Touch screen, with representation of buttons, machine on screen
- G05B 2219/25257: Microcontroller
- G05B 2219/25312: Pneumatic, hydraulic modules, controlled valves
- H03K 2217/96015: Constructional details for touch switches
- H03K 2217/960775: Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes
- F15B: SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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)}
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)
- A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12)

## Abstract

A smart valve positioner is provided with a local user interface with non-mechanical touch buttons and a display inside a positioner housing under a housing cover for locally operating the valve positioner. The touch buttons are user-operable by touching the touch buttons when the housing cover is open. The housing cover is arranged to make the touch buttons user-operable from outside the housing by touching the housing cover, when the housing cover is closed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A smart valve positioner comprising a housing and a housing cover, the housing encompassing control circuitry connectable to a field control line, and a local user interface with one or more buttons and optionally a display inside the housing under the housing cover for locally operating the valve positioner, wherein the local user interface comprises one or more non-mechanical touch buttons enclosed inside the housing, and the housing cover is configured to make the touch buttons user-operable from outside the housing by touching the housing cover.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing cover can be opened, and wherein the touch buttons are user-operable by touching the touch buttons when the housing cover is open, and the housing cover is arranged to make the touch buttons to be user-operable from outside the housing by touching the housing cover, when the housing cover is closed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the touch buttons are arranged to detect an electrical or optical influence of a user finger in the close proximity, and the housing cover is adapted to enable such electrical or optical influence through the housing cover to the touch button when the user finger touches a predetermined point on the housing cover.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 3, wherein a thickness of the housing cover is reduced at said predetermined point in comparison with an overall thickness of the housing cover.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is an air gap or a shock-absorbing intermediate layer between the housing cover and the local user interface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch buttons comprise optical touch buttons, and wherein one or more elements controlling propagation of light is locally arranged between the housing cover and the optical touch buttons at locations of said touch.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 6, wherein the optical touch buttons comprise reflective optical sensors having a light emitter and a light receiver, and wherein said one or more elements controlling propagation of light is arranged to reduce cross talk from the light emitter to the light receiver.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch buttons comprise capacitive touch buttons with a non-conductive overlay, and wherein the housing cover is made of non-conductive material, and wherein an elastic conductive element is locally arranged between the non-conducting housing cover and the non-conducting overlay at locations of said touch buttons.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to assume a first user access mode level as a default to thereby allow use of the touch buttons through the housing cover for a first set of user operations, and wherein the user interface is configured to require a dedicated access code for entering a further user access mode level to thereby allow use of the touch buttons through the housing cover for one or more further sets of user operations.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local user interface panel with the housing cover closed is configured to assume a first user access mode level as a default to thereby allow use of the non-touch buttons through the housing cover for a first set of user operations, and wherein the local user interface is responsive to an opening of the housing of the valve positioner to assume a further user access mode level to thereby allow use of the non-touch buttons through the closed housing cover for one or more further sets of user operations.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local user interface with the housing cover closed is configured to assume a first user access mode level as a default to thereby allow use of the touch buttons through the housing cover a first set of user operations, and wherein the local user interface with the housing cover opened is configured to assume a further access user access mode level to thereby allow use of the touch buttons directly on the local user interface for one or more further sets of user operations.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first set of user operations include reading operations, and said one or more further sets of user operations include reading operations and procedures for locally controlling parameters and operation of the smart valve positioner.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local user interface is provided with electrical, optical or mechanical detector detecting whether the housing or the housing cover is opened or closed.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 13, wherein the housing cover comprises at least one magnetic element and wherein the local user interface panel is provided with a magnetic sensor or a Hall sensor configured to detect the presence of the magnetic element.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

A smart valve positioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the user interface is configured to assume the further user access mode level automatically for a predetermined period of time upon connecting a power to the valve positioner, and wherein the first user access mode level is resumed after expiry of the predetermined period of time from the connection of the power.

### Claim 16

A valve assembly comprising
a valve;
an actuator; and
a smart valve positioner; the smart valve positioner further comprising a housing and a housing cover, the housing encompassing control circuitry connectable to a field control line, and a local user interface with one or more buttons and optionally a display inside the housing under the housing cover for locally operating the valve positioner, wherein the local user interface comprises one or more non-mechanical touch buttons enclosed inside the housing, and the housing cover is configured to make the touch buttons user-operable from outside the housing by touching the housing cover.

### Claim 17

(canceled)