Actuator Position Sensing System
AssigneeBray International, Inc.
InventorsRamakrishnan VISWANATHAN, Venkateshwaran NATARAJAN, Thirugnanasambandan KRISHNAN
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Abstract
The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a position sensing system for an actuator of a valve, including a piston of the actuator, wherein the piston is configured to actuate the valve between an open position and a closed position; a sensor including a drum; and a wire wound around the drum at a first end of the wire; wherein the sensor is configured to detect a rotation of the drum; and wherein a second end of the wire is connected to the piston.
Claims20
A position sensing system for an actuator of a valve, comprising
- a piston of the actuator, wherein the piston is configured to actuate the valve between an open position and a closed position;
- a sensor comprising a drum;
- and a wire wound around the drum at a first end of the wire;
- wherein the sensor is configured to detect a rotation of the drum;
- and wherein a second end of the wire is connected to the piston.
A method for determining an unknown position of a valve actuator, comprising the steps of:
- providing a sensor having a drum and a wire wound around the drum at a first end of the wire;
- connecting a second end of the wire to the piston;
- moving the piston between a range encompassing a fully opened position of the valve actuator and a fully closed position of the valve actuator;
- observing a rotation of the drum via the sensor, wherein the rotation of the drum is in response to the step of moving the piston;
- and
- determining the unknown position of the valve actuator via the observed rotations of the drum.
An apparatus to determine the position of an actuator for a valve, comprising
- a wire encoder comprising a drum around which a wire is wound at a first end of the wire, and wherein the wire further comprises a second end of the wire;
- a piston of the actuator, wherein the piston is configured to manipulate the valve between an open position of the valve and a closed position of the valve;
- wherein the second end of the wire is attached to the piston, and further wherein the wire is configured to rotate the drum in response to movement of the piston between the open position of the valve and the closed position of the valve;
- and
- wherein the wire encoder is configured to identify a number of rotations of the drum in response to the movement of the piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.