Modular valve actuator
AssigneeITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
InventorCaleb Whitt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A modular valve actuator includes a housing, a pinion defining an opening and including pinion teeth, a rack including rack teeth and a position target, and a sensor. The pinion teeth interlock and interact with the rack teeth. The modular valve actuator is configured to be installed directly to a valve by guiding the modular valve actuator over a valve stem wherein the valve stem is bounded within a pinion of the modular valve actuator, and the sensor is a non-contact sensor which detects the position target in the rack and generates position data related to an open or closed position of the valve.
Claims20
A modular valve actuator comprising:
- a housing;
- a pinion defining an opening and including pinion teeth;
- a rack including rack teeth and a position target, wherein the pinion teeth interlock and interact with the rack teeth;
- and
- a sensor, wherein the modular valve actuator is configured to be installed directly to a valve by guiding the modular valve actuator over a valve stem of the valve, wherein the valve stem is bounded within the opening defined by the pinion of the modular valve actuator, and the sensor is a non-contact sensor which detects the position target in the rack and generates positional data related to an open or closed position of the valve.
A method of attaching a modular valve actuator to a valve, the method comprising:
- removing a handle of the valve from a valve stem;
- guiding the modular valve actuator over the valve stem wherein the valve stem is bounded within an opening defined by a pinion of the modular valve actuator;
- and
- securing the modular valve actuator to the valve with bolts.
A modular valve actuator comprising:
- a housing;
- a pinion constructed from metal, the pinion defining an opening and including pinion teeth;
- and
- a rack constructed from metal, the rack includes rack teeth and a position target, wherein the pinion teeth interlock and interact with the rack teeth and the position target is a magnet;
- a first piston on a right side of the rack and a second piston on a left side of the rack;
- and
- a sensor, wherein the modular valve actuator is configured to be installed directly to a valve by guiding the modular valve actuator over a valve stem of the valve, wherein the valve stem is bounded within the opening defined by the pinion of the modular valve actuator, and the sensor is a non-contact sensor which detects the position target in the rack and generates positional data related to an open or closed position of the valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.