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US 4,261,224 AGranted
Valve actuator
AssigneeAnchor/Darling Industries, Inc.
InventorHarry E. Sulzer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeAnchor/Darling Industries, Inc.
InventorHarry E. Sulzer
Estimating the term…
A valve actuator which is operable alternatively by a motor and manually. The motor is coupled into the drive train for the actuator through a planetary gear device so as to enable rapid actuation of the valve by the motor. The motor is coupled through a special one-way coupling to the sun-gear drive of the planetary assembly which permits the motor to drive the sun gear in either direction upon rotation of the motor but prevents rotation of the sun gear when the motor is arrested. A handwheel is coupled to the ring-gear drive of the planetary assembly through a worm and pinion so that the handwheel may then drive the ring gear under manual operation, but the ring gear is retained against rotation by the worm pinion when the handwheel is idle. The planet-gear drive serves as the normal output of the planetary assembly and is coupled to the valve spindle through a torque-limiting device. A position-limiting means is coupled to the valve spindle to arrest rotation of the motor at the opposite limit positions of the valve element. A torque-limiting sensor is coupled with the ring-gear drive to sense the torque transmitted or fed back through the planetary assembly, said torque-sensing device being adjustable to arrest the drive motor when the motor exceeds the said torque. The setting is independently adjustable for different directions of rotation of the drive motor.
A motor-actuated valve actuator having a manual override comprising a reversible drive motor, a handwheel, an output device coupled to the operator of the valve to displace the same, a planetary gear assembly having a planet drive means, a ring drive means and a sun drive means, a first of said drive means being connected to said motor, a second of said drive means connected to the handwheel, and the third of said drive means being connected to the output device, a one-way coupling in the motor connection to said first drive means, said coupling being operative to rotate its associated first drive means in either direction upon actuation of said motor to effect rotation of said first drive means in the corresponding direction, and to lock said first drive means against rotation when said motor is not actuated, said handwheel connection being operative to rotate said second drive means in either direction upon actuation of said handwheel in the corresponding direction and to lock said second drive means against rotation when said handwheel is stationary, whereby selective actuation of either said drive motor or said handwheel is effective to drive said third drive means and thereby the output device.
A one-way coupling comprises an input plate and an output shaft, a driving connection between said input plate and said shaft, a rotor driven by said output shaft and having a pair of cutouts in its periphery forming ramps, a stationary shoe surrounding said rotor, rollers mounted in said cutouts between said shoe and said ramp, said cutouts having a wide end of greater radial width than said rollers and a narrow end of less radial width than said rollers, the narrow ends of said cutouts both being disposed on the same side of an imaginary line in said rotor passing through said cutouts, and the wide ends both being disposed on the opposite side of said line, and mounting means affording displacement of said rollers when said shaft is driven independently of said drive plate, said one roller engaging between said ramp and said shoe to block rotor rotation in the direction of said independent drive, said mounting means also being operative to afford displacment of said one roller when said input plate is driven in the opposite direction, said one roller engaging between said ramp and said shoe but permitting rotor rotation in said opposite direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.