Intelligent valve actuator

A valve actuator assembly adapted to be coupled to a flow-control valve member positioned to lie in a flow path of a fluid supply system, the valve actuator assembly comprising

• a housing,
• a driver coupled to the housing and configured to move a flow-control valve member positioned in a flow path of a fluid supply system from an actual valve position to a desired valve position to regulate the flow of fluid through the flow path, and
• a controller coupled to the driver and configured to command the driver to position the flow-control valve member in the desired valve position, the controller including a control module coupled to the driver and a sensor, the control module being configured to derive and store calibration parameters of the actuator and to instruct the driver to move the flow-control valve member to the desired valve position, the sensor being coupled to the control module and configured to indicate the actual valve position of the flow-control valve member using a valve position signal generated by the sensor and sent from the sensor to the control module, the control module being programmed to compare the actual valve position signal from the sensor to the calibration parameters to determine whether the flow-control valve member is in the desired valve position and to instruct the driver to reposition the flow-control valve member in the desired valve position.

A valve actuator assembly adapted to be coupled to a flow-control valve member positioned to lie in a flow path of a fluid supply system, the valve actuator assembly comprising

• a housing,
• a driver coupled to the housing and configured to move a flow-control valve member positioned in a flow path of a fluid supply system from an actual valve position to a desired valve position to regulate the flow of fluid through the flow path, and
• a controller coupled to the driver and configured to command the driver to position the flow-control valve member in the desired valve position, the controller including a control module coupled to the driver and a sensor, the control module being programmed to instruct the driver to move the flow-control valve member to calibration positions, the sensor indicating a valve position signal for each calibration position, the control module being programmed to store calibration parameters derived from the valve position signals, the control module being configured to instruct the driver to move the flow-control valve member to the desired valve position, the sensor being coupled to the control module and configured to indicate the actual valve position of the flow-control valve member using a valve position signal generated by the sensor and sent from the sensor to the control module, the control module being programmed to compare the actual valve position signal from the sensor to the calibration parameters to determine whether the flow-control valve member is in the desired valve position and to instruct the driver to reposition the flow-control valve member in the desired valve position.

A method of calibrating a valve actuator assembly, the method comprising the steps of

• providing a valve actuator assembly having a driver connected to a flow-control valve member and a controller coupled to the driver, the controller including a control module coupled to the driver and a sensor coupled to the control module, the control module being configured to command the driver to move the flow-control valve member from an actual valve position to a desired valve position, and the sensor being configured to indicate the actual valve position using a valve position signal indicative of the actual valve position,
• generating variable calibration parameters specific to the sensor,
• commanding the driver to move the flow-control valve member to the desired valve position,
• generating a valve position signal,
• comparing the valve position signal with the calibration parameters to determine the need to reposition the flow-control valve member from the actual valve position to the desired valve position, and
• commanding the driver to reposition the flow-control valve member to the desired valve position.

A valve actuator assembly adapted to be connected to a flow-control valve member positioned to lie in a flow path of a fluid supply system, the valve actuator assembly comprising

• a housing,
• a driver coupled to the housing and configured to move a flow-control valve member positioned in a flow path of a fluid supply system from an actual valve position to a desired valve position to regulate the flow of fluid through the flow path, and
• a controller coupled to the driver and configured to command the driver to position the flow-control valve member at the desired valve position, the controller including a control module, a network interface coupled to the control module and configured to communicate with a communications network, and a sensor coupled to the control module and configured to indicate the actual valve position of the flow-control valve member using a valve position signal generated by the sensor, the control module being programmed to receive position commands through the network interface from the communications network to instruct the driver to move the flow-control valve member to the desired valve position, to receive and compare the actual valve position signal from the sensor to calibration parameters to determine whether the flow-control valve member is in the desired valve position, and instruct the driver to reposition the flow-control valve member in the desired valve position.

A burner system comprising

• a burner,
• a fluid supply system coupled to the burner, and
• a burner control system coupled to the fluid supply system, the burner control system including a valve assembly including a flow-control valve member and a valve actuator assembly coupled to the valve assembly to position the flow-control valve member in a desired valve position, the valve actuator assembly including a position encoder rigidly connected to the flow-control valve member to generate valve position signals indicative of the actual valve position of the flow-control valve member, the valve actuator assembly further including a control module programmed to derive a plurality of calibration parameters specific to the position encoder from valve position signals substantially indicative of the entire range of motion of the flow-control valve member and store the calibration parameters, the control module being configured to command positioning of the flow-control valve member to a desired valve position, the position encoder being configured to send valve position signals to the control module, the control module being configured to compare the valve position signal to the calibration parameters to determine whether the flow-control valve member is in the desired valve position and command repositioning of the flow-control valve member based on the comparison of the valve position signal with the calibration parameters.