Water conditioning unit control valve

A drive arrangement for a linearly reciprocatable water conditioning device control valve, the drive arrangement comprising:

• (A) an electric motor having a rotary output element;
• (B) a linear drive arrangement which has an input which is operatively coupled to said output of said motor and which has an output which is configured for connection to a piston of the control valve, wherein said output of said linear drive arrangement is configured to translate along an axis which is collinear with a longitudinal axis of the piston and to drive the piston without imposing any significant side load on a support structure for a drive structure of the piston or to seals sealing the drive structure against the support structure, and wherein said linear drive arrangement includes a lead screw assembly including (1) a driven gear which is driven by said output element of said motor and which has internal threads, and (2) an externally threaded shaft which extends through said driven gear in mating engagement with the threads thereof so as to move linearly relative to said driven gear upon rotation of said driven gear and which has a distal end portion which is attached to or integral with said piston;
• (C) a cap which is mountable on a valve housing for the control valve, said cap having a bore formed therethrough;
• (D) a bushing which is fixed in said bore and which slidably receives said shaft;
• and
• (E) a bearing which is disposed between said bushing and said driven gear.

A water conditioning unit control device comprising:

• (A) a control valve including a piston which is movable linearly between a plurality of positions with respect to a valve bore of said control valve, thereby selectively connecting various ports in said valve bore to one another, said ports including at least an untreated water inlet port and a treated water outlet port;
• (B) a reversible electric motor which has an output element which is coupled to said piston and which is actuatable to drive said piston between said positions;
• and
• (C) a controller which is coupled to said motor and which includes
• 1) a position monitor which monitors movement of said piston, and
• 2) a driver which is coupled to said position monitor and to said motor and which controls operation of said motor based on signals from said position monitor.

A method of controlling operation of a water conditioning unit control device, comprising:

• (A) supplying energizing current to a reversible electric motor to drive a piston of a control valve to move linearly with respect to a valve bore of the control valve, thereby selectively connecting various ports in said valve bore to one another, said ports including at least an untreated water inlet port and a treated water outlet port;
• (B) monitoring movement of said piston using a position monitor;
• and
• (C) controlling the supply of energizing current to said motor based on signals from said position monitor.