Valve position switch
AssigneeASCO Controls, LP
InventorOlivier Denis Pimouguet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical switch for indicating the position of a movable member of a valve is disclosed. The movable member of the valve may be a linear moving stem or a rotating shaft. The switch includes a sensor held in a sealed enclosure. The sensor may be a reed switch or a Hall effect sensor. A pivot arm attaches to the enclosure and is biased by a spring. The pivot arm holds a permanent magnet adjacent to the enclosure. When an actuator moves the movable member of the valve, the pivot arm is forced against the enclosure. The magnet is moved into aligned relation to the sensor and electrically indicates the position of the movable member.
Claims23
An electric device for indicating a position of a movable member, comprising:
- an enclosure having a hermetically sealed chamber defined by a first wall and an adjacent second wall;
- a lever pivotally attached to the enclosure and having a permanent magnet adjacent the second wall, the magnet being movable with the lever between a first and a second position;
- a biasing member that biases the lever and magnet to the first position;
- and
- a sensor located within the chamber and capable of being influenced by the magnet when it is moved into the second position through contact of the lever with the movable member,
- wherein the sensor comprises wires passing through a sealed wire plate attached to the enclosure.
An electric device for indicating a position of a movable member, comprising:
- an enclosure having a hermetically sealed chamber defined by a first wall and an adjacent second wall, wherein the enclosure comprises a first portion that is ultrasonically welded to a second portion;
- a lever pivotally attached to the enclosure and having a permanent magnet adjacent the second wall, the magnet being movable with the lever between a first and a second position;
- a biasing member that biases the lever and magnet to the first position;
- and
- a sensor located within the chamber and capable of being influenced by the magnet when it is moved into the second position through contact of the lever with the movable member.
A limit switch for indicating the state of a valve, comprising:
- an enclosure having a sealed chamber defined by a first wall and an adjacent second wall;
- an arm having one end pivotally attached to the first wall;
- a receptacle on the arm for holding a magnet adjacent to the second wall;
- a biasing member disposed between the arm and the first wall of the enclosure;
- and
- a sensor disposed in the chamber adjacent to the second wall and magnetically influencable to indicate the position of the valve member when the magnet is pivoted with the into an aligned relation with the sensor.
A method for indicating a predetermined position of a movable member, comprising:
- attaching one end of an arm to a first wall of an enclosure;
- holding a magnet on the arm adjacent to a second wall of the enclosure by disposing the magnet between the second wall and a plate attached to the arm and parallel to the second wall;
- sealing a sensor within the enclosure adjacent to the second wall;
- pivoting the magnet in relation to the sensor by contacting the movable member with the arm;
- electrically indicating that the movable member has attained the predetermined position when the magnet is in an aligned relation to the sensor;
- and
- biasing the pivot arm and magnet away from the aligned relation to the sensor when the movable member is not at the predetermined position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.