Multi-position micro-fluidic valve system with removable encoder assembly

A multi-position micro-fluidic valve system operably mounted to a drive motor, said valve system comprising:

• a housing having an exterior wall and an interior wall, said interior wall defining an interior through-chamber having a proximal portion, a distal portion and a chamber axis;
• a drive assembly rotatably positioned within said chamber proximate to said proximal portion, said drive assembly having a drive axis of rotation positioned substantially co-axial with said chamber axis, said drive axis having a proximal portion rotatably coupled to said drive motor;
• a removable, stand alone, self contained encoder assembly including a support structure, an encoder shaft rotatably mounted to said support structure for rotation about an encoder shaft axis, and an encoder device configured to determine the rotational position of the encoder shaft about the encoder shaft axis, said support structure being configured for positioning within said housing at a mounting position, enabling rotational coupling of a proximal portion of the encoder shaft to a distal portion of the drive assembly;
• and
• a multi-position micro-fluidic valve device having a valve shaft rotating about a valve axis thereof between a plurality of discrete fluid distribution positions, said valve device being mountable to the distal portion of the housing in manner enabling rotational coupling of a proximal portion of the valve shaft to a distal portion of the encoder shaft when the encoder assembly is in the mounting position;
• wherein said support structure is free of rigid coupling directly to said actuator housing.

A removable, stand alone, self contained encoder assembly for a micro-fluidic valve actuator assembly operably mounted between a drive motor and a multi-position micro-fluidic valve device, said valve device having a valve shaft rotating about a valve axis thereof between a plurality of discrete fluid distribution positions, said actuator assembly having a housing with an interior wall defining an interior through-chamber having a chamber axis, said encoder assembly comprising:

• a relatively rigid bracket member having a first bracket wall and a generally opposed second bracket wall, said bracket member being sized and dimensioned for insertion into the through-chamber of the housing to a mounting position in the interior through-chamber;
• an encoder shaft rotatably mounted to said bracket member such that a proximal portion thereof extends outwardly from the first bracket wall, and a distal portion of the encoder shaft extends outwardly from the second bracket wall, said encoder shaft being oriented relative to said bracket member such that an encoder shaft axis of rotation will be generally co-axial with the chamber axis when the encoder assembly is positioned substantially at the mounting position in the interior through-chamber of the actuator housing, enabling rotational coupling of the proximal portion of the encoder shaft to the drive motor, and enabling rotational coupling of the distal portion of the encoder shaft to the valve shaft when the multi-position fluid valve device, free of rigid coupling directly to the actuator assembly housing wherein said relatively rigid bracket member is;
• an encoder wheel mounted to said encoder shaft for rotation about the encoder shaft axis;
• an encoder module mounted to said bracket member, and configured to cooperate with the encoder wheel, as a preset unit, to determine the rotational position of the encoder shaft about the encoder shaft axis;
• and
• an alignment device mounted to said bracket member in a manner cooperating with the actuator housing to facilitate guidance of the encoder assembly toward the mounting position and into the interior through-chamber.