Valve actuator
First Claim
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1. A fluid powered actuator comprising:
- a housing having a cylindrical piston passageway therethrough and a shaft bore therein, said shaft bore being transverse to and intersecting said piston passageway;
a shaft rotatably mounted in said shaft bore and extending through said piston passageway, said shaft being disposed substantially entirely within said housing and having a longitudinal bore extending through the entire length of said shaft, said bore having wrench surfaces therein for driving connection to a stem having mating wrench surfaces thereon;
a pinion fixedly attached to said shaft within said piston passageway;
a pair of pistons tightly disposed in said piston passageway on axially opposite sides of said pinion and movable in said piston passageway toward and away from said pinion, each of said pistons having an integral piston skirt extending axially from said piston along said piston passageway toward said pinion, said piston skirts being radially opposite each other in said piston passageway, each having a gear rack operatively engaging said pinion;
a pair of end plates removably secured to said housing at opposite ends of said piston passageway so as to close said passageway;
said housing further having a first porting passageway therein extending from an exterior surface of said housing to the interior of said piston passageway between said pistons, a second porting passageway extending longitudinally through said housing substantially parallel to said piston passageway, and a third porting passageway extending from an exterior surface of said housing to said second porting passageway;
said end plates each having an internal porting passageway system therethrough, said system having two openings, one opening of said internal porting system communicating with one end of said second porting passageway, the other opening of said internal porting system communicating with the end of said piston passageway axially outwardly of said piston.
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Abstract
A low profile fluid powered actuator particularly for valves of the type in which the valve element is rotated to open and close the flow passageway through the valve body, the actuator having a novel internal porting system, means for direct attachment of the valve stem to the shaft of the actuator, and a novel manual override for manually operating the valve.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A fluid powered actuator comprising:
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a housing having a cylindrical piston passageway therethrough and a shaft bore therein, said shaft bore being transverse to and intersecting said piston passageway; a shaft rotatably mounted in said shaft bore and extending through said piston passageway, said shaft being disposed substantially entirely within said housing and having a longitudinal bore extending through the entire length of said shaft, said bore having wrench surfaces therein for driving connection to a stem having mating wrench surfaces thereon; a pinion fixedly attached to said shaft within said piston passageway; a pair of pistons tightly disposed in said piston passageway on axially opposite sides of said pinion and movable in said piston passageway toward and away from said pinion, each of said pistons having an integral piston skirt extending axially from said piston along said piston passageway toward said pinion, said piston skirts being radially opposite each other in said piston passageway, each having a gear rack operatively engaging said pinion; a pair of end plates removably secured to said housing at opposite ends of said piston passageway so as to close said passageway; said housing further having a first porting passageway therein extending from an exterior surface of said housing to the interior of said piston passageway between said pistons, a second porting passageway extending longitudinally through said housing substantially parallel to said piston passageway, and a third porting passageway extending from an exterior surface of said housing to said second porting passageway; said end plates each having an internal porting passageway system therethrough, said system having two openings, one opening of said internal porting system communicating with one end of said second porting passageway, the other opening of said internal porting system communicating with the end of said piston passageway axially outwardly of said piston.
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2. A fluid powered actuator comprising:
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a housing having a cylindrical piston passageway therethrough and a shaft bore therein, said shaft bore being transverse to and intersecting said piston passageway; a shaft rotatably mounted in said shaft bore and extending through said piston passageway, said shaft having a longitudinal rod receiving bore extending into one end of said shaft, said rod receiving bore having wrench surfaces therein; a pinion fixedly attached to said shaft within said piston passageway; a pair of pistons tightly disposed in said piston passageway on axially opposite sides of said pinion and movable in said piston passageway toward and away from said pinion, each of said pistons having an integral piston skirt extending axially from said piston along said piston passageway toward said pinion, said piston skirts being radially opposite each other in said piston passageway, each having a gear rack operatively engaging said pinion; a pair of end plates removably secured to said housing at opposite ends of said piston passageway so as to close said passageway; said housing further having a first porting passageway therein extending from an exterior surface of said housing to the interior of said piston passageway between said pistons, a second porting passageway extending longitudinally through said housing substantially parallel to said piston passageway, and a third porting passageway extending from an exterior surface of said housing to said second porting passageway; said end plates each having an internal porting passageway system therethrough, said system having two openings, one opening of said internal porting system communicating with one end of said second portion passageway, the other opening of said internal porting system communicating with the end of said piston passageway axially outwardly of said piston; and manual override means operatively connected to said shaft for manually rotating said shaft, said manual override means including a rod slidably disposed in said rod receiving bore and having wrench surfaces engageable with the wrench surfaces of said bore to prevent relative rotation between said shaft and said rod, said manual override means further including withdrawing means for withdrawing said rod at least partially out of said bore whereby said rod can be gripped and rotated thereby rotating said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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6. A valve and valve actuator combination comprising:
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a valve body having a longitudinal flow passageway therethrough; a valve stem extending transversely into said flow passageway and having a free end extending outwardly from said valve body; a valve element rigidly mounted on said valve stem in said flow passageway, said valve stem being rotatable to turn said valve element from a first position closing said flow passageway to a second position opening said passageway; an actuator housing having a cylindrical piston passageway therethrough, and a shaft bore therein, said shaft bore being transverse to and intersecting said piston passageway; a shaft rotatably mounted in said shaft bore extending through said piston passageway and connected to said free end of said valve stem; means preventing substantial relative rotation between said shaft and said valve stem; a pinion fixedly attached to said shaft within said piston passageway; a pair of pistons tightly disposed in said piston passageway on opposite sides of said pinion and movable in said piston passageway toward and away from said pinion, each of said pistons having an integral piston skirt extending axially from said piston along said piston passageway toward said pinion, said piston skirts being radially opposite each other in said piston passageway, each having a gear rack operatively engaging said pinion; and a pair of end plates removably secured to said housing at opposite ends of said piston passageway so as to close said passageway; said housing further having a first porting passageway therein extending from an exterior surface of said actuator housing to the interior of said piston passageway between said pistons, a second porting passageway extending longitudinally through said housing substantially parallel to said piston passageway, and a third porting passageway extending from an exterior surface of said housing to said second porting passageway; said end plates each having an internal porting passageway system therethrough, said system having two openings, one opening of said internal porting system communicating with one end of said second porting passageway, the other opening of said internal porting system communicating with the end of said piston passageway axially outwardly of said piston. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A fluid powered actuator comprising:
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a housing having a cylindrical piston passageway therethrough and a shaft bore therein, said shaft bore being transverse to and intersecting said piston passageway; a shaft rotatably mounted in said shaft bore and extending through said piston passageway, said shaft having a longitudinal rod receiving bore extending into at least one end of said shaft, and said rod receiving bore having wrench surfaces therein; a pinion fixedly attached to said shaft within said piston passageway; a pair of pistons tightly disposed in said piston passageway on axially opposite sides of said pinion and movable in said piston passageway toward and away from said pinion, each of said pistons having an integral piston skirt extending axially from said piston along said piston passageway toward said pinion, said piston skirts being radially opposite each other in said piston passageway, each having a gear rack operatively engaging said pinion; first means for providing fluid communication from the exterior of said housing to the interior of said piston passageway between said pistons; second means for providing fluid communication from the exterior of said housing to the ends of said piston passageway axially outwardly of said pistons; and manual override means operatively connected to said shaft for manually rotating said shaft, said manual override means including a rod slidably disposed in said rod receiving bore and having wrench surfaces engageable with the wrench surfaces of said bore to prevent relative rotation between said shaft and said rod, said manual override means further including withdrawing means for withdrawing said rod at least partially out of said bore whereby said rod can be gripped and rotated thereby rotating said shaft.
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14. A valve and valve actuator combination comprising:
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a valve body having a longitudinal flow passageway therethrough; a valve stem extending transversely into said flow passageway and having a free end extending outwardly from said valve body; a valve element rigidly mounted on said valve stem in said flow passageway, said valve stem being rotatable to turn said valve element from a first position closing said flow passageway to a second position opening said passageway; an actuator housing having a cylindrical piston passageway therethrough, and a shaft bore therein, said shaft bore being transverse to and intersecting said piston passageway; a shaft rotatably mounted in said shaft bore extending through said piston passageway and connected to said free end of said valve stem said shaft having a longitudinal rod receiving bore extending into one end of said shaft, and said rod receiving bore having wrench surfaces therein; means preventing substantial relative rotation between said shaft and said valve stem; a pinion fixedly attached to said shaft within said piston passageway; a pair of pistons tightly disposed in said piston passageway on opposite sides of said pinion and movable in said piston passageway toward and away from said pinion, each of said pistons having an integral piston skirt extending axially from said piston along said piston passageway toward said pinion, said piston skirts being radially opposite each other in said piston passageway, each having a gear rack operatively engaging said pinion; first means for providing fluid communication from the exterior of said housing to the interior of said piston passageway between said pistons; second means for providing fluid communication from the exterior of said housing to the ends of said piston passageway axially outwardly of said pistons; and manual override means operatively connected to said shaft for manually rotating said shaft, said manual override means including a rod slidably disposed in said rod receiving bore and having wrench surfaces engageable with the wrench surfaces of said bore to prevent relative rotation between said shaft and said rod, said manual override means further including withdrawing means for withdrawing said rod at least partially out of said bore whereby said rod can be gripped and rotated thereby rotating said shaft.
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Specification