Gas valve with electronic health monitoring
First Claim
1. A valve assembly system comprising:
- a valve assembly comprising;
a valve body having an inlet port and an outlet port, with a fluid path extending between the inlet port and the outlet port;
a valve situated in the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;
a valve actuator, secured relative to the valve body, for selectively moving the valve between a closed position, which closes the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port, and an open position;
one or more sensors in communication with the fluid path for sensing one or more parameters within the fluid path of the valve body;
a controller secured relative to the valve body and in communication with the one or more sensors, the controller determining one or more valve conditions based on the one or more sensed parameters by comparing values related to the one or more sensed parameters to corresponding ones of the two or more threshold values;
a memory secured relative to the valve body and operatively coupled to the controller, the memory storing two or more selectable options, wherein each selectable option identifies corresponding threshold values for the two or more threshold values, wherein one or more of the threshold values is an adjustable threshold value that is adjustable by a user in the field, and one or more of the threshold values is a fixed threshold value that is not adjustable by a user in the field;
a user interface configured to receive a selection from a user of one of the two or more selectable options stored in the memory,wherein;
once selected, the controller is configured to use the two or more threshold values that correspond to the selected selectable option when comparing values related to the one or more sensed parameters;
the controller is configured to shut down the valve assembly if a value related to one or more of the sensed parameters goes beyond a corresponding one of the one or more fixed threshold values; and
the controller is configured to allow the valve assembly to operate but issue an alert if a value related to one or more of the sensed parameters goes beyond a corresponding one the one or more adjustable threshold values.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
This disclosure relates generally to valves, and more particularly, to gas valve assemblies. In one illustrative but non-limiting example, a valve assembly may include a valve body, a valve situated in a fluid path of the valve body, a valve actuator for selectively moving the valve actuator, one or more sensors in communication with the fluid path, a controller secured relative to the valve body and in communication with the sensors, and memory operatively coupled to the controller. A user interface may be in communication with the memory and the controller and may be configured to receive a selection from a user for selecting one of two or more selectable options from the memory. The controller may compare sensed parameters to threshold values associated with the selected option. The user interface may have a lock on it to prevent tampering and to provide accountability.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A valve assembly system comprising:
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a valve assembly comprising; a valve body having an inlet port and an outlet port, with a fluid path extending between the inlet port and the outlet port; a valve situated in the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port; a valve actuator, secured relative to the valve body, for selectively moving the valve between a closed position, which closes the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port, and an open position; one or more sensors in communication with the fluid path for sensing one or more parameters within the fluid path of the valve body; a controller secured relative to the valve body and in communication with the one or more sensors, the controller determining one or more valve conditions based on the one or more sensed parameters by comparing values related to the one or more sensed parameters to corresponding ones of the two or more threshold values; a memory secured relative to the valve body and operatively coupled to the controller, the memory storing two or more selectable options, wherein each selectable option identifies corresponding threshold values for the two or more threshold values, wherein one or more of the threshold values is an adjustable threshold value that is adjustable by a user in the field, and one or more of the threshold values is a fixed threshold value that is not adjustable by a user in the field; a user interface configured to receive a selection from a user of one of the two or more selectable options stored in the memory, wherein; once selected, the controller is configured to use the two or more threshold values that correspond to the selected selectable option when comparing values related to the one or more sensed parameters; the controller is configured to shut down the valve assembly if a value related to one or more of the sensed parameters goes beyond a corresponding one of the one or more fixed threshold values; and the controller is configured to allow the valve assembly to operate but issue an alert if a value related to one or more of the sensed parameters goes beyond a corresponding one the one or more adjustable threshold values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A valve assembly comprising:
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a valve body having an inlet port and an outlet port, with a fluid path extending between the inlet port and the outlet port; a valve situated in the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port; a valve actuator, secured relative to the valve body, for selectively moving the valve between a closed position, which closes the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port, and an open position; one or more sensors in communication with the fluid path for sensing one or more parameters within the fluid path of the valve body; a memory secured relative to the valve, the memory storing one or more fixed thresholds and one or more adjustable thresholds, the one or more fixed thresholds not adjustable by a user in the field; a controller secured relative to the valve body and operatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the memory, the controller determining one or more valve conditions based on the one or more sensed parameters, the controller further; shutting down the valve assembly if one or more values related to the sensed parameters go beyond one or more of the fixed thresholds; and allowing the valve assembly to continue to operate but issuing an alert if one or more values related to the sensed parameters go beyond one or more of the adjustable thresholds.
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Specification