Valve actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12264752-B2
Application number	US-202318209921-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2023
Priority date	Jun 14, 2022
Publication date	Apr 1, 2025
Grant date	Apr 1, 2025

Abstract

A valve actuator comprises: a housing defining an inner space, a motor disposed in the inner space of the housing, a gear assembly disposed in the inner space of the housing and configured to transmit, to a ball valve, a driving force of the motor, a flange coupled to the ball valve, and a plurality of fastening members that couple the flange to the housing and including screws or bolts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve actuator comprising:
a housing defining an inner space;
a motor disposed in the inner space of the housing;
a gear assembly disposed in the inner space of the housing and configured to transmit, to a ball valve, a driving force of the motor;
a flange coupled to the ball valve; and
a plurality of fastening members that couple the flange to the housing and including screws or bolts,
wherein the housing includes a lower case and an upper case coupled to the lower case, and the lower case includes a flange coupling part to which the flange is coupled by the plurality of fastening members,
wherein the flange includes:
a tap part insertion hole and a tap part (i) defining an inner surface of the tap part insertion hole and (ii) that couples to a tap portion of the ball valve,
a stem insertion hole communicating with the tap part insertion hole and configured to receive a stem of the ball valve, and
a plurality of holes defined at a constant distance from a center of the tap part insertion hole and arranged to extend in a circumferential direction,

wherein the flange coupling part includes a plurality of circular grooves into which the plurality of fastening members passing through the plurality of holes are fastened, respectively,
wherein the housing defines a power line passage hole through which an external power line configured to supply power to the motor passes,
wherein the power line passage hole is configured to, based on the external power line being passed through the power line passage hole, receive an adhesive, and
wherein an inner surface of the housing around the power line passage hole is provided with an adhesive receiving groove (i) greater than the power line passage hole and (ii) in which a portion of the adhesive is received.

2. The valve actuator of claim 1 , wherein a number of the plurality of circular grooves is at least twice a number of the plurality of holes.

3. The valve actuator of claim 1 , wherein a distance between two consecutive holes of the plurality of holes is less than a distance between two consecutive circular grooves of the plurality of circular grooves.

4. The valve actuator of claim 1 , wherein the flange defines a first chamfer at an inner surface of the tap part insertion hole, and
wherein the first chamfer is configured to, based on the flange being coupled to the ball valve, contact a second chamfer defined at an upper end of the tap portion of the ball valve.

5. The valve actuator of claim 1 , wherein the lower case defines a seating part at an upper end, the seating part on which a protruding jaw of a middle plate disposed in the inner space of the housing is seated and configured to receive a first sealing ring, and
wherein the first sealing ring is supported by a lower end of the upper case, the seating part of the lower case, and the protruding jaw of the middle plate.

6. The valve actuator of claim 5 , wherein a second sealing ring is disposed between an upper surface of the flange and a lower surface of the flange coupling part.

7. The valve actuator of claim 6 , wherein the motor and the gear assembly are disposed in a space provided between the middle plate and the lower case.

8. The valve actuator of claim 7 , wherein the gear assembly includes:
an input gear coupled to a rotational shaft of the motor and configured to rotate with the rotational shaft,
an output gear spaced apart from the input gear in a horizontal direction, coupled to a stem of the ball valve, and configured to transmit a rotational force of the input gear to the stem, and
a power transmission gear configured to transmit the rotational force of the input gear to the output gear, and
wherein the power transmission gear includes:
a clutch shaft (i) having both ends coupled to the middle plate and the lower case so as to be movable in a vertical direction, (ii) including a first gear set including a first gear and a second gear that are coupled to the clutch shaft and that are configured to, based on vertical movement of the clutch shaft, disengage from or couple to each other.

9. The valve actuator of claim 8 , wherein the first gear provides a coupling part that couples the first gear to the second gear and protruding from a lower surface of the first gear coupled to the input gear,
wherein an upper surface of the second gear provides a coupling part insertion groove into which the coupling part of the first gear is inserted,
wherein the clutch shaft provides a push-up part that is configured to push the first gear upward by contacting the coupling part of the first gear and that is positioned in a push-up part insertion groove provided at a lower surface of the coupling part of the first gear.

10. The valve actuator of claim 9 , wherein the first gear is configured to move toward the second gear by a return spring disposed between the first gear and the middle plate.

11. The valve actuator of claim 10 , further comprising a snap ring disposed at the clutch shaft and between the return spring and an upper surface of the first gear.

12. The valve actuator of claim 11 , further comprising a third sealing ring is disposed at the clutch shaft and below the second gear,
wherein the lower case provides a guide groove at which the clutch shaft is coupled and configured to, based on the clutch shaft moving in the vertical direction, allow the third sealing ring to move in the vertical direction with the clutch shaft.

13. The valve actuator of claim 12 , wherein a movement distance of the clutch shaft in an upward direction is based on a gap between the third sealing ring and the second gear.

14. The valve actuator of claim 13 , wherein a lower end of an output shaft coupled to the output gear is coupled to the stem of the ball valve, an upper end of the output shaft protrudes to an outside of the upper case, and a fourth sealing ring is disposed between the output shaft and the lower case and between the lower end of the output shaft and the output gear.

15. The valve actuator of claim 14 , wherein a fifth sealing ring is disposed between the output shaft and the upper case and between the upper end of the output shaft and the output gear.

16. The valve actuator of claim 15 , wherein the power transmission gear further includes a second gear set disposed adjacent to the first gear set in the horizontal direction, and
wherein the second gear set includes:
a third gear coupled to the first gear; and
a fourth gear disposed above the third gear, configured to rotate with the third gear, and coupled to the output gear.

17. The valve actuator of claim 15 , wherein the upper case is configured to receive a cap that covers (i) the upper end of the output shaft protruding to the outside of the upper case and (ii) a gap provided between the upper case and the output shaft.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kang Joohang
• Ahn Youngchan

Classifications

• F16K27/067 Primary

  with spherical plugs · CPC title

• F16K31/042

  with electric means, e.g. for controlling the motor or a clutch between the valve and the motor · CPC title

• F16K5/0694

  Spindle sealings · CPC title

• F16H57/023

  Mounting or installation of gears or shafts in the gearboxes, e.g. methods or means for assembly · CPC title

• F25B41/20

  Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) · CPC title