Gate valve operator

Claim 2

A remote control valve operator device for opening and closing a valve having a rotating stem, the device comprising: a valve stem rotating means connected to the rotating stem; a driving member connected to the periphery of the valve stem rotating means; a rotatable flywheel disposed axially adjacent the valve stem rotating means, and having a circular groove extending peripherally around a sector of the flywheel, the driving member being normally disposed in the circular groove; a rotatable, electromagnetically driven disc member connected to the flywheel for rotating the flywheel and thereby the driving member and the valve stem rotating means; and electromagnetic means for electromagnetically rotating the disc member to open and close the valve.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, in which the disc member is a nonmagnetic metal and is connected to the flywheel through a sleeve, and including, a support frame secured to the valve and rotatably supporting the flywheel and the disc member at the sleeve.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1, in which the valve stem rotating means comprises a generally circular valve handle, the driving member is a driving block disposed on the outer periphery of the valve handle, and the circular groove in the flywheel extends around a sector of approximately 330* of the flywheel radius.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1, in which the disc member is a nonmagnetic metal member, and the electromagnetic means for rotating the disc member comprises a plurality of electrically energized, electromagnetic stator member windings disposed around the periphery of the disc member to create electromagnetic torque to rotate the disc member when the stator member windings are energized.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4, including circuit means connected to the respective stator windings to energize the stator windings in both forward and reverse torque directions to thereby open and close the valve.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4, in which the stator windings are generally U-shaped when viewed in radial vertical section, and the edge of the disc member nests in the central portion of the U-shaped stator windings.

Claim 8

A high torque, electromagnetic valve operator for a valve having a rotating valve stem said valve operator comprising: a rotatable operating crank connected to the valve stem; a flywheel member disposed adjacent the operating crank; lost motion drive means interconnecting the flywheel member to the operating crank; a rotatable disc member disposed axially adjacent the flywheel and connected thereto; support means for rotatably supporting the flywheel and disc member in a fixed position relative to said valve; and electromagnetic drive means dispoSed on said support means peripherally adjacent the disc member and adapted to impart rotary driving torque to the disc member, and thereby to the flywheel member, and through the lost motion drive means to the operating crank to provide a high initial torque drive to open and close the valve.

Claim 9

A high torque, electromagnetic valve operator for a valve having a rotating valve stem said valve operator comprising: a rotatable operating crank connected to the valve stem; a flywheel member disposed adjacent the operating crank; lost motion drive means interconnecting the flywheel member to the operating crank; a rotatable disc member disposed axially adjacent the flywheel and connected thereto; support means for rotatably supporting the flywheel and disc member in a fixed position relative to said valve; and electromagnetic drive means dispoSed on said support means peripherally adjacent the disc member and adapted to impart rotary driving torque to the disc member, and thereby to the flywheel member, and through the lost motion drive means to the operating crank to provide a high initial torque drive to open and close the valve.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7, in which the lost motion drive means comprises: a peripheral slot formed in the edge of the flywheel; and a complementary drive member secured to the operating crank and extending into the peripheral slot to transmit a lost motion driving force from the flywheel member to the operating crank whenever the driving direction of the flywheel member is reversed.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7, in which: the operating crank includes a projection; and the flywheel member has a drive transmitting projection adapted to engage either side of the operating crank projection to effect a lost motion drive action from the flywheel to the operating crank in both a forward and reverse direction.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 7, in which the electromagnetic means comprises: at least one electromagnetic stator adapted to be energized in forward and reverse driving directions to impart forward and reverse driving torque to the disc member.

Claim 13

An electromagnetic valve operator for automatic operation of a gate valve having a valve operating stem for opening and closing the valve comprising: a valve operating handle connected to the operating stem; lost motion drive means including a movable mass; a nonmagnetic metal member directly connected to the movable mass and adapted to move therewith; and electromagnetic means disposed adjacent said nonmagnetic metal member, but not in contact therewith, and adapted to electromagnetically move said nonmagnetic metal member and thereby said movable mass when energized; and said lost motion drive means and nonmagnetic metal member being free to move independently of said electromagnetic means when the electromagnetic means is not energized, thereby enabling manual operation of the valve operating handle when said electromagnetic means cannot be energized.

Claim 14

An electromagnetic valve operator for automatic operation of a gate valve having a valve operating stem for opening and closing the valve comprising: a valve operating handle connected to the operating stem; lost motion drive means including a movable mass; a nonmagnetic metal member directly connected to the movable mass and adapted to move therewith; and electromagnetic means disposed adjacent said nonmagnetic metal member, but not in contact therewith, and adapted to electromagnetically move said nonmagnetic metal member and thereby said movable mass when energized; and said lost motion drive means and nonmagnetic metal member being free to move independently of said electromagnetic means when the electromagnetic means is not energized, thereby enabling manual operation of the valve operating handle when said electromagnetic means cannot be energized.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11, in which the nonmagnetic metal member is a disc: the movable mass is a flywheel operably connected with the disc; the valve operating handle is connected through the lost motion drive means to the disc; and said disc member is only electromagnetically coupled to the electromagnetic means when said means is energized, but otherwise rotates freely and without resistance from the electromagnetic means when the valve operating handle is moved manually.