Valve actuator

Claim 1

A valve having a valve body with a fluid passageway therethrough and a valve gate member rotatably positioned in said passageway, said gate member adaptable to close said passageway and to open said passageway when rotated to a different angular position, a stem member to which said gate member is supported and rotatably connected, an operator arranged to rotate said stem member and thereby said valve gate member, said valve operator comprising, in combination: a tubular operator housing supported at one end thereof on said valve body with the tubular axis of said housing coincident with the axis of said valve stem member, said tubular housing being divided into lower and upper cylinders by a transverse portion, said transverse portion having a polygonal shaped opening coincident with said axis of said valve stem member; a tubular coupling member rotatably positioned in said tubular housing in said lower cylinder thereof adjacent said valve body, said coupling member being affixed to said stem member whereby the rotation of said coupling member rotates said stem member and thereby said valve gate member, said coupling member having at least one elongated spiraled slot formed in the sidewall thereof; a piston sealed relative to said upper cylinder and reciprocatable therein; a piston rod attached at its upper end to the lower side of said piston, said piston rod being of cross-section substantially the same as and reciprocatable in said polygonal shaped opening, said piston rod having a portion thereof telescopically extending within said coupling member, said piston rod being supported in a torque resisting non-rotatable and axially displaceable manner in said operator housing transverse portion and the lower portion thereof being telescopically received in said tubular coupling member; key means affixed to said piston rod extending into each of said spiraled slots formed in said coupling member whereby longitudinal movement of said piston and piston rod relative to said coupling member rotates said coupling member and thereby said valve gate member; means to close the top of said upper cylinder, said housing being closed in its entirety from ambient environment; and means to supply or remove pressure fluid into or from the said cylinder space above and below said piston to cause reciprocation thereof.