US4926903A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Butterfly valve having a function for measuring a flow rate and method of measuring a flow rate with a butterfly valve
Assignee: Tomoe Technical Research Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1989-05-05
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Granted: 1990-05-22
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Expires: 2009-05-05
Abstract
Abstract A butterfly valve having a function for measuring a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the butterfly valve includes a main body, a valve shaft fixed rotatably to the main body, a valve member fixed to the valve shaft and mounted rotatably in the main body, a valve opening detection device for detecting a valve opening of the butterfly valve, and a torque detection device for detecting a dynamic torque applied to the valve member around the valve shaft by the fluid.
Inventors
- 👤 Kouzi Kawai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 12:25
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01F; G01F1/00; G01F1/05; G01F1/20; G01F1/28; G01F1/22; G01F1/26; G05; G05D; G05D7/00; G05D7/06; G05D7/0617; G05D7/0629; G05D7/0635; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/7722; Y10T137/7758; Y10T137/7759; Y10T137/8158; Y10T137/8225; Y10T137/8242
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A butterfly valve having as one function the measurement of a flow rate of a fluid flowing through said butterfly valve, comprising; a main body, a valve shaft fixed rotatably to said main body, a valve member fixed to said valve shaft and mounted rotatably in said main body, a valve opening detection means for detecting a valve opening of said butterfly valve, a torque detection means for detecting a dynamic torque applied to said valve member around said valve shaft by said fluid, and a flow rate computation means for computing said flow rate as a predetermined function of said valve opening and said dynamic torque.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
107 words
A butterfly valve having as one function the measurement of a flow rate of a fluid flowing through said butterfly valve, comprising; a main body, a valve shaft fixed rotatably to said main body, a valve member fixed to said valve shaft and mounted rotatably in said main body, a valve opening detection means for detecting a valve opening of said butterfly valve, a torque detection means for detecting a dynamic torque applied to said valve member around said valve shaft by said fluid, and a flow rate computation means for computing said flow rate as a predetermined function of said valve opening and said dynamic torque.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 1, further comprising an actuator connected to said valve shaft for rotating said valve member.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 2, in which said actuator is selected from a group consisting of an electric actuator, a pneumatic actuator, a diaphragm-type actuator and a solenoid-type actuator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 2, further comprising a control means at which a desired flow rate can be externally set and which instructs said actuator to rotate said valve member such that said computed flow rate approaches said desired flow rate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 4, in which said desired flow rate can be set to said control means from a remote place by a remote operation means through a tele-communication means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 1, in which said torque detection means includes a strain detector provided to said valve shaft.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 1, in which said valve opening detection means includes an angle sensor connected to said valve shaft.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 7, in which said angle sensor comprises a potentiometer or a rotary encoder connected to said valve shaft.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
A butterfly valve according to claim 1, characterized in that said butterfly valve is a central-type or an eccentric-type.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of measuring a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a butterfly valve, comprising the steps of; detecting a valve opening of said butterfly valve, detecting a dynamic torque applied to a valve member of said butterfly valve around a valve shaft of said butterfly valve by said fluid, and determining said flow rate as a function of said detected valve opening and said detected dynamic torque.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of measuring a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a butterfly valve, comprising the steps of; detecting a valve opening of said butterfly valve, detecting a dynamic torque applied to a valve member of said butterfly valve around a valve shaft of said butterfly valve by said fluid, and determining said flow rate as a function of said detected valve opening and said detected dynamic torque.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 10, in which said function is estimated by obtaining a relationship between said flow rate and said valve opening and said dynamic torque through an experiment.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 10, in which said function is estimated on an assumption that said flow rate is proportional to said dynamic torque when said valve opening is unchanged.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 10, in which said flow rate is determined on a chart which shows a relationship between said flow rate and said valve opening and said dynamic torque.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 13, in which said relationship is obtained through an experiment.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method according to claim 10, in which determination of said flow rate is executed by a computer.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
89 words
A method of controlling a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a butterfly valve, comprising the steps of: detecting a valve opening of said butterfly valve, detecting a dynamic torque applied to a valve member of said butterfly valve around a valve shaft of said butterfly valve by said fluid, determining said flow rate as a function of said detected valve opening and said detected dynamic torque, setting a desired flow rate, and changing said valve opening such that said determined flow rate approaches said desired flow rate.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
89 words
A method of controlling a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a butterfly valve, comprising the steps of: detecting a valve opening of said butterfly valve, detecting a dynamic torque applied to a valve member of said butterfly valve around a valve shaft of said butterfly valve by said fluid, determining said flow rate as a function of said detected valve opening and said detected dynamic torque, setting a desired flow rate, and changing said valve opening such that said determined flow rate approaches said desired flow rate.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-05-21 | 1993-11-20 | 1994-05-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-05-21 | 1997-11-20 | 1998-05-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-05-21 | 2001-11-20 | 2002-05-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |