Patent ID: 6244296
Filing Date: 2001-06-12
Classification: F16K,G01D,Y10T

Abstract:
A valve comprising:a valve body having walls defining a flow path therethrough;a flow control element;a mounting structure coupled with said flow control element and rotatably mounting said element in said flow path for rotation therein through a plurality of angular positions, said mounting structure including a first valve shaft extending through said body and an opposed, second valve shaft rotatably received in a body portion within said body without projecting externally beyond the walls; andan angular position sensor includingat least one magnet coupled with said second valve shaft and rotatable therewith, said magnet being configured and positioned to present an external magnetic field at a location outside said valve body and adjacent said body portion, the apparent strength of said external magnetic field at said location being correlated with the angular position of said second valve shaft and thereby with said flow control element,a magnetic field detector positioned in said external magnetic field at said location, operable to detect the strength of said external magnetic field, and operable to produce angular position signals representative thereof, such being indicative of the angular position of said flow control element.