Patent ID: 8807161
Filing Date: 2014-08-19
Classification: F16K,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An aircraft fuel circuit valve comprising: an actuator driven by an electric motor; a drive shaft configured for rotation by the actuator; a valve body configured for connection to a fuel flow pipe; a ball in said valve body, said ball having a through-opening and being secured to a first end of the drive shaft and configured for rotation by the motor-driven actuator, wherein the motor-driven actuator is configured to drive a second end of the drive shaft about an axis in said valve body, with the rotation having two ends in a range of rotation, in which one end of the range of rotation is defined as an open position, with the through-opening of the ball being oriented in a direction allowing fuel to flow through the fuel pipe, and the second end of the range of rotation is defined as a closed position, with the through-opening of the ball being oriented in a direction preventing the fuel from flowing through the fuel pipe; a torque generation unit that includes an elastomeric disk having at least one protruding element and stop unit, in which the torque generation unit is positioned at one end of a secondary shaft, which is distinct from the drive shaft, with the secondary shaft being secured to the ball, wherein said torque generation unit is configured to generate a torque, in which the torque is progressively generated as the ends of the range of rotation of the ball in the valve body are reached by simultaneous rotation of the disk and ball, until the at least one protruding element of the disk comes into contact with the stop unit, and the generation of the torque increases a current drawn by the actuator; and a position detector positioned at the second end of the drive shaft, opposite the first end of the drive shaft, with the position detector being structured to deliver signals characterizing positions of said drive shaft, wherein the torque is increased by deformation of the at least one protruding element of the elastomeric disk as the ball rotates from the open position to the closed position before the closed position is detected, and as the ball rotates from the closed position to the open position before the open position is detected, and the torque generation unit does not generate significant torque until closeness of the two ends of the rotation range is reached and generates a progressively increasing torque as the end of rotation is reached.