Manual actuator for motor driven control valve

A manual actuator for a motor driven control valve has a fork-shaped lever-type actuating means pivotally mounted on a single valve motor support stud passing between the legs of the fork-shaped actuating means. One end of the legs of the fork-shaped actuating means is formed as a cam surface to transmit a valve actuating force to a cam support attached to a valve stem driven by the valve motor. The other end of the legs of the actuating means are each rotatably attached to respective external trunnions on an internally threaded nut threaded on a threaded control rod. One end of the control rod is attached to a handwheel while the other end of the control rod is held in a ball and socket connection supported on the valve stud and spaced from the pivot for the actuating means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to control valves. More specifically, the 
present invention is directed to a control valve having a motor drive and 
a manual drive. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
There are known control valves which besides a motor actuator acting upon 
the valve stem of the valve in an axial direction, have in addition, a 
hand, or manual, actuator that is arranged laterally to the support studs 
of the valve motor actuator. In the known devices the manual actuator is 
attached to a pair of valve motor support studs and extends at a right 
angle to a plane defined by the studs. Thus, in the known device the space 
is limited in which further devices, e.g., position controllers, position 
indicators etc., may be arranged on the control valve. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to achieve a motor driven control 
valve with a laterally mounted manual actuator which provides a relative 
simple weight-saving design and which enables the attachment of further 
devices at the valve studs. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a manual valve 
actuator that is usable in a simple interchangeable manner for direct as 
well as for reverse operation. 
In accomplishing these and other objects, there has been provided, in 
accordance with the present invention, a control valve actuator having a 
valve housing, a valve stem projecting from the housing, a motor actuator 
mounted by spaced apart studs on the valve housing, the motor actuator 
acting by means of the valve stem on the valve and a manual actuator 
laterally mounted on the studs and acting on the valve stem by means of a 
lever-type actuating means terminating in a cam contacting the valve stem, 
wherein in that the lever-type actuating means is pivotally attached to 
one of the studs and is shaped as a fork with a pair of fork legs 
extending past the stud to the valve stem and terminating at one end to 
form the cam.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
According to FIGS. 1a to 1c, two spaced apart prismatic bodies 11 and 12 
are attached to a single valve stud 10. The attachment is made by means of 
U-shaped clamps 13 which partially encircle the stud 10 and extend through 
bores in the prismatic bodies 11 and 12. The U-shaped clamps 13 are 
threaded at their ends, and they are tightened onto the stud 10 and the 
bodies 11 and 12 by nuts 15 abuttings on washers 14 in contact with the 
prismatic bodies 11 and 12. The prismatic bodies 11 and 12 are each 
provided with V-shaped cutouts 16 to accommodate the stud 10 therein under 
the clamps 13. Between the prismatic bodies 11 and 12 extends a connecting 
rib 17, which supports a fixed bearing bushing 18 transverse to it. A bolt 
20 extends through the bearing bushing 18 and through a pair of legs of a 
fork-shaped lever-type actuating means 19 and is secured by a washer 21 
and a nut 22 to form a stationary pivot for the fork-shaped lever-type 
actuating means 19. The legs of the fork-shaped actuating means 19 extend 
past respective sides of the valve stud 10. The free end of the legs of 
the fork-shaped actuating means 19 form a cam-shaped surface 19A to 
transmit a valve actuating force as described hereinafter with respect to 
FIGS. 2 and 3. Two further threaded bolts 23 and 24 together with nuts 25 
and washers 26 are located in holes at respective opposite ends of the 
actuating means 19 to clamp the fork-shaped actuating means 19 against 
distance, or spacing, bushings 27. 
On the side away from the valve stud 10, the prismatic body 11 has a recess 
in which a cup-shaped body 28 is inserted. Within the cup-shaped body 28, 
the spherical head end 29 of a threaded rod 30 is engaged to form a ball 
and socket connection. On the other end of the threaded rod 30, a 
handwheel 31 is attached by means of a transverse pin 32 which provides a 
driving connection with the threaded rod 30. A reduced portion 33 of the 
threaded rod 30 adjacent of the spherical head 29 passes beneath a plate 
34 having an U-shaped cutout surrounding the reduced portion 33 and being 
attached to the prismatic body 11. It is the purpose of the plate 34 to 
prevent, or restrain, tilting of the spherical head 29 in the cup-shaped 
body 28 and, consequently, of the whole actuator if the cam-shaped free 
ends of the fork-shaped lever-type actuating means 19 are not supported. 
A prismatic internally threaded nut, or die, 35 is threaded on the threaded 
rod 30. By reason of its dimensions, the die 35 fits between the legs of 
the fork-shaped lever-type actuating means 19, and the actuating means 19 
is pivotally mounted to the die 35 by means of laterally extending die 
trunnions 36 passing through respective legs of the actuating means 19. A 
lock nut 37 provided with a control handle 38 is threaded on the control 
rod 30 and is displaceable in an axial direction on the threaded rod 30 to 
limit the travel path of the die 35 and, therefor, the stroke of the 
manual actuator. 
The mounting of the manual actuator for actuation of a direct and a reverse 
operating control valve is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. As shown 
in FIG. 2, on the traverse flange 41 of a valve body 40 there are attached 
at least two studs 10 and 10'. A pneumatic valve actuator, or motor, 50 is 
supported on the studs 10 and 10' for actuating, by means of a valve stem 
42, the valve plug (not shown) within the valve body 40. A cam support, or 
engaging, block 43 is fixed to the valve stem 42 and has attached thereto 
a pointer 44 for indicating the valve position with regard to a scale 45 
fixed on the stud 10. The fork-shaped lever-type actuating means 19 
overlies and contacts the engaging block 43 from the top in the 
arrangement according to FIG. 2 (direction operation) and from the bottom 
in the arrangement according to FIG. 3 (reverse operation). The contact 
between the actuating means 19 and the cam engaging block 43 is provided 
by the cam shaped ends 19A on the adjacent fork legs of the actuating 
means 19 bearing on the cam engaging block 43. 
In FIGS. 2 and 3, a modification of the manual actuator is shown over that 
shown in FIG. 1a to 1c as the U-shaped plate 34 has been omitted. The 
function of the plate 34 in restraining the free movement of the whole 
actuator is taken over by a leaf spring 46 which is attached to the die 35 
and is arranged to engage a V-shaped groove 49 in the prismatic body 11. A 
pin 47 is inserted in the die 35 and extends transversely into an enlarged 
bore 48 in the fork-shaped lever-type actuating means 19 to allow a 
limited play thereof on the pin 47. 
Accordingly, it may be seen that there has been provided, in accordance 
with the present invention, an improved manual actuator for a motor driven 
valve capable of operating in a direct or reverse actuation.