Patent ID: 8215614

Claim:
A valve assembly, comprising: a valve including a housing defining a flow path through the valve, and a valve member positioned within the housing and along the flow path, wherein relative orientation of the valve member with respect to the housing controls a flow of fluid through the valve along the flow path; a valve actuator operably connected to the valve member to selectively govern the relative orientation of the valve member with respect to the housing, the valve actuator comprising: a motor; a drive gear operably coupled to the motor; a support structure supporting the motor and the drive gear, the drive gear mounted to the support structure for rotation about an axis of rotation a drive coupling operably coupling a return spring to the drive gear, the drive coupling coupled to the drive gear for rotation about the axis of rotation, the return spring operably coupled to the support structure and acting between the support structure and the drive coupling to rotationally bias the drive gear about the axis of rotation; a torque transfer arrangement between the drive gear and drive coupling configured to operably transfer torque about the axis of rotation between the drive coupling and the drive gear, the torque transfer arrangement including at least one slot and at least one peg extending generally parallel with the axis of rotation into the at least one slot, the at least one slot having a first width extending generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation and the at least one peg having a second width extending generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the second width being less than the first such that limited relative angular movement between the drive coupling and drive gear is permitted; and wherein the support structure includes a first stop positioned to stop angular movement of the drive coupling in a first rotational direction about the axis of rotation at a first angular position relative to the axis of rotation and a second stop positioned to stop angular movement of the drive gear in the first rotational direction about the axis of rotation at a second angular position relative to the axis of rotation, the second angular position being subsequent to the first angular position in the first rotational direction; and wherein the support structure includes a third stop positioned to stop angular movement of the drive coupling in a second rotational direction, opposite the first rotational direction, about the axis of rotation at a third angular position relative to the axis of rotation and a fourth stop positioned to stop angular movement of the drive gear in the second rotational direction about the axis of rotation at a fourth angular position relative to the axis of rotation, the fourth angular position being subsequent to the third angular position in the second rotational direction.