A drive unit for a gate valve controls a flow rate of fluid passing through an opening in a valve seat by forward and backward moving a valve plate against the opening in the valve seat. This drive unit includes a shaft connected to the valve plate, a linear motor for driving the shaft and drive control means to control the drive of the linear motor. The linear motor has a plurality of coils for generating a magnetic field by electric current and a permanent magnet assembly to react to the magnetic field generated by the plurality of coils. The plurality of coils forms a stator while the permanent magnet assembly is connected to the shaft and displaced together with the shaft to form a mover to forward and backward move the valve plate. Each of the plurality of coils is connected to its own control circuit and the drive control means individually controls the current flowing through each of the plurality of coils via the control circuit. The drive control means may be provided with a linear encoder to detect the current position of the permanent magnet assembly.

A valved manifold module is disclosed, constructed and arranged to be readily connected in a chain with similar modules to form a manifold assembly. The modular manifolds allows for expansion or modification of the manifold assembly to control a group of pneumatically or hydraulically driven pumps, valves or combinations thereof in a liquid flow control apparatus. The valved manifold module can be configured to accept a group of four substantially identical valve assemblies, and can be controlled by a local controller mounted to the manifold module, thus forming an independently programmable valved manifold module. The resulting modular system is expandable to allow for coordinated operations of a liquid flow control system, using substantially independent controller functions originating at the manifold assembly level.

The absence of high efficiency, compact fluidic pumps has until recently blocked the consideration of using hydraulic devices within portable and/or alkaline battery powered consumer and non-consumer products. The higher the functionality and programmability desired for a consumer and/or non-consumer product exploiting a fluidic pump then the more complex the overall fluidic system in terms of the number of actuators, valves, switches etc. within the fluidic system coupled to the one or more fluidic pumps. Accordingly, there exists a requirement to provide compact fluidic valves and switches to support configurability, programmability, and operation of these portable battery-operated consumer and non-consumer devices in conjunction with these newly available high efficiency, compact fluidic pumps. Such fluidic valves and switches should offer high efficiency, have a small footprint, be low complexity for high reliability and ease of manufacture, and low cost.

A servo valve includes a fluid transfer valve assembly comprising a supply port and a control port; a valve spool arranged to regulate flow of fluid from the supply port to the control port in response to a control signal; and a drive means configured to move the valve spool relative to the fluid transfer assembly in response to the control signal to regulate the fluid flow. The drive means is arranged to rotate the spool relative to the fluid transfer assembly, the spool provided with openings arranged to selectively align with or block flow channels in the fluid transfer assembly according to the direction and degree of rotation of the spool.

A valve assembly consists essentially of a valve body having an inlet port and an outlet port; a valve retainer at least partially housed within the valve body; a valve poppet positioned within the valve body; a magnet affixed within the valve body near the valve body inlet port; and a solenoid coil mounted around the valve body.

A latching assembly for a solenoid operated valve includes a solenoid assembly including a core defining a bore extending along an axis, and a coil mounted to the core and disposed about the axis. The solenoid operated valve further includes an armature assembly including an armature stud disposed at least partially within the bore and extending along the axis, an armature disc disposed radially about a portion of the armature stud and defining at least one window, and at least one stationary magnet respectively disposed within the at least one window.

The invention relates to a shut-off valve (1) for a pressurized-gas vessel, comprising a valve closing body (2) which can perform stroke movements and which is preloaded by the spring force of a closing spring (3) against a valve seat (4), such that, when the valve closing body (2) is in a closed position, a connection of a valve inlet (5) to a valve outlet (6) is shut off, and furthermore comprising an actuator arrangement (7) for opening the valve closing body (2). According to the invention, the actuator arrangement (7) interacts with an actuating element (8) which is arranged spaced apart from and coaxial with respect to the valve closing body (2) and which is movable by means of the actuator arrangement (7) in the direction of the valve closing body (2), such that, when the actuating element (8) abuts against the valve closing body (2), an opening impulse can be generated. The invention furthermore relates to a pressurized-gas vessel having a shut-off valve (1) according to the invention.

In one embodiment, a fluid dynamics system includes a solenoid valve including a valve body, which includes a valve cavity having a direction of elongation, a first channel, and a second channel, a solenoid coil disposed in the valve body around the valve cavity, and a plunger comprising a magnetic element and configured to move back-and-forth along the direction of elongation between a first position and a second position in the valve cavity, selectively opening the first channel and closing the second channel when the plunger is in the first position, and closing the first channel and opening the second channel when the plunger is in the second position, and a controller configured to control the solenoid coil to selectively move the plunger between the first position and the second position, and to selectively maintain the plunger in the first position and the second position.

A magnetically-operable shutter assembly comprises a fixed core and a movable core which can be configured between a contact condition and a condition of the utmost mutual distance and further comprises an encapsulation body capable of simultaneously containing the fixed core and the movable core; the encapsulation body can be installed within a body of a complex functional assembly which is configurable at least in a hindrance configuration for a fluid flow and in an admittance configuration for said fluid flow through the complex functional assembly itself.

A valve (1) for fluids, preferably for gases, comprises an inlet passage (2); an outlet passage (3); a shutter (4) interposed between the inlet passage (2) and the outlet passage (3) and movable between an open position and a closed position; actuating means (26,27). The valve (1) also comprises actuating means (26,27) operatively active on the shutter (4), which comprises an electromagnet (26) and a ferromagnetic element (27) that is movable as a function of the field generated by the electromagnet (26) for displacing the shutter (4) along the movement direction (L). In particular, the actuating means comprises a tubular body (5) made of non-magnetic material in which the ferromagnetic body (27) is inserted.