Fire engine valve checker system and method

Abstract

The valve checker system includes a valve having a valve housing with an inlet side, an outlet side, and a valve element therebetween. The valve element is selectively and repeatedly rotatable between a first closed position and an open position. In the first closed position, a seal is formed between the valve element and the valve housing, thereby substantially preventing fluid flow between the inlet side and the outlet side. In the open position, the seal is broken so that fluid flow is permissible between the inlet side and the outlet side. The valve element is also selectively and repeatedly rotatable within a discrete angle from the first closed position to a second closed position in which the seal is maintained between the valve element and the valve housing, toward the open position. The controller is operably coupled to the valve element and configured to rotate the valve element between the first closed position and the second closed position.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 041,448, filed June 19, 2020, entitled "Fire Truck Valve Checker," and International Patent Application No. PCT / US20 / 57678, filed October 28, 2020, entitled "System And Method For Use In Operation Of A Firefighting Vehicle," the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a system and method for checking the operability of a fire engine valve, and more particularly to a fire engine valve checker and a method for using the fire engine valve checker to verify the operability of one or more fire engine valves. [Background technology]

[0003] Various types of valves can become seized if left fixed for long periods without being operated, making them difficult to operate thereafter. This is a particular concern in fire apparatus pumps and valves where individual valves may not be operated for significant periods between uses. This is a characteristic of electrically and mechanically operated ball and butterfly valves used in fire apparatus for pumps where the valves may be left fixed for long periods between uses.

[0004] Pumper valves typically have soft sealing elements that can stick to the hard valve element. Various materials are used to minimize this phenomenon. Nevertheless, the valve may stick and not operate when needed. If this is an electrically operated valve, a stuck valve will trip a breaker or shut down the motor. A stuck manually operated valve may become so difficult to operate that the valve will not open under pressure. The longer a valve sits stationary and not used, the more likely the materials are to stick to each other, possibly through "plastic creep" of two adjacent materials. The materials may flow into the pores of the mating parts that hold them together. Lubrication is used to prevent sticking, but lubrication is difficult to achieve in mobile fire apparatus with size and weight constraints. It is known to apply lubrication to ball valve designs in fire apparatus applications. Even with lubrication, sticking or seizing can occur if the valve is not moved for an extended period of time. In the case of rubber seated valves, the rubber is believed to harden against the mating parts.

[0005] Additionally, the valve mechanical actuator and / or its electrical connections, whether they are through the J1939 CAN network or through individual wiring connections, are subject to wear and tear just like any other component. Thus, mechanical or electrical problems can contribute to a stuck valve. For example, a weak ground that has been subject to corrosion from road salt or other means will reduce the available power available to the motor, thereby reducing the motor output torque and increasing the likelihood that the valve will not be able to move when needed after being left stuck for an extended period of time. The risk of similar problems also applies to all mechanical interconnects, couplings, gears and electrical interconnects, switches, wires, etc.

[0006] Furthermore, workers are not stationed in the vehicles every day, the number of fires occurring annually is gradually decreasing (based on readily available reports), and valves may not be tested over time and may potentially become stuck or remain non-functional, which may go undetected until fire department workers are required to use them in an emergency.

[0007] Thus, there is a need to ensure operability of pump car valves when needed after extended periods of non-use. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Briefly described, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a valve checker system including a valve having a valve housing with an inlet side, an outlet side, and a valve element positioned therebetween. The valve element is selectively and repeatably rotatable between (i) a first closed position, where a seal is formed between the valve element and the valve housing, thereby substantially preventing fluid flow between the inlet side and the outlet side, and (ii) an open position, where the seal is broken such that fluid flow is permissible between the inlet side and the outlet side. The valve element is also selectively and repeatably rotatable within a discrete angle from the first closed position to a second closed position, where the seal is maintained between the valve element and the valve housing, in a direction toward the open position. A controller is operably coupled to the valve element and configured to rotate the valve element between the first closed position and the second closed position.

[0009] In one configuration, the controller is configured to cyclically rotate the valve element between the first closed position and the second closed position.

[0010] In any of the above configurations, a valve seat may be mounted within the valve housing, and the valve element may be a ball having a peripheral surface and a port extending through the ball, and a seal is formed between the peripheral surface of the ball and the valve seat such that the port is fluidly isolated from the inlet and outlet sides of the valve housing in both the first closed position and the second closed position, and the port is in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet sides in the open position such that fluid flow is permissible between the inlet and outlet sides through the port.

[0011] In any of the above configurations, the individual angles may be between about 4 degrees and about 9 degrees.

[0012] In any of the above configurations, the valve may be a butterfly valve and the valve element may be a disc. In one configuration, the disc may be coated with a polymeric coating configured to form a seal between the disc and the valve housing. In one configuration, the polymeric coating may include a nitrile rubber coating. In one configuration, the disc may be a double flange disc having upper and lower peripheral flanges that form a seal between the disc and the valve housing.

[0013] In any of the above configurations, the valve checker system may further include a motor operably coupled to the controller and the valve element, the motor configured to rotate the valve element. In any of the above configurations, the valve checker system may further include a position sensor operably coupled to the controller and the valve element, the position sensor configured to detect position information of the valve element and transmit the position information to the controller, the controller further configured to determine that the valve is abnormal when power is supplied to the motor and the position information remains unchanged. In any of the above configurations, the controller may further be configured to determine that the valve is abnormal when a current flowing through the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

[0014] In any of the above configurations, the valve checker system may further include a limit switch operably coupled to the controller and to the valve element, the limit switch configured to change state when the valve element is rotated from the first closed position, and the controller further configured to determine a valve abnormality when power is supplied to the motor with the valve element in the first closed position and the state of the limit switch remains unchanged.

[0015] In any of the above configurations, the valve may be a fire engine pump valve.

[0016] Another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a network of valves for a fire engine pump having a plurality of valves in any of the above configurations, each valve element of each valve being selectively and repeatably rotatable between its first and second closed positions, and a controller configured to rotate each valve element of each valve between its first and second closed positions.

[0017] Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method of preventing valve sticking of a valve in any of the above configurations, the method including rotating a valve element of the valve from its first closed position to its second closed position, and rotating the valve element from its second closed position to its first closed position.

[0018] In one configuration, the method may further include the step of cyclically repeating both of the rotating steps.

[0019] In any of the above method configurations, a motor and a position sensor may be operatively coupled to the controller and the valve element, respectively, and the motor configured to rotate the valve element, each rotating step comprising the step of supplying power to the motor to rotate the valve element, and the method may further include the steps of detecting position information of the valve element via the position sensor, transmitting the position information to the controller, and determining a valve abnormality via the controller if the position information remains unchanged.

[0020] In any of the configurations of the above method, a motor may be operatively coupled to the controller and the valve element, the motor configured to rotate the valve element, each of the rotating steps including supplying power to the motor to rotate the valve element, and the method may further include determining via the controller that a valve abnormality exists when a current flowing through the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

[0021] In any of the configurations of the above method, a motor and a limit switch may be operatively coupled to the controller and the valve element, respectively, the motor configured to rotate the valve element and the limit switch configured to change state when the valve element is rotated from a first closed position, and rotating the valve element from its first closed position to its second closed position includes supplying power to the motor to rotate the valve element, and the method may further include determining a valve abnormality via the controller if the state of the limit switch remains unchanged.

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method of preventing valve sticking in a network of valves for a fire engine pump including a plurality of valves in any of the above configurations, the method including rotating a respective valve element of each valve from its first closed position to its second closed position, and rotating each valve element of each valve from its second closed position to its first closed position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a left side perspective view and partial schematic cross-sectional view of a valve checker system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure employing a ball valve, the ball valve being in its first fully closed position; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ball valve of FIG. 1 in a fully closed position. [Diagram 3] 2 is a left side perspective view and partial schematic cross-sectional view of the valve checker system of FIG. 1, with the ball valve in its second, closed position; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional partial schematic view of a valve checker system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure employing a butterfly valve, the butterfly valve being in its first fully closed position. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional partial schematic diagram of the valve checker system of FIG. 3 in which the butterfly valve is rotated gradually from its first fully closed position to its second closed position toward the open position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] The following description of embodiments of the invention will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

[0025] In the following description, certain terminology is used for convenience only and is not limiting. The words "bottom," "lower," "top," and "upper" designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words "inward," "outward," "upward," and "downward" refer to directions toward and away from the geometric center of the valve and designated portions thereof, respectively, according to the present disclosure. Unless otherwise specified herein, the terms "a," "an," and "the" should be read as meaning "at least one" rather than limited to one element. The terminology includes the above terms, derivatives thereof, and synonyms thereof.

[0026] It should also be understood that the terms "about," "approximately," "generally," "substantially," and similar terms used herein when describing dimensions or characteristics of components of the present invention indicate that the described dimensions / characteristics are not precise boundaries or parameters, nor do they exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At the very least, references involving numerical parameters will include variations that do not alter the least significant digit using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding to account for measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.).

[0027] Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout, Figures 1-3 show a valve checker system including at least one industrial ball valve 10 and an associated operatively connected controller 13 configured to check, verify and maintain operability of the valve 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The valve 10 is suitable for use as a fire valve for a pump on a fire truck (not shown).

[0028] A generic floating industrial ball valve 10 is shown in Figures 1 and 2. As can be seen, the ball valve 10 includes a valve housing 9 having an inlet 9a and an outlet 9b. The valve housing 9 houses a rotating / swivel ball 16 therein, which is hollow or hollow. A valve seat 18, i.e., an annular seat ring, is below the ball 16 on its inlet 20 side, and an opposing valve seat 18 is positioned above the ball 16 on its outlet 22 side. The rotatable ball 16 defines a port (channel) 14 therethrough (or may be hollow). The valve seats 18 on each of the upstream (inlet) 20 and downstream (outlet) 22 sides of the ball 16 are substantially stationary with respect to the valve housing 9. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the valve seats 18 can be constructed of metal, polymer, combinations thereof, and the like. As will also be appreciated, the valve seat 18 seals against fluid and substantially prevents fluid from flowing around the ball 16 between the upstream 20 and downstream 22 sides of the ball 16, thereby restricting fluid from moving through the ball port 14 to move between its upstream 20 and downstream 22 sides. The ball 16 is rotatable between its open position (not shown) and its fully closed, i.e., first closed, position (FIG. 1) in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. In the open position, the ball port 14 is in fluid communication with both the upstream inlet 9a and the downstream outlet 9b such that fluid may flow through the ball 16 between the upstream inlet 9a and the downstream outlet 9b. In the first closed position, the ball port 14 is fluidly isolated from the upstream inlet 9a and the downstream outlet 9b.

[0029] In one configuration, the valve 10 may be electrically actuated. Alternatively, the valve may be pneumatically powered using, for example, a three-position air cylinder that can move the valve 10 a small amount as needed, for example, for valve checks (described in more detail below), or full operational valve travel. In this configuration, the controller 13 is employed to power the necessary components in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art and described further below. Additionally or alternatively, the valve 10 may be manually operated, for example, by adding a short stroke air actuator (not shown) that can move the valve 10 through the small amount of rotation required to check valve operation and prevent sticking (as described below). This actuation means may be built into the valve 10 or into the manual actuator, incorporating lost motion mechanical linkages to allow full valve travel to be manually operated through its full range of travel.

[0030] Typically, power operated valves employed in fire engines have mechanical clearances between the interrelated components that make up the valve. That is, for example, valve 10 may be designed such that ball 16 can move a particular / discrete angular amount relative to valve seat 18, i.e., to second closed position (FIG. 3), while valve 10 remains closed, i.e., the seal remains intact before the seal clears the port and fluid begins to flow. Because water or water / extinguishing agent solution is on the other side of the valve, which may spill into a hose (not shown) prior to connection or onto the ground, it is beneficial to be able to move a valve element, e.g., ball 16 (or disk as described below), a discrete angular amount (from first closed position to second closed position) before the seal is destroyed and thus without allowing fluid to flow.

[0031] In the described embodiment, the ball valve 10 has a measurable displacement 12 between the ball port 14 and the inner peripheral edge 18b of each valve seat 18 within the valve housing 9. That is, the ball 16 can move a discrete angle of rotation (from a first closed position to a second closed position) while remaining closed, i.e., before the port (or hole) 14 in the ball 16 breaks through the inner peripheral edge 18b of the valve seat 18 to allow flow between the inlet 9a and outlet 9b of the valve housing 9 through the ball port 14. The displacement 12 translates to an allowable angle of rotation of the ball 16 about the axis of rotation A while maintaining a seal between the ball 16 and the valve seat 18 before flow begins. The angle of rotation between the first closed position and the second closed position may be different for different types or designs of valves. Thus, by managing the relationship between the hole 14 in the ball 16 and the inner peripheral edge 18b of the seat 18, the valve 10 can be designed to remain closed and allow some movement of the ball 16 before the seal clears the port and flow begins. In one example, and not by way of limitation, the Model 8825, 2.5 inch Generation II Heavy Duty "Self Locking" Swing-Out Ball Valve manufactured by Akron® Brass Company (Model 8825 valve) is designed to allow the rotatable ball of the valve to rotate 9 degrees before the valve opens and allows fluid flow through the valve. That is, the valve will remain closed until the ball is rotated beyond 9 degrees.

[0032] A controller 13 operatively connected to the valve 10 may, for example, electrically actuate the valve 10 to move a predetermined amount between its open and closed positions. The controller 13 may act on the ball 16 by actuating a motor 11, for example a DC motor, coupled to the ball 16 to effect its rotation about an axis of rotation A. In one embodiment, for example and without limitation, the controller 13 may be in the form of a SAM™ Control System manufactured by Hale Products Inc. integrated into a fire pump and configured to manage the pump, tank, intake and discharge of a fire engine. Alternatively, the controller 13 may be in the form of a Class 1 Sentry Pressure Governor System manufactured by Hale Products Inc. or a Total Pressure Governor (TPG) manufactured by Hale Products Inc.

[0033] In valve check mode, the controller 13 may periodically, for example, during times when the pump (not shown) is not running and not pressurized, actuate the valve 10 between its first closed position (FIG. 1) and second closed position (FIG. 3), i.e., move the ball 16 a discrete incremental amount less than the measurable displacement 12 between the ball port 14 and the inner periphery (inner peripheral edge) 18b of each valve seat 18 to occupy a clearance in the valve 10. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the pump is not pressurized when it is not connected to a water supply, such as when the vehicle is left unattended or traveling on the road. Thus, the residual pressure behind the valve is a small tip pressure of any residual water that may be in the pump.

[0034] Valve 10 may be configured with position feedback. For example, position sensor 15 may be employed in a conventional manner (as would be well understood by one of ordinary skill in the art) to detect changes in the position of ball 16 (the movable valve element) and transmit that information to controller 13. This allows controller 13 to determine whether and how far ball 16 has moved. Controller 13 may be configured to move ball 16 a certain amount based on feedback provided by position sensor 15. For example, in an Akron Brass Co. Model 8825 valve, controller 13 may be configured to move ball 16 less than 9 degrees, e.g., 5-6 degrees, toward an open position (which would still prevent fluid from flowing through valve 10) and then return ball 16 to a fully closed position. This movement allows ball 16 to move only a small amount to avoid and / or "break" friction with valve seat 18 that tends to cause sticking, i.e., prevent stationary surfaces from being set to move relative to one another. Additionally or alternatively, valve 10 may employ limit switches, as described further below.

[0035] In a vehicle setting, such as a fire engine setting, where multiple valves are employed, a control system for checking and / or operating the valves may be deployed in a network arrangement of valves (not shown) that commands the valves to operate through a valve checker routine, or may be applied to the valves individually as part of a stand-alone valve routine. For example, the controller 13 may sequentially cycle the valves 10 in a valve check mode so that the electrical load on the vehicle / equipment electrical system is not overloaded. Various valves have different dwell times that determine how long they can be inactive before they begin to stick. Thus, the controller 13 may be configured to perform valve checks on the valves periodically depending on the particular valve employed and before sticking occurs. Typically, one valve check per valve per day is an average frequency, although the disclosure is not so limited. For example, for smaller valves with harder seats, the intervals between movements may be longer. Different valves may require different amounts of valve movement to prevent sticking. Thus, the controller 13 may be configured to move the valves by individual amounts, each corresponding to the design of the particular valve.

[0036] Advantageously, the combination of valve powering, i.e., movement / actuation via the controller 13, and position sensing feedback allows for detection of valve anomalies prior to actual required use. That is, for example, if the controller 13 commands the motor 11 to move the ball 16 and the position sensor 15 detects that the ball 16 does not move, the feedback from the position sensor 15 to the controller 13 will indicate an anomaly, e.g., an electrical or mechanical anomaly, since the expected position change from the valve 10 was not obtained. Thus, defects such as, for example, but not limited to, a broken motor, or numerous other mechanical failures or non-functioning electronic components, can be detected. A communication platform connected to the controller 13, such as Captium™ from IDEX Fire and Safety, can be employed to communicate warnings or service alerts to local and / or remote personnel in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. This allows for preventative troubleshooting and service actions to be scheduled to repair defects before the valve is needed in an emergency and personnel encounter a problem, or the valve can be removed from service and not used until it is repaired. Advantageously, such actions on each valve 10 can be accomplished while the pump truck / vehicle is abandoned or on the road, without affecting other activities.

[0037] Optionally, electronic hardware (not shown) may additionally or alternatively be employed to provide electrical feedback by detecting the current flow of the valve actuation motor. As an example, an electric actuator, Model No. 8615-8635 manufactured by Akron® Brass Company, valve actuator / controller measuring the current flowing through the motor may be employed as part of the controller design (as is well known to those skilled in the art) to set the valve stop position. Motor overcurrent detection indicates a valve abnormality and may be reported (as described above). For example, if the motor maximum current of valve 10 is approximately 10 amps, the current to actuate valve 10 would not be even 4 amps if there was no pressure on the valve, i.e., if valve 10 is not connected to a water supply (as it may be if verified). Thus, if the electronic hardware detects that valve actuation requires more than 4 amps at normal voltage, an abnormality is identified by controller 13. Whether the problem is mechanical or electrical, the problem may be reported to avoid the abnormality in an emergency situation. The controller 13 may be configured to adjust the current and position feedback to learn or self-calibrate how much current each valve requires to move to its check position, and then identify degradation issues over time if the valve requires more current. By measuring the voltage of the power supply and the current required to move the valve, a map of known good ranges can be developed so that if a valve requires more current to move across multiple automatic checks, the need for further maintenance can be estimated.

[0038] As mentioned above, employing the position sensor 15 contributes to anomaly detection. For example, if power is applied to the motor 11 and the position sensor 15 detects no change in the position of the valve 10, then there is a functional problem, i.e., mechanical or electrical. More advantageously, combining position feedback with electrical feedback may also contribute to identifying the type of functional anomaly that exists. For example, if power is applied to the motor 11 and the electronics hardware detects substantially zero current and no change in the position of the valve 10, then the anomaly may be an electrical anomaly. Alternatively, if power is applied to the motor 11 and the electronics hardware detects high current but no change in the position of the valve, then the anomaly may be a mechanical anomaly.

[0039] As previously mentioned, the valve checker system of the present disclosure provides a number of advantageous effects. That is, the system helps to operate valves having fine actuators, e.g., powered or manually operated valves, by operating each valve by a discrete amount to ensure that it is not stuck and is fully operable when needed. The system is configured to move the valve without opening it, i.e., moving it to a position that allows upstream water to flow. This is accomplished by making sure that the downstream pump is not rotating and is not under pressure, and by only moving the valve element a small amount. The system is configured to automatically operate each valve on a regular cycle when the pump is not in use. This includes operating different sizes and types of valves on different schedules to prevent sticking, as well as moving each valve by a custom amount that is potentially different from other valves to meet the requirements of each particular valve design. Thus, the system can be applied to individual valves, i.e., customized, or applied to networked arrangements of valves.

[0040] 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the valve checker system of the present disclosure. The reference numerals in this embodiment are distinguishable from those in the above embodiment by the use of hundred (100) numbers, but refer to the same elements as above unless otherwise noted. Certain similarities between the embodiments may be omitted herein for the sake of brevity and convenience of description, and thus are not limiting.

[0041] The primary difference between the first and second embodiments of the valve checker system of the present disclosure relates to the valve employed as a fire valve for the pump. Valve 110 is in the form of a butterfly valve, such as, for example and without limitation, the Master Intake Valve manufactured by Hale Products Inc. That is, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, valve 110 includes a valve housing (valve body) 109 and a butterfly valve disc 116. The term "butterfly valve" as used herein is broad enough to encompass any valve having a generally disk-shaped opening and closing body that is selectively pivotable along a cross section of a pipe, i.e., between a fully closed position (FIG. 4) and an open position (as will be understood by those skilled in the art), about an axis perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow, i.e., regardless of pressure differential across the disk-shaped opening and closing body, to restrict fluid flow.

[0042] Another difference between the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure is that the valve seal 118 is configured as a component of the movable valve element, rather than being a stationary component of or attached to the valve housing 109. In the described embodiment, the radial periphery of the valve disc 116 constitutes the valve seal 118. In one configuration, the disc 116 may be coated with a sealing agent, for example, a polymeric coating such as, but not limited to, nitrile rubber, to enhance the sealing properties of the disc 116. In the described embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the disc 116 takes the form of a double flange disc having upper and lower peripheral flanges that constitute the valve seal 118, although the disclosure is not so limited.

[0043] As with the first embodiment valve 10, the movable element, i.e., the disk 116 of the valve 110, can move a small incremental amount of rotational angle (between its first closed position and its second closed position) before the valve remains closed and thus the seal between the disk 116 and the valve housing 109 is broken to permit flow between the inlet side 120 and the outlet side 122 of the valve housing 109. That is, in the described embodiment, the disk 116 requires sufficient rotation to break both the upper and lower seals (valve seals) 118 before the valve 110 opens. Thus, and similar to the first embodiment, a controller 113 operably connected to the valve 110 to actuate the valve 110 between its open and closed positions may periodically, for example each time the pump is not running and not pressurized, actuate the valve 110 between its first and second closed positions, i.e. rotate the disc 116 a discrete angle less than the angle required to open the valve, i.e. break the seal between the disc 116 and the valve body 109 to avoid and / or break sticking.

[0044] Valve 110 may also employ at least one limit switch 117 (in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art) operably connected to valve 110 and controller 113. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, limit switch 117, for example, on a valve actuator / stem, indicates when valve 110 is fully closed, i.e., in a first closed position. As disk 116 is gradually rotated from the fully closed position (toward an open position), limit switch 117 changes state (in a manner well understood) according to the make-break dimensions of its electrical connection.

[0045] For example, in one configuration, the limit switch 117 may be configured to interrupt electrical connection when the disc 116 reaches its second closed position. Thus, the controller 113 may interrupt power to the motor 111 in response to the interruption of the limit switch 117, thereby stopping rotation of the disc 116. In one example, the limit switch 117 may be configured to change state (from connected to interrupted) when the disc 116 rotates from about 4 degrees to about 7 degrees from the fully closed position, which is sufficient rotation to break the adhesion between the disc 116 and the valve body 109, and the limit switch 117 may be configured to verify that the valve actuation components are functioning properly. Thus, the motor 111 may stop further rotation, after which the disc 116 may be returned in the reverse manner to the fully (first) closed position.

[0046] In other configurations, the limit switch 117 may be configured to break electrical connection before the disc 116 reaches its second closed position, i.e., the valve actuation components and movable valve components are designed such that insufficient travel is achieved when the limit switch changes state. In such configurations, the controller 113 may be configured to continue to power the motor 111 for a short predetermined period of time, e.g., about 1 second to about 2 seconds, after breaking the limit switch 117 to allow the disc 116 to rotate about 4 degrees to about 7 degrees from the fully closed position. One factor influencing the predetermined period of time may be, for example, the supply voltage to the motor 111. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the lower the supply voltage, the slower the motor 111 will rotate, and the higher the supply voltage, the lower the number of revolutions per second. To compensate for this, the timing of power to the motor 111 is proportionately sped up.

[0047] Similar to the position sensor 15, i.e., the combination of powered operation / actuation of the valve via the controller 113 and the limit switch 117 allows for detection of valve anomalies prior to actual desired use. For example, if the limit switch 117 does not change state when the controller 113 commands the motor 111 to move the disk 116, the limit switch 117 feedback to the controller 113 will indicate an anomaly, e.g., an electrical or mechanical anomaly, since the expected state change of the limit switch 117 was not achieved. Additionally or alternatively, the valve 110 may employ a position sensor 15, as previously described.

[0048] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes could be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fire engine valve checker system, comprising: A valve for a fire engine pump, comprising: a valve housing having an inlet side connectable to a water supply source, an outlet side and a valve element positioned therebetween, the valve element being selectively and repeatedly rotatable between (i) a first closed position in which a seal is formed between the valve element and the valve housing, thereby preventing fluid flow between the inlet side and the outlet side, and (ii) an open position in which the seal is broken such that fluid flow is permissible between the inlet side and the outlet side; the valve element is also selectively and repeatedly rotatable within discrete angles from the first closed position to a second closed position in which the seal is maintained between the valve element and the valve housing, toward the open position; a fire engine pump valve that is pressurized when connected to a water supply source and is non-pressurized when not connected to the water supply source; a controller operatively coupled to the valve element and configured to cyclically rotate the valve element between the first closed position and the second closed position when the fire engine pump valve is in an unpressurized state; A valve checker system comprising:

2. 2. The valve checker system of claim 1, wherein a valve seat is mounted within the valve housing, the valve element is a ball having a peripheral surface and a port extending therethrough, the seal is formed between the peripheral surface of the ball and the valve seat such that the port is fluidly isolated from the inlet and outlet sides of the valve housing in both the first closed position and the second closed position, and the port is in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet sides in the open position such that fluid flow is permissible between the inlet and outlet sides through the port.

3. 3. The valve checker system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the discrete angles are between 4 degrees and 9 degrees.

4. 4. The valve checker system of claim 1 or 3, wherein the fire engine pump valve is a butterfly valve and the valve element is a disk.

5. 5. The valve checker system of claim 4, wherein the disc is coated with a polymeric coating configured to form the seal between the disc and the valve housing.

6. 6. The valve checker system of claim 5, wherein the polymeric coating comprises a nitrile rubber coating.

7. 7. A valve checker system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the disc is a double flange disc having upper and lower peripheral flanges forming the seal between the disc and the valve housing.

8. 8. The valve checker system of claim 1, further comprising a motor operably coupled to the controller and the valve element, the motor configured to rotate the valve element.

9. 9. The valve checker system of claim 8, further comprising a position sensor operably coupled to the controller and the valve element, the position sensor configured to detect position information of the valve element and transmit the position information to the controller, the controller further configured to determine that a valve is abnormal when power is supplied to the motor and the position information remains unchanged.

10. 10. The valve checker system according to claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that a valve abnormality occurs when a current flowing through the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

11. 11. The valve checker system of claim 8, further comprising a limit switch operably coupled to the controller and the valve element, the limit switch configured to change state when the valve element is rotated from the first closed position, and the controller further configured to determine a valve abnormality when the motor is supplied with power with the valve element in the first closed position and the state of the limit switch remains unchanged.

12. 12. The valve checker system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of valves, each of said valve elements being selectively and repeatedly rotatable between its first and second closed positions; 11. A network of valves for a fire engine pump, wherein the controller is configured to rotate the respective valve element of each valve between its first closed position and its second closed position.

13. A method for preventing valve sticking of a fire engine pump valve in a valve checker system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising the steps of: rotating the valve element of the fire engine pump valve from its first closed position to its second closed position; rotating the valve element from its second closed position to its first closed position; A method for providing the above.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of periodically repeating both of said rotating steps.

15. a motor and a position sensor are operatively coupled to the controller and the valve element, respectively, the motor configured to rotate the valve element, each of the rotating steps comprising the step of supplying power to the motor to rotate the valve element; detecting position information of the valve element via the position sensor; transmitting said location information to said controller; determining, via the controller, that a valve abnormality exists if the position information remains unchanged; 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

16. a motor operatively coupled to the controller and the valve element, the motor configured to rotate the fire engine pump valve, each of the rotating steps including providing power to the motor to rotate the valve element; The method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising the step of determining, via the controller, that a valve abnormality has occurred when the current flowing through the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

17. a motor and a limit switch are operatively coupled to the controller and the valve element, respectively, the motor configured to rotate the valve element, the limit switch configured to change state when the valve element is rotated from the first closed position, and rotating the valve element from its first closed position to its second closed position includes supplying power to the motor to rotate the valve element; 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising determining a valve malfunction via the controller if the state of the limit switch remains unchanged.

18. A method for preventing valve sticking in a network of fire engine pump valves including a plurality of the fire engine pump valves in the valve checker system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising: rotating the respective valve element of each valve from its first closed position to its second closed position; rotating the valve element of each valve from its second closed position to its first closed position; A method for providing the above.

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