Idex Health & Science LLC

Christopher R Tower

Mark Joseph Green

A multi-position rotary shear valve assembly having a substantially metallic or ceramic stator device and a substantially metallic or ceramic rotor device. The stator device defines a substantially planar stator face and at least two or more stator channels in fluid communication with the stator face at corresponding stator ports, while the rotor device includes a substantially planar rotor face defining one or more rotor channels. A tribological coating is disposed atop at least one of the rotor face and the stator face, which enables a substantially fluid-tight, selective relative rotation between the rotor face and the stator face, at a rotor-stator interface, between two or more rotor positions.

Rotary shear valve assembly with hard-on-hard seal surfaces

A multi-position valve assembly including a valve housing, a stator element and a rotor element rotatably mounted about a rotational axis. The valve assembly further includes a pressure adjustment assembly movable between a release position and a stop position, hard stopped relative to the valve housing. The pressure adjustment assembly includes a pressure adjuster device configured to movably cooperate between the rotor element and the valve housing to adjustably generate an axial compression pressure at the rotor-stator interface at a calibrated operating pressure, P. When the pressure adjustment assembly is oriented in the release position, the axial compression pressure is substantially removed from the rotor-stator interface. In contrast, when the pressure adjustment assembly is oriented in the stop position, the axial compression pressure is substantially reproduced at the calibrated operating pressure, P.

Rebuildable micro-fluidic valve assembly

A multi-position rotary shear valve assembly having a metallic or ceramic stator device and a metallic or ceramic rotor device. The stator device defines a planar stator face and two or more stator channels in fluid communication with the stator face at corresponding stator ports, while the rotor device includes a substantially planar rotor face defining one or more rotor channels. A tribological coating is disposed atop at least one of the rotor and stator face. The valve assembly includes a polymer insert device defining an exposed contact face having an inner diameter less than that of the outer circumferential edge and an outer diameter more than the outer circumferential edge. The insert device is formed for press-fit insertion in a groove defined in the rotor face. The outer circumferential edge of the stator face contacts the insert exposed face during rotation between the two or more rotor positions.

Rotary shear valve assembly with a polymer insert device

A micro-fluidic valve actuator assembly is provided for controlling a multi-position micro-fluidic valve device for switching between a plurality of discrete fluid distribution positions. The actuator assembly includes a housing having an exterior wall and an interior wall defining an interior through-chamber. A drive assembly is rotatably positioned within the chamber, having a drive axis of rotation positioned substantially co-axial with the chamber axis. A removable, stand alone, self contained encoder assembly is positioned within the actuator housing. The encoder assembly includes an encoder shaft rotatably mounted to a support structure for rotation about an encoder shaft axis. The encoder assembly further includes an encoder wheel mounted to the encoder shaft for rotation about the encoder shaft axis, and an encoder module mounted to the support structure. The encoder module cooperates with the encoder wheel, as a preset unit, to determine the rotational position of the encoder shaft about the encoder shaft axis. When the encoder assembly is oriented in a mounting position, the encoder shaft can be rotatably coupled to the drive assembly, while the support structure is free of rigid coupling directly to the housing.

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Rohnert Park, CA, United States of America

Christopher R Tower