Lucas Industries Public Limited Company

Richard J McKay

Philip Hudson

A first control element is movable to control fluid flow between ports in a housing. A second control element is movable by an electric force motor and engages the first element through biasing springs so that in normal use the elements move in unison. An arrangement of ports and passages in the elements has the effect that relative movement between the elements as a result of jamming of the first element causes fluid pressure to be applied to the first element to overcome the jamming.

Electrically-operable fluid control valve

An actuator arrangement includes epicyclic gearing having compound planetary gears each of whose pinions respectively mesh with a ring gear on a relatively fixed body and with two output ring gears to drive the latter in opposite directions relative to the body. The pinions which mesh with the ring gear on the body are free to rotate with respect to the remaining pinions and also mesh with a sun gear which is separate from, but driven by, the sun gear which drives the remaining pinions. The arrangement permits the gearing to overcome dimensional restraints imposed by prior art systems.

Growing community of inventors

Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Richard J McKay