US 12,123,178 B2
Fluid flow control system
Paul Aubrey, Lincoln (GB); and Andrew Talkes, Lincoln (GB)
Assigned to SMARTVALVE LIMITED, Lincoln (GB)
Appl. No. 17/608,634
Filed by SMARTVALVE LIMITED, Lincoln (GB)
PCT Filed May 14, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/051183
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 3, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/229833, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 19, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1906785 (GB), filed on May 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0220712 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. F16K 37/00 (2006.01); E03B 7/02 (2006.01); E03B 7/07 (2006.01); G08B 21/18 (2006.01); G08B 3/10 (2006.01)
CPC E03B 7/075 (2013.01) [E03B 7/02 (2013.01); F16K 37/0041 (2013.01); G08B 21/182 (2013.01); G08B 3/10 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for monitoring and controlling a fluid flow network having a plurality of flow control valves, each operable manually by a removable key engageable with a valve spindle, the system comprising:
a central database recording for each valve in the fluid flow network the location of the valve, and a turn profile for the valve consisting of
a number of rotations of the valve spindle between fully open and fully closed,
an optimum rotation speed profile for opening and closing the valve;
a removable key for operating the valves; and
a mobile communications device associated with the key, the mobile communications device comprising
a transmitter/receiver for transmitting data to the central database and for receiving data from the central database,
orientation means responsive to rotation of the valve spindle,
a processor controlled by a software program to
communicate with the central database and to receive therefrom characteristics for the valve at the transmitted position,
receive signals from the orientation means when the communications device is mounted on the key and to calculate therefrom an instantaneous rotational speed of the valve spindle and an amount of rotation of the valve spindle, and
control rotation of the valve spindle in accordance with the optimum rotation speed profile included in the received characteristics for the valve;
wherein the removable key is a manually-rotatable key and the mobile communications device is detachably mountable on the key; and
wherein the processor is programmed to control rotation by generating a warning when the instantaneous rotational speed exceeds a rotational speed value in the optimum rotation speed profile, and programmed to generate an indication when the required number of turns of the valve spindle has been performed.