Patent attributes
A valve is provided according to one embodiment of the invention. The valve comprises a piston (104), a housing (106) surrounding the piston (104), an inlet (108) capable of allowing fluid into the valve, an exhaust (110) capable of allowing fluid out of the valve, a light source (112) capable of emitting light directed at the piston (104), and a light sensor (114) capable of measuring an intensity of the light received from the light source (112), said intensity varying based on the position of the piston (104) within the housing (106). A piston assembly is also provided according to an embodiment of the invention, in which a light source 608 and a light sensor 610 may be used to determine the position of the piston. A system is provided for obtaining and analyzing operational status information is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. An action may be automatically taken depending on the analyzed operational status. A method is provided for automatically performing a diagnostic operation on a valve. A safety protocol may be executed based on the outcome of the diagnostic operation.
