Viscosity regulating valve
First Claim
1. A valve assembly for regulating oil temperature and viscosity of a fluid comprising:
- a housing defining a bore;
a first inlet supplying fluid at a first temperature to said bore;
a second inlet supplying fluid at a second temperature to said bore;
a spool valve disposed within said bore and having at least one land disposed to proportionally block the flow of fluid through said inlets; and
an outlet through which fluid exits said bore at a third temperature.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The subject invention is a valve for regulating the viscosity of fluid. The valve includes a housing defining a bore having a first inlet supplying “cold” hydraulic fluid at a first viscosity and a second inlet supplying “hot” hydraulic fluid at a second viscosity. A spool valve disposed within the bore has at least one land to proportionally control the flow of hydraulic fluid through the inlets. Hydraulic fluid from the first and second inlets mixes within the valve and exits the valve through an outlet at an optimum viscosity. A flow restrictor creates a pressure force on the spool valve that is proportional to the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the outlet. The pressure force acts to move the spool valve such that the spool valve partially blocks the flow of hydraulic fluid through the first and second inlets, thereby controlling the proportion of “cold” and “hot” fluid to maintain the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the outlet.
-
Citations
9 Claims
-
1. A valve assembly for regulating oil temperature and viscosity of a fluid comprising:
-
a housing defining a bore;
a first inlet supplying fluid at a first temperature to said bore;
a second inlet supplying fluid at a second temperature to said bore;
a spool valve disposed within said bore and having at least one land disposed to proportionally block the flow of fluid through said inlets; and
an outlet through which fluid exits said bore at a third temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
Specification