Low flow valve improvement
First Claim
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1. An irrigation valve comprising:
- a valve housing having an interior valve seat;
a valve sized to mate with said valve seat;
a guide washer positioned above said valve and having an inner circular channel containing fins;
a diaphragm separating said valve into an upper diaphragm chamber and a lower main water flow chamber;
said diaphragm positioned adjacent to said guide washer over said fins; and
a solenoid disposed on said valve housing and configured to create and relieve water pressure within said diaphragm chamber and thereby control water flow through said main water flow chamber.
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Abstract
The present invention illustrates an irrigation valve that operates at low flows by providing a guide washer of the valve assembly that prevents diaphragm extrusion. Specifically, the circular channel area of a guide washer of the valve includes spoke-like fins. These fins keep the diaphragm from extruding into the open channel over time, while allowing for easy guide washer manufacturing.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. An irrigation valve comprising:
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a valve housing having an interior valve seat;
a valve sized to mate with said valve seat;
a guide washer positioned above said valve and having an inner circular channel containing fins;
a diaphragm separating said valve into an upper diaphragm chamber and a lower main water flow chamber;
said diaphragm positioned adjacent to said guide washer over said fins; and
a solenoid disposed on said valve housing and configured to create and relieve water pressure within said diaphragm chamber and thereby control water flow through said main water flow chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An irrigation valve comprising:
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a housing separated into an upper chamber and a lower chamber;
a diaphragm interposed between said upper and lower chamber;
a scaling member disposed in said lower chamber to control fluid flow within said lower chamber;
said sealing member having an upper surface positioned to contact said diaphragm;
said upper surface comprising a slotted annular space so as to provide support to said diaphragm during substantially all pressure conditions in said upper chamber. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating an irrigation valve comprising:
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providing a valve by which flow through said valve is controlled by pressurization and depressurization of a diaphragm chamber;
preventing undue tension on a diaphragm of said diaphragm chamber by providing substantially uniform support of said diaphragm during all occurrences of pressurization of said diaphragm chamber. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification