FLUID ACTUATED CONTROL VALVE

• US 3,759,483 A
• Filed: 05/14/1971
• Issued: 09/18/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas D. Baxter
• Original Assignee: Thomas D. Baxter
• Inventors: Baxter, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwadron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gerard, Richard
• Application Number:
  US05/143,468
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 251/4-10
• US Class Current: 251/5
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 7/06 by means of a screw-spindle, cam, or other mechanical means F16K7/045 takes precedence

Abstract

The valve includes a housing carrying a flexible fluid conduit forming a part of a fluid line. Valve closure members lie on opposite sides of the flexible conduit. One closure member is fixed and normally engages the conduit flexing it inwardly short of its central axis. The other closure member is mounted for sliding movement toward and away from the fixed member. A cam is carried by the housing for reciprocating movement, a roller being carried by the movable valve closure member in engagement with the cam. A fluid control cylinder selectively reciprocates the cam. In one cam position, the flexible fluid conduit is open. In moving from the one to a second cam position under control of the fluid cylinder, the movable closure member slides toward the fixed closure member to pinch the walls of the flexible conduit together and against the fixed closure member thereby closing the valve. The cam includes a flat which engages the roller on the movable closure member to maintain the valve closed notwithstanding failure of the pressure fluid in the fluid control cylinder. In one form, the flexible conduit includes diametrically opposed inwardly projecting seats having arcuate surfaces. The movable closure member has like surfaces. The surfaces are configured to preclude fatigue or failure of the conduit.

Claims

1. A valve for selectively opening and closing a passage through a flexible conduit comprising a pair of closure members on opposite sides of the flexible conduit, at least one of said closure members being movable toward and away from the other of said closure members to obtain valve closed and valve opened positions respectively, said closure members being elongated and having generally convex opposing edges extending substantially their full length, said conduit having a pair of valve seats projecting inwardly toward one another on generally diametrically opposite sides of said conduit, said valve seats having arcuate surfaces on each of the sides thereof facint said closure members, each of said surfaces being continuous and including convex and concave surfaces separated by a point of inflection, said concave surfaces lying closer to the inner wall of said conduit than said convex surfaces, the surfaces on opposite sides of said seats converging toward one another and in a direction toward the other seat, said one closure member when moved toward the other closure member being adapted to flex the conduit and pinch the walls thereof one against the other and against said seats to close the passage through the conduit in said valve closed position, means for moving said one closure member toward said other closure member and into said valve closed position including an element mounted for reciprocating movement between first and second positions, said element being movable in a direction substantially normal to the direction of movement of said one closure member and including a cam surface with an inclined cam edge and a flat extending in a plane substantially normal to the direction of movement of said one closure member, a cam roller carried by said one closure member and engageable along said cam surface, said roller engaging said flat when said one closure member lies in said valve closed position to maintain said one closure member in said latter position, fluid actuated means for reciprocating said element between said first and second positions, and said means for moving said one closure member cooperating for moving the latter toward said other closure member and into said valve closed position in response to movement of said element from said first position to said second position.