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Control valve with improved dual mode operation and flow adjustment

  • US 4,893,645 A
  • Filed: 11/07/1988
  • Issued: 01/16/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1988
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A control valve comprisinga valve body having an inlet for receiving water under pressure, an outlet, and a main valve seat communicating between said inlet and said outlet,a main valve mounted in said valve body structure for movement between an engaged position with respect to said main valve seat preventing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat and a spaced position with respect to said main valve seat allowing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat,said main valve having a diaphragm connected therewith and extending outwardly therefrom,a valve bonnet fixed to said valve body and engaging a marginal edge of said diaphragm therebetween so that said diaphragm defines with said valve bonnet a control chamber,pressure control means operatively associated with said control chamber and said inlet and outlet for (1) utilizing the water under pressure communicating with said inlet to create sufficient water pressure in said control chamber to maintain said main valve in said engaged position and (2) for discharging water under pressure from said control chamber to said outlet to reduce the water pressure in said control chamber sufficient to enable said main valve to move into said spaced position,said control means comprising control passage means from said control chamber to said outlet having a control valve seat therein disposed in laterally offset relation with respect to said main valve,a solenoid assembly including a control plunger spring biased toward an extended position and a solenoid coil means energizable to retract said control plunger from said extended position against the spring bias thereof into a spaced retracted position,means mounting said solenoid assembly on said bonnet for manual movement in water sealing relation through a range of manually controlled movement and into and out of a solenoid operating position generally aligned with said control valve seat wherein said control plunger is (1) spring biased to engage said control valve seat when in an intermediate position between said extended and retracted positions so as to prevent communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and (2) retractable from said intermediate position by the energization of said solenoid coil means to permit communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means,means defining an exterior manually engageable knob for effecting manual movement of said solenoid assembly into and out of said solenoid operating position and through said range of manually controlled movement,means operable when said solenoid assembly is moved through said range of manually controlled movement by said manually engageable knob defining means for communicating said control chamber with said outlet and rendering said control plunger inoperable to control the same, andan adjusting mechanism carried by said bonnet for manual movement into selected positions for selectively varying the distance between said main valve and said main valve seat when said main valve is in said spaced position,said adjusting mechanism comprising an annular valve engaging element threadedly engaged with said bonnet in a position such that said valve engaging element is moved toward and away from said main valve in response to opposite turning movements of said valve engaging element,an adjusting member within said control chamber having a meshing gear relationship with said valve engaging element so that opposite turning movements of said adjusting member are transmitted as turning movements of said valve engaging element,a manually engageable knob member disposed exteriorly of said bonnet in laterally offset relation to said solenoid assembly, andmeans for mounting said knob member and said adjusting member in sealed relation through said bonnet for turning movements together,said exterior manually engageable knob defining means and said manually engageable knob member being mounted at opposite end portions of said bonnet in a laterally spaced relation sufficient to enable each to be conveniently manually engaged and moved without interference from the other.

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