Solenoid actuated valve with adjustable flow control

• US 5,213,303 A
• Filed: 03/05/1992
• Issued: 05/25/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Southwest Fabricators Corp.
• Inventors: Walker, Samuel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwardron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US07/846,383
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 251/30.01, 251/30.02, 251/30.03, 251/30.04, 251/30.05, 251/129.01, 251/331, 251/45, 251/35, 251/129.15, 251/129.17, 137/596.16
• US Class Current: 251/30.02
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/402 acting on a diaphragm

Abstract

An improved solenoid actuated valve is provided of the type having a fluid pressure-operated diaphragm to move a valve head between open and closed positions. Fluid under pressure at a valve inlet is admitted through a diaphragm port to a control chamber for normally retaining the diaphragm and a valve head carried thereby in the closed position. A solenoid unit is actuatable to vent the control chamber to relieve pressure therein, whereby the fluid pressure at the valve inlet displaces the diaphragm to open the valve head. The opened valve head moves into close proximity with a flow control piston within the control chamber and cooperates therewith to meter fluid outflow from the control chamber in a manner maintaining a minimal or substantially zero pressure differential across the diaphragm. The position of the flow control piston is adjustable to variably select the open position of the valve head in accordance with a desired valve flow rate. Improved filters for the diaphragm port and for the solenoid unit are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A solenoid actuated valve, comprising:

a valve housing having a valve inlet and valve outlet;

a valve member disposed generally between said valve inlet and outlet, and movable between open and closed positions for respectively permitting and preventing fluid flow from said valve inlet to said valve outlet;

a control chamber adapted to receive pressurized fluid;

a pressure-operated diaphragm coupled with said valve member and operable to move said valve member between said open and closed positions, said diaphragm having a flexible portion in fluid pressure communication on opposite sides thereof with said valve inlet and said control chamber;

passageway means for admitting fluid from said valve inlet to said control chamber;

a solenoid unit for controlling the pressure of fluid within said control chamber, said solenoid unit in one condition permitting the pressure within said control chamber to substantially equal the pressure at said valve inlet whereby the control chamber pressure acts on the diaphragm to hold said valve member in the closed position, and in another condition opening a bleed passage to relieve pressure within said control chamber sufficiently to permit pressure at the valve inlet to move said diaphragm to displace said valve member to the open positions; and

flow control means within said control chamber for metering fluid flow from pressure communication with said diaphragm flexible portion within said control chamber to said bleed passage when said valve member is in the open position to maintain a substantially minimum pressure differential across said diaphragm flexible portion.

2. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 1 wherein said diaphragm flexible portion has a generally annular shape surrounding said valve member.

3. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 1 including means for adjustably positioning said flow control means within said control chamber to select the position of said valve member in said open position and thereby select the valve fluid flow rate when said valve member is in the open position.

4. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 1 further including spring means for biasing said valve member toward the closed position.

5. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 1 wherein said passageway means comprises a port formed in said diaphragm flexible portion, and further including a diaphragm filter for filtering fluid passing from said valve inlet and through said port to said control chamber.

6. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 5 wherein said diaphragm filter comprises a filter screen carried by a support cartridge and cooperating therewith to define a cavity for receiving fluid passing from said valve inlet through said screen, said cartridge having a barbed tubular tip for reception through said diaphragm for passage of the fluid from said cavity to said control chamber.

7. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 1 wherein said solenoid unit includes a movable plunger for respectively preventing and permitting fluid flow through a ported retainer disposed in-line with said bleed passage, and further including a solenoid filter for preventing entry of unfiltered fluid into contact with said plunger.

8. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 1 wherein said diaphragm has a disk shape with said valve member mounted centrally thereon and with said flexible portion having an annular shape surrounding said valve member, said flow control means comprising a generally cylindrical piston mounted within said control chamber and defining an annular leading edge presented toward said valve member, said valve member displacing toward said leading edge upon movement toward the open position and cooperating therewith in the open position to subdivide said control chamber into an outer annular zone in pressure communication with said diaphragm flexible portion and an inner zone in pressure communication with said valve member, said valve member cooperating with said leading edge to meter fluid flow from said outer zone to said inner zone.

9. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 8 further including manual handle means accessibly mounted at the exterior of said valve housing for displacing said flow control piston toward and away from said valve member.

10. In a solenoid actuated valve of the type including a valve inlet and a valve outlet, a diaphragm operated by fluid pressure for opening and closing a valve member disposed between the valve inlet and outlet, a control chamber for receiving control fluid from the valve inlet, said diaphragm having a flexible portion in fluid communication at opposite sides thereof with said valve inlet and said control chamber, and a solenoid unit for controlling the fluid pressure in the control chamber so that in one condition the fluid pressure in the control chamber acts on the diaphragm to maintain the valve member in a closed position, and in another condition relieves the fluid pressure in the control chamber so that the fluid pressure at the valve inlet moves the diaphragm and the valve member to an open position, the improvement comprising:

flow control means within said control chamber for metering fluid flow from said control chamber when said valve member is in the open position to maintain a substantially minimum pressure differential across the flexible portion of the diaphragm.

11. The improvement of claim 10 including means for adjustably positioning said flow control means within said control chamber to select the position of said valve member in said open position and thereby select the valve fluid flow rate when said valve member is in the open position.

12. The improvement of claim 10 further including a filter cartridge mounted on said diaphragm flexible portion for admitting filtered water from said valve inlet through a diaphragm port to said control chamber.

13. A solenoid valve assembly comprising:

a valve housing having a valve inlet, a valve outlet, and a valve seat disposed therebetween;

a valve member movable between open and closed positions with respect to said valve seat for respectively permitting and preventing fluid flow from said valve inlet to said valve outlet;

a control chamber within said housing and adapted to receive pressurized fluid;

a pressure-operated diaphragm coupled with said valve member and operable to move said valve member between said open and closed positions, said diaphragm having a generally annular flexible portion surrounding said valve member and disposed on opposite sides thereof in pressure communication with said valve inlet and said control chamber when said valve member is in the closed position, said valve member being disposed on opposite sides thereof in pressure communication with said valve outlet and said control chamber when said valve member is in the closed position;

passageway means formed in said diaphragm flexible portion for admitting fluid from said valve inlet to said control chamber;

a solenoid unit for controlling the pressure of fluid within said control chamber, said solenoid unit in one condition permitting the pressure within said control chamber to substantially equal the pressure at said valve inlet whereby the control chamber pressure acts on the diaphragm to hold said valve member in the closed position, and in another condition opening a bleed passage to relieve pressure within said control chamber sufficiently to permit pressure at the valve inlet to move said diaphragm to displace said valve member to the open position; and

a flow control piston within said control chamber, said flow control piston having a generally cylindrical shape to define an annular leading edge presented toward said valve member, said valve member displacing toward said leading edge upon movement toward the open position and cooperating therewith in the open position to subdivide said control chamber into an outer annular zone in pressure communication with said diaphragm flexible portion and an inner zone in pressure communication with said valve member, said valve member cooperating with said leading edge to meter fluid flow from said outer zone to said inner zone, so that a substantially minimum pressure differential is maintained across said diaphragm flexible portion when said valve member is in the open position, said inner zone being in flow communication with the bleed passage when said solenoid unit is in said another condition opening the bleed passage.

14. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 13 wherein said passageway means comprises a port formed in said diaphragm flexible portion, and further including a diaphragm filter for filtering fluid passing from said valve inlet and through said port to said control chamber.

15. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 14 wherein said diaphragm filter comprises a filter screen carried by a support cartridge and cooperating therewith to define a cavity for receiving fluid passing from said valve inlet through said screen, said cartridge having a barbed tubular tip for reception through said diaphragm for passage of the fluid from said cavity to said control chamber.

16. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 13 wherein said solenoid unit includes a movable plunger for respectively preventing and permitting fluid flow through a ported retainer disposed in-line with said bleed passage, and further including a solenoid filter for preventing entry of unfiltered fluid into contact with said plunger.

17. The solenoid actuated valve of claim 13 further including manual handle means accessibly mounted at the exterior of said valve housing for displacing said flow control piston toward and away from said valve member.

18. In a solenoid actuated valve of the type including a pressure-operated diaphragm for opening and closing a valve member, a control chamber for receiving fluid under pressure to operate the diaphragm, and a solenoid unit having a ported retainer with a bleed port formed therein and mounted with said bleed port disposed in-line with a bleed passage leading from the control chamber, and further including a plunger movable between a first position closing the bleed port to maintain fluid pressure within the control chamber and a second position opening the bleed port to relieve pressure within the control chamber, the improvement comprising:

a solenoid filter removably snap-fit mounted over said ported retainer along the bleed passage at a position upstream from said solenoid plunger to filter fluid relieved through said bleed passage prior to communication of the relieved fluid with said bleed port.

19. A solenoid unit for use in a solenoid actuated valve, said solenoid unit comprising:

a solenoid housing having a solenoid winding and a movable solenoid plunger mounted therein, said solenoid housing including an open nose end;

a ported retainer mounted within said nose end and defining at least one fluid inflow port and a fluid outflow port separated by a valve seat, said solenoid plunger being movable between first and second positions for opening and closing said valve seat to respectively permit and prevent fluid flow from said inflow port to said outflow port; and

a solenoid filter mounted at said nose end in a position over said inflow port to filter fluid entering said inflow port, said nose end of said solenoid housing and said solenoid filter including snap-fit means for removably retaining said filter over said at least on inflow port.