Directional valve
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A directional valve for a respiratory device, said directional valve comprising:
- a valve body containing ferromagnetic material;
a valve seat having a valve opening surrounded by a substantially horizontal contact surface on which said valve body loosely rests, said valve body being forced to move in an opening direction to open said valve opening exclusively by a fluid flow in one direction through said valve opening, and to move in a closing direction to close said valve opening exclusively due to said fluid flow ceasing or changing to a direction opposite said one direction;
at least one coil which is magnetically couplable to said valve body;
a current source connected to said coil; and
a control unit which regulates said current source to control a current through said coil to magnetically couple said coil to said valve body in at least one of said closing direction, to tightly close said valve opening, and said opening direction, to promote opening of said valve opening.
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Abstract
A directional valve for respiratory devices has a valve body and a valve seat whose contact surface with the valve body is primarily horizontal. In order to enhance and reinforce the directional valve'"'"'s operation, the valve body contains a ferromagnetic material, preferably permanently magnetized, a coil is magnetically couplable to the valve body, a source of current is connected to the coil, and a control unit controls the source of current in order to regulate current through the coil to magnetically couple the coil to the valve body, in one or both of the closing and opening directions.
112 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A directional valve for a respiratory device, said directional valve comprising:
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a valve body containing ferromagnetic material;
a valve seat having a valve opening surrounded by a substantially horizontal contact surface on which said valve body loosely rests, said valve body being forced to move in an opening direction to open said valve opening exclusively by a fluid flow in one direction through said valve opening, and to move in a closing direction to close said valve opening exclusively due to said fluid flow ceasing or changing to a direction opposite said one direction;
at least one coil which is magnetically couplable to said valve body;
a current source connected to said coil; and
a control unit which regulates said current source to control a current through said coil to magnetically couple said coil to said valve body in at least one of said closing direction, to tightly close said valve opening, and said opening direction, to promote opening of said valve opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A directional valve for a respiratory device, said directional valve comprising:
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a valve body containing ferromagnetic material;
a valve seat having a valve opening surrounded by a substantially horizontal contact surface for said valve body, said valve body being disposed to move in a closing direction to close said valve opening and in an opening direction to open said valve opening;
a first coil which is magnetically couplable to said valve body, said first coil being disposed at a first side of said valve body and said valve opening;
a first current source connected to said first coil for producing a first current in said first coil;
a second coil which is magnetically couplable to said valve body, said second coil being disposed at a second side of said valve body and said opening opposite to said first side;
a second current source connected to said second coil for producing a second current in said second coil; and
a control unit connected to said first current source and to said second current source for regulating said first current and said second current to magnetically couple at least one of said first and second magnetic coils to said valve body in said opening direction and to magnetically couple at least one of said first and second coils to said valve body in said closing direction.
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Specification