Exhalation valve

• US 4,699,137 A
• Filed: 04/23/1986
• Issued: 10/13/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SIMS Portex Inc.
• Original Assignee: BOC Group BV (Linde Plc)
• Inventors: Schroeder, Gerhardt P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Application Number:
  US06/856,446
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 128/204.26, 128/205.24, 251/61.1, 251/331, 92/7, 92/99
• US Class Current: 128/205.24
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/201 Controlled valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/205 used for exhalation control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/206 Capsule valves, e.g. mushroom, membrane valves

Abstract

An exhalation valve is disclosed having an inlet, an outlet and a diaphragm movable between closed position covering the inlet and an open position away from the inlet. The valve includes a bias means comprising a sealed chamber containing a gas acting upon the diaphragm and urging the diaphragm to its closed position. An opening means in said sealed chamber conducts a control pressure to chamber to create the bias acting against one side of the diaphragm. The diaphragm comprises a flexible peripheral portion and a semi-rigid plunger. The plunger has a projection adapted to move within a confined space to align the diaphragm and provide damping to its movement. The flexible peripheral portion of the diaphragm has a specially shaped cross-section comprising two attached cantilever sections that reduce the effective resistance to motion between open and closed positions. In the preferred embodiment, the plunger is an insert that fits into and is retained by the flexible peripheral portion.

Claims

1. An exhalation valve comprising a valve housing, said valve housing including a main body and a cap fitted thereto, said main body having an inlet and an outlet, a circular valve seat formed in said main body intermediate said inlet and said outlet, an annular flexible diaphragm having first and second faces, a centrally located opening therethrough and an outer periphery, said first face being formed around the periphery of said opening and including a resilient annular portion which is movable against and away from said circular valve seat to, respectively, close and open a flow path from said inlet to said outlet through said circular valve seat, the second face of said diaphragm forming with said cap a closed control chamber, port means in said cap for communicating a control pressure to said closed control chamber for controlling the movement of said flexible diaphragm, a circular rigid plunger including a substantially nonflexing disc, said disc being positioned in said opening and sealingly fixed to said flexible diaphragm, said disc of said plunger overlying said annular portion of said diaphragm, said plunger having a rigid projection extending in said control chamber, a recess formed in said cap and slidingly receiving said projection during movement of said plunger and said flexible diaphragm, said recess snugly receiving said projection to restrain said rigid plunger to movement generally perpendicular to said valve seat, said disc of said plunger being exposed on the opposite sides thereof to gas pressure differences existing between said inlet, said outlet and said control pressure, said diaphragm further including an annular outer periphery retained in position between said main body and said cap, and annular angled hinge means connecting said outer periphery to said resilient annular portion.