Pressure medium controlled liquid valve for automatic flow limitation devices

Claim 1

IN A PRESSURE-MEDIUM OPERATED LIQUID VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE HOUSING HAVING INLET AND OUTLET PORTS AND A VALVE SEAT THEREBETWEEN, A VALVE MEMBER COMPRISED OF A VALVE STEM AND VALVE HEAD MOUNTED THEREIN AND ARRANGED TO ENGAGE SAID VALVE SEAT, A SPRING LOADING SAID VALVE MEMBER TO THE CLOSED POSITION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES VALVE CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING A CONTROL HOUSING AFFIXED TO SAID VALVE HOUSING, SAID CONTROL HOUSING DEFINING A BORE CIRCULAR IN CROSS SECTION, VALVE ACTUATING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST PISTON MEANS POSITIONED IN AND SEALINGLY ENGAGING THE WALL OF SAID BORE AND DIVIDING SAID CHAMBER INTO A CONTROL CHAMBER AND DIAPHRAGM CHAMBER, DIAPHRAGM MEANS CLOSING THE END OF SAID DIAPHRAGM CHAMBER, THE DIAMETER OF SAID DIAPHRAGM MEANS BEING SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID PISTON MEANS, SAID PISTON MEANS AND THE CENTER OF SAID DIAPHRAGM MEANS BEING CONNECTED IN SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP AND BEING CONNECTED TO THE VALVE MEMBER, AUXILIARY VALVE ACTUATING MEANS INCLUDING AN AUXILIARY PISTON MEANS POSITIONED IN THE CONTROL CHAMBER AND SEALINGLY ENGAGING THE WALL OF SAID BORE AND FORMING A PROXIMAL CHAMBER WITH SAID FIRST PISTON MEANS AND A DISTAL CHAMBER WITH THE END OF SAID BORE, LIMITING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID AUXILIARY VALVE ACTUATING MEANS FOR LIMITING INWARD AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TO A POSITION WHEREIN SAID VALVE MEMBER IS RESTRAINED IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION, FIRST FLUID TRANSFER MEANS HAVING FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID DISCHARGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PROXIMAL CHAMBER FOR OPENING SAID VALVE MEMBER, SECOND FLUID TRANSFER MEANS HAVING FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID DISCHARGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DISTAL CHAMBER FOR MOVING SAID AUXILIARY VALVE ACTUATING MEANS TO ITS INWARD AXIAL LIMITING POSITION, THIRD FLUID TRANSFER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DIAPHRAGM CHAMBER FOR PROVIDING A DIFFERENTIAL FORCE AUGMENTING THE FORCE OF SAID VALVE SPRING, AND CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND FLUID TRANSFER MEANS FOR OPTIONALLY CONNECTING EACH TRANSFER MEANS TO SAID FLUID SUPPLY OR TO SAID FLUID DISCHARGE MEANS.