Bistable control valve

Claim 1

IN A SOLENOID ACTUATED CONTROL VALVE, A VALVE HOUSING DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CAVITY, SAID CAVITY HAVING A CLOSED END PORTION AND AN OPEN END PORTION, MEANS DEFINING AN INLET PORT COMMUNICATING WITH AND ADJACENT SAID OPEN END PORTION, SAID HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED, AXIALLY ALIGNED OUTLET PORTS COMMUNICATING WITH LATERAL WALL PORTIONS OF SAID CAVITY IN THE REGION OF THE RECITED OPEN END THEREOF, FLAPPER MEANS FLEXIBLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CAVITY IN THE REGION OF ITS CLOSED END AND EXTENDING ALONG THE AXIS THEREOF SO THAT ITS FREE END IS DISPOSED AND ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENTS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID OPPOSITELY DISPOSED OUTLET PORTS TO DWELL THEREON AND PROVIDE COMMUNICATION OF SAID INLET PORT ALTERNATELY WITH ONE AND THEN THE OTHER OF SAID OUTLET PORTS, AND MEANS INCLUDING A PULSE DURATION MODULATOR FOR CYCLICALLY MOVING SAID FLAPPER MEANS TRANSVERSELY OF THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL CAVITY TO CONTROL THE DWELL TIME ON SAID OUTLET PORTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN ELECTRICAL CONTROL SIGNAL, WHEREBY THE RELATIVE DURATION O THE RECITED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET PORT AND EACH OF SAID OUTLET PORTS IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE DWELL TIMES OF SAID FLAPPER MEANS ON SAID OPPOSITELY DISPOSED OUTLET PORTS.