Directional-control valve

Claim 2

A directional-control valve for fluid-power systems, comprising: a valve-body having a cylindrical valve chamber and a plurality of flow-passages connected to said chamber, said flow-passages having ports at said chamber which are arranged at different axial positions with respect to the axis of said chamber; a plurality of pairs of valve-seat members disposed in said chamber, coaxial therewith, said valve-seat members being made of resilient material and each having an annular wall portion and a seat portion formed at the inner side of said wall portion, said wall portion being in close contact at its outer peripheral surface with the inner surface of the valve-body; a poppet-spool positioned in said chamber and coaxial with said pairs of valve-seat members and including a rod and a plurality of poppets secured to said rod, each of said poppets being arranged between the seat portions of a separate pair of valveseat members, and a pair of members disposed in said chamber at the opposite ends thereof for slidably supporting said poppet spool for axial movement, said support members being made of resilient material and each having an outer annular wall portion and an annular supporting portion formed inwardly of said outer wall portion, said outer wall portion being in close contact at its outer peripheral surface with the inner surface of the valve-body and said supporting portion being in close contact at its inner peripheral surface with the peripheral surface of said rod of the poppet-spool; said valve-seat members and support members being supported in their positions in contact with each other at the end surfaces of their wall portions and being formed on the end surfaces of their wall portions with radially extending grooves forming flow-ports aligned with said flow-passages of the valve-body for connecting said flow-passages to the chamber.

Claim 3

A valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said poppets are made of rigid material and said supporting portion of the support members is flexibly displaceable together with said rod of the poppet spool in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the chamber.

Claim 4

A valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said poppets are steel balls.

Claim 5

A valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said poppets are substantially cylindrical in shape and each has curved seat portions at the opposite ends thereof.

Claim 6

A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said poppets are substantially cylindrical in shape and each has tapered seat portions at the opposite ends thereof.

Claim 7

A directional control valve comprising a valve body, the walls of which define a valve chamber having a substantially uniform cross section throughout its length, said valve body having a plurality of flow-passages extending through the walls thereof into said chamber, said flow-passages being spaced apart with respect to the lengthwise direction of said chamber, a row of a plurality of valve members having central apertures, said row extending in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said valve members being held with adjacent said valve members contacting each other, whereby said apertures are aligned and extend in the lengthwise direction of said chamber, said valve members including a resilient elastically deformable support member at each end of said row and a plurality of resilient elastically deformable seat members aligned in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said seat members being aligned with said flow-passages and having passageways extending therethrough from the flow-passages to the apertures in the respective seat members, the outer surfaces of said support members and seat members extending into sealing contact with said chamber, apertures of said seat members being formed as valve seats, a poppet spool rod extending through said chamber in the lengthwise direction, the apertures of said support members sealingly suPporting said poppet spool rod to permit lengthwise sliding movement of said rod and movement normal to the lengthwise direction due to resiliency of said support members, a plurality of poppets secured to said rod within said chamber, each poppet being positioned between the valve seats of an adjacent pair of seat members, and means for axially compressing said row of valve members.

Claim 8

A directional control valve comprising a valve body, the walls of which define a valve chamber having a substantially uniform cross section throughout its length, said valve body having a plurality of flow-passages extending through the walls thereof into said chamber, said flow-passages being spaced apart with respect to the lengthwise direction of said chamber, a row of a plurality of valve members having central apertures, said row extending in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said valve members being held with adjacent said valve members contacting each other, whereby said apertures are aligned and extend in the lengthwise direction of said chamber, said valve members including a resilient elastically deformable support member at each end of said row and a plurality of resilient elastically deformable seat members aligned in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said seat members being aligned with said flow-passages and having passageways extending therethrough from the flow-passages to the apertures in the respective seat members, the outer surfaces of said support members and seat members extending into sealing contact with said chamber, apertures of said seat members being formed as valve seats, a poppet spool rod extending through said chamber in the lengthwise direction, the apertures of said support members sealingly suPporting said poppet spool rod to permit lengthwise sliding movement of said rod and movement normal to the lengthwise direction due to resiliency of said support members, a plurality of poppets secured to said rod within said chamber, each poppet being positioned between the valve seats of an adjacent pair of seat members, and means for axially compressing said row of valve members.

Claim 9

A directional control valve comprising a valve body, the walls of which define a valve chamber having a substantially uniform cross section throughout its length, said valve body having a plurality of flow-passages extending through the walls thereof into said chamber, said flow-passages being spaced apart with respect to the lengthwise direction of said chamber, a row of a plurality of valve members having central apertures, said row extending in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said valve members being held with adjacent said valve members contacting each other, whereby said apertures are aligned and extend in the lengthwise direction of said chamber, said valve members including a resilient elastically deformable support member at each end of said row and a plurality of resilient elastically deformable seat members aligned in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said seat members being aligned with said flow-passages and having passageways extending therethrough from the flow-passages to the apertures in the respective seat members, the outer surfaces of said support members and seat members extending into sealing contact with said chamber, apertures of said seat members being formed as valve seats, a poppet spool rod extending through said chamber in the lengthwise direction, the apertures of said support members sealingly supporting said poppet spool rod to permit lengthwise sliding movement of said rod and movement normal to the lengthwise direction due to resiliency of said support members, and a plurality of poppets secured to said rod within said chamber, each poppet being positioned between the valve seats of an adjacent pair of seat members, comprising at least one resilient elastically deformable body having an outer surface sealingly contacting said chamber walls, a central aperture extending lengthwise of said valve body and having a valve seat formed therein, a pair of end surfaces engaging adjacent valve members, and a groove extending normal to said lengthwise direction in each end surface, whereby said grooves are aligned with said flow-passages to form said passageways.

Claim 10

A directional control valve comprising a valve body, the walls of which define a valve chamber having a substantially uniform cross section throughout its length, said valve body having a plurality of flow-passages extending through the walls thereof into said chamber, said flow-passages being spaced apart with respect to the lengthwise direction of said chamber, a row of a plurality of valve members having central apertures, said row extending in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said valve members being held with adjacent said valve members contacting each other, whereby said apertures are aligned and extend in the lengthwise direction of said chamber, said valve members including a resilient elastically deformable support member at each end of said row and a plurality of resilient elastically deformable seat members aligned in the lengthwise direction in said chamber, said seat members being aligned with said flow-passages and having passageways extending therethrough from the flow-passages to the apertures in the respective seat members, the outer surfaces of said support members and seat members extending into sealing contact with said chamber, apertures of said seat members being formed as valve seats, a poppet spool rod extending through said chamber in the lengthwise direction, the apertures of said support members sealingly supporting said poppet spool rod to permit lengthwise sliding movement of said rod and movement normal to the lengthwise direction due to resiliency of said support members, and a plurality of poppets secured to said rod within said chamber, each poppet being positioned between the valve seats of an adjacent pair of seat members, comprising at least one resilient elastically deformable body having an outer surface sealingly contacting said chamber walls, a central aperture extending lengthwise of said valve body and having a valve seat formed therein, a pair of end surfaces engaging adjacent valve members, and a groove extending normal to said lengthwise direction in each end surface, whereby said grooves are aligned with said flow-passages to form said passageways.

Claim 11

The control valve of claim 7 wherein said valve members are comprised solely of said resilient elastically deformable support members and a plurality of said resilient bodies.

Claim 12

The control valve of claim 8 wherein said support members have grooves extending normal to said lengthwise direction and aligned with flow-passages of said valve body.