Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
152 words
A regulator valve for use with a cable reel mechanism to control the operation of a fluid powered motor unit that drives the cable reel, said valve including a housing, having a port adapted for coupling to a source of pressurized fluid, such as a constant output hydraulic pump, and a motor port adapted for coupling to the motor unit for the reel, and a reservoir port adapted for coupling to a fluid reservoir, and a pressure operated bypass valve in said housing communicating with said pump, reservoir and motor ports, and being operable to automatically sense the pressure differential across said pump and motor ports, so as to supply full pump pressure to the motor port when the reel is reeling in the cable and for bypassing the pump pressure from the pump port to reservoir when the reel is reeling out the cable and when the reel motor is stalled.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
152 words
A regulator valve for use with a cable reel mechanism to control the operation of a fluid powered motor unit that drives the cable reel, said valve including a housing, having a port adapted for coupling to a source of pressurized fluid, such as a constant output hydraulic pump, and a motor port adapted for coupling to the motor unit for the reel, and a reservoir port adapted for coupling to a fluid reservoir, and a pressure operated bypass valve in said housing communicating with said pump, reservoir and motor ports, and being operable to automatically sense the pressure differential across said pump and motor ports, so as to supply full pump pressure to the motor port when the reel is reeling in the cable and for bypassing the pump pressure from the pump port to reservoir when the reel is reeling out the cable and when the reel motor is stalled.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
A valve in accordance with claim 1 including a needle valve coacting with said bypass valve and disposed between the latter and said reservoir port, said needle valve being adjustable from externally of said valve housing and providing for setting the motor unit pressure to the minimum pressure required to insure cable reel motor restarting from the stalled condition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
A valve in accordance with claim 1 including a sequence valve in said housing communicating between said motor port and said reservoir port, said sequence valve being normally closed but being operative to shift automatically to open position responsive to increased pressure at said motor port, to provide a flow path from the motor to reservoir during said reeling out mode.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
A valve in accordance with claim 1 including a high pressure relief valve in said housing coacting with said pump port, said relief valve being adapted to maintain proper cable tension during said reel in mode of operation, by limiting the motor port pressure to a preset value and by bypassing any excess fluid pressure above said preset value, from the pump port to said reservoir port.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
A valve in accordance with claim 1 including a check valve in said housing communicating with and disposed between said pump port and said motor port, said check valve being operable to allow fluid flow from said pump port to said motor port, and being closed in the reverse direction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
91 words
A valve in accordance with claim 1 including a high pressure relief valve in said housing communicating with said pump port for maintaining proper cable tension during the reel-in mode by limiting the motor port pressure to a preset value, and also including an externally adjustable valve in said housing which is coupled between said reservoir port and said bypass valve for providing an external means of setting the motor port pressure to the minimum pressure required to insure cable reel motor restarting from the stalled condition of the reel motor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
A valve in accordance with claim 5 including a needle valve in said housing disposed between said pump port and said motor port and in parallel to said check valve, said needle valve providing fluid flow to compensate for reel motor leakage during the stalled condition of the reel motor, and being adjustable from exteriorly of said housing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
188 words
In a control system for winding and unwinding a power supply cable for an electrically powered vehicle, such as a mine car, comprising, a reel for winding the cable, a hydraulic motor coupled to the reel for activating the latter, a constant output pump for furnishing pressurized fluid to activate said motor, a reservoir for activating fluid, and a regulator valve for controlling the application of pressurized fluid from said pump to said motor to control rotation of said reel, said valve including a housing having a pump port coupled to said pump, a motor port coupled to said hydraulic motor, a reservoir port coupled to said reservoir, and a pressure operated bypass valve in said housing communicating with said pump, reservoir and motor ports, and being operable to automatically sense the pressure differential across said pump and motor ports so as to supply full pump pressure to the motor port when the reel is reeling in said supply cable and for bypassing the pump pressure from the pressure port to reservoir when the reel is reeling out the supply cable and when the reel motor is stalled.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
188 words
In a control system for winding and unwinding a power supply cable for an electrically powered vehicle, such as a mine car, comprising, a reel for winding the cable, a hydraulic motor coupled to the reel for activating the latter, a constant output pump for furnishing pressurized fluid to activate said motor, a reservoir for activating fluid, and a regulator valve for controlling the application of pressurized fluid from said pump to said motor to control rotation of said reel, said valve including a housing having a pump port coupled to said pump, a motor port coupled to said hydraulic motor, a reservoir port coupled to said reservoir, and a pressure operated bypass valve in said housing communicating with said pump, reservoir and motor ports, and being operable to automatically sense the pressure differential across said pump and motor ports so as to supply full pump pressure to the motor port when the reel is reeling in said supply cable and for bypassing the pump pressure from the pressure port to reservoir when the reel is reeling out the supply cable and when the reel motor is stalled.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
59 words
A system in accordance with claim 8 including a selectively adjustable high pressure relief valve in said housing coacting with said pump port, said relief valve being operative to maintain proper cable tension during the reel-in mode of operation, by limiting motor pressure to a preset value, and by bypassing any excess fluid pressure from the pump to reservoir.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system in accordance with claim 8 including a check valve in said housing communicating with and disposed between said pump port and said motor port, said check valve being openable in the direction of flow from said pump to said motor port.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
61 words
A system in accordance with claim 9 including a sequence valve in said housing communicating between said motor port and reservoir, said sequence valve being normally closed but being operable to automatically shift to open condition responsive to increased pressure at said motor port, to provide a flow path from said motor to reservoir during said reeling out mode of operation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
97 words
A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said valve housing includes an externally adjustable valve coupled between reservoir and said bypass valve for setting the motor port pressure to the minimum pressure required to insure restarting of said motor from stalled condition responsive to a movement of the mounting vehicle which requires said motor to start and to cause actuation of said reel to reel in the cable, said relief valve, said sequence valve, said bypass valve and said low pressure valve being of the cartridge type and readily removable from and replacable into said housing.