Hydraulic selector valve having joy stick control

Claim 1

A selector valve comprising a valve body having plural spaced parallel bores, motive fluid inlet passage means leading to said bores and plural motive fluid delivery ports corresponding in number to said bores and leading from the bores, a valve spool positioned in each said bore of the valve body and being biased to a closing position in relation to the adjacent delivery port and having an extension on one end thereof projecting exteriorly of the valve body at one end thereof, a joy stick controller for said valve spools and having a universal swiveled connection with the valve body at said one end and between said bores, said universal swiveled connection comprising a ball head on one end of the joy stick controller, a swivel recess for the ball head in said one end of said valve body, a substantially planar mounting plate secured to said one end of said valve body and overlying said bores and contacting the said one end of the valve spools to retain the latter in said bores, clearance openings in said mounting plate smaller than the diameter of said bores through which the valve spool extension project exteriorly of the mounting plate, said mounting plate having a cooperating swivel recess for the ball head adjacent to and in registration with the first-named swivel recess, said mounting plate retaining a major portion of the ball head engaged within the first-named swivel recess in said valve body and below the plane of said mounting plate, and an actuating disc mounted on said joy stick controller exteriorly of the valve body at said one end thereof in spaced opposing relationship to said mounting plate and cammingly engaged all of said valve spool extensions and movable with the joy stick controller to selectively shift a single spool or a pair of such spools to an open position in relation to a single delivery port or a pair of such ports of the valve body, and said actuating disc having a diameter and a spacing from said mounting plate dimensioned such that during operation of the joy stick controller the peripheral portion of said actuating disc is adapted to engage said mounting plate to form a positive stop to limit movement of the joy stick controller in all directions, whereby not only does the mounting plate cooperate with the disc to provide a limit stop for the joy stick but also the mounting plate retains the ball head and spool valves within the valve body.