Liquid flow rate controller

Claim 1

A liquid flow controller for controlling the outflow rate of a liquid containing a great many solid particles such as fresh fruit or vegetable juice or the like, said liquid flow controller comprising: (a) a casing having at least one liquid inflow opening and at least one liquid outflow opening; (b) a cylindrical valve body slidably accommodated in the casing, one end of the valve body being closed by an end plate having an orifice while the other end thereof is open; (c) elastic means for urging upstream the valve body; (d) a plurality of outlet ports disposed at a space interval on the downstream side of the casing in its circumferential direction for discharging the liquid from the interior of the casing; (e) a plurality of sliding projections formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical valve body for the provision of a wide space between the inner surface of the casing and the outer surface of the cylindrical valve body, the sliding projections being separated into two groups one of which is formed on the upstream side of the valve body and the other of which is formed at the down stream end of the valve body, each sliding projection of the other group being disposed in registration with each outlet port of the casing in their circumferential direction, the outflow rate of the liquid being adjusted in a manner that each sliding projection of the other group opens and closes each outlet port when the valve body is moved in the casing in response to change of the liquid pressure therein; (f) a flexible diaphragm provided between the casing and the end plate of the valve body for preventing the inflow liquid from passing through the space to directly reach the outflow opening without passing through the interior of the valve body; and (g) an adjusting needle having a tapered end which can be adjustably inserted into the orifice formed in the end plate in order to narrow and widen the orifice.