US3480026A

US3480026A - Valve responsive to changes in speed

Info

Publication number: US3480026A
Application number: US675613A
Authority: US
Inventors: James R Phlipot; Lawrence H Gill; Earl W Clifford
Original assignee: Aro of Buffalo Inc
Current assignee: Aro of Buffalo Inc
Priority date: 1967-10-16
Filing date: 1967-10-16
Publication date: 1969-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-11-25

Description

Nov. 25, 1969 J. R. PHLIPOT ET AL 3,480,026

VALVE RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN SPEED Filed Oct. 16. 1967 INVENTORS James R. Phlipot Lawrence H. Gill Earl W. Clifford BY ATTORNE YS United States Patent VALVE RESPONSIVE T0 CHANGES IN SPEED James R. Phlipot, Hamburg, Lawrence H. Gill, Depew,

and Earl W. 'Clifiord, Getzville, N.Y., assignors to Aro of Buffalo, Incorporated, Buffalo, N.Y., a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 675,613 Int. Cl. G05d 16/00; B64d 25/02 US. Cl. 13738 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present so-callcd anti-G valve has a Sliding weight working in a bore closed at one end and which closed end has a pressurized gas inlet and an outlet. An exhaust passage extends through the weight with one end surrounded by a valve seat facing the closed end of the bore. A valve stem is slidingly mounted on the valve body to engage this seat and thereafter be moved by the weight to open a demand valve in the inlet thereby admitting pressurized gas to the closed end of the bore and thence through the outlet to the aviators suit. On reverse movement of the weight, the demand valve closes and the weight leaves its seated engagement with the valve stem so as to exhaust the closed end of the bore, and its outlet, to ambient. As another feature, it is desirable to limit the maximum gas pressure to the suit, regardless of what the weight calls for. This is prevented by having the weight act through a spring against a follower-diaphragm which forms one wall of the closed end of the bore and controls eflective seating of the weight against the valve stem. Approaching excessive value, the pressurized gas restrains movement of the diaphragm (and its action on the demand valve) regardless of the demand called for by the weight.

The drawing shows a longitudinal central section through the valve.

The valve is shown as having a metal body indicated generally at 5 which has a bore indicated generally at 6 which bore is closed at one end to provide part of a pressurized gas chamber 8, this end being of smaller diameter than the intermediate portion 9 of the bore so as to form an annular axially facing shoulder 10. This intermediate portion 9 is of smaller diameter than the open end portion 11 of the bore so as to provide an annular shoulder 12 facing the open end of the bore. This open end is closed by means of a cover 13 which can be removably secured to the body 5 in any suitable manner, as by the I threaded screw connection shown.

The valve is actuated in response to the yieldingly resisted free sliding movement of a metal weight indicated generally at 15. This weight is provided at one end with an enlarged cylindrical head 16 which is in turn provided with a radially outwardly extending cylindrical flange 18, the latter being slidingly fitted in a cylindrical liner 19 slip fitted in the enlarged part 11 of the bore 6. The weight is provided at one end with a stem 20 which projects outwardly through an opening 21 in the cover 13, and at its opposite end with a cylindrical stem 22 slidingly fitted in the cylindrical bore 23 of a metal sleeve 24. This sleeve has an outwardly projecting end flange which is held against an O-ring 2-6 interposed between this flange 25 and the annular internal shoulder 12 of the valve body. This sleeve 24 extends axially from its flange 25 into the intermediate part 9 of the bore and at its end adjacent the pressurized gas chamber 8 clamps the rim of the flexible membrane of a follower diaphragm 31 against a cup-shaped metal partition disk 32. The rim of the flexible membrane 30 seats against the body seat 10 so that the disk 32, sleeve 24 and liner 19 3,480,026 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 are held by the screw cover 13 in fixed relation to the body 5, and in effect form a part thereof, thereby to hold the rim of the follower-diaphragm membrane in fixed relation to the body.

The weight 15 is biased away from the pressurized chamber 8 by a helical compression spring 35 interposed between the cylindrical radially outwardly extending flange 18 of this weight and the radially outwardly projecting flange 25 of the sleeve 24. This weight 15 acts against the follower-diaphragm 31 through a helical compression spring 36 which surrounds a small stem 38 at the corresponding end of the weight 15 and seats against the rim of a metal disk 39 which is contained within a cup-shaped metal holder 40 forming part of the followerdiaphragm 31. This disk 39 is provided with a central hole in register with a hole 41 in the flexible membrane 30, the rim of this hole coacting with the conical seat 42 at the upper end of a sliding metal valve stem 43. This valve stem is slidingly fitted in a slideway 44 through the center of the disk 32 and at its lower end is provided with an enlarged head 45 to limit upward movement of this valve stem 43.

Gas under pressure, as from an air supply of 100 to 300 p.s.i.g. (not shown), is supplied to an inlet fitting secured to the valve body 5 and which has a through passage 56 containing a filter 58. The outlet end of this fitting is shown as secured in body boss 59 providing a passage 60 providing communication between the inlet passage 56 and the pressurized gas chamber 8. The fitting 50 can be secured in the boss 59 in any suitable manner, as by the pair of retaining pins 61 shown, and an O-ring 62 is preferably provided to prevent leakage of the pressurized air between the boss and inlet fitting.

A tilt demand valve indicated generally at 65 is mounted in the inlet fitting 50 at the outlet end of its passage 56 and includes a metal actuating member of stem 66 which projects into the pressurized chamber 8 and engages and is actuated by the valve stem 43. The demand valve includes a stationary metal valve body 67 which is fitted and held in the outlet end of the pressurized gas supply passage 56 and has a central opening 68 through which the valve stem 66 extends. On the upstream side of the valve body 67 a cup-shaped metal valve head 69 is attached to the valve stem 66, the rim of this valve head 69 seating against the upstream end face 70 of the demand valve body 67 a spiral compression spring 71 between the valve body 67 and the tilt valve stem 66 serves to hold the tilt demand valve 65 normally closed, and also to hold up the sliding valve stem 43 when necessary.

Movement of the sliding valve stem 43 into the pressurized gas chamber 8 tilts the valve stem 66 and its cup-shaped valve head 69 so as to permit pressurized gas from the supply conduit 56 to flow through the opening 68 to pressurize the gas in the chamber 8. This pressurized gas is impressed against the corresponding face of the follower-diaphragm 31 through an opening or slot 72 through the disk 32, and flows out through an outlet passage 73 through an outlet fitting 74 to the aviators suit (not shown) to pressurize the bladder or capstans proportionately to the number of gravities imposed on the aviator. The outlet fitting 74 is shown as fitted in a body boss 75 and held by means of a pair of retaining pins 76, an O-ring seal 78 also being provided.

The conical end 42 of the valve member 43 forms a relief valve for the pressure in the pressurized gas chamber 8 and which acts both to prevent the suit pressure from rising above a safe value and also to relieve the pressure in the pressurized gas chamber 8 when the weight 15 is returned to normal by its spring 35 and, pressurization of the aviators suit is no longer required. To guide the follower-diaphragm 31 in such valving action with the conical end 42 of the sliding valve head or stem 43, an upstanding tube 80 is formed integrally with the follower disk 39 and its enlarged end extends into and is slidable in a through passage or bore 82 extending coaxially through the weight 15. A retaining screw 83 prevents this tube from sliding out of this through passage or bore 82 by engagement with the annular shoulder 84 formed on the exterior of this tube, but this retaining screw 83 is not tightened against and does not interfere with the free sliding movement of the tube within the bore 82. In addition to holding the follower-diaphragm centered, when the sliding valve stem 43 unseats from the seat 41, this tube guides the escaping air out through the bore 82 from which it vents through a filter 85, the outlet end of the bore.

To smooth out the operation of the valve and in particular to avoid pulsating action, it was found desirable to provide a small bleed hole 86 in the casing 5, this hole continuously bleeding a small amount of the pressurized gas in the chamber 8 to ambient.

Operation When the anti-G valves goes into operation, as in pulling out of a dive, the deceleration moves the Weight downwardly, as viewed in the figure, against the resistance of its helical compression spring 35. Such movement of the weight 15 is transmitted through the helical compression spring 36 to the follower-diaphragm 31 the rim 30 of which is clamped between the fixed sleeve 24 and fixed cup-shaped disk 32 so as to form one wall of the pressurized gas chamber 8. The downward movement of the diaphragm 31, so induced by the movement of the weight 15 and guided by the sliding tube 80 which rests against the follower-diaphragm, effects downward movement of the sliding valve stem 43 and hence downward movement of the stem 66 of the tilt demand valve 65. This movement of the stem 66 tilts the demand valve head 69 so that high pressure gas from the supply conduit 56 escapes through the opening 68 into the pressurized chamber 8 and thence through the conduit 73 of the outlet fitting 74 to the bladder and capstans of the aviators suit (not shown).

In the event that the weight 15 is moved with such force as to call for a suit pressure which is excessive for the aviator, such excessive pressure is prevented from being delivered by the anti-G valve by virtue of the spring loaded follower-diaphragm 31 which is interposed between the weight 15 and the tilt demand valve 65. Thus, the helical spring 36 is selected so as to refuse to permit such excessive pressures to develop in the pressurized chamber 8 and hence in the suit of the aviator. When the pressure in the suit and pressurized chamber 8 approaches such maximum value this pressure lifts the follower-diaphragm 31 from its seat on the conical end 42 of the valve stem 43 and permits the escape of pressurized gas from the pressurized gas chamber 8 regardless of the amount of pressure being exerted on the other end of this helical compression spring 36 by the weight 15.

When the aviator has pulled out of the dive, the weight 15 is returned to its normal inoperative position by the helical compression spring 35. This relieves the pressure of this weight, through the helical compression spring 36, against the follower-diaphragm 31. Since the pressure against the bottom of the follower-diaphragm 31 is greater than the ambient pressure against the topside of this follower-diaphragm, this preponderating pressure in the pressurized chamber 8 lifts the diaphragm, against the reduced resistance of the helical compression spring 36, so as to unseat the conical end 42 of the valve stem 43 from the valve seat 41 in the follower-diaphragm 31. Accordingly, pressure from the pressurized chamber 8 (and also from the bladder and capstan of the aviators suit) is relieved past the open valve seat 41 into the sliding tube 80 and through the bore 82 to atmosphere.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present anti-G valve is characterized by a simple and direct connection of the weight 15 through the exhaust valve member or stem 43 to the demand valve 65 so as to actuate both in proper sequence, and also by the provision of the simple spring loaded follower-diaphragm between the weight 15 and the exhaust valve member or stem 43 so that eX- cessive pressures can never build up.

We claim:

1. A valve responsive to acceleration having a valve body provided with a bore closed at one end, a Weight slidable axially in said bore, means biasing said weight away from said closed end, an inlet for supplying gas under pressure to said closed end of said bore, and an outlet for said gas from said closed end of said bore; wherein the invention comprises said weight being provided with a through passage of having one end opening into said closed end of said bore and surrounded by a valve seat and its opposite end open to ambient, a valve head movably mounted on said body in position to seat ''against said seat and thereafter be moved in response to the movement of said weight toward the closed end of said bore, a demand valve in said inlet and including an actuating member in the path of said valve head to be engaged thereby and open said demand valve in response to such movement of said weight toward the closed end of said bore, whereby movement of said weight toward said closed end of said bore first seats said valve head and thereafter moves it to open said demand valve and admit gas under pressure to said outlet, and movement of said Weight in the opposite direction first closes said demand valve and thereafter unseats said valve head to exhaust gas under pressure from said outlet through said passage to ambient.

2. A valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve head is in the form of a valve stem mounted for sliding movement relative to said body in the same direction as said weight.

3. A valve responsive to acceleration having a valve body provided with a bore closed at one end, a weight slidable axially in said bore, means biasing said weight away from said closed end, an inlet for supplying gas under high pressure to said closed end of said bore, and and outlet for said gas from said closed end of said bore; wherein the invention comprises follower means for said weight at said closed end of said bore, spring means biasing said follower =means away from said weight, and demand valve means actuated by said follower means to admit said high pressure gas from said inlet into said closed end of said bore in response to movement of said follower means by said weight toward said closed end of said bore, the pressure of said gas in said closed end of said bore being impressed only against the side of said follower means remote from said weight whereby when said weight demands an excessive gas pressure, the gas pressure in said closed end of said bore restrains movement of its follower means to prevent build up of said excessive gas pressure.

4. A valve as set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower means comprises a diaphragm across said bore forming a pressurized gas chamber at the closed end of said bore separate from the end of said bore containing said weight.

5. A valve as set forth in claim 4 wherein said spring means comprises a helical compression spring interposed between the opposing sides of said weight and diaphragm.

6. A valve as set forth in claim 4 additionally includes a pressure relief valve actuated by said diaphragm in response to pressures in said pressurized gas chamber in excess of the pressure called for by said weight.

7. A valve as set forth in claim 6 wherein said relief valve comprises an opening through said diaphragm and surrounded by a relief valve seat, a valve member eugageable with said relief valve seat, and a relief passage from the outlet side of said relief opening to the atmosphere.

5 8. A valve as set forth in claim 7 wherein said relief valve opening seat and member are generally coaxial with said bore and wherein said relief passage includes a relief bore extending generally coaxially through said weight.

9. A valve as set forth in claim 7 additionally including 5 an open ended tube having one end bearing against said diaphragm and surrounding said relief valve opening and having its other end slidingly fitted in said relief bore in said weight.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,966,916 1/1961 Cummins l3739 3,106,203 10/1963 Mayo 137-38 X CLARENCE R. GORDON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.