Pressure regulator valve having damping means

Claim 1

A VARIABLE VOLUME CONSTANT PRESSURE FLUID SUPPLY SYSTEM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HIGH PRESSURE SOURCE OF SUPPLY, A REDUCED PRESSURE DELIVERY PASSAGE, A VALVE CHAMBER AN INLET FROM THE SUPPLY TO THE VALVE CHAMBER, AN OUTLET FROM THE VALVE CHAMBER TO THE DELIVERY PASSAGE, A VALVE IN THE CHAMBER MOVABLE TO A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH IT PREVENTS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INLET AND THE OUTLET, AND MOVABLE TO A NUMBER OF OPEN POSITION IN WHICH IT PERMITS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INLET AND THE OUTLET THROUGH A PASSAGE OF VARYING AREA, A CLOSED CHAMBER FILLED WITH GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A PRESSURE SURFACE EXPOSED TO THE PRESSURE OF SAID CLOSED CHAMBER AND CONNECTED TO THE VALVE FOR URGING THE VALVE TOWARD OPEN POSITION, THE AREA OF THE PRESSURE SURFACE BEING SO RELATED TO THE VOLUME OF THE CLOSED CHAMBER AND TO THE DISTANCE THROUGH WHICH THE VALVE CAN MOVE THAT MAXIMUM MOVEMENT OF THE VALVE DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE THE PRESSURE OF THE CLOSED CHAMBER FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED MEANS, A FLUID PRESSURE CLOSING CHAMBER CONNECTED TO SAID FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED MEANS AND TO THE DELIVERY PASSAGE FOR URGING THE VALVE CLOSED, ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE DELIVERY PASSAGE AND SAID CLOSING CHAMBER INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO OPENING OF THE VALVE FOR PROGRESSIVELY REDUCING THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CLOSING CHAMBER AND THE DELIVERY PASSAGE, AN EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER CONNECTED WITH THE CLOSING CHAMBER, ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR VARYING THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER AND THE CLOSING CHAMBER, AN ACCUMULATOR FILLED WITH GAS UNDER PRESSURE, MOVABLE MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING THE PRESSURE OF THE ACCUMULATOR TO THE EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER WHILE PREVENTING FLUID COMMUNICATION THEREBETWEEN, AND A VARIABLE VOLUME DAMPING CHAMBER FOR OPPOSING OPENING OF THE VALVE, SAID DAMPING CHAMBER BEING FILLED WITH GAS AND CONNECTED THROUGH A PASSAGE OF CONTROLLABLE AREA TO A SPACE OF LOWER PRESSURE THEN THE DELIVERY PASSAGE.