Abstract An altitude compensating pressure regulator for use with an aircraft breathing device and including a housing formed with a flow passage having inlet and outlet ports and including a control valve responsive to pressure in a control chamber to control flow through such passage. A pilot valve chamber is in communication with such control chamber by means of a passage having flow therethrough controlled by a pilot valve. One wall of the pilot chamber is in the form of a pressure responsive diaphragm which includes a bleed passage and is in engagement on one side with the pilot valve to effect control thereof. A reference chamber is formed on the opposite side of the diaphragm and is formed with an outlet having a reference valve seat formed therein. A reference valve poppet is disposed adjacent the reference valve seat and it is normally biased toward such seat by means of an override spring. Interposed between the override spring and the reference poppet is an aneroid having its exterior exposed to ambient pressure whereby the inlet may be connected with an oxygen supply and the outlet with a pilot''s face mask and as the ambient pressure drops with increases in altitude, the aneroid will expand to move the reference poppet toward the reference valve seat to gradually increase the pressure in the reference chamber to adjust the pilot valve for decreasing the pressure in the control chamber to adjust the control valve and progressively increase the flow through the control passage. When a predetermined ambient pressure is reached, the aneroid will be totally relaxed and the pressure in the reference chamber will raise the reference valve poppet against the override spring off the reference valve seat to progressively increase the spacing between such poppet and seat with further decreases in ambient pressure to thereby adjust the control valve to maintain a substantially constant pressure in the control passage.
A pressure regulator comprising: a housing formed with a fluid passage having inlet and delivery ports at the opposite ends thereof, said inlet port being formed with a control valve seat having a predetermined cross sectional flow area; a flexible poppet diaphragm mounted in said passage adjacent said control valve seat for selective engagement therewith, said diaphragm including a bleed port; control chamber means exposing an area greater than said predetermined area to said diaphragm; a pilot valve chamber including port means connecting with said control chamber and having one wall in the form of a pressure responsive pilot diaphragm having an exhaust port therein; a sensing passage leading from said outlet port to said pilot valve chamber; and valve means in said pilot valve chamber for controlling flow through said port means and including actuating means engaged with said pilot diaphragm and responsive to inward flexure thereof in response to a reduced pressure in said outlet port being communicated to said valve chamber to open said pilot valve tO exhaust fluid from said control chamber to thereby reduce the pressure in said control chamber to enable said inlet pressure to lift said poppet diaphragm off said seat to provide for fluid flow from said inlet to said outlet ports.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
210 words
A pressure regulator comprising: a housing formed with a fluid passage having inlet and delivery ports at the opposite ends thereof, said inlet port being formed with a control valve seat having a predetermined cross sectional flow area; a flexible poppet diaphragm mounted in said passage adjacent said control valve seat for selective engagement therewith, said diaphragm including a bleed port; control chamber means exposing an area greater than said predetermined area to said diaphragm; a pilot valve chamber including port means connecting with said control chamber and having one wall in the form of a pressure responsive pilot diaphragm having an exhaust port therein; a sensing passage leading from said outlet port to said pilot valve chamber; and valve means in said pilot valve chamber for controlling flow through said port means and including actuating means engaged with said pilot diaphragm and responsive to inward flexure thereof in response to a reduced pressure in said outlet port being communicated to said valve chamber to open said pilot valve tO exhaust fluid from said control chamber to thereby reduce the pressure in said control chamber to enable said inlet pressure to lift said poppet diaphragm off said seat to provide for fluid flow from said inlet to said outlet ports.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
213 words
A pressure regulator as set forth in claim 1 for use in an aircraft and that includes: a reference chamber formed by said housing and disposed exteriorly of said pilot diaphragm and formed with an outlet defining a reference valve seat; a reference poppet disposed adjacent said reference valve seat for exposure on its exterior side to atmospheric pressure; biasing means normally urging said reference poppet toward said reference seat; and aneroid means interconnected between said housing and said reference valve poppet for selectively resisting travel of said reference poppet toward said reference valve seat and operative in response to a progressive decrease in exterior pressure from atmospheric pressure to a predetermined sub-atmospheric pressure to cooperate with said biasing means to progressively urge said reference poppet toward said reference valve seat to progressively build up the pressure in said reference chamber to flex said pilot diaphragm inwardly and urge said pilot valve toward its open position, said aneroid means being further operative in response to sub-atmospheric pressure below said predetermined sub-atmospheric pressure to free said biasing means from constraint for engagement with said reference poppet free of said aneroid means to cause said biasing means to urge said reference poppet toward said reference valve seat free of the influence of said aneroid means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
72 words
A pressure regulator as set forth in claim 2 that includes: a cap carried from said housing and covering said reference valve seat, said cap being formed with a through opening overlying said aneroid means; and slider means received telescopically in said opening and mounting said aneroid means on one end thereof and including stop means on the opposite end thereof for limiting travel of said slider toward said reference valve seat.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A pressure regulator as set forth in claim 3 that includes: a low friction sleeve telescoped over said slider to facilitate free travel thereof in said opening.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
A pressure regulator as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said housing is formed with a bore having an annular shoulder in the bottom thereof; said poppet diaphragm is in the form of a disc received on said shoulder; and said inlet port includes tube means telescoped into said bore and terminating in an end forming said control valve seat.