Reversing valve operated by a pilot valve

Claim 1

A valve arrangement comprising, in combination: a. a valve body defining a cavity therein and being formed with first and second supply ports, a return port, a first pressure port, and a second pressure port, said ports communicating with said cavity for flow of pressure fluid; b. a pressure responsive main slide valve movable back and forth in said cavity in a predetermined direction between a first terminal position and a second terminal position, said main slide valve and said valve body bounding two compartments of said cavity in said predetermined direction, said main slide valve sealing said compartments from each other; c. yieldably resilient means continuously biasing said main slide valve toward a position intermediate said terminal positions, one of said compartments increasing in size when said main slide valve moves away from said intermediate position while the other compartment simultaneously decreases in size; d. a pilot slide movable in said valve body in said direction between a first end position and a second end position; e. first and second cooperating abutment means on said main slide valve and on said pilot slide engageable for moving said pilot slide into said first end position when said main slide valve moves from said intermediate position into said first terminal position, and for moving said pilot slide into said second end position when said main slide valve moves from said intermediate position into said second terminal position respectively; and f. brake means in said valve body preventing movement of said pilot slide valve with said main slide valve when said main slide moves from one of said terminal positions into said intermediate position thereby holding said pilot slide in a respective end position, first and second means on said pilot slide defining respective conduits connecting said first and second supply ports, respectively, via respective passages in said main slide valve, with said respective compartments to provide pressure fluid thereto to act on said pressure responsive main slide valve and cause movement thereof when said pilot slide is in said first and second end positions; said main slide valve, when in said first terminal position, defining a conduit connecting one of said pressure ports to a respective one of said supply ports and a conduit connecting the other pressure port to said return port, and said main slide valve, when in said second terminal position, defining a conduit connecting said one pressure port to said return port.