Piston actuated, pilot valve operated breathing regulator

A device for regulating a user's breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:

• a housing having passage means for conducting said pressurized gas to said user;
• a valve body in said housing and having an inlet and an outlet for said pressurized gas, said outlet communicating with said passage means;
• main valving means moveable within said valve body, for opening and closing said outlet;
• pilot valving means, slideably moveable between an open and a closed position, for controllably actuating said main valving means against the force of said pressurized gas;
• pressure-responsive means, attached to the low pressure side of said pilot valving means and providing a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing, for moving said pilot valving means to said open position when the pressure on the interior side of said interface drops below the pressure on the exterior side of said interface by a first predetermined amount;
• means for moving said pilot valving means to said closed position when the pressure on the interior side of said pressure interface rises by a second predetermined amount in response to an increase in pressure in said passage means as a result of the end of inhalation;
• and
• pressurization means, engageable with the exterior side of said pressure interface, for adjutably applying a pressure to said exterior side to vary said second predetermined amount of pressure.

In a device for the regulation of a user's breathing from a source of pressurized gas, of the type having a housing which includes a passage for conducting said pressurized gas from said source to said user, said passage comprising a main valve, moveable within said housing, for regulating the flow of said pressurized gas, and a pilot valve orifice for controlling movement of said main valve against the force exerted by said pressurized gas, the improvement comprising:

• pilot valve closure means movable in a straight line path for selectively blocking said orifice;
• pressure-responsive means in said housing for actuating by straight-line motion said pilot valve closure means;
• and
• pressurization means, selectably acting on said pressure-responsive means, for (a) effecting positive pressure breathing during inhalation, and (b) maintaining a predetermined positive pressure in said user's air passages at the end of exhalation, so that positive and expiratory pressure is provided.

A device for regulating a user's breathing from a source of pressurized gas comprising:

• a housing having passage means for conducting said pressurized gas to said user;
• a valve body in said housing and having inlet and outlet means for said pressurized gas, said outlet means communicating with said passage means;
• pressurized gas valving means, moveable between a firs and a second position in said valve body, for respectively closing and opening said outlet means;
• pressure responsive means, including a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing for both (a) moving said pressurized gas valving means between said first and second positions in response to said user's inhalation, and (b) providing an exhalation outlet from said housing in response to said user's exhalation;
• means for maintaining said exhalation outlet closed when the pressure in the interior of said housing is below a specified pressure;
• and
• means for adjustably applying pressure to said pressure interface on the side exterior of said housing to adjust said specified pressure required to open said exhalation outlet.

A device for regulating the flow of a pressurized fluid, comprising:

• a housing having a passage means for conducting said pressurized fluid to a point of use;
• a valve body in said housing, said valve body having an inlet and an outlet for said pressurized fluid, said inlet adapted to be connected to a pressurized fluid source, said outlet communicating with said passage means in said housing;
• main valving means in said valve body for opening and closing said outlet, said valving means having two opposed sides, the pressure of said pressurized fluid tending to maintain a greater fluid pressure force on one side of said main valving means than the fluid pressure force on the other side thereof to maintain said main valving means in a first position which closes said outlet;
• linearly movable pilot valving means for controllably venting the pressure which maintains said main valving means in said first position, so that said main valving means moves to a second position which opens said outlet;
• and pressure-responsive means, including a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing for both (a) actuating said pilot valving means when the pressure on the interior side of said pressure interface is less than the pressure on the exterior by a predetermined amount and (b) providing exhaust outlet means for said fluid to exit said housing when said main valving means is in said first position.

A breathing regulator comprising:

• a valve body having inlet means for communicating with a source of pressurized breathable gas, and gas outlet means for communicating with the breathing passages of an animal;
• main valving means in said valve body for opening and closing said outlet means, said valving means, when closed, having a pair of unequal sized opposing surfaces subject to the pressure of said pressurized breathable gas to bias said valving means to a closed position;
• pilot valving means for controllably actuating said main valving means against the pressure exerted by said pressurized gas;
• and
• a piston rigidly attached to said pilot valving means for actuating said pilot valving means in response to a predetermined, breathing induced change in pressure in said outlet means.

A breathing regulator, comprising:

• a valve body having inlet means for communicating with a source of pressurized breathable gas, and outlet means for said gas, said outlet means being fluidly connectable with the breathing passages of an animal;
• main valving means, in said valve body, for opening and closing said outlet means;
• a pilot valve chamber communicating with said main valving means, the pressure in said chamber controlling said opening and closing of said outlet means by said main valving means;
• a pilot orifice in said pilot valve chamber for exhausting said chamber;
• slideably movable pilot orifice closing means for controllably exhausting said chamber;
• and
• linearly moveable, pressure-responsive means for actuating said orifice closing means in response to a predetermined change in pressure in said outlet means, said change in pressure being induced by said animal's breathing.

A device for the regulation of a user's breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:

• a valve body having inlet and outlet means for said pressurized gas;
• an outlet chamber for communicating with said outlet means and said user's breathing passages;
• valving means in said valve body for controllably opening and closing said outlet means in response to said user's inspiratory and expiratory pressures;
• said inspiratory and expiratory pressures being determined by a pressure differential induced between the interior and exterior of said outlet chamber during inhalation and exhalation, respectively;
• and
• means forming a pressure-responsive interface between the interior and exterior of said outlet chamber for controllably varying both said inspiratory and expiratory pressures by controllably adjusting said pressure differential.

A device for the regulation of a user's breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:

• a valve body having pressurized gas inlet means and gas outlet means communicating with said user's breathing passages;
• valving means in said valve body for controllably opening said outlet means in response to said user's inhalation and closing said outlet means when a predetermined absolute inspiratory pressure is reached in said user's breathing passages and communicated to said gas outlet means, said predetermined absolute inspiratory pressure tending to remain constant with decreasing external ambient pressure;
• and
• means, responsive to the pressure at said gas outlet means and the external ambient pressure, for maintaining said predetermined inspiratory pressure as said ambient pressure decreases.