Fluid valve structures

A fluid valve structure comprising a first inlet section separately connected to a source of pressure fluid and to a reservoir, a second inlet section, a plurality of side by side valve sections between said first inlet and second inlet sections each having a housing with at least one inlet chamber, a work chamber and a tank chamber intersected by a passage open at opposite ends to a control chamber and a tank chamber at a common pressure, a valve spool having both ends in said chamber at a common pressure and being movable in said passage, said spool having spaced grooves adapted in one position to connect said work chamber to the inlet chamber and in a second position to connect the work chamber with a tank position, lever means in said control chamber engaging one end of the valve spool, said lever being rotatable about a shaft whose axis is transverse to and spaced from the axis of spool valve, seals and bearings in said housing through which both ends of said shaft pass to the outside of the valve housing, handle means external of the housing acting on the shaft means to rotate the lever whereby the valve spool moves axially in the passage, said shaft, lever and valve spool being fully enclosed within the valve housing in all operative positions and wherein the valve grooves are arranged for timing sequence such that on movement of the valve spool from its center position in either direction it sequentially closes any connection between work chamber and exhaust chambers, opens a work chamber to the pressure chamber and finally opens the other work chamber to exhaust.

A fluid valve structure comprising a first inlet section separately connected to a source of pressure fluid and to a reservoir, a second inlet section, a plurality of side by side valve sections between said first inlet and second inlet sections each having a housing with at least one inlet chamber, a work chamber and a tank chamber intersected by a passage open at opposite ends to a control chamber and a tank chamber at a common pressure, a valve spool having both ends in said chamber at a common pressure and being movable in said passsage, said spool having spaced grooves adapted in one position to connect said work chamber to the inlet chamber and in a second position to connect the work chamber with a tank position, lever means in said control chamber engaging one end of the valve spool, said lever being rotatable about a shaft whose axis is transverse to and spaced from the axis of spool valve, seals and bearings in said housing through wihch both ends of said shaft pass to the outside of the valve housing, handle means external of the housing acting on the shaft means to rotate the lever whereby the valve spool moves axially in the passage, said shaft, lever and valve spool being fully enclosed within the valve housing in all operative positions and wherein each work chamber is provided with a load holding check and a passage connects said work chambers carrying a pilot piston operative on pressure from one or the other of the work chambers to move the pilot piston to open the load holding check in the other work chamber, slots, separate from the flow slots to the work chambers, to vent the work chambers to tank when the spool is in its center position, said slots to close the work chambers before either flow slot is opened to pressure and finally opens the opposite work port to tank as the pool is moved from its center position.