Control valve with improved dual mode operation and flow adjustment

A control valve comprising

• a valve body having an inlet for receiving water under pressure, an outlet, and a main valve seat communicating between said inlet and said outlet,
• a main valve mounted in said valve body structure for movement between an engaged position with respect to said main valve seat preventing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat and a spaced position with respect to said main valve seat allowing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat,
• said main valve having a diaphragm connected therewith and extending outwardly therefrom,
• a valve bonnet fixed to said valve body and engaging a marginal edge of said diaphragm therebetween so that said diaphragm defines with said valve bonnet a control chamber,
• pressure control means operatively associated with said control chamber and said inlet and outlet for (1) utilizing the water under pressure communicating with said inlet to create sufficient water pressure in said control chamber to maintain said main valve in said engaged position and (2) for discharging water under pressure from control chamber to said outlet to reduce the water pressure in said control chamber sufficient to enable said main valve to move into said spaced position,
• said control means comprising control passage means from said control chamber to said outlet having a control valve seat therein disposed in laterally offset relation with respect to said main valve,
• a solenoid assembly including a control plunger spring biased toward an extended position and a solenoid coil means energizable to retract said control plunger from said extended position against the spring bias thereof into a spaced retracted position,
• means mounting said solenoid assembly on said bonnet in a solenoid operating position generally aligned with said control valve seat wherein said control plunger is (1) spring biased to engage said control valve seat when in an intermediate position between said extended and retracted positions so as to prevent communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and () retractable from said intermediate position by the energization of said solenoid coil means to permit communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means, and
• an adjusting mechanism carried by said bonnet for manual movement into selected positions for selectively varying the distance between said main valve and said main valve seat when said main valve is in said spaced position,
• said adjusting mechanism comprising an annular valve engaging element threadedly engaged with said bonnet in a position such that said valve engaging element is moved toward and away from said main valve in response to opposite turning movements of said valve engaging element,
• an adjusting member within said control chamber having a meshing gear relationship with said valve engaging element so that opposite turning movements of said adjusting member are transmitted as turning movements of said valve engaging element,
• a manually engageable knob member disposed exteriorly of said bonnet in laterally offset relation to said solenoid assembly, and
• means for mounting said knob member and said adjusting member in sealed relation through said bonnet for turning movements together,
• said knob member mounting means comprising
• a first knob mounting portion on said adjusting member,
• a second knob mounting portion on said knob member,
• a third knob mounting portion on said valve bonnet defining a generally cylindrical opening extending from the interior to the exterior of said bonnet,
• an annular seal surrounding the interior of said opening,
• certain of said knob mounting portions providing a plurality of sets of integral resiliently flexible fingers having mounting lugs thereon,
• at least one set of fingers being disposable within said opening, certain of said knob mounting portions including lug engaging surface means operable in response to the movement of said knob member and said adjusting member from the exterior and the interior of said opening in a direction toward one another to an extent sufficient to dispose said one set of fingers within said opening in an operative position for (1) momentarily resiliently deflecting said fingers and (2) thereafter engaging the lugs on said fingers to retain said members in an operative position against relative movement in a direction away from one another,
• said adjusting member being disposed in sealing relation with said annular seal when in said operative position.

A control valve comprising

• a valve body having an inlet for receiving water under pressure, an outlet, and a main valve seat communicating between said inlet and said outlet,
• a main valve mounted in said valve body structure for movement between an engaged position with respect to said main valve seat preventing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat and a spaced position with respect to said main valve seat allowing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat,
• said main valve having a diaphragm connected therewith and extending outwardly therefrom,
• a valve bonnet fixed to said valve body and engaging a marginal edge of said diaphragm therebetween so that said diaphragm defines with said valve bonnet a control chamber,
• pressure control means operatively associated with said control chamber and said inlet and outlet for (1) utilizing the water under pressure communicating with said inlet to create sufficient water pressure in said control chamber to maintain said main valve in said engaged position and (2) for discharging water under pressure from control chamber to said outlet to reduce the water pressure in said control chamber sufficient to enable said main valve to move into said spaced position,
• said control means comprising control passage means from said control chamber to said outlet having a control valve seat therein disposed in laterally offset relation with respect to said main valve,
• a solenoid assembly including a control plunger spring biased toward an extended position and a solenoid coil means energizable to retract said control plunger from said extended position against the spring bias thereof into a spaced retracted position,
• means mounting said solenoid assembly on said bonnet in a solenoid operating position generally aligned with said control valve seat wherein said control plunger is (1) spring biased to engage said control valve seat when in an intermediate position between said extended and retracted positions so as to prevent communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and (2) retractable from said intermediate position by the energization of said solenoid coil means to permit communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means, and
• an adjusting mechanism carried by said bonnet for manual movement into selected positions for selectively varying the distance between said main valve and said main valve seat when said main valve is in said spaced position,
• said adjusting mechanism comprising an annular valve engaging element threadedly engaged with said bonnet in a position such that said valve engaging element is moved toward and away from said main valve in response to opposite turning movements of said valve engaging element,
• an adjusting member within said control chamber having a meshing gear relationship with said valve engaging element so that opposite turning movements of said adjusting member are transmitted as turning movements of said valve engaging element,
• a manually engageable knob member disposed exteriorly of said bonnet in laterally offset relation to said solenoid assembly, and
• means for mounting said knob member and said adjusting member in sealed relation through said bonnet for turning movements together,
• said valve body including
• a first flanged annular portion surrounding said main valve seat providing a first annular diaphragm edge receiving surface,
• said valve bonnet having a second flanged annular portion providing a second annular diaphragm edge receiving surface,
• the marginal edge of said diaphragm being disposed between said first and second annular diaphragm receiving surfaces,
• said valve body having a series of annularly spaced threaded bores formed in said first flanged annular portion thereof,
• a series of bolts threaded into said threaded bores,
• the second flanged annular portion of said bonnet having a series of flange sections corresponding with the series of bolts,
• said flange sections including bolt receiving slots having open ends opening in the same annular direction,
• said flange section being shaped to enable said bonnet to be moved (1) from a separated condition in a direction toward said valve body into a preliminary position of cooperation between said first and second annular diaphragm receiving surfaces wherein said bolts are disposed adjacent the open ends of said slots and (2) from said preliminary position in an annular direction into an operating position wherein said bolts are disposed in said slots in a position to be tightened onto the associated flange sections.

A control valve comprising

• a valve body structure having an inlet for receiving water under pressure, an outlet, and a main valve seat communicating between said inlet and said outlet,
• a main valve mounted in said valve body structure for movement between an engaged position with respect to said main valve seat preventing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat and a spaced position with respect to said main valve seat allowing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat,
• means defining a main control chamber within said valve body structure having a pressure responsive diaphragm relationship with said main valve and
• pressure control means operatively associated with said control chamber and said inlet and outlet for (1) utilizing the water under pressure communicating with said inlet to create sufficient water pressure in said control chamber to maintain said main valve in said engaged position and (2) discharging water under pressure from said control chamber to said outlet to reduce the water pressure in said control chamber sufficient to enable said main valve to move into said spaced position,
• said control means comprising control passage means from said control chamber to said outlet having a control valve seat therein fixed with respect to said valve body structure,
• a solenoid assembly including a control plunger spring biased toward an extended position and a solenoid coil means energizable to retract said control plunger from said extended position against the spring bias thereof into a spaced retracted position,
• and means mounting said solenoid assembly on said valve body structure for manual movement in water sealing relation thereto (1) from a solenoid operating position wherein said control plunger is (A) spring biased to engage said control valve seat when in an intermediate position between said extended and retracted positions so as to prevent communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and (B) retractable from said intermediate position by the energization of said solenoid coil means to permit communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and (2) through a range of manually controlled movement wherein said control plunger is moved by the manual movement of the solenoid assembly between engaged and spaced positions with respect to said control valve seat while being retained against spring biased movement in a position no closer to said retracted position than said intermediate position.

A control valve comprising

• a valve body structure having an inlet for receiving water under pressure, an outlet, and a main valve seat communicating between said inlet and said outlet,
• a main valve mounted in said valve body structure for movement between an engaged position with respect to said main valve seat preventing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat and a spaced position with respect to said main valve seat allowing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat,
• means defining a main control chamber within said valve body structure having a pressure responsive diaphragm relationship with said main valve and
• pressure control means operatively associated with said control chamber and said inlet and outlet for (1) utilizing the water under pressure communicating with said inlet to create sufficient water pressure in said control chamber to maintain said main valve in said engaged position and (2) for discharging water under pressure from said control chamber to said outlet to reduce the water pressure in said control chamber sufficient to enable said main valve to move into said spaced position,
• said control means comprising control passage means from said control chamber to said outlet having a control valve seat therein,
• a solenoid assembly including a control plunger spring biased toward an extended position and a solenoid coil means energizable to retract said control plunger from said extended position against the spring bias thereof into a spaced retracted position,
• means mounting said solenoid assembly on said valve body structure in a solenoid operating position wherein said control plunger is (1) spring biased to engage said control valve seat when in an intermediate position between said extended and retracted positions so as to prevent communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and (2) retractable from said intermediate position by the energization of said solenoid coil means to permit communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said passage means, and
• an adjusting mechanism mounted therein for manual movement into selected positions for selectively varying the distance between said main valve and said valve seat when said main valve is in said spaced position,
• said adjusting mechanism comprising
• an adjusting member including a first mounting portion,
• a manually engageable knob member including a second mounting portion,
• said valve body structure including a third mounting portion defining a generally cylindrical opening extending from said control chamber to the exterior of said valve body structure,
• an annular seal surrounding the interior of said opening,
• certain of said mounting portions providing a plurality of sets of integral resiliently flexible fingers having mounting lugs thereon,
• at least one set of fingers being disposable within said opening,
• certain of said mounting portions including lug engaging surface means operable in response to the movement of said knob member and said adjusting member from exterior and interior sides of said opening in a direction toward one another to an extent sufficient to dispose said one set of fingers within said opening in an operative position for (1) momentarily resiliently deflecting said fingers and (2) thereafter engaging the lugs on said fingers to retain said members in an operative position against relative movement in a direction away from one another,
• said adjusting member being disposed in sealing relation with said annular seal when in said operative position and being turnable in response to a manual turning movement of said knob member when in said operative position.

A control valve comprising

• a valve body having an inlet for receiving water under pressure, an outlet, a main valve seat communicating between said inlet and said outlet and a first flanged annular mounting portion surrounding said main valve seat providing a first annular diaphragm edge receiving surface means,
• a main valve mounted in said valve body structure for movement between an engaged position with respect to said main valve seat preventing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat and a spaced position with respect to said main valve seat allowing communication of said inlet with said outlet through said main valve seat,
• said main valve having a diaphragm connected therewith and extending outwardly therefrom,
• a valve bonnet having a second flanged annular mounted portion providing a second annular diaphragm edge receiving surface means
• means for removably securing said valve bonnet on said valve body with a marginal edge of said diaphragm engaged between the first and second flanged annular diaphragm edge receiving surface means so that said diaphragm defines with said valve bonnet a control chamber,
• pressure control means operatively associated with said control chamber and said inlet and outlet for (1) utilizing the water under pressure communicating with said inlet to create sufficient water pressure in said control chamber to maintain said main valve in said engaged position and (2) for discharging water under pressure from said control chamber to said outlet to reduce the water pressure in said control chamber sufficient to enable said main valve to move into said spaced position,
• said control means comprising control passage means from said control chamber to said outlet having a control valve seat therein,
• a solenoid assembly including a control plunger spring biased toward an extended position and a solenoid coil means energizable to retract said control plunger from said extended position against the spring bias thereof into a spaced retracted position,
• means mounting said solenoid assembly on said bonnet in a solenoid operating position wherein said control plunger is (1) spring biased to engage said control valve seat when in an intermediate position between said extended and retracted positions so as to prevent communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means and (2) retractable from said intermediate position by the energization of said solenoid coil means to permit communication of said control chamber with said outlet through said control passage means, and
• an adjusting mechanism carried by said bonnet for manual movement into selected positions for selectively varying the distance between said main valve and said main valve seat when said main valve is in said spaced position,
• said bonnet mounting means comprising:
• said first flanged annular mounting portion having a series of annularly spaced threaded bores formed therein,
• a series of headed bolts threaded into said threaded bores,
• the second flanged annular mounting portion of said bonnet having a series of flange sections corresponding with the series of bolts,
• said flange sections including bolt receiving slots having open ends opening in the same annular direction and being shaped to enable said bonnet to be moved (1) from a separated condition in a direction toward said valve body into a preliminary position of cooperation between said first and second annular diaphragm receiving surface means wherein said bolt are disposed adjacent the open ends of said slots and (2) from said preliminary position in an annular direction into an operating position wherein said bolts are disposed in said slots in positions to be tightened onto the associated flange sections.