Bypass flow pressure regulator

A pressure regulating assembly for regulating the pressure of a flowing fluid medium, comprising housing means, said housing means comprising a first housing portion and a second housing portion, electrical field coil means carried by said first housing portion, pole piece means situated generally within said field coil means, a valve seat, fluid-flow passage means formed through said valve seat, said pole piece means comprising a pole piece annular axial end face portion, armature means at least partly situated generally within said field coil means, said armature means comprising an armature annular axial end face portion, wherein said armature means is axially situated between said pole piece means and said valve seat as to thereby cause said armature annular axial end face portion to be juxtaposed to said pole piece annular axial end face portion, resilient means normally resiliently urging said armature means in a direction away from said pole piece means and toward said valve seat as to thereby terminate the flow of said fluid medium out of said fluid-flow passage means, wherein said second housing portion comprises a generally cylindrical inner chamber, spool valve means situated in said cylindrical inner chamber and movable with respect to said cylindrical inner chamber and relatively movable with respect to said armature means, said spool valve means comprising at least first and second diametrically relatively large and generally cylindrical valving portions engaging the surface of said cylindrical inner chamber, said spool valve means further comprising generally axially extending body means situated between and operatively interconnecting said first and second cylindrical valving portions, said generally axially extending body means being diametrically relatively small as to thereby define an annular chamber circumferentially between said axially extending body means and said cylindrical inner chamber wherein said annular chamber is also axially confined between said first and second generally cylindrical valving portions, first fluid passage means formed in said second housing portion at a location as to be generally juxtaposed to said first generally cylindrical valve portion for general control by said first valving portion, second fluid passage means formed in said second housing portion at a location as to communicate with said annular chamber, third fluid passage means formed in said second housing portion at a location as to be generally juxtaposed to said second generally cylindrical valving portion for general control by said second valving portion, fourth fluid passage means communicating between said first fluid passage means and said fluid-flow passage means formed through said valve seat, wherein when said armature means is moved as to terminate flow of said fluid medium out of said fluid-flow passage means formed through said valve seat the pressure of said fluid medium causes said spool valve means to move in a direction whereby said second valving portion at least further restricts flow of said fluid medium from said annular chamber and through said third fluid passage means toward sump and said first valving portion reduces its restrictive effect to flow of said fluid medium through said first fluid passage means and into said annular chamber and out of said second fluid passage means to associated structure to be acted upon by said fluid medium, wherein when said flow of said fluid medium out of said fluid-flow passage means is terminated by said armature means said resilient means is effective to maintain said armature means in position to continue termination of flow of said fluid medium against the force of the fluid pressure of said fluid medium tending to move said armature means away from said valve seat, and wherein said armature means moves away from said valve seat and against said resilient means only upon said field coil means being electrically energized with the extent of the movement of said armature means away from said valve seat being related to the magnitude of the electrical current supplied to said field coil means, and wherein when said armature means moves away from said valve seat said fluid medium is permitted to flow out of said fluid-flow passage means and toward sump.