Ambient compensated bimetal actuated valve

Claim 1

A FULL CONTROL VALVE COMPRISING: A VALVE BODY HAVING AN INLET CHAMBER AND AN OUTLET CHAMBER SEPARATED BY A WALL THEREBETWEEN, A PORT THROUGH SAID WALL, AND A VALVE SEAT ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PORT; A COVER MEMBER REMOVABLE SECURED TO SAID BODY AND HAVING AN INNER SURFACE ADJACENT SAID INLET CHAMBER; A MOUNTING BRACKET DEPENDING FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID COVER MEMBER AND EXTENDING INTO SAID INLET CHAMBER; AN ACTUATING BIMETAL MEMBER DISPOSED IN SAID INLET CHAMBER IN THE PATH OF FUEL FLOW, SAID ACTUATING MEMBER HAVING ONE END FIXED TO SAID MOUNTING BRACKET AND HAVING A FREE END ADAPTED TO MOVE IN A FIRST DIRECTION IN RESPONSE TO AN INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE; AN AMBIENT COMPENSATING BIMETAL MEMBER HAVING ONE END FIXED TO THE FREE END OF SAID ACTUATING MEMBER AND HAING A FREE END EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID COMPENSATING MEMBER BEING ARRANGED WITH THE RESPECT TO SAID ACTUATING MEMBER SO THAT UPON A CHANGE IN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE FREE END OF SAID COMPENSATING MEMBER IS OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATING MEMBER AND HAVING AN EFFECTIVE LENGTH SUCH THAT RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATING AND COMPENSATING MEMBERS UPON A CHANGE IN AMBIENT TEMPERATURTE SUBSTANTIALLY OFFSET EACH OTHER AND RESULT IN SUBSTANTIALLY NO MOVEMENT OF THE FREE END OF SAID COMPENSATING BIMETAL; AN ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZABLE HEATER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ACTUATING MEMBER AND ADAPTED, WHEN ENERGIZED, TO HEAT SAID ACTUATING MEMBER WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY EFFECTING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID COMPENSATING MEMBER; SAID ACTUATING MEMBER BEING FORMED OF A BIMETALLIC MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY LOW-TEMPERATURE DEFLECTION CONSTANT AND MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY AT RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURES IN A RANGE INCLUDING THE TEMPERATURES EXPERIENCED BY SAID ACTUATING MEMBER WHEN SAID HEATER IS ENERGIZED AND A PORTION OF THE HEAT GENERATED THEREBY IS DISSIPATED BY FUEL FLOWING OVER SAID ACTUATING MEMBER, SAID ACTUATING MEMBER BEING CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING, FOR PROLONGED PERIODS WITHOUT DAMAGE, RELATIVELY HIGHER TEMPERATURES EXPERIENCED THEREBY WHEN SAID HEATER IS ENERGIZED BUT NO FUEL IS FLOWING OVER SAID ACTUATING MEMBER TO DISSIPATE A PORTION OF THE HEAT; SAID COMPENSATING MEMBER BEING FORMED OF A BIMETALLIC MATERIAL OF A DIFFERENT COMPOSITION AND HAVING A DEFLECTION CONSTANT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID ACTUATING MEMBER SO THAT UPON A CHANGE IN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE THE DEFLECTION PER UNIT LENGTH OF SAID COMPENSATING MEMEBR IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DEFLECTION PER UNIT LENGTH OF SAID ACTUATING MEMBER, SO THAT THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH THEREOF IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN WOULD BE NECESSARY TO PROVIDE AMBIENT COMPENSATION IF THE ACTUATING AND COMPENSATING MEMBERS WERE CONSTRUCTED OF THE SAME MATERIAL, AND SAID COMPENSATING MEMBER HAVING A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY AT RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURES INCLUDING TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURES TO WHICH IT IS NORMALLY SUBJECTED; AND MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTING THE FREE END OF SAID COMPENSATING MEMBER OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER.