Remotely controlled ventilation valve

Claim 2

Means to control fluid flow through a passage having an axis, comprising: valve means including a rotary valve member in the passage to control fluid flow therethrough; tooth means including fixed teeth arranged concentrically of the axis of the passage; reciprocative means in said passage free to reciprocate longitudinally thereof, said reciprocative means being cooperative with said teeth for rotation of the reciprocative means in response to its longitudinal reciprocation, whereby the motion of the reciprocative means has both an axial component and a rotary component, said valve member being slidingly keyed to said reciprocative means for rotation in response to the rotary component of the motion of the reciprocative means without response to the axial component of the movement of the reciprocative means; and power means to reciprocate the reciprocative means.

Claim 3

A combination as set forth in claim 1, in which said valve member is a rotary valve.

Claim 4

Means to control fluid flow through a passage comprising: valve means in the passage to control fluid flow therethrough; tooth means including fixed teeth arranged concentrically of the axis of the passage; elongated reciprocative means in said passage free to reciprocate longitudinally in the passage, said reciprocative means being cooperative with said teeth for rotation of the reciprocative means in response to its reciprocation, and means to move said valve member axially in response to rotation of the reciprocative means including a circumferentially arranged fixed cam means, a follower means operatively connected to the reciprocative means for rotation thereby in contact with the fixed cam means to cause axial movement of the follower means with the valve member being operatively connected to the follower means to cause axial movement of the valve member in response to axial movement of the follower means.

Claim 5

Means to control fluid flow through a passage comprising: valve means in the passage to control fluid flow therethrough; tooth means including fixed teeth arranged concentrically of the axis of the passage; elongated reciprocative means in said passage free to reciprocate longitudinally in the passage, said reciprocative means being cooperative with said teeth for rotation of the reciprocative means in response to its reciprocation, and means to move said valve member axially in response to rotation of the reciprocative means including a circumferentially arranged fixed cam means, a follower means operatively connected to the reciprocative means for rotation thereby in contact with the fixed cam means to cause axial movement of the follower means with the valve member being operatively connected to the follower means to cause axial movement of the valve member in response to axial movement of the follower means.

Claim 6

A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which one increment of rotation of the follower means in response to one reciprocation of the reciprocative means moves the valve member from closed position to open position; and in which a subsequent increment of rotation of the follower means in response to one reciprocation of the reciprocative means moves the valve member to closed position.

Claim 7

A combination as set forth in claim 3 which includes spring means biasing said reciprocative means to one limit of its range of reciprocation; and which includes solenoid means for intermittent energization to urge the reciprocative means to its opposite limit position in opposition to said spring means.

Claim 8

In a valve to control fluid flow through a passage, the combination of: an annular valve seat formed in the passage; a valve member to cooperate with said valve seat to control the rate of fluid flow through the passage, said valve member being movable between a closed position and an open position relative to the valve seat; annular cam means extending around the interior of the passage and divided into a plurality of cam elements, each cam element extending a given number of degrees around the interior of the passage, each cam element sloping from a given distance from the valve seat to a greater distance and dropping back to the given distance; first radial means operatively connected to the valve member to retract the valve member from the valve seat in response to rotation of the radial means along the slope of a cam element and to reseat the valve member in response to dropping back to the given distance; teeth means comprisIng two fixed annular sets of teeth in said passage, the two sets of teeth being staggered relative to each other; second radial means keyed to the first radial means for rotation thereof with freedom for axial movement relative thereto; actuating means operable to cause an axial reciprocation of said second radial means into engagement with said two sets of teeth alternately to cause rotation of said second radial means by an increment of a magnitude less than said given number of degrees thereby to advance the first radial means by less than said given number of degrees, whereby a single operation of said actuating means retracts the valve member from closed position to an open position and additional operation of said actuating means reseats the valve member.

Claim 9

In a valve to control fluid flow through a passage, the combination of: an annular valve seat formed in the passage; a valve member to cooperate with said valve seat to control the rate of fluid flow through the passage, said valve member being movable between a closed position and an open position relative to the valve seat; annular cam means extending around the interior of the passage and divided into a plurality of cam elements, each cam element extending a given number of degrees around the interior of the passage, each cam element sloping from a given distance from the valve seat to a greater distance and dropping back to the given distance; first radial means operatively connected to the valve member to retract the valve member from the valve seat in response to rotation of the radial means along the slope of a cam element and to reseat the valve member in response to dropping back to the given distance; teeth means comprisIng two fixed annular sets of teeth in said passage, the two sets of teeth being staggered relative to each other; second radial means keyed to the first radial means for rotation thereof with freedom for axial movement relative thereto; actuating means operable to cause an axial reciprocation of said second radial means into engagement with said two sets of teeth alternately to cause rotation of said second radial means by an increment of a magnitude less than said given number of degrees thereby to advance the first radial means by less than said given number of degrees, whereby a single operation of said actuating means retracts the valve member from closed position to an open position and additional operation of said actuating means reseats the valve member.

Claim 10

A combination as set forth in claim 6 in which said given number of degrees is a multiple of the number of degrees of said increment.

Claim 11

A combination as set forth in claim 6 which includes: first spring means urging said valve member to closed position and urging said first radial means against said cam means; and in which said actuating means comprises second spring means to urge said second radial means in one axial direction and a solenoid to move the second radial means in the opposite radial direction in opposition to the second spring means.

Claim 12

Means to control fluid flow through a passage, comprising: valve means to control fluid flow through the passage, said valve means including a sleeve member rotatable to open and close the passage; a first fixed circular series of teeth; a second fixed circular series of teeth positioned coaxially with the first series, said two circular series of teeth being spaced apart axially with the teeth of each series being directed towards the other series, the teeth of each said two series being staggered relative to the teeth of the other series; a rotatable assembly reciprocative axially of said two sets of teeth; power means operable to reciprocate the rotatable assembly; means on said rotatable assembly cooperative with said two sets of teeth to rotate the assembly by an increment in response to reciprocation of the assembly, and said assembly being slidingly keyed to said sleeve member to rotate the sleeve member without moving the sleeve member axially.

Claim 13

Means to control fluid flow through a passage, comprising: valve means to control fluid flow through the passage, said valve means including a sleeve member rotatable to open and close the passage; a first fixed circular series of teeth; a second fixed circular series of teeth positioned coaxially with the first series, said two circular series of teeth being spaced apart axially with the teeth of each series being directed towards the other series, the teeth of each said two series being staggered relative to the teeth of the other series; a rotatable assembly reciprocative axially of said two sets of teeth; power means operable to reciprocate the rotatable assembly; means on said rotatable assembly cooperative with said two sets of teeth to rotate the assembly by an increment in response to reciprocation of the assembly, and said assembly being slidingly keyed to said sleeve member to rotate the sleeve member without moving the sleeve member axially.

Claim 14

A combination as set forth in claim 9 in which said increment of rotation is of sufficient magnitude to rotate said sleeve member from closed position to open position and is of sufficient magnitude to rotate the sleeve member from open position to closed position.

Claim 15

A combination as set forth in claim 10 in which said increment is of a magnitude for two successive increments to first rotate the sleeve member to open position and then to rotate the sleeve member to closed position.

Claim 16

In a valve to control fluid flow through a passage, the combination of: an annular valve seat formed in the passage; a valve member to cooperate with said valve seat to control the rate of fluid flow through the passage, said valve member being movable between a closed position and an open position relative to the valve seat; arcuate cam means in the passage rising from a given distance from the valve seat and dropping back to the given distance; radial means to cooperate with said cam means, said radial means being connected to the valve member for control thereof; actuating means to rotate said radial means to slide the radial means along said cam means thereby to move said valve member from one of its two positions to the other position and to return the valve member to said one position, said actuating means including: a first fixed circular series of ratchet teeth; a second fixed circular series of ratchet teeth, said two circular series being spaced apart axially with the teeth of each series directed towards the teeth of the other series; a rotatable ring between said two fixed series of teeth having freedom for axial movement; a third circular series of ratchet teeth on the side of the ring towards said first series of teeth to cooperate therewith; a fourth circular series of ratchet teeth on the side of the ring towards said fixed second series of teeth to cooperate therewith; a rotary assembly keyed to said valve member and said radial means for rotation therewith with freedom for axial movement relative thereto; spring means biasing said assembly in one axial direction; a solenoid operable to shift said assembly in the opposite axial direction in opposition to said spring means; dog means carried by said assembly adjacent the fourth series of teeth on one side of the ring to cooperate with the fourth series of teeth to shift the ring into engagement with said first fixed series of ratchet teeth; and means projecting from said assembly on the other side of the ring to press the ring against the second fixed series of teeth, said dog means and said projecting means straddling the ring and being spaced apart to permit freedom for axial movement of the ring therebetween, said first and third ratchet teeth being inclined to cooperate to cause an increment of rotation of the ring in one direction from a starting position in response to movement of the ring by the dog means against the first series of ratchet teeth, said second and fourth ratchet teeth being inclined to cooperate to cause an increment of rotation of the ring in said one direction in response to return movement of the ring against the second series of teeth by said projecting means, said dog means being shaped to cooperate with said fourth set of ratchet teeth to cause an increment of rotation of the assembly in the direction opposite to said one direction in response to movement of the dog means against the fourth set of teeth while the ring is immobilized by mutual engagement of the first and third series of ratchet teeth, whereby energization of said solenoid to shift said assembly axially in one direction causes, first, incremental rotation of the ring in the opposite direction by the first fixed series of ratchet teeth and then incremental rotation of the assembly in said one direction by cooperation of the dog means with the fourth series of ratchet teeth on the ring, and de-energization of the solenoid to shift the assembly axially in the opposite direction causes cooperation of the fourth series of ratchet teeth on the ring with the second fixed series of ratchet teeth to advance the ring in said opposite direction to place the ring in a new starting position.

Claim 17

In a valve to control fluid flow through a passage, the combination of: an annular valve seat formed in the passage; a valve member to cooperate with said valve seat to control the rate of fluid flow through the passage, said valve member being movable between a closed position and an open position relative to the valve seat; arcuate cam means in the passage rising from a given distance from the valve seat and dropping back to the given distance; radial means to cooperate with said cam means, said radial means being connected to the valve member for control thereof; actuating means to rotate said radial means to slide the radial means along said cam means thereby to move said valve member from one of its two positions to the other position and to return the valve member to said one position, said actuating means including: a first fixed circular series of ratchet teeth; a second fixed circular series of ratchet teeth, said two circular series being spaced apart axially with the teeth of each series directed towards the teeth of the other series; a rotatable ring between said two fixed series of teeth having freedom for axial movement; a third circular series of ratchet teeth on the side of the ring towards said first series of teeth to cooperate therewith; a fourth circular series of ratchet teeth on the side of the ring towards said fixed second series of teeth to cooperate therewith; a rotary assembly keyed to said valve member and said radial means for rotation therewith with freedom for axial movement relative thereto; spring means biasing said assembly in one axial direction; a solenoid operable to shift said assembly in the opposite axial direction in opposition to said spring means; dog means carried by said assembly adjacent the fourth series of teeth on one side of the ring to cooperate with the fourth series of teeth to shift the ring into engagement with said first fixed series of ratchet teeth; and means projecting from said assembly on the other side of the ring to press the ring against the second fixed series of teeth, said dog means and said projecting means straddling the ring and being spaced apart to permit freedom for axial movement of the ring therebetween, said first and third ratchet teeth being inclined to cooperate to cause an increment of rotation of the ring in one direction from a starting position in response to movement of the ring by the dog means against the first series of ratchet teeth, said second and fourth ratchet teeth being inclined to cooperate to cause an increment of rotation of the ring in said one direction in response to return movement of the ring against the second series of teeth by said projecting means, said dog means being shaped to cooperate with said fourth set of ratchet teeth to cause an increment of rotation of the assembly in the direction opposite to said one direction in response to movement of the dog means against the fourth set of teeth while the ring is immobilized by mutual engagement of the first and third series of ratchet teeth, whereby energization of said solenoid to shift said assembly axially in one direction causes, first, incremental rotation of the ring in the opposite direction by the first fixed series of ratchet teeth and then incremental rotation of the assembly in said one direction by cooperation of the dog means with the fourth series of ratchet teeth on the ring, and de-energization of the solenoid to shift the assembly axially in the opposite direction causes cooperation of the fourth series of ratchet teeth on the ring with the second fixed series of ratchet teeth to advance the ring in said opposite direction to place the ring in a new starting position.