US2783775A - Multiple valves - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1957 E. F. FULLWOOD 2,783,775

MULTIPLE VALVES Filed Jan. 24, 1952 4 Sheets-Sneet 1 INVENTOR' EDWARD F FULLWOOQ E hum;

ATTORNEY March 5, 1957 Filed Jan. 24. 1952 E. F. FULLWOOD 2,783,775

MULTIPLE VALVES 4 Sheets-$neet 2 IO 7 l3 8 1 II 9 1 m g 8.1m I 170 Mar h 5, 1 E. F. FULLWOOD MULTIPLE VALVES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 24, 1952 w L .mU F E D m W D E N 2 mxxvw A m ATTORN EY March 5 1 Filed Jan. 24, 1952 FULL-WOOD MULTIPLE VALVES 4 Sheets-5 4 VENT EDWARD F. FULLWOOD BY I ATTORNEY MULTIPLE VALVES Edward F. Fullwood, Madison, Wis., assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y, a corporation of New York Application January 24, 1952, Serial N 268,101

8 Claims. (Cl. 137-6225) This invention relates to valves for fluid systems, and particularly to an improved multiple valve.

Multiple valves comprising a plurality of individual valve units controlled by a common actuating means have previously been constructed. However, such valves have heretofore not been wholly satisfactory for some purposes; for example, they have frequently been unwieldy both as to size and arrangement of the valve means, unreliable for long term continuous usage, difiicult or expensive to construct and repair, inconvenient to operate, subject to leakage, especially when used with low viscosity fluids under relatively high pressure and so forth. According to the present invention these disadvantages are obviated through the provision of a novel arrangement and construction of a plurality of individual valve units associated with a housing incorporating an improved valve operating mechanism.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multiple-type valve of improved construction wherein several individual valve units are contained in a single compact housing.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an improved construction wherein the valve housing is adapted to be assembled in multiple to form a composite valve structure of any desired size or number of valve units.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved multiple-type valve structure having improved valve operating mechanism for actuating selected ones of the individual valve units.

It is another object or" the invention to provide a composite multiple-type valve having a selector valve housing and a reversing valve housing assembled in a single compact structure, wherein the reversing valve is adapted to reverse the direction of fluid displacement in the selector valve.

It is another object of the invention to provide a multiple-type valve housing containing individual valve units which are especialiy suited for connection in reversible fiow circuits.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved composite valve structure containing first and second valve housings havings having a plurality of individual valve units in each of said housings and improved valve operating mechanism therefor adapted to provide independent operation of valve units in said first and second valve housings.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved valve structure, of the type herein described, having conveniently arranged adjusting controls for the valve operating mechanism and indexing means calibrated with respect to positions of the valve operating mechanism.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved positioning means cooperating with the valve operating mechanism of a multiple valve housing to orient the valve operating mechanism with the respective valve elements.

tates Patent C are provided between the valve units of the reversing ice It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved neutral positioning means effective upon the valve operating mechanism associated with the valve units of a reversing valve housing wherein said operating mechanism is permitted a wide range of forward or reverse adjustment and is maintained in intermediate or neutral position under positive retentive pressure.

Qther objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood by referring tothe following description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view partially in section of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing an improved composite multiple valve including a reversing valve housing and a selector valve housing in a single structure, and valve operating and control mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view in a plane through the valve assembly along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, wherein radially extending portions of the valve units have been omitted;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the dial face at the end of the arm casing in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the valve assembly structure taken substantially along the line 55 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial section taken transversely through one of the valve units of the valve assembly in Fig. 5, illustrating the structure of the valve units therein;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view in a plane taken through the valve assembly along the line '7-7 in Fig. 5 wherein the radially extending portions of the valve units have also been omitted;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9 9 in Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view in a plane taken through the valve assembly along the line 11-11 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view in a plane taken through the valve assembly along the line 12-12 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view in a plane taken through the valve assembly along the line 13-43 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along line'1414 in Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 15 is an enlarged view of the inner portion of the sectional view in Fig. 14 showing a displaced position of:

the reversing valve operating shaft. v y

The preferred embodiment of the invention briefly described comprises a composite valve structure including a selector valve housing and a reversing valve housing, said valve housings each containing a plurality of compactly-arranged separate valve units therein, a cavity in each of said valve housings, valve elements correspond{ ing to each of the separate valve units extending into the cavities in the respective valve housings, a first adjustable shaft extending into the cavity of said reversing valve, a

second adjustable shaft extending into the cavity of said multiple valve housing, said first and second shafts having urged, respectively, toward positions relative to the cor-' responding individual valve elements. Manifold plate means cooperate with the valve block of the selector valve housing to form an improved valve manifold wherein a compactly-arranged series of valves are'connected in a common manifold chamber. Fluid conduit connections Positioning means are operatively asso valve and. the. selector valve through which reverse fluid flow may be provided in the selector valve upon operation of the reversing valve. A casing which encloses externally extending portions of said shafts houses the shaft adjusting mechanisms and is provided with indexing means calibrated with respect to the operating; positions of the selector valve operating shaft.

The multiple valve disclosed and claimed herein is identical to the master valve unit shown in the co-pending application, Serial No. 268,102, of E. F. Fullwoodand I. Philippi for Surgical Table, assigned to the assignee of the present application, which was executed concurrently herewith, and filed on the same date as the, present application. The present valve is particularly intended to be used in the manner set forth in the above co-pending application wherein it will be seen that the valve structure comprises a master valve unit for regulating the actuating fluid in the control circuit of a fluid operat'ed surgical table. The master valve is a. composite structure comprising first and second valve housings which constitute, respectively, a selector valve, and a reversing valve.

Referring now to the drawings of the present application; the complete master valve assembly is designated generally at 149 in Fig. 1 where it will be seen to be mounted on arm members 141 which represent portions of an operating table structure. Themaster valve unit 140 has operating means comprising a shaft. 142 which extends outwardly toward one side of the table structure. The shaft 142, is received in a housing having an'angle extension 143 extending upwardly and toward the head end of the table in which the controls for the valve operating means are located. The extension housing 143 is also rigidly mounted on the table structure and terminates in a truncated dial face 144 which is at an oblique angle designed for easy vision of the dial markings by the operator. A pointer 145 is correlated with the respective positions of the valve operating means which are. indicated on the dial face.

The master valve 140 is a composite structure made up of.a selector valve assembly 146 and a reversing valve.

assembly 147. The shaft 142 comprises an inner shaft 148 and an outer shaft 149 wherein the inner shaft is co-axially disposed; the co-axial shafts being adapted to be operated independently of one another. The outer shaft 149 is axled in the selector valve 146 and an extension bearing 149'-and carries at its outer end a sprocket,

150. The sprocket 15 is connected by a drive chain 151 with a second sprocket 152 that is keyed in shaft 153- journaled in the casing 143 and having a hand-adjusting knob 154. Manipulation of knob 154 rotates the shaft 149 through the chain and sprocket drive whereby the selector valve mechanism is actuated, as will be de scribed. A pair of bevel gears 155 and 156 are arrangedto transmit the adjustments of the drive shaft 153'to;

pointer indicator 145. whereby the corresponding posi tions of the valve adjusting shaft 149 will be designatedon dial face 144.

Operating shaft 148 extends through selector valve housing 146 within the tubular shaft 149 and into the reversing valve housing 147. At its opposite end the inner shaft extends beyond the shaft 149 whereon is held a sprocket 157. This sprocket is linked by a chain 158-to an upper sprocket 159 which is situated on a bushinglfitl sesame 162 and a central valve block member 163. The endplates are held against the valve block by bolts 163', which are visible in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings. Banks of valves A, B, and C are arranged circumferentially in the valve block 163 in which each valve is an independent valve unit substantially as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Each valve is set in a valve cavity in the valve block 163, such as the valve unit B, which is enlarged and sectioned in Fig. 6. The valve units are removable and have an improved construction particularly adapted for reversible fluid flow which is substantially identical to the construction shown in the co-pending. application, Serial No. 214,127 now Patent No. 2,692,114, E. F. Fullwood, assigned to the assignee of the present application. Each of the valves is provided with a valve seat 164, a valve stem element 165, and fluid valve ports 166 and 167 between which the passage of fluid through the valve is controlled by the cooperation of the valve. seat and the valve element.

The fluid ports 167 of the bank of valves B, Fig. 5, communicate with a common manifold chamber 168 which is formed by an annular recess in the face of end plate 162 and similarly, fluid ports 167 of the bank of valves A communicate with a common manifold chamber 169 in the opposite end plate 162'. The sectional views of Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the end plates 162 and 162 respectively. Referring thereto, inner and outer annular recesses 200 are formed in each of the end plates, on opposite sides of recesses 168 and 169 forming the manifold chambers wherein annular gasket members 201, Fig. 5, are seated to provide a fluid tight seal between the end plates and the valve block 163. Manifold chamber 168 is provided with a fluid fitting 170 to which fluid conduit members are attached and chamber 169 is provided with a similar fluid fitting 171. The valve seats of each of the valve units are closed normally, except when the ends 172 of the valve stems 165, Figs. 5 and 6, which protrude into a central core chamber 173 of the valve housing are displaced by the selector valve actuating mechanism which includes a roller cam element 174. The cam element 174 comprises an elongated pin which is mounted at its opposite ends in disc plates 175 which are carried on the tubular adjusting shaft 149. The cam is disposed longitudinally within the chamber 173 and at a radius which enables it to come into contact with the protruding valve elements as it is revolved therein around the axis of adjusting shaft 149.

-Referring again to the illustration in Fig. 6, the valve port 166 is formed inv a rotatable connecter disc 166' which is received on the shank 300 of valve cap 301. The disc 166' serves as a connector block in which a conduit connected in port 166 is received. An inner recess302 in the disc 16 6' provides an annular chamber which communicates with radial openings 303 in the shank of the valve cap 301, which in turn open into an axial passage 304 having its inner terminal opening in the valve itself. Gasket rings 305 provide a gas-tight seal on both sides of the connector disc. This construction enables the disc block and the valve opening 166 therein to be oriented in any desired direction as best suited for connecting a fluid conduit thereto. As will later become more evident, the composite valve construction herein includes several interconnected valve units wherein the provision of connector tubes or the like between the valve units is'greatly facilitated by this construction. In the case of providing more than one valve opening, such as the opening 166 in a single valve unit, a plurality of discs such as the disc 166' may be carried on a valve cap having a shank portion such as the shank 300 which is of suflicient length to carry the disc connector blocks and which has the necessary radial openings 303 corresponding to each disc member thereon. Examples of the latter form are the valves R1 and R1 in Figs. 14 and 12', respectively, each of which has two disc connector blocks.

tional views of Figs. 9, 10, and -11 respectively. It will be seen that each of the valve banks includes a circumferentially spaced series of valve units designated by the reference letters a to j and that each of the valve units in the respective valve banks that are correspondingly designated are disposed in the same longitudinal alignment in the valve block. Thus the valve units i, for example, in each of the valve banks A, B, and C are in longitudinal alignment suchthat when the cam element 174 is positioned under one of these valves they are all simultaneously actuated, as seen in the illustrations of Figs. 9, 10, and 11. Similarly, as the adjusting shaft 149 is rotated, the cam 174 is selectively positioned under other of the corresponding elements of the valve units in each of the valve banks. The central bore 173 is provided with a vent passage 202, Fig. 11, extending outwardly of the valve housing through which any leakage fluid that may accumulate in the chamber may be discharged. -Where desired, internal passages may be provided to connect the ports of certain of the valve units to better suit the valve for certain control circuits. Such passages are shown in Fig. 11 wherein passages 203 and 204 extend from ports in valves 71 and e into a common recess 205. Such expedient means connect the valves 71 and e to a common fluid conduit such as required in the fluid circuit in the copending application, Serial No. 268,102 of E. F. Fullwood and J. Philippi for Surgical Table, hereinbefore mentioned.

In the application or use of the selector valve mechanism, one of the manifold chambers may be supplied with high pressure fluid and the other may be connected with a low pressure fluid line to accommodate the master valve assembly in a control circuit as in the related application hereinbefore mentioned. The high pressure fluid is supplied from the high pressure manifold chamber through one of the valves communicating therewith and through fluid circuit conduits to fluid motor devices connected to such valve. Fluid discharged from the fluid device, or devices, is returned through fluid lines to a corresponding valve unit in communication with the low pressure manifold, thus completing the fluid actuating circuit. The two corresponding valves in each of the valve banks are actuated in unison by the cam element 174 such as in Fig. 5 wherein the valve elements of valves A' and B are simultaneously engaged by the cam element. As the shaft 149 is rotated through its operative positions, in the manner hereinbefore described, the cam element comes into engagement with the valve elements of successive corresponding valve units in each of the banks A and B opening the fluid circuit associated with each set of valves. Intermediate valve bank C comprises a series of circumferentially located valve units which are actuated simultaneously with corresponding valves in banks A and B to complete fluid circuits including the valves C, in addition to the corresponding units in banks A and B. The conduits received on the fluid fittings 170 and 171 are connected with the reversing valve 147, as later described, whereby the high and low pressure lines may be alternatively connected with either of the manifold chambers 168 and 169 to control the direction of fluid movement in the circuits and therefore the direction of movement of the fluid actuated devices.

Each of the operative positions of the shaft 149'is indicated by the pointer 145 which registers with the corresponding marking on the dial face 144. The markings on the dial face are identified in Fig. 4 by references from a to j which correspond to the valve units in the respective valve banks that are operatively engaged by the cam element 174 when the pointer 145 is in registry with the respective markings.

The shaft 149 and cam adjusting mechanism for the selector valve are centered in the respective operating positions by a detent mechanism 176 which is shown in Fig. 2 and also in Figs 1 and 5. In this mechanism a collar. 177 is fixed on the shaft 149 onwhich is secured,

a sprocket plate 178. The sprocket plate is irregular in contour having a series of depressions ornotches 179, numbering ten in all, that correspond to each of the operative positions of the adjusting shaft 149. Roller pins 181) are provided to engage the sprocket plate at diametrically opposite points. These pins are carried in link members 181, each of which is pivoted at one end on posts 182 set in the selector valve housing and having free outer ends. Springs 183 are hooked at 184 on the free ends of link members 181 and are anchored on one of the adjacent fixed posts 182. As seen in Figs. 1 and 5 the link members 181 comprise spaced parallel plates between which the pins 180 are mounted. Thus the pins 180 are resiliently. biased toward the sprocket plate in such a manner as. to engage in the depressions 179 which are oriented with respect to the operative positions of the shaft .149 and therefore center the shaft and cam actuating mechanism in each position. At the same time the links are adapted to expand when suflicient torque is applied to the selector valve adjusting shaft, as indicated by the dotted line positions, so .that'the pins may ride over the sprocket plate between the successive depressions. The roller elementscarried on the pins permit the pins to ride over the sprocket plate with a minimum of friction.

The reversing valve 147 embodies valve L disposed in one plane and pairs of valves R and R which are arranged in separate circumferential banks. Each of these valve units is substantially identical to the valve units inserted in the cylinder valve housing 146. As shown in Fig. 5 and Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15, the valve elements in each of the valve units protrudes into a central cylindrical cavity 185 wherein the end of shaft 148, having a fixed bushing 186 thereon, is received. The bushing 186 is provided with diametrically opposed notches 187 and 188 in the planes of valve banks R and R, respectively, and a notch 189 in the plane of the valve L, In

the normal, or neutral, position of the shaft 148 these notches register with the protruding ends of the corresponding valve elements which are accommodated by the depressions therein allowing all of the valves to remain closed, as shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14. When the shaft 148is rotated in the cylindrical bore, portions of the bushing engage the valve elements displacing the valve actuating elements and enabling fluid to flow through the valve. Referring to Fig. 15, an enlarged partial sectional view of the inner ends of the valve elements in valve bank R illustrates the operation of the bushing 186 in a rotated position of the shaft 148. As may be seen therein, the valve units are disposed in oE-center-relation to the normal vertical position of the notched recesses 187, both of the valve elements protruding through the upper section of the cylindrical bore such that rotation of the shaft displaces only one of the pair of valves at a time. The diametrically opposed notched depressions 187 are of sufiicient depth that when the bushing is rotated in one direction to displace one of the valve elements, the second valve element in that plane or bank is still accommodated within the opposite corresponding notched portion. The arrangement is identical in the case of the valves R and the fiat faces 188 corresponding therewith. In this manner when the shaft 148 is rotated in one direction, one of each of the valves in banks R and R are actuated and when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction the other valve in each of the banks is actuated. The flat 189 is so made as to provide a smaller peripheral depression than the flattened portions 187 and 188 and the valve element of the valve L is centrally positioned with respect thereto. As a result, engaging portions of the bushing 186 connect with the element of valve L and actuate this valve during the initial rotation of shaft 148 in either direction prior to the actuation of the valves R and R.

The shaft 148 is biased toward its neutral position by a centering mechanism 190, This mechanism includes g ma es aeolian 19 1mountedon a protruding end of shaft 148 nd fiavin'g a .radial fiai 1ge, 192 King 193- projects. inwardlyl from.theifiangeg andiis adapted to be received ill the split endof 5.5m. 194. set into the housing 147. A coil spring 1 95 is. carried looselyon the collar 191, Fig. 3; and: is. provided with sharplyent ends 1% which are crossed and sprung seas to pinch inwardly around the pin 194; Thus thespring ends 196 urge the lug 193 and pin 1% into mummy intersectingpositions, as shown, and effect the neutral positioning of the shaft 143. It should be noted thatthe neutralsetting device provides a positive, neutralizing force without requiring an initial displacement of the shaft 143. This eliminates undesirable play in the neutral position of the operating shaft. The reversing valve nnits'fareprovided with suitablyconnected fluidconduitswhich administer fluid to the manifold cha rnbersf1 68and 169i ofth e selector valve. Themanner in which suclfconduits are arranged is described in connection.with FigsfI 8, 12, 13, and 14 and maybe. more fullyunderstood in reference to an actual eased circuit byreferring to the before-mentioned copen dingf application, E. F. Fullwood and J. Philippi, SerialN L 268,lO2','filed concurrently herewith, and partic ula rly to the circuit diagram in Figs. 20 and 21 therein. InIFig. 13 a. high pressure conduit 206 is received on the inlet of line valve L. The outlet line 206 thereof is connected to a disc connector block 207, Fig. 14, on thelvalve unit R1 in valve bank R. The connector block may. be. rotated so that the connecting tube 206 can be easily inserted between the valve units L and R1; A branch tube 298 from the connector block 207' connects with the. valve R2 in valve bank R. Thus the two valve units R1 and R2 are connected in parallel with the line valve L, and being on opposite sides of the neutral position of the valvev operating cam bushing 186, are opened and closed alternatively by opposite rotation of shaft 148, but not simultaneously. The outlet of valve unit R receives conduit 269 which connects with the fitting 170 of the. selector valve manifold chamber 168, Fig. 7, and the outlet port of valve unit R2 receives conduit 210 which connects with the fitting 171 of selector valve manifold chamber 169, Fig. 8. Hence the high pressure fiuid is delivered alternatively to either the chamber 168 or chamber 169, depending upon which of: the valves R1 and R2 is opened. The fitting 170 also receives conduit 211 which connects with the valve unit R2 of valve bank R, Fig. 14, and the. fitting 171 also receives conduit 212 which connects with the valve unit R1 of valve bank R, Fig. 12. The outlet port of valve R2 receives conduit 213 which connects with the connectorblock 213 on valve unit R1. The outlet ports of the two valve units R2 and R1 are thus connected through the interconnecting passages of the valve cap to a common discharge line 254. It will now be seen that manifold chamber 168 is connected with both valves R;v and Raof valve bank R and manifold chamber 169 is connected with both valves R1 and R2 of valve bank R. Hence since valve units R1 and R1 are at once operated in one setting of the shaft 148, the manifold chamber 168 is connected in this. setting with the high pressure line and the manifold chamber 169 is connected with the low pressure line, while in the opposite setting, valve uints R2 and R2 are operated causing manifold chamber 169 to receive high pressure fluid and chamber 168 to be connected with the low pressure line. Thus the reversal of fluid displacement in the associated control circuit is eifected.

In the operation of the master valve the selector valve operating mechanism in Fig. l is adjusted by manipulation of the hand knob 154 which selects the valve units to be opened therein. The corresponding valve units opened in the several operating settings of the selector valve are indicated by the pointer 145 in cooperation with the calibrated dial face 144. The reversing valve mechanism 1s adjusted by rotating the shaft'148"clockwise or counter-clockwise from its neutral position. through manipulation ot-the handle '161- extending from the casing 143, which eauS-s the high and .low ressure fluid. lines to be. alternatively placed in communication. with eitherof. the. selector valve manifold chambers, as above described. Erom. thence the fluid is permitted to.

fiow through the selectively opened'valve units of the selector valve into the circuit conduits connected thereto.

While the master valve herein described has been applied: in a specific control circuit as a preferred embodiment,

it is possible to, vary the, number and arrangement of the. valve units in. any-desired manner. For example, in the present construction the selector valve housing is; adapted to permit several such housings to be sandwiched" in a longitudinally assembled composite structure. The valve block need not include two banks of. manifolded valves but may consist of a single valve bank. Such valve blocks and manifold plates can readily be assembled in any desired number and sequence.

It will be seen that the present invention affords a complex valvestructurev adapted to receive several separate, fluid circuit connections having individual corresponding valve units associated with each of such conduits and that the structure and control mechanism are compactly/and conveniently arranged. it is to be understood, however, that-the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit; as defined in the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A composite valve structure comprising first and second valve. housings, a plurality of individual valve. units mounted, on each ofsaidhousings, each valve unit having inlet and outlet ports controlled by a valve element therebetween, the inner ends of said valve elements extending into cavities in said first and second housings respectively, first and second adjustable shafts respectively disposed atleast partly in the cavities of said first and, second valve housings and extending externally ofsaid composite structure, first and second cam means carried respectively on said first and second shafts for selectively actuating said valve elements in different adjusted operating positions of said shafts, and positioning means operativelyconnectedv with said first and second shafts for. resiliently orienting said first and second cam means. with respect to the valve elements operated thereby, said first valve housing and the valve units associated therewith forming a reversing valve means and said second valve housing and the valve units associated therewith forming a selector valve means, said selector valve means having two sets of valve units thereon, a manifold chamber for each of said sets of valves, the valves in each of said sets being connected to the corresponding manifold chamber, said reversing valve means having two pairs of valve units, one of said pairs being connected to a common inlet line, and each of the valve units in said pair also being connected respectively to one of said manifold chambers, the other pair of valves being connected to a common outlet line and each of the valve units in said pair also being connected respectively to one of said manifold chambers, and said shaft in said reversing valve means being adapted to operate said associated valve units in selected combinations to alternatively connect said inlet line with either of said manifold chambers and the outlet line with the other of said chambers.

2. A valve structure according to claim 1 wherein said selector valve housing comprises a cylindrical block, said sets of valves are arranged in two circumferential series and said manifold chambers comprise annular chamber-s.

3. A valve structure according to claim 2 wherein the valve units in said selector valve are disposed radially inthe respective circumferential series, said cavity in the valve housing having a cylindrical bore portion into which the inner ends of said valve elements protrude and said shaft is substantially axially disposed therein.

4. A valve structure according to claim 3 wherein said reversing valve comprises a cylindrical block mounted at one end of said selector valve housing, said cavity therein comprising a cylindrical bore in axial alignment with the bore in said selector valve housing and said first and second shafts are in co-axial relation.

5. A valve structure according to claim 4 wherein said selector valve shaft comprises an outer tubular member rotatably mounted in said housing and said reversing valve shaft comprises an inner shaft independently rotatably mounted in said selector valve shaft and extending therebeyond into said reversing valve housing.

6. A valve structure according to claim 5 wherein said selector shaft is connected at one end with manual adjusting means having indicator means operatively associated therewith including a dial portion oriented with respect to the operating positions of said shaft and an indicator responsive to adjustments of said shaft for designating the operating positions of said shaft on said dial portion.

7. A composite valve structure comprising a tubular valve housing having substantially parallel end faces and a central longitudinally extending bore, end plate members in fluid tight engagement with the respective end faces of said tubular housing having guide bores in axial alignment with each other and with the longitudinal bore in said valve housing, each of said end plates having an annular groove and gasket sealing means disposed concentrically with respect thereto on both sides of said groove in one face thereof, thereby forming a fluid sealed annular manifold chamber at each end of said valve housing between said valve housing end faces and the corresponding end plate members, a plurality of individual radial valve units circumferentially mounted in said tubular housing, each of said valve units including inlet and outlet ports and a substantially radially disposed, movable valve element for controlling the passage of fluid through said valve units, the inner terminal ends of said valve elements protruding into said longi- 10 tudinal valve housing bore, said valve units being arranged in first and second circumferential valve banks respectively adjacent the opposite end faces of said valve housing, one of the valve ports of each of the valve units in the respective banks of valves opening into the end faces of the valve body adjacent thereto and communicating respectively, with the corresponding annular manifold chambers, and valve operating means mounted in said housing comprising a shaft rotatably received in the guide bones in said end platemembers and means carried on said shaft engageable with the ends of said valve elements in said longitudinal bore to selectively and simultaneously actuate corresponding valve elements in each of said first and second banks.

8. A composite valve structure as set forth in claim 7 wherein said corresponding, simultaneously actuated valve units comprise pairs of longitudinally aligned valve units spaced successively around the outer circumference of said valve housing and said valve operating means carried by said rotatable shaft comprises a longi tudinal member spaced radially from said shaft and substantially parallel thereto, said member engaging the valve elements of said corresponding pairs of valves in successive, corresponding angular positions of said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 922,060 Stockdon May 18, 1909 1,816,491 Mor-ris July 28, 1931 2,074,437 Snyder Mar. 23, 1937 2,115,284 Pratt Apr. 26, 1938 2,206,361 MacKay July 2, 1940 2,256,516 Carlin Sept. 23, 1941 2,374,714 Turchan May 1, 1945 2,387,008 Buchanan Oct. 16, 1945 2,397,299 Stird Mar. 26, 1946 2,400,658 Shepherd May 21, 1946 2,407,840 Leonard Sept. 17, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 559,656 Great Britain of 1944

Images