Fluid pressure regulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11339883-B2
Application number	US-201916711811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Jun 6, 2019
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A fluid pressure regulator includes at least one fluid inlet conduit for connection to a pressurised fluid source, an outlet conduit. and an elastically expansible chamber arranged between the at least one fluid inlet conduit and the outlet conduit. The elastically expansible chamber being configured to elastically deform the at least one fluid inlet conduit upon expansion to modify the cross sectional area of the at least one fluid inlet conduit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid pressure regulator comprising:
at least one fluid inlet conduit for connection to a pressurised fluid source;
an outlet conduit; and
an elastically expansible chamber arranged between and fluidly connected in series to the at least one fluid inlet conduit and the outlet conduit, such that the elastically expansible chamber is configured to receive fluid from the fluid inlet conduit at one side of the elastically expansible chamber and to expel fluid to the outlet conduit at an opposite side of the elastically expansible chamber, the elastically expansible chamber being configured to elastically deform the at least one fluid inlet conduit upon expansion to modify the cross sectional area of the at least one fluid inlet conduit;
wherein the expansible chamber comprises a balloon and wherein the expansible chamber before expansion has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the inlet and outlet conduits.

2. The pressure regulator of claim 1 , wherein the elastically expansible chamber comprises at least one deforming element on an external surface thereof for engaging a respective fluid inlet conduit.

3. The pressure regulator of claim 2 , further comprising a housing surrounding the at least one fluid inlet conduit and the outlet conduit, wherein the housing comprises at least one anvil element on an internal surface thereof opposed to the deforming element whereby the fluid inlet conduit is deformed between the deforming element and the anvil element.

4. The pressure regulator of claim 1 , further comprising a housing surrounding the at least one fluid inlet conduit and the outlet conduit.

5. The pressure regulator of claim 1 , wherein the expansible chamber comprises a flexible material.

6. The pressure regulator of claim 5 , wherein the expansible chamber is elastomeric.

7. The pressure regulator of claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulator is additively manufactured.

8. An aircraft evacuation system comprising:
an inflatable evacuation slide;
the fluid pressure regulator of claim 1 ; and
a pressurised fluid source connected to the at least one inlet conduit of the pressure regulator, wherein the system is configured to inflate the evacuation slide using flow from the outlet conduit of the pressure regulator.

9. The aircraft evacuation system of claim 8 , comprising:
an aspirator wherein the system is configured to inflate the evacuation slide by the flow from the outlet conduit of the pressure regulator inducing a pressure differential in the aspirator to induce air into the evacuation slide.

10. A fluid pressure regulator comprising:
at least one fluid inlet conduit for connection to a pressurised fluid source;
an outlet conduit;
an elastically expansible chamber arranged between and fluidly connected in series to the at least one fluid inlet conduit and the outlet conduit, such that the elastically expansible chamber is configured to receive fluid from the fluid inlet conduit at one side of the elastically expansible chamber and to expel fluid to the outlet conduit at an opposite side of the elastically expansible chamber, the elastically expansible chamber being configured to elastically deform the at least one fluid inlet conduit upon expansion to modify the cross sectional area of the at least one fluid inlet conduit; and
a plurality of fluid inlet conduits, each deformable by the elastically expansible chamber upon expansion thereof.

11. The pressure regulator of claim 10 , wherein the fluid inlet conduits are circumferentially symmetrically arranged about a centreline of the outlet conduit.

12. The pressure regulator of claim 10 , comprising a manifold connecting the fluid inlet conduits.

13. The pressure regulator of claim 10 , wherein the expansible chamber comprises a non-expansible portion and at least one expansible portion, wherein each of the at least one expansible portions is configured upon expansion to modify the cross sectional area of a respective one of the at least one fluid inlet conduits.

14. A fluid pressure regulator comprising:
at least one fluid inlet conduit for connection to a pressurised fluid source;
an outlet conduit; and
an elastically expansible chamber arranged between the at least one fluid inlet conduit and the outlet conduit, the elastically expansible chamber being configured to elastically deform the at least one fluid inlet conduit upon expansion to modify the cross sectional area of the at least one fluid inlet conduit, wherein the at least one fluid inlet conduit, the outlet conduit and the elastically expansible chamber are arranged such that the direction of fluid flow through the at least one fluid inlet conduit is opposite to the direction of fluid flow through the elastically expansible chamber and through the outlet conduit, wherein the elastically expansible chamber has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the fluid outlet of the expansible chamber being separate from the fluid inlet of the expansible chamber, wherein the expansible chamber comprises a balloon and wherein the expansible chamber before expansion has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the inlet and outlet conduits.

15. A fluid pressure regulator comprising:
a plurality of fluid inlet conduits for connection to a pressurised fluid source;
an outlet conduit; and
an elastically expansible chamber arranged between at least one fluid inlet conduit of the plurality of fluid inlet conduits and the outlet conduit, the elastically expansible chamber being configured to elastically deform the at least one fluid inlet conduit upon expansion to modify the cross sectional area of the at least one fluid inlet conduit, wherein each of the plurality of fluid inlet conduits is deformable by the elastically expansible chamber upon expansion thereof, wherein the fluid inlet conduits are circumferentially symmetrically arranged about a centreline of the outlet conduit, wherein the elastically expansible chamber is arranged between the fluid inlet conduits on the centreline of the outlet conduit.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Murawski Tomasz
• Sapija Dariusz

Classifications

• F16K15/021

  the valve member being a movable body around which the medium flows when the valve is open (F16K15/025 - F16K15/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64D25/14

  Inflatable escape chutes · CPC title

• G05D16/0652

  using several membranes without spring · CPC title

• F16K15/202 Primary

  and with flexible valve member · CPC title

• G05D16/0613 Primary

  the deformable sensing element acting as a throttling member · CPC title