Control zone devices, systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12443208-B2
Application number	US-202318166170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2023
Priority date	Feb 8, 2023
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

Control zone devices that integrate a valve, filter, and pressure regulator within a single device are provided. Specifically, the control zone devices include a main body having a base portion with an inlet passage and an outlet passage attachable to a conduit and a body portion extending from the base portion having an interior for receiving a filter. The control zone devices further include a valve body including a solenoid bowl for attaching a solenoid and an interface cap for removably coupling the valve body to the main body of the control zone device and forming an interface between the valve body and the main body to operate the valve. The control zone devices also include a pressure regulator. In some configurations, the pressure regulator is positioned in a vent flow path of the valve body downstream of the solenoid for regulating pressure at the valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a main body including a base portion having an inlet passage and an outlet passage and a body portion extending from the base portion, the body portion in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage and including a chamber for receiving a filter;
a valve bonnet having a solenoid bowl for attaching a solenoid and a solenoid vent passage;
a pressure regulator for regulating flow of fluid from the outlet passage;
a cap forming an interface between the body portion and the valve bonnet, the cap including a first portion attached to the body portion and a second portion attached to the valve bonnet, an interior in fluid communication with the body portion, and a cap vent passage extending through a wall of the cap; and
a diaphragm sandwiched between the valve bonnet and the cap defining a pressure chamber between the valve bonnet and the diaphragm,
wherein the solenoid vent passage of the valve bonnet and the cap vent passage of the cap fluidly communicate so that, in an operational state of the device, fluid from the pressure chamber is selectively vented into the body portion to enable moving of the diaphragm away from a valve seat.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulator is disposed in the outlet passage.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the valve bonnet includes a pressure regulator socket and the pressure regulator is disposed in the pressure regulator socket.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the pressure regulator socket is in fluid communication with the solenoid vent passage and a pressure regulator vent passage is downstream of the solenoid vent passage in the valve bonnet and in fluid communication with the cap vent passage.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a flow tube extending along the chamber of the main body coupled to the inlet passage or the outlet passage.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein an end of the flow tube is coupled to the inlet passage, and the flow tube defines in part an inflow passage.

7. The device of claim 5 , wherein an end of the flow tube is coupled to the outlet passage, and the flow tube defines in part an outflow passage.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cap includes coupling elements to attach to the body portion so that the cap can be twisted off the body portion to access the chamber while remaining attached to the valve bonnet and the diaphragm.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cap vent passage discharges fluid into the body portion downstream of the filter.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the diaphragm includes a valve element that engages or disengages the valve seat.

11. A device comprising:
a main body including a base portion having an inlet passage and an outlet passage and a body portion extending from the base portion, the body portion in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage and including a chamber for receiving at least in part a filter;
a valve bonnet having a solenoid bowl for attaching a solenoid and a pressure regulator socket for attaching a pressure regulator and defining a vent passage;
a pressure regulator disposed in the pressure regulator socket;
a cap forming an interface between the body portion and the valve bonnet, the cap including a first portion attached to the body portion and a second portion attached to the valve bonnet, and having an interior in fluid communication with the body portion and the vent passage of the valve bonnet; and
a diaphragm sandwiched between the valve bonnet and the cap defining a pressure chamber between the valve bonnet and the diaphragm,
wherein in an operational state of the device the pressure regulator regulates pressure of fluid to be discharged from the device to within a preset pressure range by controlling a distance the diaphragm moves from a valve seat.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the vent passage of the valve bonnet includes a solenoid portion extending from the solenoid bowl to the pressure regulator socket, and a pressure regulator portion extending from the pressure regulator socket and being in fluid communication with a cap vent passage of the cap.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the distance the diaphragm moves from the valve seat is controlled by the pressure regulator regulating a rate fluid vents from the pressure chamber through the pressure regulator portion of the vent passage and the cap vent passage.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein the cap vent passage discharges fluid into the body portion downstream of the filter when the filter is received in the chamber.

15. The device of claim 12 , wherein the cap includes coupling elements to attach to the body portion so that the cap can be twisted off the body portion to access the chamber while remaining attached to the valve bonnet and the diaphragm.

16. The device of claim 12 , further comprising a pressure sensor in the pressure regulator.

17. The device of claim 12 , further comprising a differential pressure sensor for monitoring a filter disposed in the chamber.

18. The device of claim 12 , wherein the pressure regulator adjusts a flow rate of the fluid across the valve seat depending on inlet pressure of the fluid and the preset pressure range.

19. The device of claim 11 , further comprising a flow tube extending along at least a portion of the chamber of the main body being in fluid communication with the inlet passage or the outlet passage.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the inlet passage and the flow tube define an inflow passage through the device such that when the diaphragm moves from the valve seat fluid is permitted to flow from the inflow passage to an outflow passage of the device.

21. The device of claim 19 , wherein the outlet passage and the flow tube define an outflow passage through the device such that when the diaphragm moves from the valve seat fluid is permitted to flow from an inflow passage of the device to the outflow passage.

Assignees

• Rain Bird Corp

Inventors

• Biang Brian Allen
• Ensworth Mark Murphy
• Millius Michael Joseph
• Irwin Kevin Mark
• Tresso Riccardo J

Classifications

• B01D37/046 Primary

  by pressure measuring · CPC title

• G05D16/0641 Primary

  the obturator is a membrane · CPC title