Self cleaning pilot actuated hydraulic valve

Abstract

A control apparatus including a pilot valve projecting through a passage in a control diaphragm to be formed with an enlarged poppet to seat the underside of the diaphragm and formed with a poppet head shaped to direct incoming flow away from the pilot passage to minimize entry of residue.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A self-cleaning valve apparatus for mounting on a standpipe opening upwardly in an upwardly opening inlet to a cleaning chamber and constructed to flow water at a predetermined flow rate, the apparatus comprising:
 a housing formed with a cleaning chamber and including a diaphragm seat;   a diaphragm supported from the housing for selectively seating on the diaphragm seat;   the diaphragm formed in its bottom surface with a central, downwardly facing poppet seat facing the upwardly opening inlet and an axial, through stem passage opening downwardly into the poppet seat;   a valve stem extending through the stem passage and cooperating therewith to from a flow annulus,   a conical poppet mounted to the lower end of the stem and including an upwardly facing planar sealing surface to, when the poppet is in a closed position, seal on the poppet seat, and further forming a downwardly and radially inwardly sloping conical diverting surface confronting the inlet to, when the poppet is in an open position off the seat, divert water flowing from the inlet upwardly and outwardly, the poppet seat and poppet so arranged and configured as to, when water flows at the predetermined flow rate from the inlet t, direct flow of the water radially outwardly and upwardly about the conical diverting surface to then flow upwardly and radially inwardly above the sealing surface to wash the sealing surface and poppet valve seat and flow into the annulus.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus set forth in  claim 1  wherein:
 the inlet is disposed in a horizontal plane; and 
 the poppet is constructed to, when in the open position, project downwardly into the horizontal plane. 
 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein:
 the inlet is formed with a predetermined inside diameter; and 
 the poppet is formed with a base having a diameter smaller than the predetermined diameter. 
 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  to mount on a standpipe formed with a radially outwardly projecting flange surrounding the inlet to form the diaphragm seat and wherein:
 the diaphragm is formed centrally with a downwardly opening recess surrounding the poppet seat and formed to, when the diaphragm is seated on this diaphragm seat, cooperate with a radially outwardly projecting flange to form the cleaning chamber. 
 
     
     
         5 . Self-cleaning valve apparatus for mounting on a stand pipe formed with an upwardly opening inlet of a predetermined diameter and constructed to flow water at a predetermined rate, the apparatus comprising;
 a valve housing formed with a diaphragm seat;   a diaphragm supported at its periphery from the housing for selectively seating on the diaphragm seat;   the diaphragm formed with a central downwardly opening conical recess having annular downwardly and radially outwardly sloped sidewalls terminating at the lower surface of the diaphragm, the recess formed centrally with a downwardly facing poppet seat, the diaphragm further formed with an axial stem passage in the seat;   a valve stem received in the passage and projecting downwardly to form a conical poppet centrally disposed over the inlet and having a base diameter smaller than the predetermined diameter, the poppet further formed with an upwardly facing sealing surface to engage the poppet valve seat whereby, when the standpipe is pressurized to flow water at the predetermined rate with diaphragm seated against the diaphragm seat and the poppet lowered off the poppet valve seat, water will be flowed in a turbulent flow pattern through the inlet t to engage the conical surface and be directed radially outwardly to engage the sidewalls to come as it flows upwardly, be directed radially inwardly above the poppet sealing surface and into the annulus between the stem and passage to wash the poppet and residue from the wash chamber.