Patent ID: 7270311
Filing Date: 2007-09-18
Classification: F16K

Abstract:
1. A pendulum gate valve for creating a vacuum tight seal to a vacuum chamber, said pendulum gate valve comprising: a housing defining a valve chamber, said valve housing having a vacuum-chamber opening in a front wall and an access opening in a rear wall aligned with said vacuum-chamber opening and defining a through-hole extending from one side of said valve housing to the other side for providing access to the vacuum chamber; a carriage assembly pivotally mounted within the valve housing and moveable between an open position remote from said openings and a closed position between said openings; a valve plate reciprocally mounted on one side of said carriage assembly and movable between an unsealed position spaced from said vacuum-chamber opening and a sealed position sealing said vacuum-chamber opening; a double-acting valve-plate actuator carried on said carriage assembly for moving the valve between said unsealed and sealed positions, wherein said valve-plate actuator is a pneumatic actuator fluidly connected with said fluid control system via a fluid supply line; and wherein said carriage assembly includes a carriage arm having one end pivotally supported by at least one pivot pin extending inwardly from at least one of said front and rear walls of said housing, and wherein said carriage arm includes a yoke having two prongs and said housing includes a pair of removable pivot plates, each having a respective one of said pivot pins pivotally supporting one of said prongs of said carriage arm.