Patent ID: 7748401

Claim:
A gas pressure regulator, comprising: a main body having a gas inlet pipe and a gas outlet pipe; a calibrated gas passage through which gas flows from the gas inlet pipe to the gas outlet pipe; a shutter housed at least partially in the main body and mobile lengthwise along a first defined line to adjust an opening of the calibrated gas passage between a first end position in which the calibrated gas passage is closed and a second end position in which the calibrated gas passage is fully open; a shutter actuator adapted to actuate the shutter; a spring device that opposes the movement of the shutter from the first end position to the second end position, the spring device comprising at least one regulator spring unit disposed within the shutter and acting directly or indirectly on the shutter, wherein the regulator spring unit comprises a first regulator plate, a second regulator plate, and a helical spring disposed between the first regulator plate and the second regulator plate, and wherein the first regulator plate is operatively coupled to the second regulator plate to compress the helical spring such that the helical spring is in a preloaded state irrespective of whether or not the helical spring is inside the shutter.