Patent ID: 7341072

Claim:
A centralized flow control unit for oxygen flow regulation in a system that supplies emergency oxygen to passengers and cabin attendants in commercial airlines, comprising: an oxygen inlet; an actuation poppet assembly having an actuation inlet and an actuation outlet, the actuation inlet of said actuation poppet assembly being in fluid communication with said oxygen inlet; a regulator poppet assembly having a regulator inlet and a regulator outlet, said regulator inlet being in fluid communication with said actuation outlet, said regulator poppet assembly including a regulator valve seat and a regulator valve that has a diaphragm side and an outlet side, said outlet side engaging a regulator spring configured to bias said outlet side in the direction of said regulator valve seat; an oxygen outlet in fluid communication with said regulator outlet, said oxygen outlet having an oxygen outlet pressure; and means for biasing said regulator poppet assembly toward the open state with a force that is a function of the oxygen outlet pressure and the ambient air pressure, said means for biasing said regulator poppet assembly comprising a diaphragm configured to bias said regulator poppet assembly in the open position, said diaphragm having a regulator side that engages said regulator valve and a spring loaded side that includes a plurality of diaphragm springs, said means for biasing said regulator poppet assembly further comprising a feedback passage in fluid communication with said oxygen outlet and the regulator side of said diaphragm, said feedback passage including a spring loaded surge piston configured to prevent fluid communication between said feedback passage and the regulator side of said diaphragm until a predetermined pressure is reached in said oxygen outlet, after which, the spring loaded surge piston permits fluid communication between said oxygen outlet and the regulator side of said diaphragm for substantially any pressure to thereby decrease the force of said diaphragm opposing the biasing force of the regulator spring on said regulator poppet assembly with an increase in oxygen outlet pressure.