Hydraulic axial piston engine

Claim 1

A HYDRAULIC AXIAL PISTON UNIT UTILIZING IN ITS OPERATION A HYDRAULIC FLUID COMPRISING A MAIN SHAFT HAVING A DRIVING FLANGE THEREON, A PIVOTAL CYLINDER BLOCK ADJACENT TO SAID DRIVING FLANGE AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDER BORES THEREIN DISPOSED CONCENTRICALLY TO THE AXIS OF SAID MAIN SHAFT WHEN SAID CYLINDER BLOCK IS IN ITS NEUTRAL POSITION, A PISTON SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN EACH OF SAID CYLINDER BORES AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVING FLANGE, SAID CYLINDER BLOCK HAVING A PLURALITY OF CHANNELS THEREIN LEADING FROM THE INSIDE OF SAID CYLINDER BORES TO AN OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, A HOUSING SUR ROUNDING SAID SHAFT AND SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID CYLINDER BLOCK ON SAID HOUSING SO AS TO BE ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID HOUSING ON A STATIONARY PART OF SAID UNIT SO AS TO BE PIVOTABLE ABOUT A TRANSVERSE AXIS EXTENDING WITHIN THE PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE PIVOTAL CENTER OF SAID PISTONS ON SAID DRIVING FLANGE, SAID HOUSING HAVING TWO CONNECTING CHANNELS ON THE OUTSIDE THEREOF FOR RESPECTIVELY RECEIVING AND DISCHARGING FLUID TO THE WORKING CHAMBERS OF SAID PISTONS, A PLURALITY OF CONDUITS WITHIN SAID HOUSING CONNECTED TO SAID CONNECTING CHANNELS, MEANS FOR AVOIDING UNDERSIRABLE PRESSURE PEAKS IN THE WORKING CHAMBERS OF SAID PISTON UNIT CONSEQUENT UPON THE MOVEMENT OF SAID HOUSING ABOUT SAID TRANSVERSE AXIS COMPRISING PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE CONTROL MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR SELECTIVELY CONTROLLING THE CONNECTION OF SAID FIRST-MENTIONED CHANNELS TO SAID CONNECTING CHANNELS TO THEREBY EFFECT A PHASE DISPLACEMENT THEREOF, SAID CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING, AT LEAST ONE MEMBER HAVING CONTROL APERTURES THEREIN ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAID FIRST-MENTIONED CHANNELS AND BEING IN CLOSE SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, AND MEANS FOR TURNING SAID MEMBER WITHIN A CERTAIN ANGULAR DISTANCE ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING AND RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING AND SAID CYLINDER BLOCK WITHOUT THEREBY AFFECTING THE CONTINUITY OF SAID CONTROL APERTURES TO SAID CONDUITS, SAID TURNING MEANS COMPRISING A SHAFT WITHIN SAID CYLINDER BLOCK AND EXTENDING IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION THEREOF, SAID CONTROL MEMBER COMPRISING A SLEEVE HAVING SAID CONTROL APERTURES THEREIN, SAID SLEEVE BEING NON-ROTATABLY SECURED TO SAID SHAFT AND DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, SAID TURNING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS FOR TURNING SAID SHAFT AND THUS SAID CONTROL SLEEVE WITH SAID APERTURES WITHIN SAID ANGULAR DISTANCE, EACH OF SAID CHANNELS IN SAID CYLINDER BLOCK EXTENDING FROM ONE OF SAID CYLINDER BORES RADIALLY INWARD TO SAID CONTROL SLEEVE SO AS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CONTROL APERTURES THEREIN.