Hydraulic actuator mechanism

Claim 1

A HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR HAVING A STROKE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO ITS LENGTH FOR ELEVATING AND DEPRESSING A CANNON FOR TIPPING SAID CANNON SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN A HORIZONTAL POSITION AND A VERTICAL POSITION, SAID ACTUATOR BEING MOUNTED BETWEEN A FIXED SUPPORT AND A PIVOT POINT ON SAID CANNON AND COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A FIRST CYLINDER WITH AN INNER BORE HAVING A CLOSED END AND AN OPEN END; AN END CAP AFFIXED TO SAID OPEN END, SAID END CAP BEING PROVIDED WITH A BORE AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID FIRST CYLINDER; A CYLINDRICAL PROJECTING MEMBER ATTACHED TO THE CLOSED END OF SAID FIRST CYLINDER AND DISPOSED COAXIALLY THEREIN FROM SAID CLOSED END TO WITHIN THE BORE IN SAID END CAP, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER THEREBY DEFINING AN ANNULAR SPACE WITHIN SAID FIRST CYLINDER; A SECOND CYLINDER HAVING AN INNER BORE COAXIALLY AND SLIDABLY DISPOSED AROUND SAID CYLINDRICAL PROJECTING MEMBER AND AN OUTER SURFACE SLIDABLE THROUGH THE BORE IN SAID END CAP, SAID SECOND CYLINDER HAVING AN OPEN END SURROUNDING SAID PROJECTING MEMBER AND A CLOSED END DEFINING A CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER SITUATED BETWEEEN THE END FACE OF SAID PROJECTING MEMBER AND THE INNER FACE OF THE CLOSED END OF SAID SECOND CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDER CHAMBER BEING NORMALLY FILLED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY UNCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID; AN ANNULAR PISTON SLIDABLY DISPOSED IN THE ANNULAR SPACE WITHIN SAID FIRST CYLINDER, SAID ANNULAR PISTON BEING AFFIXED TO THE OPEN END OF SAID SECOND CYLINDER AND DEFINING IN SAID FIRST CYLINDER A FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER TOWARD THE CLOSED END THEREOF AND A SECOND ANNULAR CHAMBER TOWARD SAID END CAP AND SAID ANNULAR PISTON HAVING AN EFFECTIVE AREA IN SAID SECOND ANNULAR CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE EFFECTIVE AREA OF THE END FACE OF SAID CYLINDER PROJECTING MEMBER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND ANNULAR CHAMBERS BEING NORMALLY FILLED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY UNCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID MEANS TRANSFERING SAID SUBSTANTIALLY UNCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID BETWEEN SAID SECOND ANNULAR CHAMBER AND SAID CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER TO CAUSE SAID SECOND CYLINDER TO LINEARLY MOVE IN RELATION TO SAID FIRST CYLINDER; AND CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER TO A SOURCE OF VARIABLE PRESSURE FOR CONSTANTLY SUBSTANTIALLY BALANCING THE WEIGHT OF SAID CANNON IN ANY EVLEVATION POSITION THEREOF, SAID SOURCE OF VARIABLE PRESSURE COMPRISING AN ACCUMULATOR CYLINDER, A FREE PISTON IN SAID CYLINDER, A NORMALLY CLOSED GAS FILLED CHAMBER ON ONE SIDE OF SAID PISTON, SAID FLUID FILLED CHAMBER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PISTON, SAID FLUID FILLED CHAMBER BEING NORMALLY IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER TO CAUSE FLUID TRANSFERRED BETWEEN SAID FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER AND SAID FLUID FILLED CHAMBER TO RECIPORCATE SAID FREE PISTON SO AS TO INCREASE AND DECREASE THE PRESSURE OF THE GAS CONTAINED IN SAID GAS FILLED CHAMBER.