Variable speed hydraulic transmission

Claim 1

A UNITARY POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PUMP UNIT AND A MOTOR UNIT; SAID PUMP UNIT COMPRISING A CASE DEFINING A PUMP CHAMBER AND SAID MOTOR UNIT COMPRISING A CASE ENCLOSING A CYLINDRICAL MOTOR CHAMBER; SAID CASES BEING JOINED SUBSTANTIALLY IN COAXIAL ADJACENCY TO AND SEPARATED BY A MIDDLE PLATE; AN IMPELLER EQUIPPED DRIVEN PUMP MOTOR MOUNTED IN THE PUMP CHAMBER; AN IMPELLER EQUIPPED ROTOR MOUNTED IN THE MOTOR CHAMBER; A CYLINDRICAL VALVE RING PROVIDED WITH GUIDING LUGS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM THEREOF SLIDABLY FITTED IN GUIDEWAYS IN THE PUMP CHAMBER, SAID VALVE RING BEING FITTED ABOUT THE PUMP ROTOR AS A DAM ACROSS THE PRESSURE MEDIUM CIRCUIT AND FORMED IN ITS OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS WITH FLUID PASSAGES THROUGH WHICH THE FLUID PRESSURE MEDIUM OF THE CIRCUIT WILL BE PUMPED BY DRIVING OF THE PUMP ROTOR AND FORCIBLY CIRCULATED IN THE CIRCUIT FOR DRIVING THE MOTOR ROTOR; MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE VALVE RING IN THE PUMP CASE RELATIVE TO THE PUMP ROTOR TO ESTABLISH THE VOLUME AND DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE PRESSURE MEDIUM DELIVERED TO THE MOTOR BY THE PUMP FOR DRIVING IT COMPRISING AN ADJUSTING LINKAGE ATTACHED TO THE VALVE RING AND CONNECTED WITH AN ADJUSTING MEMBER DISPOSED EXTERIORLY OF THE PUMP CASE OPERABLE FOR CONTROLLING DIRECTION AND VOLUME OF FLOW OF THE PRESSURE MEDIUM IN THE CIRCUIT WITH SHIFTING OF THE VALVE RING RELATIVE TO THE PUMP ROTOR, SUCH ADJUSTING MEMBER COMPRISING A GUIDE FRAME FIXED TO THE PUMP CASE, A U-SHAPED YOKE LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE IN SAID GUIDE FRAME AND CONNECTED AT ITS BASE TO SAID ADJUSTING LINKAGE, A LEVER ARM ECCENTRICALLY HINGED TO AN OPPOSITE END OF THE YOKE AND ADAPTED TO PIVOT ABOUT THE HINGE POINT TO LONGITUDINALLY SLIDE SAID YOKE RADIALLY TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID PUMP CASE SUCH THAT SAID VALVE RING IS RADIALLY MOVABLE WITHIN SAID PUMP CHAMBER; AND FLUID MEDIUM SUPPLY MEANS EXTERIOR TO THE PUMP AND MOTOR UNIT COMPRISING A STORAGE TANK FOR THE PRESSURE MEDIUM, A VALVE INTERCONNECTING SAID STORAGE TANK AND OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PUMP CHAMBER, AND A VALVE MEMBER SLIDABLY FITTED IN SAID VALVE AND ADAPTED TO SHIFT POSITION IN RESPONSE TO DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE CHANGES AT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PUMP CHAMBER SUCH THAT PRESSURE FLUID FROM SAID STORAGE TANK IS DIRECTED ONLY TO THE SIDE OF THE PUMP CHAMBER CONSTITUTING THE SUCTION SIDE.