Hydraulic axial-piston machine

Claim 1

A HYDRAULIC MACHINE OF THE AXIAL-PISTON TYPE, COMPRISING A SHAFT, A STATIONARY ENCLOSURE ASSEMBLY HAVING A HOUSING STRUCTURE AROUND SAID SHAFT AND HAVING TWO AXIALLY SPACED HEAD MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING STRUCTURE, SAID HEAD MEMBERS HAVING RESPECTIVE PLANAR VALVE SURFACES FACING EACH OTHER AND INCLINED RELATIVE TO THE SHAFT AXIS, TWO MULTI-CYLINDER DRUMS SURROUNDING THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT AND ROTATABLE ON SAID RESPECTIVE VALVE SURFACES EACH DRUM HAVING PERIPHERALLY DISTRIBUTED CYLINDER BORES PARALLEL TO THE DRUM AXIS, SAID BORES HAVING RESPECTIVE PORTS ADJACENT TO SAID VALVE SURFACES TO COACT THEREWITH, PISTONS RECIPROCABLE IN RESPECTIVE BORES, A SINGLE ROTATABLE DISC STRUCTURE COAXIALLY CONNECTED WITH SAID SHAFT AND JOURNALLED IN SAID HOUSING STRUCTURE FOR ROTATION BETWEEN SAID TWO CYLINDER DRUMS, A BALL-JOINT MEANS JOINING SAID RESPECTIVE PISTONS OF BOTH SAID DRUMS WITH SAID DISC STRUCTURE, SAID DISC STRUCTURE HAVING COAXIAL HUBS ON OPPOSITE SIDES RESPECTIVELY AND SAID HEAD MEMBERS HAVING RESPECTIVE BEARING BORES IN JOURNALLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RESPECTIVE HUBS, EACH TWO OF THE CYLINDER BORES AND PISTONS OF SAID RESPECTIVE CYLINDER DRUMS BEING LOCATED IN A RADIAL PLANE OF SAID DISC, SAID DISC HAVING FOR EACH TWO OF SAID PISTONS A PAIR OF SPHERICAL PANS WHICH FORM PART OF SAID BALL JOINT MEANS AND HAVE THEIR RESPECTIVE CENTER POINTS DEFINE A LINE PARALLEL TO THE DISC AXIS, SAID DISC HAVING A HOLE BETWEEN THE PANS OF EACH PAN PAIR, AND SAID PISTONS AND BALL JOINT MEANS HAVING PASSAGES SO THAT SAID TWO CYLINDER BORES HYDRAULICALLY COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH SAID PASSAGES AND SAID HOLE, EACH OF SAID BALL JOINT MEANS HAVING AN EXTERIORLY SPHERICAL RING MOVABLY ENGAGING ONE OF SAID PANS FOR UNIVERSAL MOTION, SAID RING HAVING A PLANAR FRONT FACE FACING THE ADJACENT PISTON, AND SAID PISTON HAVING AN ANNULAR SHOULDER IN ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FRONT FACE AND BEING SLIGHTLY DISPLACEABLE IN THE PLANE OF SAID FRONT FACE, AND EACH OF SAID BALL JOINTS COMPRISING A HOLDER MEMBER LOCATED ON THE PISTON SIDE OF SAID RING AND HAVING SPHERICAL SURFACE ENGAGEMENT IN CONCENTRIC RELATION TO SAID PAN, AND CONNECTING MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLE OF SAID DISC AND RIGIDLY INTERCONNECTING THE TWO HOLDER MEMBERS OF SAID PAIR OF PANS.