Hydraulic device having hydraulically balanced commutation

Claim 2

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having fluid inlet and outlet ports therein, a pair of gear members disposed in said housing for orbital and rotational movement relative to one another about an axis of relative movement and including an externally toothed member and an internally toothed member surrounding said externally toothed member and in meshing engagement therewith to provide expanding and contracting pockets between the teeth of said gear members, and means including a commutator valve movable about said axis in timed relation to the movement of said gear members for communicating said inlet port with said expanding pockets and said outlet port with saiD contracting pockets, said commutator valve having a pair of axially spaced radially extending walls, a first and second series of fluid passages extending axially between said walls for directing fluid to and from said expanding and contracting pockets, respectively, and first and second recess means formed in both said walls and communicating respectively with said first and second series of flow passages, said recess means being constructed and arranged so as to hydraulically axially balance said commutator valve.

Claim 3

The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second recess means further comprises an annular groove formed in and opening to one of said commutator valve walls and a series of individual angularly spaced depressions formed in and opening to the other of said commutator valve walls.

Claim 4

The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second recess means comprise a pair of concentrically arranged annularly shaped circumferentially continuous grooves formed in and opening to one of said commutator valve walls.

Claim 5

The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein said first and second recess means further comprise a plurality of individual angularly spaced depressions formed in and opening to the other of said commutator valve walls.

Claim 6

For use in a hydraulic device including a pair of hypocycloidally arranged gear members one of which is mounted for rotation on a fixed axis and the other of which is arranged for orbital movement about the axis of the first for providing alternately expanding and contracting pockets between the teeth of the gear members, a commutator valve arranged for rotation about the axis of the rotating gear member and in timed relation therewith for directing fluid into and out of said expanding and contracting pockets comprising a disc-shaped member having a central axis and a pair of flat radial walls, a first series of individual flow passages arranged in a circular pattern around the axis of said valve and extending axially therethrough, a second series of axially extending flow passages arranged in a circular pattern and in concentric relation to said first series, first and second annular grooves formed in and opening to one of said radial walls and arranged in concentric relation with each other to communicate respectively with said first and second series of flow passages, and a first and a second series of individual angularly spaced depressions formed in and opening to the other of said radial walls, each of which depressions communicates with one of said flow passages in its correspondingly numbered series of flow passages, the total area of the axially facing motive surfaces in each of said series of depressions being substantially equal to the total area of the oppositely facing motive surface of its correspondingly numbered annular groove thereby to balance the commutator valve hydraulically in an axial direction.

Claim 7

For use in a hydraulic device including a pair of hypocycloidally arranged gear members one of which is mounted for rotation on a fixed axis and the other of which is arranged for orbital movement about the axis of the first for providing alternately expanding and contracting pockets between the teeth of the gear members, a commutator valve arranged for rotation about the axis of the rotating gear member and in timed relation therewith for directing fluid into and out of said expanding and contracting pockets comprising a disc-shaped member having a central axis and a pair of flat radial walls, a first series of individual flow passages arranged in a circular pattern around the axis of said valve and extending axially therethrough, a second series of axially extending flow passages arranged in a circular pattern and in concentric relation to said first series, first and second annular grooves formed in and opening to one of said radial walls and arranged in concentric relation with each other to communicate respectively with said first and second series of flow passages, and a first and a second series of individual angularly spaced depressions formed in and opening to the other of said radial walls, each of which depressions communicates with one of said flow passages in its correspondingly numbered series of flow passages, the total area of the axially facing motive surfaces in each of said series of depressions being substantially equal to the total area of the oppositely facing motive surface of its correspondingly numbered annular groove thereby to balance the commutator valve hydraulically in an axial direction.

Claim 8

The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said depressions are elongated in a radial direction.

Claim 9

The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein said depressions all extend radially about the axis of said valve and wherein the radially inner and outer ends of said depressions comprise respectively a locus of points residing in a pair of concentric circles circumscribed on said other radial wall.

Claim 10

The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein said first and second series of depressions are disposed in alternating relation about the axis of said commutator valve.

Claim 11

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having a high-pressure fluid inlet port and a low-pressure fluid outlet port, gear means including a pair of hypocycloidal gear members in said housing arranged for relative rotational and orbital movement to provide expanding and contracting pockets between the teeth thereof, and means communicating said pockets with said ports in timed relation with the movement of said gear members and including a commutator vAlve connected in driven relation with said gear means, said commutator valve having a central axis, a pair of radial walls, fluid flow passages extending axially therethrough and means forming recesses in said radial walls at least one of which in each of said radial walls is subjected to high-pressure fluid and another of which is subjected to low-pressure fluid, said recesses being constructed and arranged so as to provide a hydraulic balance to said commutator valve in an axial direction.

Claim 12

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having a high-pressure fluid inlet port and a low-pressure fluid outlet port, gear means including a pair of hypocycloidal gear members in said housing arranged for relative rotational and orbital movement to provide expanding and contracting pockets between the teeth thereof, and means communicating said pockets with said ports in timed relation with the movement of said gear members and including a commutator vAlve connected in driven relation with said gear means, said commutator valve having a central axis, a pair of radial walls, fluid flow passages extending axially therethrough and means forming recesses in said radial walls at least one of which in each of said radial walls is subjected to high-pressure fluid and another of which is subjected to low-pressure fluid, said recesses being constructed and arranged so as to provide a hydraulic balance to said commutator valve in an axial direction.

Claim 13

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having a fluid inlet port and a fluid outlet port therein, gear means in said housing including a pair of gear members arranged for relative rotational and orbital movement to provide sequentially expanding and contracting fluid pockets between the teeth thereof, means in cooperative operating association with said gear means for directing fluid between said ports and said fluid pockets and including a disc valve drivingly connected to said gear means for movement in timed relation therewith and having a central axis and first and second spaced radial end walls, means in said housing forming a pair of cooperating spaced radial walls in sealing engagement with said first and second end walls of said valve, means forming passages in said housing for communicating said first and second end walls of said valve with said ports and with said pockets, respectively, and means forming axial passages through said valve and recesses in said first and second valve end walls for communicating fluid through said valve, said recesses being constructed and arranged so as to provide a substantial hydraulic balance to said valve in an axial direction.

Claim 14

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having a fluid inlet port and a fluid outlet port therein, gear means in said housing including a pair of gear members arranged for relative rotational and orbital movement to provide sequentially expanding and contracting fluid pockets between the teeth thereof, means in cooperative operating association with said gear means for directing fluid between said ports and said fluid pockets and including a disc valve drivingly connected to said gear means for movement in timed relation therewith and having a central axis and first and second spaced radial end walls, means in said housing forming a pair of cooperating spaced radial walls in sealing engagement with said first and second end walls of said valve, means forming passages in said housing for communicating said first and second end walls of said valve with said ports and with said pockets, respectively, and means forming axial passages through said valve and recesses in said first and second valve end walls for communicating fluid through said valve, said recesses being constructed and arranged so as to provide a substantial hydraulic balance to said valve in an axial direction.

Claim 15

The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein the motive area of the recesses in said first valve end wall is substantially equal to the motive area of the recesses formed in said second valve end wall.

Claim 16

The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein one of said gear members and said valve rotate about aligned and stationary axes.

Claim 17

The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein one of said gear members rotates on a stationary first axis, the other gear member orbits about said first axis and rotates about a second orbiting axis and said valve rotates on said first axis in unison with said one of said gear members.

Claim 18

The invention as defined in claim 10 and including an apertured disc-shaped spacer plate interposed between said gear members and said valve for directing fluid between said valve and said pockets, the orbiting one of said gear members serving to open and close said apertures in timed relation with the movement of said gear members.

Claim 19

The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein said cooperating radial wall in sealing engagement with said first valve end wall is stationary.

Claim 20

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having a central axis, a fluid inlet port, a fluid outlet port and a pair of radial walls forming in part a cylindrical chamber, a pair of hypocycloidal gerotor gears in said housing, and means communicating said ports with the expanding and contracting pockets formed between the teeth of said gerotor gears and including means forming passages in said housing opening to said radial walls, a disc valve disposed in said chamber between said radial walls and connected for synchronous movement to said gerotor gears and having radial end walls in engagement with said radial walls of said chamber, means forming passages in said valve extending axially therethrough, and means forming recesses in said radial walls in communication with said axial passages and with fluid flowing between said gerotor gears and said ports for hydraulically balancing said valve in an axial direction.

Claim 21

A hydraulic device comprising a housing having a central axis, a fluid inlet port, a fluid outlet port and a pair of radial walls forming in part a cylindrical chamber, a pair of hypocycloidal gerotor gears in said housing, and means communicating said ports with the expanding and contracting pockets formed between the teeth of said gerotor gears and including means forming passages in said housing opening to said radial walls, a disc valve disposed in said chamber between said radial walls and connected for synchronous movement to said gerotor gears and having radial end walls in engagement with said radial walls of said chamber, means forming passages in said valve extending axially therethrough, and means forming recesses in said radial walls in communication with said axial passages and with fluid flowing between said gerotor gears and said ports for hydraulically balancing said valve in an axial direction.