Reversible fluid unit

Claim 2

A positive displacement fluid unit for use as a pump or motor comprising a housing, said housing having an inner curved surface therein, a flexible fluid-conducting tube means disposed in said housing adjacent to said inner curved surface, said tube means having spaced fluid inlet and outlet means, rotor means mounted for orbital movement about a first axis within said housing for progressively contacting said tube means to displace said tube means against said inner surface to squeeze the walls of said tube means together and form fluid receiving pockets therein at said fluid inlet means as said rotor means orbits past said inlet means, support means for supporting said rotor means for orbital movement about said first axis an for rotation about a second axis, and gear means operatively connecting said tube means and said housing to maintain said tube means in position and prevent rotary creep of said tube means within said housing in response to the supply of fluid into said inlet means and the discharge of fluid from said outlet means.

Claim 3

The fluid unit of claim 1 wherein said gear means comprise a planetary gear set with a plurality of planet gears mounted on said support means operatively connecting a sun gear and a ring gear, means for securing said ring gear within said housing, said rotor means comprising a plurality of elongated rollers each operatively connected to one of said planet gears, said rollers and said tube means having meshing teeth which maintain said tube means in fixed position within said housing.

Claim 4

A positive displacement fluid unit comprising a housing, said housing having an annular surface therein, an annular flexible fluid-conducting tube disposed in said housing adjacent to said curved surface, said fluid conducting tube having fluid inlet and fluid outlet means therein arcuately spaced from each other, rotor means operatively disposed in said housing having a plurality of separate tube squeezing means for spaced point contact with said fluid conducting tube, and support means for movably mounting said rotor means for orbital movement in said housing so that each of said tube squeezing meAns progressively contacts said tube to force said tube against the curved walls in said housing and squeeze the walls of said tube together to form sealed fluid receiving pockets as said tube squeezing means orbits past said fluid inlet and gear means operatively connected to said tube, said rotor means and said housing to prevent creeping of said fluid conducting tube as said rotor means orbits in said housing.

Claim 5

A positive displacement fluid unit comprising a housing, said housing having an annular surface therein, an annular flexible fluid-conducting tube disposed in said housing adjacent to said curved surface, said fluid conducting tube having fluid inlet and fluid outlet means therein arcuately spaced from each other, rotor means operatively disposed in said housing having a plurality of separate tube squeezing means for spaced point contact with said fluid conducting tube, and support means for movably mounting said rotor means for orbital movement in said housing so that each of said tube squeezing meAns progressively contacts said tube to force said tube against the curved walls in said housing and squeeze the walls of said tube together to form sealed fluid receiving pockets as said tube squeezing means orbits past said fluid inlet and gear means operatively connected to said tube, said rotor means and said housing to prevent creeping of said fluid conducting tube as said rotor means orbits in said housing.

Claim 6

The positive displacement fluid unit defined in claim 3 wherein said tube has side edges joined together and said pockets formed in said tube have a cross section with a height that progressively diminishes from the center of the cross section to zero height at the edges of said tube to provide for low tube profile and for low tube stress as said tube is flexed by said tube squeezing means.

Claim 7

The positive displacement fluid unit defined in claim 3 wherein said tube is formed by annular inner and outer walls which are reversely arced in cross section, said walls having side edges which are joined together to provide a fluid sealed bladder assembly having a low profile for low stress as said bladder assembly is flexed by said tube squeezing means.

Claim 8

The fluid unit defined in claim 5 wherein said outer wall is secured in said housing and the arc of said inner wall is less than the arc of said outer wall so that atmospheric pressure outside of said walls cannot collapse said pockets thereby allowing said fluid unit to operate as a vacuum pump.

Claim 9

In a fluid pump an input means, first gear means driven by said input means, planetary gear means meshingly engaged with said input gear means, reaction gear means meshing with said planetary gear means, housing means secured to said reaction gear means, said planetary gear means having elongated roller members secured thereto, each of said rollers having gear teeth therein, a flexible bladder assembly operatively disposed in said housing forming a fluid passage therein, said flexible bladder assembly having inlet passage means and outlet passage means arcuately spaced from each other, said flexible bladder means having teeth on the interior wall thereof, said rollers having teeth which engage the teeth on said inner wall of said bladder assembly, and said bladder assembly forming fluid receiving pockets which move around the axis of said input from the inlet of said bladder to the outlet of said bladder being squeezed by said roller means to provide a fluid unit which pumps fluid from said inlet to said outlet.

Claim 10

In a fluid pump an input means, first gear means driven by said input means, planetary gear means meshingly engaged with said input gear means, reaction gear means meshing with said planetary gear means, housing means secured to said reaction gear means, said planetary gear means having elongated roller members secured thereto, each of said rollers having gear teeth therein, a flexible bladder assembly operatively disposed in said housing forming a fluid passage therein, said flexible bladder assembly having inlet passage means and outlet passage means arcuately spaced from each other, said flexible bladder means having teeth on the interior wall thereof, said rollers having teeth which engage the teeth on said inner wall of said bladder assembly, and said bladder assembly forming fluid receiving pockets which move around the axis of said input from the inlet of said bladder to the outlet of said bladder being squeezed by said roller means to provide a fluid unit which pumps fluid from said inlet to said outlet.

Claim 11

A positive displacement fluid unit comprising a housing, a rotatable input, a planetary unit having a rotatable input member drivingly connected to said input and having a plurality of arcuately spaced planet members rotatably mounted on a planet carrier, said planet members being drivingly connected to said input member, a reaction member operatively connected to said planet members, each of said planet members having a roller connected thereto driven in a circular path in response to the drive of said input member, a fluid conducting bladder assembly disposed in said housing and around said rollers, said bladder assembly having a fluid inlet passage and a fluid outlet passage arcuately spaced from each other, said bladder having a fluid conducting passage therein extending in one direction from said inlet passage to said outlet passage and cooperating with said rollers which squeezes said bladder assembly to provide fluid conducting pockets therein between adjacent rollers that carry the fluid supplied to said inlet passage in the direction of motion of said rollers so that fluid is drawn into the unit as one of said pockets is formed at said inlet passage and is exhausted from the unit as said pocket reaches said outlet passage.

Claim 12

A positive displacement fluid unit comprising a housing, a rotatable input, a planetary unit having a rotatable input member drivingly connected to said input and having a plurality of arcuately spaced planet members rotatably mounted on a planet carrier, said planet members being drivingly connected to said input member, a reaction member operatively connected to said planet members, each of said planet members having a roller connected thereto driven in a circular path in response to the drive of said input member, a fluid conducting bladder assembly disposed in said housing and around said rollers, said bladder assembly having a fluid inlet passage and a fluid outlet passage arcuately spaced from each other, said bladder having a fluid conducting passage therein extending in one direction from said inlet passage to said outlet passage and cooperating with said rollers which squeezes said bladder assembly to provide fluid conducting pockets therein between adjacent rollers that carry the fluid supplied to said inlet passage in the direction of motion of said rollers so that fluid is drawn into the unit as one of said pockets is formed at said inlet passage and is exhausted from the unit as said pocket reaches said outlet passage.

Claim 13

The fluid unit defined in claim 8 wherein the pockets formed in the bladder assembly have a large dimension at the center of each of said pockets which gradually diminish toward the edge of the bladder assembly to provide for low stress during the flexing oF the bladder assembly during operation.

Claim 14

The fluid unit defined in claim 8 wherein said bladder assembly has an arcuate inner wall formed with an annular arrangement of gear teeth thereon that extend radially inwardly of said bladder assembly, said rollers having teeth which mesh with the teeth of said inner wall as said rollers orbit in said housing, said planetary unit being a planetary gear set with said reaction member being a ring gear secured to said housing to condition said gear set for a speed reducing drive and to cooperate with said meshing teeth of said rollers and said bladder assembly with the stationary ring gear and prevent creep of the bladder in said housing as said rollers orbit therein.

Claim 15

The fluid unit defined in claim 10 wherein said inlet and outlet passages are disposed at right angles to each other, said planet members comprising three planetary gears, one of said rollers extending coaxially from each of said planetary gears and cooperating with said inner wall of said bladder assembly to form at least three of said pockets in response to one revolution of said carrier member.