Fluid device having means for aligning a cylinder barrel

Claim 2

A fluid pressure energy translating device of the axial piston type, comprising: a housing; a cylinder barrel rotatably mounted within said housing, said cylinder barrel having a plurality of arcuately spaced cylinder bores and cylinder ports communicating each of said cylinder bores with one end of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of pistons with inner ends disposed for reciprocal stroking movement within said cylinder bores; a valve face having arcuate passages; said valve face and said one end of said cylinder barrel being disposed for relative rotary movement with said cylinder ports communicating successively with said arcuate passages in said valve face; thrust plate means comprising a yoke support fixedly mounted in said housing and a yoke movably supported by said yoke support, said yoke being in a driving relationship wIth the other ends of said pistons for imparting said reciprocal stroking movement to said pistons within said cylinder barrel bores as said cylinder barrel rotates; bearing means having an outer race carried within said housing, an inner race carried around a portion of the peripheral surfaces of said cylinder barrel, said bearing means providing radial support for said cylinder barrel, said bearing means being in contact with said yoke support at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations for properly locating said cylinder barrel with respect to said yoke; said outer race being carried by said housing concentric with said housing bore; said means for varying the inclination of said yoke comprising a pair of sleeve members each disposed along an axis paralleling the axis of said shaft and radially outwardly spaced from the peripheral surface of said cylinder barrel, each of said sleeve members having one end of a piston member reciprocably mounted therein, the other ends of said piston members adapted to abut a portion of said yoke to pivot said yoke, said sleeve members being radially spaced a distance from the centerline of said shaft axis to abut the outer race of said bearing means at locations which are between said cylinder barrel and said sleeve members to maintain said bearing races in abutment with said yoke support, said piston members carried within said sleeves being so spaced from said longitudinal axis of said shaft to freely reciprocate in a spaced relationship from the outer periphery of said outer race.

Claim 3

The fluid pressure energy translating device defined in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of roller bearings disposed between said inner and outer races, the yoke facing ends of said roller bearings and said inner race being substantially flush; a portion of said inner race extending beyond said other end of said cylinder barrel and having an annular inclined inner surface flared upwardly from said other cylinder barrel end and toward said yoke facing end of said inner race.

Claim 4

A fluid pressure energy translating device of the axial piston type, comprising: a housing having a longitudinal bore; first bearing means mounted in said bore; a shaft rotatably supported by said bearing means; a cylinder barrel drivingly connected to and rotatable with said shaft, said cylinder barrel having a plurality of arcuately spaced cylinder bores and cylinder ports communicating each of said cylinder bores with one end of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of pistons with inner ends disposed for reciprocal stroking movement within said cylinder bores; a valve face having arcuate passages; said valve face and said one end of said cylinder barrel being disposed for relative rotary movement with said cylinder ports communicating successively with said arcuate passages in said valve face, said first bearing means being spaced from said cylinder barrel a fixed distance; thrust plate means comprising a U-shaped yoke support journalled on said first bearing means and in abutment with said housing, said yoke support having longitudinally extending and laterally spaced legs defining concave bearings therein between and corners at the extended ends of said yoke support legs, a movable yoke having correspondingly shaped bearing surfaces mating with said yoke support bearing surfaces, such that said yoke is movably supported by said yoke support; said yoke being in a driving relationship with the other ends of said pistons for imparting said reciprocal stroking movement to said pistons within said cylinder barrel bores as said cylinder barrel rotates; second bearing means having an outer race carried around a portion of the peripheral surfaces of said cylinder barrel, said second bearing means providing radial support for said cylinder barrel, the four corners of the yoke support defined by said extended ends providing abutments to support said second bearing means at circumferentially spaced locations on said second bearing means for properly locating said cylinder barrel with respect to said yoke.

Claim 5

A fluid pressure energy translating device of the axial piston type, comprising: a housing having a longitudinal bore; first bearing means mounted in said bore; a shaft rotatably supported by said bearing means; a cylinder barrel drivingly connected to and rotatable with said shaft, said cylinder barrel having a plurality of arcuately spaced cylinder bores and cylinder ports communicating each of said cylinder bores with one end of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of pistons with inner ends disposed for reciprocal stroking movement within said cylinder bores; a valve face having arcuate passages; said valve face and said one end of said cylinder barrel being disposed for relative rotary movement with said cylinder ports communicating successively with said arcuate passages in said valve face, said first bearing means being spaced from said cylinder barrel a fixed distance; thrust plate means comprising a U-shaped yoke support journalled on said first bearing means and in abutment with said housing, said yoke support having longitudinally extending and laterally spaced legs defining concave bearings therein between and corners at the extended ends of said yoke support legs, a movable yoke having correspondingly shaped bearing surfaces mating with said yoke support bearing surfaces, such that said yoke is movably supported by said yoke support; said yoke being in a driving relationship with the other ends of said pistons for imparting said reciprocal stroking movement to said pistons within said cylinder barrel bores as said cylinder barrel rotates; second bearing means having an outer race carried around a portion of the peripheral surfaces of said cylinder barrel, said second bearing means providing radial support for said cylinder barrel, the four corners of the yoke support defined by said extended ends providing abutments to support said second bearing means at circumferentially spaced locations on said second bearing means for properly locating said cylinder barrel with respect to said yoke.

Claim 6

The fluid pressure energy translating device defined in claim 3 further comprising a plurality of roller bearings disposed between said inner and outer races, the yoke facing end of said roller bearings and said inner race being substantially flush, a portion of said inner race extending beyond the other end of said cylinder barrel and having an annularly inclined inner surface flared upwardly from said other cylinder barrel end and toward said yoke facing end of said inner race.

Claim 7

The fluid pressure energy translating device defined in claim 3, further comprising: means for varying the inclination of said yoke with respect to the longitudinal axis of said shaft for selectively varying the amount of reciprocal stroking movement imparted to said pistons within said cylinder barrel bores.

Claim 8

A fluid pressure energy translating device of the axial piston type comprising: a housing; a cylinder barrel rotatably mounted within said housing, said cylinder barrel having a plurality of arcuately spaced cylinder bores and cylinder ports communicating each of said cylinder bores with one end of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of pistons with inner ends disposed for reciprocal stroking movement within said cylinder bores; a valve face having arcuate passages, said valve face and said one end of said cylinder barrel being disposed for relative rotary movement, with said cylinder ports communicating successively with said arcuate passages in said valve face; an inclined thrust plate comprising a yoke support fixedly mounted in said housing and a yoke movably supported by said yoke support, said yoke being in a driving relationship with the other end of said piston for imparting a reciprocal stroking movement to said pistons within said cylinder barrel as said cylinder barrel rotates; means for varying the inclination of said yoke with respect to the longitudinal axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel for selectively varying the amount of reciprocal stroking movement imparted to said pistons as said cylinder barrel rotates; bearing means having an outer race carried by said housing concentric with said housing bore; an inner race carried around a portion of the peripheral surface of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of roller bearings disposed between said inner and outer races; said means for varying the inclination of said yoke comprising a pair of spaced sleeve members, each disposed along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel and radially outwardly spaced from the peripheral surface of said cylinder barrel, each of said sleeve members having one end of a piston reciprocably mounted therein, the other end of said pistons adapted to abut a portion of said yoke to pivot said yoke about an axis transversely disposed with respect to the axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel, said sleeves being radially spaced a distance from the axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel to abut the outer race of said bearing means at locations which are between said cylinder barrel and said sleeve members to maintain said outer race in contact with said yoke support at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations for properly locating said cylinder barrel with respect to said yoke, said piston members being carried within said sleeves and so spaced from said axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel as to freely reciprocate in a spaced relationship with respect to the outer periphery of said outer race.

Claim 9

A fluid pressure energy translating device of the axial piston type comprising: a housing; a cylinder barrel rotatably mounted within said housing, said cylinder barrel having a plurality of arcuately spaced cylinder bores and cylinder ports communicating each of said cylinder bores with one end of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of pistons with inner ends disposed for reciprocal stroking movement within said cylinder bores; a valve face having arcuate passages, said valve face and said one end of said cylinder barrel being disposed for relative rotary movement, with said cylinder ports communicating successively with said arcuate passages in said valve face; an inclined thrust plate comprising a yoke support fixedly mounted in said housing and a yoke movably supported by said yoke support, said yoke being in a driving relationship with the other end of said piston for imparting a reciprocal stroking movement to said pistons within said cylinder barrel as said cylinder barrel rotates; means for varying the inclination of said yoke with respect to the longitudinal axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel for selectively varying the amount of reciprocal stroking movement imparted to said pistons as said cylinder barrel rotates; bearing means having an outer race carried by said housing concentric with said housing bore; an inner race carried around a portion of the peripheral surface of said cylinder barrel; a plurality of roller bearings disposed between said inner and outer races; said means for varying the inclination of said yoke comprising a pair of spaced sleeve members, each disposed along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel and radially outwardly spaced from the peripheral surface of said cylinder barrel, each of said sleeve members having one end of a piston reciprocably mounted therein, the other end of said pistons adapted to abut a portion of said yoke to pivot said yoke about an axis transversely disposed with respect to the axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel, said sleeves being radially spaced a distance from the axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel to abut the outer race of said bearing means at locations which are between said cylinder barrel and said sleeve members to maintain said outer race in contact with said yoke support at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations for properly locating said cylinder barrel with respect to said yoke, said piston members being carried within said sleeves and so spaced from said axis of rotation of said cylinder barrel as to freely reciprocate in a spaced relationship with respect to the outer periphery of said outer race.