US 10,870,345 B1Granted

Drive apparatus

AssigneeHydro-Gear Limited Partnership

InventorRyan S. Buescher

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A check valve for use with a hydraulic drive apparatus includes a check ball disposed in a cage portion for engaging a valve seat to close the valve. The cage portion has a plurality of flexible ribs composed of a flexible material which permits the check ball to be inserted into to ball retaining area during assembly and to be retained in the ball area after assembly. A filter housing connected to a mounting member has a pair of openings formed in a first surface, and a pair of deformable lips surrounding each opening. A filter screen permits hydraulic fluid to enter a filter housing from a sump. A pair of check valves are disposed in a pair of check valve ports. An external surface of each check valve is engaged to one of the deformable lips to sealingly engage the check valve to the filter housing.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A hydraulic drive apparatus, comprising:

a housing forming an internal sump for containing hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic drive mechanism disposed in the internal sump, the hydraulic drive mechanism comprising a mounting member having a first surface on which at least one rotating hydraulic cylinder block is disposed;
hydraulic porting formed in the mounting member and in communication with the at least one rotating hydraulic cylinder block;
a pair of check valve ports connected to the hydraulic porting to permit hydraulic communication between the internal sump and the hydraulic porting;
a filter housing connected to the mounting member, the filter housing comprising:
a first external filter surface adjacent the mounting member, and a second external filter surface, opposite the first external filter surface;
a pair of openings formed in the first external filter surface, and a pair of deformable lips on the first external filter surface, each of the pair of deformable lips surrounding one of the pair of openings;
and
a filter screen to permit filtered hydraulic fluid to enter the filter housing from the internal sump;
a pair of check valves, each disposed in one of the pair of check valve ports, and each of the pair of check valves comprising a valve body having a first end having an external surface, and a second end, and a passage extending through the valve body from the first end to the second end,
wherein the external surface of each of the pair of check valves is engaged to the deformable lip of one of the pair of openings, such that each deformable lip sealingly engages the external surface of the respective valve body to the filter housing and each of the pair of check valves is disposed entirely outside the filter housing.

8 more elements

A hydraulic drive apparatus, comprising:

a housing forming an internal sump for containing hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic drive mechanism disposed in the internal sump, the hydraulic drive mechanism comprising a mounting member having a first surface on which at least one rotating hydraulic cylinder block is disposed;
hydraulic porting formed in the mounting member and in communication with the at least one rotating hydraulic cylinder block;
a plurality of check valve ports connected to the hydraulic porting to permit hydraulic communication between the internal sump and the hydraulic porting;
a filter housing connected to the mounting member, the filter housing comprising:
a first filter housing member disposed adjacent to the mounting member;
a second filter housing member connected to the first filter housing member to form the filter housing, wherein the second filter housing member is formed as a solid cover to prevent fluid transmission therethrough;
a plurality of check valve openings formed in the first filter housing member;
and
a filter screen disposed in the first filter housing member to permit filtered hydraulic fluid to enter the filter housing from the internal sump, wherein the filter screen is disposed adjacent to the mounting member;
and
a plurality of check valves, each disposed in one of the plurality of check valve ports, and each of the plurality of check valves comprising a valve body having a first end and a second end, and a passage extending through the valve body from the first end to the second end, wherein the first end of each of the plurality of check valves is engaged to an external surface of the filter housing adjacent to one of the plurality of check valve openings when the filter housing is connected to the mounting member, whereby each of the check valves are located entirely external of the filter housing.

9 more elements

A hydraulic drive apparatus, comprising:

a housing forming an internal sump for containing hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic drive mechanism disposed in the internal sump, the hydraulic drive mechanism comprising a mounting member having a first surface on which at least one rotating hydraulic cylinder block is disposed and a pair of filter pin locating pockets formed on the mounting member;
hydraulic porting formed in the mounting member and in communication with the at least one rotating hydraulic cylinder block;
a plurality of check valve ports connected to the hydraulic porting to permit hydraulic communication between the internal sump and the hydraulic porting;
a filter housing connected to the mounting member, the filter housing comprising:
a first filter housing member disposed adjacent to the mounting member;
a second filter housing member connected to the first filter housing member to form the filter housing, wherein the second filter housing member is formed as a solid cover to prevent fluid transmission therethrough;
a plurality of check valve openings formed in the first filter housing member;
and
a filter screen disposed in the first filter housing member to permit filtered hydraulic fluid to enter the filter housing from the internal sump, wherein the filter screen is disposed adjacent to the mounting member;
a plurality of check valves, each disposed in one of the plurality of check valve ports, and each of the plurality of check valves comprising a valve body having a first end and a second end, and a passage extending through the valve body from the first end to the second end, wherein the first end of each of the plurality of check valves is engaged to one of the plurality of check valve openings when the filter housing is connected to the mounting member;
and
a pair of filter locating pins on the first filter housing member, each filter locating pin configured to mate with one of the pair of filter pin locating pockets to properly align each of the plurality of check valve openings with one of the plurality of check valves.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/026,479Filed 3 Jul 2018 · continuation
Priority: 22 Oct 2014
Granted: 22 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B60K 17/105
Of fluid gearing: units comprising at least a part of the gearing and a torque-transmitting axle, e.g. transaxles
F16H 57/10
Of gearings with members having orbital motion: braking arrangements
B60K 17/165
Of differential gearing: provided between independent half axles
F16H 47/02
Combinations of mechanical gearing with fluid clutches or fluid gearing: the fluid gearing being of the volumetric type

Family

Application62/067,334Us provisional application · filed 22 Oct 2014
Application14/920,706Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Oct 2015
Application15/876,957Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Jan 2018
US 9,873,325 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Jan 2018
US 10,807,468 B1Related patent
US 10,870,345 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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