Spherical gear pump

A spherical gear pump comprising an apertured housing having a first longitudinal axis, a spherical seat, an inlet and outlet in said housing adjacent said seat and inlet and outlet passages respectively communicating with said inlet and outlet, adapted respectively for connection to a source of liquid and a liquid load;

• a hemispherical gear rotatively nested within said seat including a plurality of peripherally spaced radial gear teeth and an axial drive shaft projected through and journaled upon said housing along said axis;
• said gear teeth defining an end face of said hemispherical gear at right angles to said axis;
• a substantially hemispherical cam portending an arc less than 180.degree. adjustably positioned within said seat having radial cam surfaces facing said end face and a second longitudinal axis at an acute angle to said first axis;
• said hemispherical gear teeth defining a plurality of radially extending pumping chambers adjacent to and progressively connected with said inlet and outlet, each chamber having a bottom wall;
• and a plurality of separate symmetrical radial gear teeth positioned within and rotatable with said hemispherical gear alternated with said hemispherical gear teeth, each of said separate teeth having a radial top wall normally biased against and with said radial top wall continuously contacting said cam surfaces on rotation of said hemispherical gear and a bottom wall reciprocally moved up and down within a pumping chamber relative to its bottom wall on rotation of said separate radial gear teeth over said cam surfaces wherein said downward movement is caused only by said radial top walls of said separate teeth contacting said cam surfaces.

A spherical gear pump comprising an apertured housing having a first longitudinal axis, a spherical seat, an inlet and outlet in said housing adjacent said seat, inlet and outlet passages respectively communicating with said inlet and outlet, adapted respectively for connection to a source of liquid and a liquid load;

• a hemispherical gear rotatively nested within said seat including a plurality of peripherally spaced radial gear teeth with each gear tooth having a radially extending top face with said top faces defining a radial end face of said gear and said gear having an axial drive shaft projected through and journaled upon said housing along said axis;
• a substantially hemispherical cam portending an arc less than 180.degree. adjustably positioned within said seat having radial cam surfaces facing the end face of said gear and said cam having a second longitudinal axis at an acute angle to said first axis;
• said hemispherical gear teeth defining a plurality of radially extending axial pumping chambers adjacent to and progressively connected with said inlet and outlet successively;
• and a plurality of separate symmetrical radial gear teeth positioned within and rotatable with said hemispherical gear alternated with said hemispherical gear teeth, each of said separate teeth having a radial top wall being normally biased against and with said radial top wall continuously contacting said cam surfaces on rotation of said hemispherical gear and reciprocally moved up and down within a pumping chamber on rotation of said separate radial gear teeth over said cam surfaces wherein said downward movement is caused only by said radial top walls of said separate teeth contacting said cam surfaces.

A pump comprising:

• a housing having a seat wherein the seating surface is defined by a sphere;
• a gear having a portion of its exterior surface defined by a sphere rotatably nested about an axis in said seat with said exterior portion in engaging registry with said seating surface;
• said gear including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart radial gear teeth having an outer surface forming at least a portion of said gear exterior surface defined by said sphere and said gear teeth each having a radial top surface defining a radial end face of said gear;
• said gear teeth defining a plurality of radially extending chambers between adjacent spaced apart gear teeth;
• a plurality of separate gear teeth wherein each separate gear tooth is nested within one of said radial chambers;
• each separate gear tooth having an outer surface with at least a portion of said outer surface being in engaging registry with said seating surface and each separate gear tooth having a radial top wall;
• cam means facing said end face of said gear in continuous engagement with all said radial top walls of said separate gear teeth upon rotation of said gear for causing progressive inward and outward reciprocating movement of said separate gear teeth within said chambers upon rotation of said gear by said rotation biasing said radial top walls of said separate gear teeth in operative engagement with said cam means;
• fluid inlet means for providing fluid communication adjacent the outward movement of said separate gear teeth;
• fluid outlet means for providing fluid communication adjacent the inward movement of said separate gear teeth.

A pump or motor comprising:

• a housing including a seat;
• a hemispherical gear nested in said seat for rotation about the axis of said hemispherical gear;
• said hemispherical gear including a plurality of peripherally spaced apart radial gear teeth each having a radial top surface defining an equatorial end face of said gear, and with each of said radial gear teeth having a first and a second radial side wall wherein the first radial side wall and the second radial side wall of adjacent spaced apart radial gear teeth define a chamber therebetween;
• wherein,
• said first and said second radial side walls of adjacent teeth converge in the direction from the periphery toward the axis of said hemisphere thereby providing generally triangularly shaped chambers between adjacent radial gear teeth;
• said first radial side walls have an arcuate conical surface bulging outward along the length of said radial side wall in a direction perpendicular to the radial;
• said second radial side walls have a complementary arcuate conical surface bulging inward along the length of said radial side wall in a direction perpendicular to the radial;
• a plurality of separate gear teeth wherein one separate gear tooth is movably nested in each chamber;
• each separate gear tooth has a first side wall and a second side wall in engaging registry respectively with the radial gear tooth first radial side wall and the radial gear tooth second radial side wall defining the chamber;
• whereby the first side wall of said separate gear tooth bulges inward complementary to the outward bulge of the first radial side wall of the radial gear tooth defining said chamber and the second side wall of said separate gear tooth bulges outward complementary to the inward bulge of the second radial side wall of the radial gear tooth defining said chamber.

A motor comprising:

• a housing;
• a gear member rotatably mounted about an axis in said housing, said gear having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart gear teeth defining a plurality of chambers between adjacent spaced apart gear teeth, said gear teeth each having a radial top surface defining a radial end face of said gear;
• a plurality of separate gear teeth wherein each separate gear tooth is nested within one of said chambers and each separate gear tooth has a radial top wall;
• cam means facing said end face of said gear and in continuous engagement with all said radial top walls of said separate gear teeth upon rotation of said gear for causing progressive inward and outward reciprocating movement of said separate gear teeth within said chambers upon rotation of said gear;
• fluid inlet means for providing fluid communication adjacent the outward movement of said separate gear teeth;
• fluid outlet means for providing fluid communication adjacent the inward movement of said separate gear teeth.

A motor comprising:

• a housing having a seat wherein the seating surface is defined by a sphere;
• a gear having a portion of its exterior surface defined by a sphere rotatably nested about an axis in said seat with said exterior portion in engaging registry with said seating surface;
• said gear including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart radial gear teeth having an outer surface forming at least a portion of said gear exterior surface defined by said sphere and said gear teeth each having a radial top surface defining a radial end face of said gear;
• said gear teeth defining a plurality of radially extending chambers between adjacent spaced apart gear teeth;
• a plurality of separate gear teeth wherein each separate gear tooth is nested within one of said radial chambers;
• each separate gear tooth having an outer surface with at least a portion of said outer surface being in engaging registry with said seating surface and each separate gear tooth having a radial top wall;
• cam means facing said end face of said gear in continuous engagement with all said radial top walls of said separate gear teeth upon rotation of said gear for causing progressive inward and outward reciprocating movement of said separate gear teeth within said chambers upon rotation of said gear by said rotation biasing said radial top walls of said separate gear teeth in operative engagement with said cam means;
• fluid inlet means for providing fluid communication adjacent the outward movement of said separate gear teeth;
• fluid outlet means for providing fluid communication adjacent the inward movement of said separate gear teeth.