US 5,081,908 AGranted

Hydraulic pump having floating spigot valve

AssigneeTeleflex Incorporated

InventorsJames B. McBeth, Eric Fetchko

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Abstract

A manual hydraulic helm pump (10) for actuating a remote submerged steering element in a boat includes a drive shaft (26) rotatably supported in a housing (12). A rotary cylinder block (32) disposed in the housing (12) is fixed to the drive shaft and includes a plurality of axial compression chambers (40). The cylinder block (32) is supported at one end by a roller bearing (34) and at the other end by the drive shaft (26). Each of the compression chambers (40) include a slidable piston (42) biased outwardly against an angular swash plate (50). A spigot-type timing valve (52) is nonrotatably supported within the cylinder block. A transfer valve (59) is fixed relative to the housing (12). A pair of tubular connector sleeves (72a, 72b) movably interconnect the timing valve (52) and the transfer valve (59). O-ring seals (71a, 71b) are provided at each end of the two connector sleeves (71a, 72b) for maintaining a fluid tight seal while permitting the timing valve (52) to minutely orbit relative to the transfer valve (59).

Claims22

Dependent claims

A hydraulic pump assembly (10) for a marine steering system for remotely actuating a submerged steering element, said assembly comprising:

a housing (12);
a compression chamber (40) disposed in said housing (12);
a piston (40) slidably disposed in said compression chamber (40);
actuator means (48) for reciprocating said piston in said compression chamber (40) in response to a rotary input;
timing valve means (52) minutely orbitally disposed in said housing (12) for alternately transferring hydraulic fluid to and from said compression chamber (40);
transfer valve means (59) extending through said housing (12) and fixed relative to said minutely orbital timing valve means (52) for conveying hydraulic fluid between the steering system and said timing valve means (52);
and characterized by annular elastically deformable seal means (70) interconnecting said fixed transfer valve means (59) and said minutely orbital timing valve means (52) over an annular surface area for permitting minute orbital movements of said timing valve means (52) while perfecting and maintaining an annular fluid tight seal with said transfer valve means (59) such that said timing valve means (52) freely minutely orbits without leakage of hydraulic fluid between said fixed transfer valve means (59).

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.