Fluid pumping apparatus
AssigneeThomas Industries, Inc.
InventorsWilliam H. Lynn, Paul J. Thomas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An axial piston fluid pumping apparatus is disclosed in which wobble pistons are rigidly connected to arms of a nutating plate that is rotatably mounted on a bearing which is mounted on a drive shaft. The axis of the bearing is at an acute angle to the axis of the shaft. The wobble pistons move within cylinders whose bores are disposed about the axis of the shaft. The motion of the pistons is in three dimensions within the bores.
Claims34
An axial piston fluid pumping apparatus, comprising:
- a drive shaft;
- a plurality of cylinders having bores disposed symmetrically about the axis of the shaft;
- fluid inlets and outlets communicating with each cylinder;
- a head having an inlet chamber in fluid communication with all of the inlets and an exhaust chamber in fluid communication with all of the outlets;
- a hub connected to the shaft with the axis of the hub at an acute angle to the shaft axis;
- a piston carrier mounted on a bearing that is mounted on the hub;
- and
- a plurality of wobble pistons rigidly attached to the piston carrier and disposed in the cylinder bores.
An axial piston fluid pumping apparatus, comprising:
- a drive shaft;
- a cylinder having a bore;
- a valve plate closing an end of the bore and including a part with a valve;
- a bearing mounted on the shaft with the centerline of the bearing at an angle to the shaft axis;
- an arm mounted on the bearing;
- and
- a wobble piston having a head disposed in the bore and rigidly attached to the arm,
- the face of the valve plate that confronts the piston being inclined relative to the centerline of the bore so that the face is about parallel with the piston head when the piston is at top dead center.
A fluid pumping apparatus, comprising:
- at least one drive shaft;
- at least one cylinder having a variable working volume;
- at least one fluid inlet communicating with the working volume;
- at least one fluid outlet communicating with the working volume;
- at least one bearing mounted on the shaft with the centerline of the bearing at an angle to the shaft axis so that the centerline of the bearing precesses about the shaft axis;
- a force transmission member mounted on the bearing so as to nutate with the precession of the bearing centerline;
- and
- at least one piston slidingly sealed to the cylinder and rigidly attached to the force transmission member so that the piston wobbles relative to the cylinder to vary the working volume of the cylinder.
A fluid pumping apparatus, comprising:
- at least one drive shaft;
- at least one cylinder having a variable working volume;
- at least one fluid inlet communicating with the working volume;
- at least one fluid outlet communicating with the working volume;
- at least one bearing mounted on the shaft with the centerline of the bearing at an angle to the shaft axis so that the centerline of the bearing precesses about the shaft axis;
- a force transmission member mounted on the bearing so as to nutate with the precession of the bearing centerline;
- at least one piston slidingly sealed to the cylinder and connected to the force transmission member so that the piston wobbles relative to the cylinder to vary the working volume of the cylinder;
- wherein an end surface of the cylinder which confronts a face of said piston at a top dead center position of said piston is inclined relative to the axis of the shaft in a direction which is radial to the shaft and the end surface is approximately parallel with said face along said radial direction when said piston is at said top dead center position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.