Hydraulic radial piston devices
AssigneeEaton Intelligent Power Limited
InventorJeffrey D. Skinner, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A radial piston device includes a housing and a pintle fixed thereto that includes an inlet and an outlet, each aligned with a pintle axis. A rotor is rotatably disposed around the pintle and includes radially oriented cylinders. A piston is axially displaceable in each cylinder and includes a head defining a spherical contact surface. A thrust ring is rotatably disposed within the housing about the rotor and is in contact with each piston, such that a rotation of the rotor rotates the thrust ring. An inner surface of the thrust ring defines a toroidal contact surface. A contact location between the spherical contact surface and the toroidal contact surface varies as the rotor rotates about the pintle. A drive shaft is engaged with the rotor, such that a rotation of the rotor rotates the drive shaft.
Claims13
A radial piston device comprising:
- (a) a housing defining a housing hydraulic fluid inlet;
- (b) a pintle received within the housing and fixed relative to the housing,
- wherein the pintle comprises:
- a pintle axis;
- a pintle wall defining a pintle inlet port and a pintle outlet port;
- a pintle hydraulic fluid inlet in fluidic communication with the housing hydraulic fluid inlet and aligned with the pintle axis and in fluidic communication with the pintle inlet port;
- and
- a pintle hydraulic fluid outlet aligned with the pintle axis and in fluidic communication with the pintle outlet port;
- (c) a rotor rotatably disposed around the pintle, wherein the rotor defines:
- a bore, wherein the bore is configured to be rotatably received around the pintle;
- a plurality of radially oriented cylinders comprising a first cylinder set comprising a first cylinder and a second cylinder adjacent to the first cylinder and aligned relative to an axis of the rotor;
- a first rotor fluid port in fluidic communication with the first cylinder set, wherein when the rotor is in a first position, the first rotor fluid port is in fluidic communication with the pintle inlet port, and wherein when the rotor is in a second position approximately 180 degrees from the first position, the first rotor fluid port is in fluidic communication with the pintle outlet port;
- (d) a first piston axially displaceable in the first cylinder and a second piston axially displaceable within the second cylinder, and wherein each of the first piston and the second piston comprises a head defining a spherical contact surface;
- (e) a thrust ring rotatably disposed within the housing and about the rotor, wherein the thrust ring is in contact with each of the first piston and the second piston, such that a rotation of the rotor rotates the thrust ring, and wherein an inner surface of the thrust ring defines a toroidal contact surface, and wherein a contact location between the spherical contact surface of the first piston and the toroidal contact surface varies on the spherical contact surface as the rotor rotates from the first position to the second position, wherein the thrust ring is spaced apart from the housing so as to define a hydrodynamic journal bearing;
- and
- (f) a drive shaft engaged with the rotor, such that a rotation of the rotor rotates the drive shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.