An energy management system operable in three modes of operation to either drive or retard the drive shaft (110) of a vehicle, or in a neutral mode, to have no driving or retarding influence on the drive shaft. The system includes energy accumulating means (100, 101) which is operable to store and release energy through receipt and release of fluid, pumping means (104) in fluid communication with the energy accumulation means (100, 101) a reservoir (107) of fluid in communication with the pumping means (104), and coupling means for coupling the pumping means (110) to the drive shaft (110). Whereby in the retarding mode of the system, the drive shaft (110) drives the pumping means (104) to pump fluid to the energy accumulating means (100, 101), and whereby in the driving mode of the system, the energy accumulating means (100, 101) releases fluid to drive the pumping means (104) which drives the drive shaft (110). Whereby in the neutral mode of the system, the pumping means (104) is inoperative to exert any driving or retarding influence on the drive shaft (110). A retarding system is also provided, as is a terrain logging facility for logging the terrain of a route over which a vehicle travels.

Energy management system

An axial-piston pump includes a rotatable cylinder barrel (3), having pistons (8) extending from piston bores formed at one end thereof The pistons consist of a piston and a shoe (14), connected through a snap-fit joint A groove/throttle arrangement (27, 28) at the joint provides controlled fluid, depending upon the angle of flexion, thus reducing friction and leakage A spherical, concave swashplate is positioned adjacent the cylinder barrel and includes an inclined surface and a spherical, form-locked, internal retaining mechanism with two degrees of freedom for engaging hand reciprocating the pistons A valve plate (16) disposed adjacent the end of the cylinder barrel furthest from the swashplate, controls the ingress and egress of the fluid from the piston bores through channels which are tilted towards the centerline and in circumferential direction, thus reducing the velocity and turbulence of the flow

Swashplate type axial-piston pump

A hydraulic radial piston pump or motor comprises a rotary cylinder unit (20) mounted to rotate on a fixed pintle (25), the unit (20) having radial cylinder bores formed by cylinder sleeves (23) each housing a piston (40) connected by a ball joint (44) to a slipper (45) engaging a surrounding annular track ring (47). The unit (20) also includes a separately formed central sleeve (21) having ports (26) cooperating with ports (31, 32) in the pintle, the pintle ports (31, 32) and the sleeve ports (26) being elongated in a circumferential direction. The pintle has three parallel flow passages, two (28') of smaller diameter than the third (27'). The slippers (45) are held resiliently against the track ring (47) by a band (66) having windows (68) which fit the slippers, the band being of resilient material and split at one point. The cylinder unit (20) has a rounded external surface and is free to float in an axial direction which provides a self-centering effect.

Hydraulic radial piston machines

A vehicle includes at least a pair of drive wheels, each wheel being independently controlled by an integrated transmission, each transmission being powered by an input shaft operably driven by a common engine. Each transmission is of a type wherein a pump head with pistons is driven by the input shaft and conveys output fluid to a motor head which is driven thereby and rotates and output shaft. Pump head output is controlled by an operator variable swash plate. The transmission integrally includes a dampening mechanism for the swash plate, a positive neutral structure for the swash plate, an automatic parking brake with override mechanism to allow setting of the brake or release of the brake by the operator, a porting block communicating fluid flow between the pump heads and providing for overpressure relief, and a charge pump for communicating makeup fluid to the pump head and to circulate the fluid so as to cool same. The transmission also includes structure to provide for substantial internal gear reduction even at full output speeds.

Parking brake for integrated transmission

A swashplate type variable displacement hydraulic device (M) is so constructed that a plurality of plungers (19) are slidably received in a plurality of cylinder bores (18) arranged annularly around an axis of rotation, a back surface of a swashplate (20) of which fore surface is engaged by outer ends of the plungers (19) is supported by a swashplate holder (22) via bearing means (21), and a stationary swashplate anchor (23) supports the swashplate holder (22) to turn about a trunnion axis (O₂) which intersects the axis of rotation at right angles. Opposing surfaces of the swashplate holder (22) and swashplate anchor (23) are formed as spherical surfaces of which center is located at a position where the axis of rotation intersects the trunnion axis (O₂), the swashplate holder (22) has a pair of trunnion shafts (22a) projected from opposite ends of the swashplate holder (22) while extending along the trunnion axis (O₂), and the trunnion anchor (23) is formed at opposite ends thereof with recesses (23a) with which the trunnion shafts (22a) are rotatably engaged.

Swashplate type variable displacement hydraulic device

In an axial piston hydraulic device, having an angularly tiltable tilt plate for controlling the stroke of the pistons, the cylinders in the rotor communicate with the high and low pressure ports of the device by way of passages which are positioned between the axes of the cylinders and the rotational axis of the rotor to reduce resistances to fluid flow resulting from rotor rotation when the cylinders are on their low pressure stroke. Additional passages are provided which communicate the high pressure port with the rotor and/or the bearing of the tilt plate to exert counterbalancing forces on these components during operation of the device. On- and off-stroke control pistons may also be positioned on the side of the tilt plate opposite the pistons to exert counterbalancing forces on the tilt plate.

Harold W. Foddy

Papers

Balanced hydraulic device