Integrated gear pump in remote mounted hydraulic control unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401957-B2
Application number	US-201917053919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2019
Priority date	May 7, 2018
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A hydraulic control unit comprises a housing, an accumulator, a gear pump assembly, and a motor. The housing comprises an accumulator compartment, a gear pump compartment, and a flow path section connecting the gear pump compartment and the accumulator compartment, the flow path section comprising at least a supply path and a pressurizing path. The accumulator in the accumulator compartment comprises a movable piston dividing the accumulator compartment into a high pressure reservoir and a low pressure reservoir. A gear pump assembly is in the gear pump compartment. The gear pump assembly is configured to draw return fluid from the low pressure reservoir via the supply path and to pump pressurized fluid through the pressurizing path to accumulate in the high pressure reservoir. A motor assembly is connected to the gear pump compartment of the housing and is configured to power the gear pump assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydraulic control unit, comprising:
a housing, comprising an accumulator compartment, a gear pump compartment, and a flow path section connecting the gear pump compartment and the accumulator compartment, the flow path section comprising at least a supply path and a pressurizing path that is parallel to the supply path;
an accumulator in the accumulator compartment, the accumulator comprising a movable piston dividing the accumulator compartment into a high pressure reservoir and a low pressure reservoir;
a gear pump assembly in the gear pump compartment, the gear pump assembly comprising an inlet area in-line with an outlet area, the gear pump assembly configured to draw return fluid from the low pressure reservoir into the inlet area via the supply path and to pump pressurized fluid through the outlet area to the pressurizing path to accumulate in the high pressure reservoir; and
a motor assembly connected to the gear pump compartment of the housing, the motor assembly configured to power the gear pump assembly.

2. The hydraulic control unit of claim 1 , where the motor assembly comprises a powered assembly for powering the rotation of a coupler, the coupler connected to drive the gear pump assembly.

3. The hydraulic control unit of claim 2 , where the motor assembly further comprises a surface plate assembly for positioning the coupler with respect to the gear pump assembly.

4. The hydraulic control unit of claim 1 , wherein the gear pump assembly is drop-in assembled to the gear pump compartment.

5. The hydraulic control unit of claim 4 , wherein:
the supply path is sealed to the gear pump assembly via a first seal; and
the pressurizing path is sealed to the gear pump assembly via a second seal.

6. The hydraulic control unit of claim 4 , wherein the motor assembly seals the gear pump assembly within the gear pump compartment.

7. The hydraulic control unit of claim 6 , wherein the motor assembly is connected to the gear pump compartment with a layer of sealant or with a seal.

8. The hydraulic control unit of claim 1 , wherein the gear pump assembly comprises one or more rotatable gear.

9. The hydraulic control unit of claim 8 , wherein the gear pump assembly connects the inlet area to the supply path and connects the outlet area to the pressurized path, and wherein the one or more rotatable gear pumps return fluid from the inlet area to become the pressurized fluid in the outlet area.

10. The hydraulic control unit of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a valve hub comprising a valve compartment connected to the flow path section, and wherein the valve compartment is configured to seat a three-way valve.

11. The hydraulic control unit of claim 10 , further comprising a control flow path connected to the pressurizing path in the flow path section, the control flow path connected to supply pressurized fluid to the three-way valve.

12. The hydraulic control unit of claim 11 , further comprising a return flow path connected to the supply path in the flow path section, the return flow path connected to receive return fluid returning through the three-way valve.

13. The hydraulic control unit of claim 12 , further comprising the three-way valve in the valve compartment, the three-way valve connected to a device path, the three-way valve controllable to receive the pressurized fluid from the control flow path and to direct the pressurized fluid to a hydraulically-controlled device via the device path, and the three-way valve is further controllable to receive the return fluid from the hydraulically-controlled device and to direct the return fluid to the return flow path.

14. The hydraulic control unit of claim 1 , further comprising a reservoir lid connected to seal the accumulator compartment.

15. The hydraulic control unit of claim 14 , further comprising at least one spring biased against the reservoir lid to bias the movable piston to collapse an accumulation zone in the high pressure reservoir.

16. A hydraulic control unit, comprising:
a housing, comprising an accumulator compartment, a gear pump compartment, and a flow path section connecting the gear pump compartment and the accumulator compartment, the flow path section comprising at least a supply path and a pressurizing path, wherein the supply path is parallel to the pressurizing path;
an accumulator in the accumulator compartment;
a gear pump assembly in the gear pump compartment, the gear pump assembly configured to draw return fluid via the supply path and to pump pressurized fluid through the pressurizing path; and
a valve compartment connected to the flow path section via a control flow path, wherein the control flow path intersects the pressurizing path.

17. The hydraulic control unit of claim 11 , wherein the control flow path is connected to the pressurizing path.

18. The hydraulic control unit of claim 17 , further comprising a return flow path connected to the supply path in the flow path section, wherein the return flow path is connected to receive fluid returning through the control flow path.

19. The hydraulic control unit of claim 16 , wherein the valve compartment is positioned in the housing between the gear pump assembly and the accumulator.

20. A hydraulic control unit, comprising:
a housing, comprising an accumulator compartment, a gear pump compartment, and a flow path section connecting the gear pump compartment and the accumulator compartment, the flow path section comprising at least a supply path and a pressurizing path;
an accumulator in the accumulator compartment;
a gear pump assembly in the gear pump compartment, the gear pump assembly configured to draw return fluid via the supply path and to pump pressurized fluid through the pressurizing path; and
a controllable three-way valve in a valve compartment connected to the flow path section via a control flow path, the three-way valve connected to a device path, the three-way valve configured to switch between a first position to receive the pressurized fluid from the control flow path and to direct the pressurized fluid to a hydraulically-controlled device via the device path, and a second position to receive the return fluid from the hydraulically-controlled device and to direct the return fluid to the supply path via a return flow path,
wherein the supply path intersects the return flow path, and
wherein the control flow path intersects the pressurizing path.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Sadule Shoaib D

Classifications

• F15B15/18 Primary

  Combined units comprising both motor and pump · CPC title

• F15B1/265

  with pressurised main reservoir · CPC title

• F15B1/027

  having accumulator charging devices · CPC title

• F04B39/14

  Provisions for readily assembling or disassembling · CPC title

• F04B23/026

  a pump-side forming a wall of the reservoir · CPC title