Device for transmitting a pressure fluid from a stationary source to a rotating shaft

• US 3,918,486 A
• Filed: 03/11/1974
• Issued: 11/11/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Glyco-Antriebstechnik GmbH
• Original Assignee: Ivan Jaroslav Cyphelly
• Inventors: Cyphelly, Ivan Jaroslav
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohan, Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Michalsky, Gerald A.
• Application Number:
  US05/449,959
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 137/580,625.11,627,599 251/161,175,283
• US Class Current: 137/580
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/08 allowing adjustment or movement only about the axis of one pipe
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/087 Joints with radial fluid passages
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86268 With running joint between movable parts of system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87555 Having direct response valve [e.g., check valve, etc.]

Abstract

Pressure fluid is transmitted from a stationary supply line to a manifold conduit system in a rotating shaft through an annular sealing member fixedly mounted on the shaft. Orifices of branch conduits of the manifold system are circumferentially spaced in an engagement face of the sealing member. A shoe member mounted on a stationary support has a recessed face and is biased toward sealing engagement of its face with the engagement face of the sealing ring during rotation of the shaft, whereby the recess is covered by the engagement face and sequentially communicates with the orifices of the manifold conduit system. The recess in the shoe member is supplied with the fluid to be transmitted, and a check valve in each branch conduit of the manifold system opens the associated conduit under the pressure of the fluid in the communicating recess.

Claims

1. A device for transmitting a fluid under pressure from a stationary source to a movable member, said device comprising:

a. a shaft having an axis and mounted for rotation about said axis;

b. an annular sealing member fixedly mounted on said shaft and having an engagement face extending about said axis in a circular loop;

c. a support;

d. retaining means preventing rotation of said support about said axis with said shaft and movement of said support relative to said sealing member in an axial direction;

e. a shoe member secured on said support, 1. said shoe member having a first face formed with a recess and directed toward said engagement face and a second face spaced from said first face and directed away from said engagement face;

f. biasing means biasing said shoe member to move on said support toward a position of sealing, sliding engagement of said first face with said engagement face during rotatioN of said shaft, 1. said biasing means including a source of said pressure fluid, and 2. a conduit connecting said source to said second face for applying the pressure of said fluid to said second face;

g. supply means for supplying said fluid from said source to said recess under the pressure thereof, 1. said recess in said position of sealing engagement being covered by said engagement face, 2. said shaft and said sealing member being formed with a manifold conduit system including a plurality of communicating branch conduits having respective cirumferentially spaced orifices in said engagement face, said recess sequentially communicating with said orifices during rotation of said shaft; and

h. a check valve in each of said branch conduits and responsive to said pressure for opening the associated branch conduit when an orifice of said associated branch conduit communicates with said recess.

2. a conduit connecting said source to said second face for applying the pressure of said fluid to said second face;

g. supply means for supplying said fluid from said source to said recess under the pressure thereof,

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising valve actuator means associated with each check valve, said actuator means communicating with the ambient atmosphere and with one of said orifices, and being responsive to a pressure above ambient atmospheric pressure in said one orifice for opening the associated check valve.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said sealing member is formed with a plurality of radial bores respectively associated with said branch conduits, each radial bore having a restricted portion separating a radially inner first portion of said bore from a radially outer, cylindrical, second portion of said bore, said first portion constituting a part of the associated branch conduit, said check valve including a valve member radially movable toward and away from a branch conduit closing position in said first portion, and said valve actuating means including a stem member fastened to said valve member and passing through said restricted portion in sealing engagement with the walls of said restricted portion, a spherical valve actuator member secured to said stem member in said second portion, respective radial parts of said second portion separated by said valve actuator member communicating with the orifice of said associated branch conduit and with the atmosphere when said orifice communicates with said recess.

5. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement face is radial, said sealing member having a second engagement face, a second shoe member being mounted on said support and having opposite first and second faces, said first face being formed with a second recess, said pressure fluid acting on said second face and biasing said second shoe member toward a position of sealing engagement of said first face thereof with said second engagement face during rotation of said shaft, said second recess in said position being covered by said second engagement face, said branch conduits having respective circumferentially spaced orifices in said second engagement face, said second recess sequentially communicating with said orifices in said second engagement face during said rotation of said shaft, said supply means including means for supplying said fluid to said second recess.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said support is approximately channel-shaped and defines a cavity open toward said axis, respective sectors of said engagement faces being received in said cavity, the circumferential dimension of said sectors being defined by a small acute angle having its vertex in said axis, said support having two flange portions, said shoe members being movably mounted on said flange portions respectively, said biasing means biasing said shoe members inward of said cavity and toward the respective sectors of said engagement faces, said support being formed with a duct communicating with said recesses and constituting an element of said supply means.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein only a small portion of said orifices communicate with said recess at any one time, a much greater portion of said orifices being open to the ambient atmosphere during said time, said branch conduits extending from the respective orifices thereof inward of said sealing member in a direction radially outward relative to said axis.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7, further comprising means in each branch conduit constituting a valve seat of said check valve, the spacing of said seat from said axis being at least equal to the spacing of the orifice of the associated branch conduit from said axis.

9. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement face is cylindrical about said axis, said biasing means radially biasing said shoe member toward said position thereof.

10. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the length of said recess in the direction of relative movement of said shoe member and of said annular member during said rotation of said shaft is not substantially greater than one half of the corresponding length of said face of the shoe member, respective land portions of said face of said shoe member extending from said recess in said direction and in a direction opposite to said direction.

11. A device as set forth in claim 10, wherein said land portions are formed with respective notches spaced from said recess in said directions, each notch being elongated in a direction away from said recess and increasing in depth with increasing distance from said recess.

12. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising retracting means for retracting said shoe member from said position against the restraint of said biasing means and responsive to a predetermined pressure of said fluid for releasing said shoe member to movement into said position.

13. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sealing member has an additional engagement face, said engagement faces being radial and axially spaced from each other, said orifice of each branch conduit being axially aligned with another orifice of said branch conduit in said additional engagement face, said check valve being contiguously adjacent one of said orifices, another check valve being located contiguously adjacent said other orifice, a ball bearing being operatively interposed between said sealing member and said support, an additional shoe member on said support having a face formed with a recess, the face of said additional shoe member engaging said additional engagement face, and said recess in the face of said additional shoe member sequentially communicating with the orifices in said additional engagement face during rotation of said shaft, said supply means communicating with said recess in said face of the additional shoe member.

14. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement face is concavely cylindrical and spacedly faces said shaft.

15. A device as set forth in claim 14, wherein said biasing means biases said shoe member radially outward toward said engagement face, said support carrying a second, movable shoe member radially aligned with said first-mentioned shoe member, said pressure fluid biasing said second shoe member radially inward into movable engagement with said shaft.

16. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first face of said shoe member is cylindrically arcuate about said axis, said recess is circumferentially elongated, and said shoe member is formed with a bore having respective orifices in said recess and in said second face for passage of said pressure fluid between said faces, said recess being circumferentially longer than the orifice of each of said branch conduits.