Hydraulic isolating manifold
First Claim
1. A hydraulic manifold for use in hydraulically connecting a hydraulic component having a plurality of component fluid ports therein to a hydraulic control manifold having a plurality of hydraulic fluid channels to be connected to the plurality of component fluid ports, the hydraulic manifold comprising:
- a first manifold member;
a second manifold member mountable onto the first manifold member; and
a first connection structure operable to removably mount the first manifold member onto the second manifold member in a number of different mounting positions, including a fully mounted position and one or more partially mounted positions;
wherein the first manifold member includes;
a second connection stricture to rigidly mount the hydraulic component onto the first manifold member;
a plurality of fluid ports, wherein each of the plurality of fluid ports aligns with a corresponding one of the of component fluid ports on the hydraulic component when the hydraulic component is mounted onto the first manifold member using the second connection structure;
a plurality of first fluid channels disposed through the first manifold member, wherein each of the plurality of first fluid channels terminates in a corresponding one of the plurality of fluid ports; and
an actuator associated with at least one of the first fluid channels; and
wherein the second manifold member includes;
third connection structure to rigidly mount the second manifold member to the hydraulic control manifold;
a plurality of second fluid channels disposed through the second manifold member, wherein each of the plurality of second fluid channels mates with a corresponding one of the plurality of first fluid channels when the first and second manifold members are mounted together using the first connection structure; and
a check valve disposed in one of the second fluid channels, wherein the check valve operates to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic control manifold to the first manifold member when the second manifold member is mounted onto the hydraulic control manifold and the first manifold member is removed from the second manifold member, and wherein the check valve is actuated by the actuator when the first manifold member is mounted onto the second manifold member in the fully mounted position to allow hydraulic fluid to flow from the hydraulic control manifold to the first manifold member when the first manifold member is mounted onto the second manifold member in the fully mounted position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An isolating manifold fluidly connected between a hydraulic valve and a hydraulic manifold operates to automatically isolate the valve from the hydraulic manifold as the valve is removed from the manifold, without requiring any particular blocking and bleeding procedures to be implemented on the valve or the manifold prior to the removal process. The isolating manifold includes an adaptor removably mounted onto a base with various pressure, control and tank fluid channels disposed in alignment through the adaptor and base portions to allow fluid to flow through each of the channels between the hydraulic manifold and the valve. During operation, the valve is mounted onto the adaptor while the base is mounted onto the hydraulic manifold. The valve may be removed from the hydraulic manifold by removing the adaptor from the base, during which process, the isolating manifold operates automatically to block the pressure and control ports of the hydraulic manifold and to bleed pressurized fluid from the pressure and control channels of the valve to a tank channel so as to automatically isolate the valve from the hydraulic manifold as the valve is removed from the hydraulic manifold.
21 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A hydraulic manifold for use in hydraulically connecting a hydraulic component having a plurality of component fluid ports therein to a hydraulic control manifold having a plurality of hydraulic fluid channels to be connected to the plurality of component fluid ports, the hydraulic manifold comprising:
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a first manifold member; a second manifold member mountable onto the first manifold member; and a first connection structure operable to removably mount the first manifold member onto the second manifold member in a number of different mounting positions, including a fully mounted position and one or more partially mounted positions; wherein the first manifold member includes; a second connection stricture to rigidly mount the hydraulic component onto the first manifold member; a plurality of fluid ports, wherein each of the plurality of fluid ports aligns with a corresponding one of the of component fluid ports on the hydraulic component when the hydraulic component is mounted onto the first manifold member using the second connection structure; a plurality of first fluid channels disposed through the first manifold member, wherein each of the plurality of first fluid channels terminates in a corresponding one of the plurality of fluid ports; and an actuator associated with at least one of the first fluid channels; and
wherein the second manifold member includes;third connection structure to rigidly mount the second manifold member to the hydraulic control manifold; a plurality of second fluid channels disposed through the second manifold member, wherein each of the plurality of second fluid channels mates with a corresponding one of the plurality of first fluid channels when the first and second manifold members are mounted together using the first connection structure; and a check valve disposed in one of the second fluid channels, wherein the check valve operates to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic control manifold to the first manifold member when the second manifold member is mounted onto the hydraulic control manifold and the first manifold member is removed from the second manifold member, and wherein the check valve is actuated by the actuator when the first manifold member is mounted onto the second manifold member in the fully mounted position to allow hydraulic fluid to flow from the hydraulic control manifold to the first manifold member when the first manifold member is mounted onto the second manifold member in the fully mounted position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An isolating manifold for use in hydraulically connecting a first hydraulic component to a second hydraulic component, the isolating manifold comprising:
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a first manifold member having a first surface and having a second surface with a plurality of first manifold member ports therein to mate with the first hydraulic component; a second manifold member having a first surface and having a second surface having a plurality of second manifold member ports to mate with the second hydraulic component; connection structure operable to removably mount the first manifold member onto the second manifold member in a number of different mounting positions, including a fully mounted position and one or more partially mounted positions, wherein the first surface of the first manifold member is disposed adjacent to the first surface of the second manifold member when the first and second manifold members are disposed in the fully mounted position and wherein the first surface of the first manifold member moves progressively further away from the first surface of the second manifold member when the first and second manifold members are moved from the fully mounted position through successive ones of the plurality of partially mounted positions, and wherein the first surface of the first manifold member and the first surface of the second manifold member define walls of a cavity formed between the first manifold member and the second manifold member as the first manifold member is moved away from the second manifold member; a plurality of fluid channels formed through the first and second manifold members, wherein each fluid channel has a first channel portion extending through the first manifold member from the first surface of the first manifold member to the second surface of the first manifold member, and a second channel portion extending through the second manifold member from the first surface of the second manifold member to the second surface of the second manifold member, and wherein the first and second channel members of each fluid channel are aligned at the interface between the first surface of the first manifold member and the first surface of the second manifold member when the first and second manifold members are mounted in the fully mounted position; a check valve assembly and an actuator member disposed within a first one of the fluid channels, wherein the check valve assembly and the actuator member interact to allow fluid to flow through the first one of the fluid channels when the first and second manifold members are mounted in the fully mounted position and interact to prevent fluid flow through the first one of the fluid channels when the first and second manifold members are mounted in one or more of the partially mounted positions; a first sealing member disposed around each of the plurality of fluid channels to seal the fluid channel from the cavity when the first and second manifold members are mounted in the fully mounted position, and wherein each first sealing member loses sealing effectiveness when the first and second manifold members are mounted in at least one of the various partially mounted positions to thereby open the fluid channel associated with the sealing member to the cavity; and a further sealing member disposed between the first and second manifold members to seal the cavity from an exterior of the isolating manifold when the first and second manifold members are mounted in each of the partially mounted positions. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of automatically fluidly isolating a first hydraulic component from a second hydraulic component when the first and second hydraulic components are fluidly connected together via two or more fluid channels, the method comprising:
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enabling a user to actuate a connection structure that connects a first manifold member, connected to the first hydraulic component, to a second manifold member, connected to the second hydraulic component, to move the first manifold member away from the second manifold member through a series of partially mounted positions defined between a fully mounted position and an unmounted position; forming a cavity between the first and second manifold members as the first and second mounting members are moved from the fully mounted position through each of the partially mounted positions to the unmounted position; sealing the cavity from the external atmosphere when the first and second manifold members are mounted in the fully mounted position and in each of the partially mounted positions; sealing each of the plurality of fluid channels from the cavity when the first and second manifold members are mounted in the fully mounted position; compromising the seal between a first fluid channel and the cavity to allow fluid to flow between the first fluid channel and the cavity at a first partially mounted position; blocking a second fluid channel to prevent fluid flow from the second hydraulic component to the first manifold member at a second partially mounted position; compromising the seal between the second fluid channel and the cavity to allow fluid to flow between the second fluid channel and the cavity at a third partially mounted position, wherein the third partially mounted position is between the unmounted position and the second partially mounted position. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification