Hydrostatic axial piston machine

Abstract

A hydrostatic axial piston machine includes a cylinder drum that rotates during operation and has a plurality of cylinder bores in which displacement pistons are arranged, each of which opens out in a control opening in one end face of the cylinder drum, and having a control part against which the cylinder drum bears with the end face and on which two kidney-shaped control ports in the form of circular arcs are provided. Between the two kidney-shaped control ports, a first changeover web and a second changeover web are formed, wherein two sets of compensating openings that are able to be overlapped by control openings are located in the changeover webs with one compensating opening of each set located in each changeover web, and the compensating openings in the two sets of compensating openings are connected together via respective compensating fluid paths.

Claims

1. A hydrostatic axial piston machine, comprising: a cylinder drum configured to rotate during operation and including a plurality of cylinder bores in which respective displacement pistons that carry out a stroke movement during operation are arranged, each of the plurality of cylinder bores opening out in a respective control opening in an end face of the cylinder drum; a control part against which the cylinder drum bears with the end face and on which a first kidney-shaped control port in the form of a circular arc and a second kidney-shaped control port in the form of a circular arc and, between the two kidney-shaped control ports, a first changeover web and a second changeover web are formed, wherein a first compensating opening configured to be overlapped by the respective control openings is located in each changeover web, and the first compensating openings are connected together via a first compensating fluid path, wherein the first compensating openings are arranged adjacent to the first kidney-shaped control port; a second compensating opening configured to be overlapped by the respective control openings is located in each changeover web, said second compensating opening arranged adjacent to the second kidney-shaped control port; the two second compensating openings are connected together via a second compensating fluid path; and an angular spacing between the first and second compensating openings arranged in the same changeover web is greater than an angular width of a control opening.

2. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein the first compensating openings have the same angular spacing from the first kidney-shaped control port.

3. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 2, wherein the first compensating openings have the same angular spacing from the first kidney-shaped control port as the second compensating openings that are adjacent to the second kidney-shaped control port have from the second kidney-shaped control port.

4. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 2, wherein the angular spacing of the first compensating openings from the first kidney-shaped control port is substantially the same as the angular width of the first and second compensating openings.

5. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein the number of cylinder bores that are present, and thus also the number of displacement pistons, is an odd number.

6. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second compensating fluid paths are formed by a respective plurality of bores that meet one another.

7. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein, at the start of a compensating flow between two control openings (39) that overlap the first compensating openings, there is still a passage cross section between a control opening (39) leaving the first kidney-shaped control port and the first kidney-shaped control port.

8. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein the first compensating openings and the first kidney-shaped control port are configured such that toward the end of a compensating flow between two control openings that overlap the first compensating openings, the control opening of the two control openings that has left the first kidney-shaped control port only comes out of overlap with the corresponding first compensating opening when the other control opening of the two control openings is still overlapping the other first compensating opening and there is already a passage cross section between the other control opening of the two control openings and the first kidney-shaped control port.

9. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 6, wherein the first compensating openings and the first kidney-shaped control port are configured such that in a position of two control openings in which a first of the two control openings overlaps a first of the first compensating openings and a second of the two control openings overlaps a second of the first compensating openings, and the first of the two control openings and the first kidney-shaped control port and the second of the two control openings and the first kidney-shaped control port overlap with overlapping areas of the same size, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the first of the first compensating opening to the cross-sectional area of the overlapping area is greater than two.

10. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein: a displacement volume of the hydrostatic axial piston machine is variable between a minimum displacement volume and a maximum displacement volume; and at the minimum displacement volume, the volume of the first compensating fluid path is less than one tenth of a free volume of a cylinder bore at an inner dead center position of the displacement piston.

11. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein the first and second kidney-shaped control ports, the first and second compensating openings, and the first and second compensating fluid paths are located in a control plate which is supported on a housing part.

12. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 10, wherein: the hydrostatic axial piston machine is a variable-displacement bent axis machine with a control lens which is adjustable together with the cylinder drum; and the first and second compensating fluid paths are partially formed in the control lens.

13. The hydrostatic axial piston machine according to claim 1, wherein the hydrostatic axial piston machine is configured such that the first and second kidney-shaped control ports are subjectable to high pressure and to low pressure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An exemplary embodiment of a hydrostatic axial piston machine of bent axis design according to the disclosure and two variants of a control lens with compensating openings and compensating fluid paths are illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure will now be explained in more detail on the basis of the figures of these drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the hydrostatic axial piston machine in the form of a bent axis machine,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a view of the control lens from FIG. 1 in the direction of its central axis,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a view of cavities, filled with flowing pressure fluid, of the control lens from FIG. 2,

(5) FIGS. 4a to 4h show plan views of a control lens, illustrated in a simplified manner as a circular control plate, with kidney-shaped control ports and compensating fluid paths in different angular positions of the control openings of a cylinder drum with nine cylinder bores,

(6) FIG. 5a shows a plan view of a control plate, which is slightly modified compared with the control plate from FIG. 4, in positions of the control openings according to FIGS. 4a, and

(7) FIG. 5b shows a plan view of the control plate according to FIG. 5a in positions of the control openings according to FIG. 4c.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) The variable-displacement hydrostatic axial piston machine of bent axis design illustrated in FIG. 1 is used primarily as a hydraulic motor in a closed hydraulic circuit and is operable in opposite directions of rotation. It comprises a two-part housing 10 with a substantially pot-like housing part 11 and with an end plate 12 which has two working ports that are able to be subjected alternately to high pressure or low pressure, and which closes the housing part 11 on its open side. Formed in the housing part 11 is a leakage oil port 13, via which the interior 14, filled with pressure fluid, of the housing 10 is able to be connected to a tank. Therefore, tank pressure prevails in the housing 10 during operation.

(9) A drive shaft 15 having a drive flange 16 is mounted in a rotatable manner in the housing part 11 in an O arrangement by means of two tapered roller bearings.

(10) The end plate 12 has, facing the interior 14, two axially spaced-apart circular-cylindrical, hollow bearing faces 17, on which a control plate 18 with corresponding bearing faces 19 bears and along which the control plate is displaceable by an adjusting device, of which only the adjusting pin 23 that dips into a central bore 22 in the control plate 18 is visible in FIG. 1, in order to adjust the displacement volume. Adjustable stops 24 and 25 in the housing 11 delimit the adjusting region of the control plate 18. Facing away from the end plate 12, the control plate has for example a spherically curved, convex control face 26, wherein the control face (26) can also be formed in a planar manner. On account of this spherically curved control face and on account of the circular-cylindrical bearing faces 19, the control plate is also referred to as a control lens.

(11) The control plate 18 has, from the control face 26 to the bearing faces 19, two apertures 30 and 31, which open, in the control face 26, into two kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33 in the form of a circular arc that lie on a pitch circle. The aperture 30 opens out in one bearing face 19 as an elongate, rectangular slot 34, and the aperture 31 opens out in the other bearing face 19 as an elongate, rectangular slot 35. Located in each bearing face 17 of the end plate 12 is a slot (not apparent in the section according to FIG. 1), which is fluidically connected to a working port formed on the end plate and which is overlapped, in each position of the control plate 18, by the rectangular slot 34 or 35 and is sealed off by a gap seal in the direction of the interior 14 of the housing 10 all around the slots 34 and 35 by abutment of the bearing faces 17 and 19 against one another. Thus, there is always a fluid connection from the one kidney-shaped control port to the one working port and from the other kidney-shaped control port to the other working port. Between the kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33, changeover webs 36 and 37 are located in the control face 26.

(12) The axial piston machine furthermore comprises a cylinder drum 40, which is arranged between the drive flange 16 and the control plate 18. The cylinder drum 40 is supported on the control face 26 of the control plate 18 in a hydrostatically mounted manner with an appropriately adapted end face as bearing face 41. In the cylinder drum 40, for example seven or nine axially extending cylinder bores 42 that are distributed uniformly on a pitch circle are formed, which open out on the planar end face of the cylinder drum 40 that faces the drive flange 16. At the concave bearing face 41 of the cylinder drum 40, the cylinder bores 42 open out via opening ducts 43, extending obliquely toward a central axis of the cylinder drum, on the pitch circle on which the kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33 of the control plate 18 also lie. The mouths of the opening ducts on the bearing face 41 form control openings 39 of the cylinder bores 42 and have a width which is equal to the width of the kidney-shaped control ports and are curved like the kidney-shaped control ports. Their length on the pitch circle is slightly smaller than the diameter of a cylinder bore. In the cylinder bores 42, pistons 44 are arranged so as to be movable back and forth. Their free ends that project out of the cylinder bores 42 are connected to the drive flange 16 so as to be able to be entrained in rotation via ball joints. Each ball joint consists of a ball head 45 formed at the free end of the associated piston 44 and of a hollow sphere portion which is formed in the drive flange 16 and in which the ball head 45 is received in a rotatable manner. A retaining plate 46 keeps the ball heads 45 within the hollow sphere portions.

(13) Fitted in a central, stepped through-bore 47 in the cylinder drum 40 is a helical compression spring 48, which supports a central pin 49 on the drive flange 16, said central pin 49 likewise being mounted by means of a ball joint in the drive flange 16, projecting into the through-bore 47 and guiding the cylinder drum 40.

(14) As is more clearly apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3, two compensating openings 55 and 56 are located in the control face 26 in the changeover web 36 of the control lens 18 and two compensating openings 57 and 58 are located in the changeover web 37, in each case one of said compensating openings being arranged adjacent to the kidney-shaped control port 32 and the other being arranged adjacent to the kidney-shaped control port 33. The compensating openings lie for example on the same pitch circle as the kidney-shaped control ports and are passed over, in operation, by the control openings 39 in the cylinder drum 40. All the compensating openings 55, 56, 57 and 58 are the same size and have the same spacing from the adjacent kidney-shaped control port 32, 33. Specifically, the spacing is about the same size as the smallest diameter of the compensating openings. These have, in the control face, the shape of an ellipse or of a circle, depending on the orientation of the introduced bore.

(15) The two compensating openings 55 and 57 adjacent to the kidney-shaped control port 32 are connected fluidically together by a first compensating fluid path 59 and the two compensating openings 56 and 58 adjacent to the kidney-shaped control port 33 are connected fluidically together by a second compensating fluid path 60. Both compensating fluid paths 59 and 60 are produced by bored holes within the control lens 18. Specifically, each compensating fluid path is made up of an oblique bore 61, which extends from the control face 26 and the mouth of which forms the compensating opening 55 or 56, respectively, an oblique bore 62, which likewise extends from the control face 26 and the mouth of which forms the compensating opening 57 or 58, respectively, and two further bores 63 and 64 that meet one another, intersect the oblique bores 61 and 62 and guide the respective compensating fluid path around the central bore 22 in the control lens 18. Toward the outside, the bores 63 and 64 are closed in a manner not illustrated in more detail by a stopper.

(16) Overall, the control lens 18 is thus entirely symmetric with respect to a plane 65 in which the axis of the central bore 22 of the control lens lies and which extends centrally between the two kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33 through the changeover webs 36 and 37. The bores 61, 62, 63 and 64 are clearly discernible in FIG. 3 as cavities within the control lens 18.

(17) The control lens 18 according to FIGS. 4a to 4h is provided for an axial piston machine having a cylinder drum with nine cylinder bores 42, that is to say with nine displacement pistons. The axial piston machine thus has an odd number of displacement pistons, just like one with seven displacement pistons. The cylinder bores 42 are indicated in FIGS. 4a to 4h, as are their elongate control openings 39, the radial width of which is equal to the width of the kidney-shaped control ports and the angular width of which is slightly less than the angular width of the cylinder bores. Like the control lens according to FIG. 2, the control lens 18 according to FIGS. 4a to 4h also has two compensating openings 55 and 56 in the changeover web 36 and two compensating openings 57 and 58 in the changeover web 37, in each case one of said compensating openings being arranged adjacent to the kidney-shaped control port 32 and the other being arranged adjacent to the kidney-shaped control port 33. In FIGS. 4a to 4h, the complete symmetry of the control lens with regard to the plane 65 is likewise discernible. The two compensating fluid paths 59 and 60 are illustrated in a simplified manner in FIGS. 4a to 4h inasmuch as the connection between the two oblique bores 61 and 62 of one compensating fluid path has been established by a single bore.

(18) In order to distinguish them better from one another, in FIGS. 4a to 4h the cylinder bores 42 are designated more specifically as cylinder bores 42.1 to 42.9 and the control openings 39 are designated more specifically as control openings 39.1 to 39.9.

(19) It is now assumed that the axial piston machine is operated as a hydraulic motor in a closed hydraulic circuit and pressure fluid delivered by a pump flows to the working port to which the kidney-shaped control port 32 is connected. In the kidney-shaped control port 32, high pressure thus prevails in the control lens 18 and low pressure at a level of for example 30 bar prevails in the kidney-shaped control port 33. The cylinder drum 40 rotates, in the plan view according to FIGS. 4a to 4h, counterclockwise relative to the control lens 18. FIGS. 4a to 4h show the rotation of the cylinder drum in increments of five degrees. Each control opening 39 of a cylinder bore 42 successively passes over the kidney-shaped control port 32 subjected to high pressure, then over the changeover web 36, then over the kidney-shaped control port 33 subjected to low pressure, then over the changeover web 37, and finally over the kidney-shaped control port 32 again, wherein in the control opening and the cylinder bore a pressure change from high pressure to low pressure takes place in the changeover web 36 and a pressure change from low pressure to high pressure takes place in the changeover web 37.

(20) In the rotational position of the cylinder drum 40 relative to the control lens 18 according to FIG. 4a, a control opening 39.1 is located in the changeover web 36 precisely between the two compensating openings 55 and 56, i.e. is open neither toward the compensating opening 55 nor toward the compensating opening 56. Thus, a fluidic connection between the two kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33 is avoided. The pressure in this control opening 39.1 is already lower than the high pressure, but still higher than the low pressure. A control opening 39.5 is in the process of leaving the kidney-shaped control port 33 and is still wide open toward the kidney-shaped control port 33 and already open toward the compensating opening 58. Low pressure prevails in this control opening 39.5. Low pressure also prevails in the compensating fluid path 60. A control opening 39.6 is in the process of opening more and more toward the kidney-shaped control port 32 and is still open toward the compensating opening 57. A pressure level below the high-pressure level (for example about ¾ of the high-pressure level) prevails in the compensating fluid path 59.

(21) Once the cylinder drum 40 has rotated five degrees further into the position shown in FIG. 4b, the control opening 39.5 is still, if less, open toward the kidney-shaped control port 33 and continues to be open toward the compensating opening 58. The control opening 39.1 now overlaps the compensating opening 56 and the pressure fluid in the compensating fluid path 60 is accelerated toward the control opening 39.5. A control opening 39.9 is in the process of leaving the kidney-shaped control port 32 and is currently opening toward the compensating opening 55. For the compensating fluid path 59, the pressure level has increased to the high-pressure level again.

(22) Once the cylinder drum 40 has rotated five degrees further into the position shown in FIG. 4c, the control opening 39.1 and the control opening 39.5 continue to be fully open toward the compensating openings 56 and 58. Moreover, in the position of the cylinder drum shown in FIG. 4c, there is a respective very small opening cross section both between the control opening 39.1 and the kidney-shaped control port 33 and between the control opening 39.5 and the kidney-shaped control port 33, wherein the two opening cross sections are the same size and the ratio between the cross-sectional area of a compensating opening and an opening cross section toward the kidney-shaped control port 33 is greater than two. As a result of pressure medium flowing via the compensating flow path 60 from the cylinder bore 42.1 belonging to the control opening 39.1 into the cylinder bore 42.5 belonging to the control opening 39.5, the pressure rises in the latter to higher than the low pressure, while it drops in the cylinder bore 42.1. The control opening 39.6 and the control opening 39.9 continue to overlap both the compensating bores 55 and 57 and the kidney-shaped control port 32. For the compensating fluid path 59 nothing continues to have changed.

(23) Once the cylinder drum 40 has rotated five degrees further into the position shown in FIG. 4d, the opening cross section between the control opening 39.1 and the kidney-shaped control port 33 has become greater than the cross-sectional area of the compensating bore 56 and the pressure in the cylinder bore 42.1 becomes lower than in the cylinder bore 42.5. Since some time is required before the direction of flow of the pressure fluid in the compensating fluid path 60 changes under reversing pressure conditions and the pressure fluid flows counter to the original direction, the higher pressure remains in the cylinder bore 42.5 until the control opening 39.5 has come out of overlap with the compensating opening 58. This has happened after a further rotation of the cylinder drum 40 into the rotational position shown in FIG. 4e. In the rotational position according to FIG. 4d, the control opening 39.6 has left the compensating opening 57. For the compensating fluid path 59, nothing continues to have changed. High pressure continues to prevail therein.

(24) In the rotational position, shown in FIG. 4e, of the cylinder drum 40 relative to the control lens 18, the control opening 39.1 continues to be open both toward the kidney-shaped control port 33 and toward the compensating opening 56, and so the pressure in the compensating fluid path 60 drops to the low pressure. The control opening 39.9 continues to be open both toward the kidney-shaped control port 32 and toward the compensating opening 55. The control opening 39.5 is located between the two compensating openings 58 and 57, and so, via the control openings 39.1, 39.9 and the two compensating fluid paths 59 and 60, there is no fluidic connection between the kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33 and thus between high pressure and low pressure. Such a connection would impair the efficiency of the axial piston machine.

(25) After a further rotation through five degrees, i.e. after a rotation of 25 degrees in total starting from the rotational position according to FIG. 4a, the cylinder drum has reached the rotational position according to FIG. 4f The control opening 39.1 continues to be open both toward the kidney-shaped control port 33 and toward the compensating opening 56. The low pressure thus prevails therein. The control opening 39.9 continues to be open toward the kidney-shaped control port 32 and toward the compensating opening 55. The control opening 39.5 has opened toward the compensating opening 57. Thus, as a result of the higher pressure in the control opening 39.9 compared with the pressure in the control opening 39.5, the pressure fluid in the compensating fluid path 59 is accelerated. Pressure fluid flows toward the control opening 39.5, with the result that the pressure in this control opening and in the cylinder bore 42.5 increases further from the level that is already above the low pressure, while the pressure in 39.9 (42.9) drops as a result of pressure fluid flowing out to the control opening 39.5. The control opening 39.4 now reaches the compensating opening 58, but nothing changes in the compensating fluid path 60 as a result.

(26) While the cylinder drum 40 is on its way to the rotational position according to FIG. 4g, the pressure in the control opening 39.5 increases further, while the pressure in the control opening 39.9 drops to a value below the high pressure and above the low pressure. In the rotational position according to FIG. 4g, the opening cross section between the control opening 39.9 and the kidney-shaped control port 32 is the same size as the opening cross section between the control opening 39.5 and the kidney-shaped control port 32 and in turn very small. The control openings 39.1 and 39.4 are equally wide open toward the kidney-shaped control port 33 and also toward the compensating openings 56 and 58, and so low pressure continues to prevail in the compensating fluid path.

(27) During the rotation of the cylinder drum 40 through a further five degrees into the rotational position shown in FIG. 4h and during the rotation beyond this position, the opening cross section between the control opening 39.5 and the kidney-shaped control port 32 becomes larger and larger and the pressure in the control opening 39.5 increases to the high-pressure level. The control opening 39.9 initially continues to remain open toward the compensating opening 55. In spite of the now higher pressure in the control opening 39.5 compared with the pressure in the control opening 39.9, no pressure medium flows back to the control opening 39.9 via the compensating fluid path 59. This is because the inductance of the oil column in a compensating fluid path has a significant influence on the dynamics of the changeover. Since the compensating fluid paths are relatively long and thin, some time is required before the oil column in a compensating fluid path is accelerated and before the direction of flow in a compensating fluid path changes under reversing pressure conditions and the pressure fluid flows counter to the original direction. In a hydrostatic axial piston machine according to the disclosure, this operation happens once for each individual compensating fluid path per changeover operation. These dynamics can be considered when setting the opening angle of the kidney-shaped control ports.

(28) In the control lens 18 shown in FIGS. 4a to 4h, the clear angular spacing of the compensating openings 55, 56, 57 and 58 from the adjacent kidney-shaped control port 32, 33 is exactly the same size as the angular width of a compensating opening. The control lens according to FIGS. 4a to 4h is intended for use in axial piston machines that tend to run slowly. In axial piston machines that tend to run quickly, it is advantageous to use a control lens with longer kidney-shaped control ports, such that the opening cross section between a control opening 39 and a kidney-shaped control port 32, 33 is increased in size in particular angular positions of the cylinder drum relative to the control lens.

(29) Such a control lens 18 is shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b. The positions of the control openings 39 relative to the control lens in FIG. 5a correspond to the positions according to FIG. 4a and the positions of the control openings 39 relative to the control lens in FIG. 5b correspond correspond to the positions according to FIG. 4c. The arrangement and size of the compensating openings 55, 56, 57 and 58 are chosen to be the same in the control lens 18 according to FIGS. 5a and 5b as in the control lens according to FIGS. 4a to 4h. It is apparent that the kidney-shaped control ports 32 and 33 of the control lens according to FIGS. 5a and 5b extend closer to the compensating openings than in the control lens according to FIGS. 4a to 4h, wherein the angular spacing between the compensating openings and the adjacent kidney-shaped control port is in turn the same for all compensating openings. This has the result that, in the positions, corresponding to FIG. 4c, of the control openings 39 relative to the control lens 18 according to FIG. 5b, the same-sized opening cross sections 66 between the control openings 39.1 and 39.5 are larger than in the use of the control lens according to FIGS. 4a to 4h, this also being the case for the same-sized opening cross sections between the control openings 39.5 and 39.9 in the positions, corresponding to FIG. 4g, of the control openings relative to the control lens.

(30) If pressure fluid delivered by a pump flows to the working port, connected to the kidney-shaped control port 33, of the axial piston machine, the cylinder drum 40 rotates clockwise relative to the control plate 18 in the views according to FIGS. 2, 4a to 4h and 5. The pressure compensation between the displacement spaces via the fluid paths 59 and 60 then takes place analogously to counterclockwise rotation. A position of the cylinder bores 42 and of the control openings 39 according to FIG. 4a is then followed, in 5-degree increments, by the positions according to FIGS. 4h, 4g, 4f, 4e, 4d, 4c and 4b in that order.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(31) 10 Two-part housing 11 Housing part of 10 12 End plate of 10 13 Leakage oil port in 11 14 Interior of 10 15 Drive shaft 16 Drive flange 17 Hollow bearing faces on 12 18 Control plate 19 Bearing faces on 18 22 Central bore in 18 23 Adjusting pin 24 Adjustable stop 25 Adjustable stop 26 Control face of 18 27 Channel in 18 30 Aperture in 18 31 Aperture in 18 32 Kidney-shaped control port in 18 33 Kidney-shaped control port in 18 34 Rectangular slot in 18 35 Rectangular slot in 18 36 Changeover web in 26 37 Changeover web in 26 39 Control opening of 42 40 Cylinder drum 41 Bearing face on 40 42 Cylinder bore in 40 43 Opening duct of 42 44 Piston in 42 45 Ball head of 44 46 Retaining plate for 44 47 Through-bore in 40 48 Helical compression spring 49 Central pin 55 Compensating opening 56 Compensating opening 57 Compensating opening 58 Compensating opening 59 First compensating fluid path 60 Second compensating fluid path 61 Oblique bore 62 Oblique bore 63 Bore 64 Bore 65 Plane of symmetry 66 Opening cross section