Rotary valve having a fluid bearing
US5901737A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 24, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 11, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 24, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T137/4449
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An improved rotary valve having a gas bearing which prevents contact between the rotating piston and the cylindrical housing. The same working gas which the rotary valve controls is accumulated in an accumulation chamber. Fluid flow passageways, having a fixed flow resistance along their length, connect the accumulator chamber with a plurality of cavities formed on the cylinder wall of the housing. Pressurized gas is thereby pumped into the clearance gap between the piston wall and the cylinder wall, increasing in pressure where the piston wall comes closer to the cylinder wall, and decreasing in pressure where the clearance gap increases. The net effect is a centering force applied to the piston whenever it varies from an equilibrium position.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.