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Pump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stopsPump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stops description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090104047, Pump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stops. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
The present disclosure claims the right to priority based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/960,889 filed Oct. 18, 2007. The present disclosure relates generally to a pump and, more particularly, to a pump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stops. Hydraulic tool systems typically employ multiple actuators provided with high pressure fluid from a common pump. In order to efficiently accommodate the different flow and/or pressure requirements of the individual actuators, these systems generally include a pump having variable displacement. Based on individual and/or combined flow and pressure requirements, the pump changes a fluid displacement amount to meet demands. When demand is low, the displacement is reduced to conserve energy. Typical variable displacement pumps used in hydraulic tool systems are known as swashplate or piston type pumps. This type of pump includes a plurality of pistons held against the driving surface of a tiltable swashplate. A joint such as a ball and socket joint is disposed between each piston and the swashplate to allow for relative movement between the swashplate and the pistons. Each piston is slidably disposed to reciprocate within an associated barrel as the pistons rotate relative to the tilted surface of the swashplate. As each piston is retracted from the associated barrel, low pressure fluid is drawn into that barrel. When the piston is forced back into the barrel by the driving surface of the swashplate, the piston pushes the fluid from the barrel at an elevated pressure. The tilt angle of the swashplate is directly related to an amount of fluid pushed from each barrel during a single relative rotation between the pistons and the swashplate. And, based on a restriction of the pump and/or a fluid circuit connected to the pump, the amount of fluid pushed from the barrel during each rotation is directly related to the flow rate and pressure of fluid exiting the pump. Thus, a higher tilt angle equates to a greater flow rate and pressure, while a lower tilt angle results in a lower flow rate and pressure. Similarly, a higher tilt angle requires more power from a driving source to produce the higher flow rates and pressures than does a lower tilt angle. As such, when the demand for fluid is low, the swashplate angle is typically reduced to lower the power consumption of the pump. Although efficient, lowering the swashplate angle too low may result in a sluggish hydraulic tool system. That is, when the angle of the swashplate must ramp up through a relatively large angle to produce a demanded flow rate and/or pressure, the time required for that movement may also be large. As such, the pump may be slow to produce a high flow rate and/or pressure when starting at a very low tilt angle. And, in some cases, movement of the hydraulic tool system may not be possible until the pressure of the fluid exiting the pump exceeds a predetermined threshold level. Thus, even after a demand for fluid is transmitted to the pump, the actuators may not immediately be capable of movement. One way to improve pump responsiveness is to limit the minimum swashplate angle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,123 (the \'123 patent) issued to Childress et al. on Oct. 22, 1996 describes a swashplate type pump having a minimum allowable tilt angle. The swashplate angle is inhibited from being reduced below the minimum allowable tilt angle by way of a mechanical stop. That is, the mechanical stop engages the swashplate at the minimum angle to inhibit further reduction. In this manner, some flow from the pump may always be available for use by associated hydraulic actuators and, because the swashplate is always tilted to some degree, the time required to meet high fluid demands may be reduced. While the pump of the \'123 patent may effectively improve system responsiveness, the improvement may be insufficient or undesired in some situations. That is, based on the application at hand, the minimum swashplate angle may be too low or too high, resulting in low responsiveness or low efficiency. In addition, different machine operators may have preferences regarding the minimum pump flow that are not fully satisfied with a single fixed tilt angle limit. The disclosed pump is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a pump. The pump may include a housing, and at least one pumping mechanism disposed within the housing. The at least one pumping mechanism may have a variable displacement. The pump may also include a plurality of available mechanical stops. Each of the plurality of available mechanical stops may be connectable to the housing and configured to limit a minimum displacement of the at least one pumping mechanism to a different amount. In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of pressurizing fluid. The method may include rotating a shaft to force fluid from a pumping chamber. The method may further include replacing a first component with a second component having a different effective length to change a minimum amount of fluid forced from the pumping chamber during a rotation of the shaft. In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a pump kit. The pump kit may include a first mechanical stop connectable to a variable displacement swashplate type pump. The first mechanical stop may be configured to limit a minimum displacement tilt angle of the variable displacement swashplate type pump to a first angle greater than zero relative to a perpendicular of a driveshaft of the variable displacement swashplate type pump. The pump kit may also include at least a second mechanical stop connectable to the variable displacement swashplate type pump. The at least a second mechanical stop may be configured to limit a minimum displacement tilt angle of the variable displacement swashplate type pump to a second angle greater than zero relative to the perpendicular of the driveshaft of the variable displacement swashplate type pump. The pump kit may further include instructions for changing an effective displacement of the variable displacement swashplate type pump. Continue reading about Pump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stops... Full patent description for Pump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stops Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Pump having multiple minimum flow mechanical stops patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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