Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Gary G Hegler

Stanley E Anderson, Jr

Kenneth Lee Westercamp

Leonard N Franklin, Jr

Larry E Dinsmore

An electronic variable orifice flow control valve includes a valve body mounted on a hydraulic pump housing in a valve bore of the housing, a valve seat on the valve body, a metering rod cooperating with the vale seat in defining a variable orifice, and a solenoid having an armature connected to the metering rod and mounted on a body of the solenoid for bodily shiftable movement between retracted and extended positions. The solenoid body has a concentric discharge type discharge port therein, i.e. a discharge port through which fluid flows concentric with a longitudinal centerline of the valve bore, and the solenoid armature is tubular so that a fluid flow path is defined from the variable orifice to the concentric discharge type discharge port through the armature.

Flow control valve

A combined power steering pump and vacuum pump assembly is disclosed wherein a vented reservoir is connected to receive the discharge of the vacuum pump as well as supply the fluid for circulation by and lubrication of the power steering pump. A sealing arrangement seals the vacuum pump from the power steering pump when the pumps are stopped but provides limited delivery of the fluid from the power steering pump to the vacuum pump when the pumps are running whereby the fluid in the power steering system is prevented from draining into the vacuum pump when stopped and is delivered thereto when running to lubricate same and is then delivered with the discharge air to the reservoir so that there is no loss of the fluid from the power steering system in lubricating the vacuum pump.

Combined vacuum pump and power steering pump assembly

A hydraulic power steering system has a vane type pump which is operable to supply fluid to a steering gear at a volumetric rate determined in part by the system pressure or the system demand. The vane pump flow is partially bypassed through a valve member disposed in the end cover and thrust plate of the pump. The valve is rotatably disposed in the end cover and spring loaded therein to a position which permits direct fluid communication between the pumping chambers and the pump inlet. The valve member has a portion thereof operated on by system pressure which is operable to close the bypass passages with increasing system pressure such that pump discharge flow to the power steering system will increase. The valve member can be moved sufficiently in response to system pressure to reopen the bypass passages thereby providing a limiting value for maximum system pressure.

Demand responsive hydraulic pump

A vane type hydraulic pump has a pressure plate, thrust plate, cam ring, rotor and vanes, which when assembled, are denoted as the pump rotating group. The thrust plate, pressure plate and cam ring are maintained in axial and angular alignment by a pair of dowel pins which extend between the plates and through the cam ring with a close fit relationship. The plates and cam ring are restrained from rotation by a dowel pin which extends between a close fit in the pump housing and a loose fit in the pressure plate. The rotating group is disposed in a cylindrical cavity in the pump housing which cavity has a diametral dimension cooperating with the outer diameter of the pressure plate and thrust plate to provide a sliding pilot fit at assembly thereby sharing the axial alignment constraint of the pair of dowel pins.

Hydraulic pump rotating group axial alignment structure

A universal joint has a housing which includes an attachment bore which opens into a housing chamber via a counterbore at the inner end of the attachment bore. A seal vent subassembly has an outer rim press which is fitted in the counterbore to form an outer vent chamber which is intersected by a vent hole which extends through the housing wall. The seal vent includes a seal disc which seals the inner end of the attachment bore and a vent disc forms an inner vent chamber in conjunction with the seal disc. The vent disc has a hole establishing communication between the housing chamber and the inner vent chamber, and the rim has holes establishing communication between the inner vent chamber and the outer vent chamber.

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Chesaning, MI, United States of America

Gary G Hegler