Patent ID: 9297427
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: F02C,F05D,F16D,F16H,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A hydraulic shaft coupling apparatus comprising: a pump housing containing a pump chamber and a fluid passage that extends inside the pump housing from one side of the pump chamber, around the pump chamber to a second side of the pump chamber; a shaft coupling connected to the pump housing for rotating the pump housing in response to rotation of the shaft coupling; a first gear mounted in the pump chamber for rotation of the first gear relative to the pump chamber, the first gear being connectable to a shaft with the shaft extending from the pump housing to an exterior environment of the pump housing; a second gear mounted in the pump chamber for rotation of the second gear relative to the pump chamber, the second gear meshing with the first gear whereby with the pump chamber and the fluid passage containing hydraulic fluid, rotation of the shaft coupling results in rotation of the first gear and the second gear and the rotation of the first gear and the second gear pumps the hydraulic fluid to flow from the one side of the pump chamber through the fluid passage to the second side of the pump chamber; a valve on the pump housing and in the fluid passage, the valve being movable between first and second positions of the valve relative to the fluid passage to adjust the flow of hydraulic fluid through the fluid passage, where the valve in the first position causes substantially no restriction to hydraulic fluid flow through the fluid passage and the valve in the second position substantially stops hydraulic fluid flow through the fluid passage, a portion of the valve projecting from the pump housing; a flyweight attached directly to the portion of the valve projecting from the pump housing; the valve being rotatable on the pump housing and in the fluid passage between the first and second positions of the valve; and, the valve moving between the first and second positions of the valve relative to the fluid passage in response to a rotation rate of the pump housing creating a centrifugal force exerted on the flyweight with the valve moving toward the second position of the valve as the rotation rate of the pump housing increases and the valve moving toward the first position of the valve as the rotation rate of the pump housing decreases.