Patent ID: 6155301
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: F15B,F16K

Abstract:
An accumulator connectable to a piping system of a hydraulic circuit, for minimizing variations of the pressure of a working fluid in said piping system, comprising:a vessel body having an inner space;a displaceable partition member fixedly disposed in said inner space so as to fluid-tightly divide said inner space into a gas chamber charged with a suitable pressurized gas, and a fluid chamber connectable through a communicating passage with said piping system for permitting flows of said working fluid through said communicating passage between said piping system and said fluid chamber in response to said variations, so as to minimize said variations, said communicating passage including a first portion and a second portion wherein said second portion is nearer to said fluid chamber than said first portion as viewed in a direction in which said communicating passage extends; andan opening and closing device for opening and closing said communicating passage, said opening and closing device being disposed in said second portion of said communicating passage, and including a valve member movable in opposite directions and a valve seat located on one of opposite sides of said valve member which is remote from said first portion of said communicating passage, said communicating passage being opened by a first movement of said valve member in one of said opposite directions away from said valve seat thereby to permit said flows of said working fluid between said piping system and said fluid chamber except when a rate of increase of said pressure of said working fluid is higher than a predetermined upper limit, said communicating passage being closed by a second movement of said valve member in another of said opposite directions toward said valve seat thereby to inhibit said flows of said working fluid between said piping system and said fluid chamber when said rate is higher than said predetermined upper limit.