Hydraulic accumulator

Abstract

A hydraulic accumulator, particularly a floating piston accumulator, has a housing containing at least one gas chamber and one fluid chamber. The chambers are separated from one another by a barrier element. One of the chambers can be filled with a pressure medium or can be at least partially emptied through a controlling valve assembly having at least one control valve. The controlling valve assembly is an integral component part of the housing, is attached at an end to the housing and is configured as a solid control block. The control block includes the control valve. A costly network of lines between the hydraulic accumulator and the controlling valve assembly is avoided and sealing or leakage problems customary in networks of lines can be totally avoided.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A hydraulic accumulator, comprising: 
 a housing having at least one gas chamber and at least one fluid chamber therein;    a barrier element in said housing separating said gas and fluid chambers; and    a controlling valve assembly attached at one end of said housing as an integral component part thereof, said controlling valve assembly including a solid control block and a first control valve located in said control block, said first control valve being in fluid communication with and controlling the flow of a pressure medium into and out of one of said chambers.    
     
     
         2 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 1  wherein 
 said barrier element is a floating piston.  
 
     
     
         3 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 1  wherein 
 said control block comprises an appendix part engaging an inside surface of said housing and an offset section at a beginning of said appendix part engaging an open end of said housing.  
 
     
     
         4 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 3  wherein 
 said appendix part defines one end of said fluid chamber; and  
 said control block comprises at least one fluid passage with one open end thereof opening with another open end thereof coupled to said control valve.  
 
     
     
         5 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 4  wherein 
 said controlling valve assembly comprises a second control valve in said control block adjacent said first control valve.  
 
     
     
         6 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 5  wherein 
 said second control valve is in fluid communication with said gas chamber for controlling flow of working gas into and out of said gas chamber to control pressure therein.  
 
     
     
         7 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 6  wherein 
 said gas chamber comprises an additional fluid chamber and controls a different structural group in a hydraulic circuit.  
 
     
     
         8 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 5  wherein 
 each of said control valves comprise a 2/2-way valve.  
 
     
     
         9 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 1  wherein 
 said first control valve comprises a 2/2-way valve.  
 
     
     
         10 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 9  wherein 
 said 2/2-way valve is an electrically controlled magnet valve.  
 
     
     
         11 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 8  wherein 
 said 2/2-way valves are electrically controlled magnet valves.  
 
     
     
         12 . A hydraulic accumulator according to  claim 1  wherein 
 said housing and said control block are essentially cylindrical.