The present invention relates to a motor or a gear pump including a hydraulic gear pump. The motor or the gear pump is used for power conversion in various apparatuses.
A hydraulic gear pump includes: a pair of spur gears housed in a hollow space provided in a body with the spur gears meshing with each other; a driving axle and a driven axle of the respective spur gears; a suction passage for supplying hydraulic oil as working liquid provided in a low-pressure area in which the spur gears separate; and a discharge passage for discharging the hydraulic oil from the hollow space provided in a high-pressure area in which the spur gears mesh (see Patent literature 1).
Furthermore, a hydraulic helical gear pump that uses helical gears in place of spur gears has also been proposed (see Patent Literature 2). The helical gears are characterized by quietness and continuous tooth contact without containment.
In the hydraulic gear pump, a pair of spur gears 23 and 24 that mesh with each other are housed in a hollow space 19 provided in the body 11 which is called a spectacle-shaped hole. The spur gear 23 is fixed to a driving axle 21 rotated by a motor which is not shown. The spur gear 24 is fixed to a driven axle 22. The spur gears 23 and 24, meshing with each other, are rotated by the driving axle 21 in the respective directions indicated by the arrows in
In the low-pressure area where teeth of the paired spur gears 23 and 24 in the hollow space 19 provided in the body 11 separate from each other, a suction passage 31 is formed for supplying hydraulic oil to the hollow space 19. In the high-pressure area where teeth of the paired spur gears 23 and 24 in the hollow space 19 provided in the body 11 mesh, a discharge passage 33 is formed for discharging hydraulic oil from the hollow space 19.
As shown in
If the capacity of the hydraulic gear pump is to be increased, the flow rate of the hydraulic oil sucked by the pump is also increased. Thus, it is necessary to prepare the suction passage 31 with a large scale. However, the opening of the large-scaled suction passage 31 interferes with the outskirt of the low-pressure area in the hollow space 19, since the cross section of the suction passage 31 has a circular shape as mentioned earlier. The areas L shown in
Meanwhile, if, despite an increase in the capacity of the pump, the suction passage 31 is not enlarged, the flow velocity of the hydraulic oil should increase due to the small opening area of the suction passage. This causes the generation of cavitation.
The present invention is made for solving the aforementioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a gear pump or a motor, in which the sealing area is adequately secured and the pump volumetric efficiency is maintained even if the cross sectional area of the flow-in passage is increased, to thereby supply a hydraulic liquid in a preferable manner.
The invention of claim 1 includes: a pair of gears housed in a hollow space provided in a body, in a state where the gears mesh with each other; a suction passage for supplying a hydraulic liquid to the hollow space; and a discharge passage for discharging the hydraulic liquid from the hollow space. The suction passage has an opening with respect to the hollow space, and the dimension of the opening in the direction along the tooth width of the gear is larger than the dimension of the opening in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the gear.
In the invention of claim 2 according to claim 1, the dimension of the opening, of the suction passage, with respect to the hollow space in the direction along the tooth width of the gear is larger than the dimension, in the direction along the tooth width of the gear, of the opening of the suction passage in the side from which the hydraulic liquid is supplied, and the dimension of the opening, of the suction passage, with respect to the hollow space in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the gear is smaller than the dimension, in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the gear, of the opening of the suction passage in the side from which the hydraulic liquid is supplied.
In the invention of claim 3 according to claim 2, the opening of the suction passage in the side from which the hydraulic liquid is supplied is shaped in a circle, the dimension of the opening of the suction passage with respect to the hollow space in the direction along the tooth width of the gear is larger than the diameter of the circle, and the dimension of the opening, of the suction passage, with respect to the hollow space in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the gear is smaller than the diameter of the circle.
In the invention of claim 4 according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the cross sectional area of the suction passage is constant from the opening in the side from which the hydraulic liquid is supplied to the opening with respect to the hollow space.
In the invention of claim 5 according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the gear is a spur gear, and the opening of the suction passage with respect to the hollow space has opposite ends with respect to the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the spur gear parallel to the tooth tip line of the spur gear in an area, of the opening, which faces the spur gear.
In the invention of claim 6 according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the gear is a helical gear, and the dimension of the opening, of the suction passage, with respect to the hollow space in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gear is larger in the side where helical gears which are paired and mesh with each other separate earlier and smaller in the side where the paired helical gears meshing with each other separate later, in an area, of the opening, which faces the helical gears.
In the invention of claim 7 according to claim 6, the opening of the suction passage with respect to the hollow space has opposite ends in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears, and each of the opposite ends is shaped in a sine curve corresponding to the tooth tip line of the helical gears, in the area of the opening, which faces the helical gears.
The invention of claim 8 includes: a pair of helical gears housed in a hollow space provided in a body, in a state where the helical gears mesh with each other; a suction passage for supplying a hydraulic liquid to the hollow space; and a discharge passage for discharging the hydraulic liquid from the hollow space. The opening of the suction passage with respect to the hollow space has a dimension in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears. The dimension is larger in the side where the helical gears that are paired and mesh with each other separate earlier and smaller in the side where the paired helical gears meshing with each other separate later, in the area, of the opening, which faces the helical gears.
In the invention of claim 9 according to claim 8, the opening of the suction passage with respect to the hollow space has opposite ends in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears shaped in a sine curve corresponding to the tooth tip line of the helical gears, in the area of the opening, which faces the helical gears.
According to the invention of claim 1, the cross sectional area of the suction passage can be increased while the sealing area between the inner peripheral face of the hollow space and the tooth tips of the gear is secured. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the pump volumetric efficiency from deteriorating due to reduction in the flow rate of the hydraulic liquid. In addition, it is possible to prevent cavitation by controlling the occurrence of defective suction, to thereby enable a prolonged product life.
According to the invention of claim 2, the dimension of the opening in the direction along the tooth width of the gear is increased while the cross sectional area of the suction passage is kept constant. This can reduce the dimension of the opening in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the spur gear. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently increase the cross sectional area of the suction passage, while the sealing area between the inner peripheral face of the hollow space and the tooth tips of the spur gear is secured.
According to the invention of claim 3, the suction passage can be connected to a hydraulic-liquid supply tube or the like, using a commonly-used apparatus.
According to the invention of claim 4, the hydraulic liquid can be smoothly supplied from the suction passage to the hollow space.
According to the invention of claim 5, when spur gears are used as the paired gears, it is possible to efficiently increase the cross sectional area of the suction passage while the sealing area between the inner peripheral face of the hollow space and the tooth tips of the gear is secured.
According to the inventions of claims 6 to 9, when helical gears are used as the paired gears, it is possible to further efficiently increase the cross sectional area of the suction passage while the sealing area between the inner peripheral face of the hollow space and the tooth tips of the gear is secured.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described, with reference to the drawings.
The gear pump uses hydraulic oil as a hydraulic liquid, and serves as a hydraulic gear pump for sending the hydraulic oil by the operation of a pair of spur gears 23 and 24. The gear pump includes a body 11 held between a front cover 12 and a rear cover 13 via a gasket 14, and a pair of the spur gears 23 and 24 that mesh with each other and are housed in a hollow space 19 that is provided in the body 11 and is called as a spectacle-shaped hole. The spur gear 23 is fixed to a driving axle 21 that is rotated by a motor which is not shown. The spur gear 24 is fixed to a driven axle 22. Each of the driving axle 21 and the driven axle 22 has one end pivotally supported, via a bush 15, by a bearing hole 17 provided in the front cover 12, and the other end pivotally supported, via a bush 16, by a bearing hole 18 provided in the rear cover 13. The spur gears 23 and 24, meshing with each other, are individually rotated by the driving axle 21 in the direction indicated by the arrows in
In a low-pressure area in the hollow space 19 provided in the body 11, where teeth of each of the paired spur gears 23 and 24 separate from each other, a suction passage 32 for supplying the hydraulic oil to the hollow space 19 is formed. In a high-pressure area in the hollow space 19 provided in the body 11, where teeth of each of the paired spur gears 23 and 24 mesh with each other, a discharge passage 33 for discharging the hydraulic oil from the hollow space 19 is formed. It should be noted that the discharge passage 33 may be formed to extend in an X direction that is the direction along the axle center of each of the driving axle 21 and the driven axle 22 (a direction perpendicular to the sheet of
As shown in these drawings, the cross section of the suction passage 32 has a rectangular shape viewed from the hollow space 19 side in the body 11, and has a circular shape viewed from the outside of the body 11 (a side from which the hydraulic oil is supplied). The suction passage 32 has a shape in which the rectangular shape in the hollow space 19 side in the body is smoothly connected with the circular shape in the outside of the body 11. As aforementioned, the shape of the suction passage 32 in the side from which the hydraulic oil is supplied is a circle, so that a commonly-used apparatus can be used when the suction passage 32 is connected to a supply tube or the like for supplying the hydraulic oil.
Regarding the rectangular shape of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11, a dimension in a direction along the tooth width of the spur gears 23 and 24 (X direction) is larger than a dimension in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the spur gears 23 and 24 (Y direction). In other words, a long side of the rectangular extends in the direction along the tooth width of the spur gears 23 and 24, and a short side extends in the direction perpendicular to the tooth width direction.
Regarding the rectangular shape of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11, the dimension in the direction along the tooth width of the spur gears 23 and 24 (the direction along the long side of the rectangular shape) is larger than the diameter of the opening of the suction passage 32 in the outside of the body 11, and a dimension in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the spur gears 23 and 24 (the direction along the short side of the rectangular shape) is smaller than the diameter of the opening of the suction passage 32 in the outside of the body 11.
The cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 from its opening in the outside of the body 11 (the side from which the hydraulic oil is supplied) to its opening with respect to the hollow space 19 is substantially constant.
The suction passage 32 has such a shape, to thereby increase its cross sectional area while adequately securing the sealing area L, which is shown in
The dimension, in the direction along the tooth width of the spur gears 23 and 24, of the opening of the suction passage 32 with respect to the hollow space 19 is increased, while the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 is kept constant. This reduces the dimension, in the direction perpendicular to the tooth width direction, of the opening of the suction passage 32 with respect to the hollow space 19. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enable the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 to be increased while the sealing area L between the inner peripheral face of the hollow space 19 and the tooth tips of the spur gears 23 and 24 is secured.
In addition, the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 from its opening in the side from which the hydraulic oil is supplied to its opening with respect to the hollow space 19 is substantially constant, thereby allowing the hydraulic oil to be smoothly supplied from the suction passage 32 to the hollow space 19.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the suction passage 32 has a shape in which the rectangular shape in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 is smoothly connected with the circular shape in the outside of the body 11. Here, the suction passage 32 may have a shape in which the rectangular shape is stepwise connected with the circle. Alternatively, the suction passage 32 may have shapes other than the shape in which the rectangular shape is connected with the circle.
The suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 has a rectangular shape in the aforementioned first embodiment, whereas the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 has an oval shape in this first modification. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.
If such a configuration is adopted, the shape of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 is close to the rectangular shape shown in
The suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 has the rectangular shape in the embodiment shown in
If such a configuration is adopted, the shape of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 is similar to the rectangular shown in
Subsequently, another embodiment of the present invention is described.
The gear pump uses hydraulic oil as the hydraulic liquid, and serves as a hydraulic gear pump for sending the hydraulic oil by operation of a pair of helical gears 25 and 26. The gear pump includes the body 11 held between the front cover 12 and the rear cover 13, a pair of the helical gears 25 and 26 that mesh with each other and are housed in the hollow space 19 that is provided in the body 11 and is called a spectacle-shaped hole, and side plates 27 and 28 that hold a pair of the helical gears 25, 26 in the hollow space 19. The helical gear 25 is fixed to the driving axle 21 that is rotated by a motor which is not shown. The helical gear 26 is fixed to the driven axle 22. Each of the driving axle 21 and the driven axle 22 has one end pivotally supported, via the bush 15, by the bearing hole 17 provided in the side plate 27, and the other end pivotally supported, via the bush 16, by the bearing hole 18 provided in the side plate 28. The helical gears 25 and 26, meshing with each other, are individually rotated by the driving axle 21 in the directions indicated by the arrows in
In a low-pressure area in the hollow space 19 provided in the body 11, where teeth of each of the paired helical gears 25 and 26 separate from each other, the suction passage 32 for supplying the hydraulic oil to the hollow space 19 is formed. In a high-pressure area in the hollow space 19 provided in the body 11, where teeth of each of the paired helical gears 25 and 26 mesh with each other, the discharge passage 33 for discharging the hydraulic oil from the hollow space 19 is formed. It should be noted that the discharge passage 33 may be formed to extend in the X direction that is the direction along the axle center of each of the driving axle 21 and the driven axle 22 (a direction perpendicular to the sheet of
As shown in
Regarding the opening of the suction passage 32 in the side close to the hollow space 19 in the body 11, a dimension in a direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26 (X direction) is larger than a dimension in a direction perpendicular to the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26 (Y direction).
Regarding the opening of the suction passage 32 in the side close to the hollow space 19 in the body 11, the dimension in the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26 is larger than the diameter of the opening of the suction passage 32 in the outside of the body 11, and the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26 is smaller than the diameter of the opening of the suction passage 32 in the outside of the body 11.
The cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 from its opening part in the outside of the body 11 (the side from which the hydraulic oil is supplied) to the opening part with respect to the hollow space 19 is substantially constant.
The opening of the suction passage 32 has two sides that are the sine curves 39 corresponding to the tooth tip line of the helical gears 25 and 26, to thereby increase the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 while adequately securing the sealing area L, which is shown in
The dimension, in the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26, of the opening of the suction passage 32 with respect to the hollow space 19 is increased, while the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 is kept constant. This reduces the dimension, in the direction perpendicular to the tooth width direction, of the opening of the suction passage 32 with respect to the hollow space 19. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enable the configuration in which the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 is increased while the sealing area L between the inner peripheral face of the hollow space 19 and the tooth tips of the helical gears 25 and 26 is secured.
The cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 from its opening in the side from which the hydraulic oil is supplied to the opening with respect to the hollow space 19 is substantially constant, thereby allowing the hydraulic oil to be smoothly supplied from the suction passage 32 to the hollow space 19.
The opening, which is shown in
The shape of the opening of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 has two sides shaped in the sine curves 39 each corresponding to the tooth tip line of the helical gears 25 and 26 in the aforementioned second embodiment. Here, the two sides are shaped in straight lines in the modification. Other configurations are the same as those in the second embodiment.
If such a configuration is adopted, the shape of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 is close to the opening shape shown in
The capacity of the gear pump, for example, may cause the tooth tip line of the helical gears 25 and 26 to have a large angle with respect to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26. In such a case, the cross sectional area of the suction passage 32 in the hollow space 19 side in the body 11 has two opposite sides that are sine curves 38 each of which has a large angle with respect to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26. The sine curves 38 correspond to the tooth tip line of the helical gears 25 and 26. In this case, in the opening shape of the suction passage 32 in the side close to the hollow space 19 in the body 11, a dimension in the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26 (X direction) is smaller than a dimension in a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the direction along the tooth width of the helical gears 25 and 26, unlike the aforementioned embodiment.
However, even in the case where such a configuration is adopted, the two opposite sides of the cross section of the suction passage 32 define the sine curves 38 that correspond to the tooth tip line of each of the helical gears 25 and 26. Accordingly, the cross sectional shape of the suction passage 32 matches the tooth tip line of the helical gears 25 and 26, to thereby enable the increase in the cross sectional area of the suction passage for securing a sealing area.
In the gear pumps according to the first and second embodiments mentioned earlier, hydraulic oil having pressure higher than that of the discharge passage 33 can be introduced. This takes a rotary torque from the driving axle 21 and allows the gear pump to function as a gear motor exhibiting a motor effect in which an external load is driven, and the hydraulic oil that has a low pressure is discharged from the suction passage 32. In other words, the gear pump according to each of the embodiments mentioned earlier also serves as a gear motor.
Although hydraulic oil is used as the hydraulic liquid in the first and second embodiments mentioned earlier, a hydraulic liquid other than hydraulic oil, such as other liquids, fluids and semiliquids, can be used.