Patent Application
20110274567
The present invention pertains to a lubricant pump for conveying lubricant to at least one lubricating point, featuring a pump unit with at least one input shaft, at least one pump element for conveying lubricant, and means for driving the at least one pump element by means of the input shaft. The invention furthermore pertains to a machine with such a lubricant pump.
For example, a pump of this type that is suitable for supplying lubricating points with oil or the like is known, e.g., from DE 20 2006 005 682 U1. In a few applications such as, e.g., in baling presses, it is necessary to supply individual lubricating points with different lubricants, e.g., oil and grease. Until now, this was realized with separate pumps that respectively have their own power sources. With respect to the required structural space and the number of required components, this pump is considered to be in need of improvement.
It is therefore the objective of the invention to propose a lubricant pump of the above-described type that has a simple and compact design and is suitable for supplying individual lubricating points with different lubricants.
This objective is attained with a pump according to Claim 1. The invention is based on the notion of creating a tandem pump that can drive different pump units for supplying lubricating points with different lubricants by means of a single drive.
The first pump unit of the inventive lubricant pump is realized, for example, similar to the pump known from DE 20 2006 005 682 U1. According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, another pump unit is provided in addition to this first pump unit and coupled thereto, wherein this other pump unit also features at least one pump element for conveying grease or a similar lubricant and additional means for driving this at least one pump element. In this case, these additional means of the (second) pump unit are connected to the input shaft of the first pump unit or an output shaft of the first pump unit in order to be driven. In other words, either an input shaft is provided that simultaneously drives both pump units or an output shaft or a device for receiving the input shaft of the second pump unit is provided within the first pump unit such that both pump units can be jointly driven when driving the input shaft of the first pump unit.
In this context, the present invention is not limited to embodiments, in which oil is pumped in the first pump unit that features the (joint) input shaft and grease is pumped in the second pump unit. Both pump units, in principle, are suitable for conveying lubricants. This means that either identical or different lubricants can be conveyed with the two pump units. When conveying different lubricants, it is irrelevant whether the lubricant with the higher viscosity is conveyed in the first pump unit or another pump unit.
The inventive design of the lubricant pump in the form of a tandem pump with only one input shaft or only one drive results in a compact design and can be installed easier than solutions with different lubricant pumps. In addition, cost advantages are attained because only a single drive is required. This can be realized mechanically or in other suitable ways.
In order to simplify the exchange of the individual pump units, it is preferred that each of the pump units features a separate housing. In this respect, the housings of the pump units may be connected to one another such that they form a common unit. However, this is preferably realized in such a way that the housings can be separated from one another in a nondestructive fashion, for example, with screw connections. In this respect, it is particularly preferred if the housings are adapted to one another for the assembly, e.g., by providing the two pump units with mutually assigned connecting means such as through-openings for screws, pocket or threaded holes or the like. If each of the two pump units features a separate housing, it is also possible to largely utilize existing components for the inventive tandem lubricant pump.
It is preferred to integrate a lubricant reservoir into at least one of the pump units. This is particularly advantageous for a pump unit that serves for conveying grease. However, it would alternatively also be possible that at least one of the pump units features a separate lubricant reservoir that is connected to the respective pump unit via a suitable lubricant line. This solution is frequently preferred for conveying oil to different lubricating points.
According to an additional development of the invention, it is proposed that the first pump unit features a connecting region for connecting the other pump unit, wherein the other pump unit does not extend beyond the connecting region in at least one direction. In other words, the first pump unit features a region that is not covered by the other pump unit in the assembled state of the two pump units. If the input shaft is arranged in the first pump unit outside of this connecting region, a particularly space-saving design can be achieved while preventing the other pump unit from covering the installation space for the input shaft of the first pump unit.
With respect to the accessibility of, if applicable, several pump elements, it is preferred to respectively arrange these pump elements on the side of a pump unit that faces away from the other pump unit. This makes it possible to exchange individual pump elements without having to dismount the entire lubricant pump with both pump units. This furthermore provides advantages with respect to the options for connecting the lubricant lines leading away from the pump elements. Monitoring the function of the pump elements is also simplified in this fashion.
The means for driving one of the pump elements may comprise, for example, a swash plate and/or a cam plate.
It furthermore proved particularly advantageous to provide the first pump unit with another input shaft, to which is assigned a transmission that can be coupled to the means for driving the pump elements. In this way, the different transmission ratios make it possible to actuate the pump units with different speeds depending on which of the two input shafts drives the inventive tandem lubricant pump.
The invention furthermore pertains to a machine such as, for example, a baling press with at least one lubricating point to be supplied with oil and at least one lubricating point to be supplied with grease. For this purpose, the inventive machine features at least one tandem lubricant pump of the above-described type in order to respectively supply the lubricating points with oil and grease. However, it would also be possible, in principle, to use lubricants other than oil or grease in the inventive machine.
The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to the drawings. In this case, all described and/or graphically illustrated characteristics form the object of the invention individually or in any sensible combination, regardless of their combination in the claims or their references to other claims.
In the schematic drawings:
In the embodiment according to
In the illustration according to
The second pump unit 3 is equipped with an integrated lubricant reservoir 10. An input shaft 11 of the pump unit 3 can be connected to the hollow shaft journal 9 of the first pump unit 2 such that the second pump unit 3 is also driven via the hollow shaft journal 9 and the input shaft 11 when driving one of the input shafts 6a or 6b of the first pump unit 2. A connecting plate with several openings 12 arranged therein is furthermore arranged in the second pump unit 3. The arrangement of the openings 12 is adapted to the positions of the threaded bores 8 of the first pump unit such that the two pump units 2, 3 can be connected with the aid of screws 13.
Instead of a hollow shaft journal 9, the first pump unit 2 may also feature an output shaft or a shaft receptacle, namely depending on whether a shaft receptacle is provided on the other pump unit 3 or an input shaft protrudes from the other pump unit 3.
According to the embodiment illustrated in
One or more pump elements may also be provided in the other pump unit 3 and driven, for example, by means of a (not-shown) cam plate.
It would be possible, in principle, to provide gearwheel transmissions in one or both pump units 2, 3 such that the rotational speed of the input shafts 6a and 6b differs from the rotational speed, e.g., of the swash plate 14. Furthermore, the means for driving the pump elements such as, e.g., a cam plate, a swash plate or the like can also be actuated with different or identical rotational speeds in both pump units 2, 3. In this way, the conveying speed in the two pump units 2, 3 can also be individually adjusted by selecting the appropriate transmission.
Due to its low manufacturing costs and its small space requirement, the tandem lubricant pump 1 illustrated in the figures is suitable for use in different machines in which different lubricants need to be conveyed. One preferred application in this respect is, e.g., a baling press.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202010006498.8 | May 2010 | DE | national |
