This application is the national stage of PCT/EP2006/009765 filed on Oct. 10, 2006.
The invention relates to a vane machine, in particular a vane pump.
A vane pump with a ring-shaped inner rotor is known from DE 100 40 711 A1 and holds a number of vane elements extending radially to the outside, which are radially movable. The radially internal end areas of the vane elements rest upon a rotationally secure central part and the radially external end areas upon a rotationally secure outer ring. The rotor can be turned around a rotary axis which is displaced with respect to the center axis of the central part and the outer ring. Delivery cells, initially becoming larger and then smaller, are thereby formed between the vane elements when the rotor rotates. Due to the volume change of the delivery cells, fluid is initially suctioned into the delivery cells and then discharged. The end areas of the vane elements slide on the central part or on the outer ring. Such a vane pump can be manufactured easily and at low cost.
For increasing the efficiency, a vane machine in the form of a pendulum slide pump is known from DE 195 32 703 C1. The vane elements are thereby slidably held in an inner rotor and are held rotatably in a ring-shaped outer rotor. The rotary axis of the inner rotor is displaced with respect to the rotary axis of the outer rotor as a result of which delivery cells initially becoming larger and then smaller again, also form during operation. However, the pendulum slide pump known from DE 195 32 703 C1 is complex and its production is therefore expensive.
The task of this invention is to create a vane machine which has a high degree of efficiency and can at the same time be produced simply and at little cost.
This task is solved with a vane machine having the characteristics of the independent claim.
By basically holding the radially internal end areas of the vane elements in the inner rotor at fixed angles, very good sealing between the vane elements and the inner rotor is achieved, which improves the efficiency of the vane machine. Moreover, due to the omission of the pivoting option required for a pendulum slide machine, the manufacture of the vane machine according to the invention is simplified in this area which, in turn, lowers the production costs.
Due to the fact that the outer rotor comprises individual shoes for each vane element with which the vane elements are rotatably connected, good sealing between the outer rotor and the vane elements is also achieved in this area, further improving the degree of efficiency of the vane machine according to the invention. Moreover, an additional variable volume results between adjacent shoes during operation of the vane machine design according to the invention which also leads to improved efficiency.
In accordance with an advantageous design of the vane machine, the radially outer area of a vane element is fixed rotatably at its shoe and the shoe is positively driven in the circumferential direction. This avoids the need for a radially internal central element which again simplifies the design of the vane machine according to the invention.
The vane pump design is also simplified when it comprises a rotationally secure housing section arranged radially outside the shoes, against which the shoes glidingly rest during operation. Such a gliding cooperation between the shoes and the rotationally secure housing section allows for good sealing and can nevertheless be implemented at low cost.
A precise compulsory guiding with a simultaneous low frictional resistance, simple production and most of all simple installation can be realized when at least one edge area of a shoe is guided slidingly in a guideway. This can be, for example, a lateral notch or formed between an outer ring and a ring-shaped step of a lateral cover element.
Since the shoes provide a comparatively large sealing surface, sufficient sealing and thus good efficiency of the vane machine according to the invention is achieved even if a sliding bearing of the shoes—as mentioned above, for example—works dryly, i.e. without the use of additional lubricants or sealing compounds. This is especially advantageous when using the vane machine according to the invention as a vacuum pump or compressor, since this prevents contamination of the gas flow by such substances.
In order to minimize the dead volume within a delivery cell and thus optimize the efficiency of the vane machine according to the invention, it is suggested that the shoes extend so far in circumferential direction that the gap between adjacent shoes is nearly zero in every area of the vane machine in which the volume of the first delivery cells is minimal.
It is also advantageous when the vane machine comprises at least one second delivery cell which is formed between the radially internal end area of a vane element and the inner rotor. This delivery cell is of the type used for common piston pumps. This further improves the efficiency, since a larger overall delivery volume is available.
Adding to simplification of the vane machine design, the first and second delivering delivery cells and/or the first and second suctioning delivery cells can each be connected to each other via at least one channel. Moreover, this channel is advantageously available as a notch in a lateral cover element and runs at an angle with respect to a radius line which is larger than 0°, in particular larger than 45°. This prevents any interactions between a vane element and the channel.
A preferential design example of this invention is explained in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings show the following:
In
The circularly thickened end area 36 of a vane element 32 is held in a shoe 38 in a complementary recess (without reference numeral). The vane element 32 and shoe 38 are thereby fixedly connected with each other in the radial direction (arrow R in
The shoes 38 as well as the vane elements 32 are designed identically to each other, as ring-segment-like shell parts with a common center axis. They rest against a radially internal limiting wall of an outer ring 40 which is connected to the housing 12 in a rotationally secure fashion as described further below.
As shown especially in
The left (
The internal kidney-shaped opening 60, the suction kidney 52 and the suction opening 56 are connected fluidically with each other via notch-like channels 64 also disposed on the interior of the cover element 50a facing the vane elements 32. Analogously, the kidney-shaped recess 62, the pressure kidney 54 and the pressure opening 58 are connected with each other via corresponding notch-like channels 66. The channels 64 and 66 run at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the radius line R.
As shown especially in
The vane pump 10 works as follows, first of all regarding the position of the unit 68 shown in
Due to the guiding of the vane elements 32 in the slots 30 and the positive holding of the swivel axis 36 of a vane element 32 in the recess in the shoe 38 complementary thereto, adjacent delivery cells 80 are well sealed with respect to each other. Due to the increasing volumes of the first delivery cells 80 on the suction side 81, fluid is suctioned into the delivery cells 80 via the corresponding suction kidney 52, the kidney-shaped opening 22 and the inlet 18. As shown very clearly in
As shown in the same figures, a slot 30 between the radially internal end area 34 and the inner rotor 28 forms a second delivery cell 84 the volume of which also increases on the suction side 81 and decreases on the pressure side 83. These delivery cells 84 are also filled with fluid on the suction side via the radially internal kidney-shaped opening 60, the channels 64, the suction kidney 52 and the kidney-shaped opening 22. As the volume of the first delivery cells 80 and the second delivery cells 84 thereby decreases on the pressure side 83, the fluid located therein is pressed via the pressure kidney 54 or the kidney-shaped opening 62 and the channels 66 to the kidney-shaped opening 24 and from there to the outlet 20. The fluid volume 82 located between adjacent shoes 38 can also escape through the pressure opening 58 to the outlet 20. As also shown very clearly in
As already stated above, the shoes 38 with their radial outside interact slidingly with the inner wall of the outer ring 40. Due to the comparatively large sealing surface, a good sealing between adjacent first delivery cells 80 is maintained without the need of additional sealants, in particular, without lubricants. A reduction of the sliding friction between the shoes 38 and the outer ring 40 can be achieved with a corresponding choice of material.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2006/009765 | 10/10/2006 | WO | 00 | 11/21/2007 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2007/101457 | 9/13/2007 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2064635 | Stern | Dec 1936 | A |
2250947 | Carpenter | Sep 1941 | A |
2778317 | Cockburn | Jan 1957 | A |
3421413 | Adams et al. | Jan 1969 | A |
7540729 | Schneider | Jun 2009 | B2 |
20060191360 | Beez | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20070292291 | Schneider et al. | Dec 2007 | A1 |
20080014108 | Schneider | Jan 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
393 530 | Feb 1933 | BE |
195 04 220 | Aug 1996 | DE |
319 467 | Sep 1929 | IT |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20090169409 A1 | Jul 2009 | US |