Vacuum pump lubricant supply systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697461-B2
Application number	US-201515541820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A vacuum pump lubricant supply system has a lubricant reservoir and a wicking element. The body portion has opposed major surfaces and a finger. The lubricant reservoir has a major surface engaging one of the opposed major surfaces of the body portion so that lubricant can migrate through the engaging major surfaces into the body portion. The finger projects from the body portion to engage a lubricant transfer device provided on a rotor shaft so that lubricant can wick from the body portion to the lubricant transfer device via the finger. The body portion has an edge provided with a cut-out so that the major surface of the body portion that engages the major surface of the lubricant container has a total surface area that is less than the total surface area of the major surface of the lubricant container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum pump comprising:
a housing;
a rotor shaft supported by a bearing arrangement for rotation relative to said housing;
a lubricant supply system; and

a lubricant transfer device provided on said rotor shaft to transfer lubricant received from said lubricant supply system to a rolling bearing of said bearing arrangement,
wherein said lubricant supply system comprises a lubricant reservoir and a wicking element through which lubricant is transferred from said lubricant reservoir to said lubricant transfer device,
said wicking element comprises a body portion having an inner periphery and an outer periphery and a finger projecting from said inner periphery to engage said lubricant transfer device,
said lubricant reservoir has a surface through which said lubricant is transferred to said body portion,
the body portion has a surface facing said surface of the lubricant reservoir to receive the lubricant transferred through said surface of the lubricant reservoir, and
at least one of said inner periphery and said outer periphery is provided with at least one cut-out such that a perimeter of the body portion along the at least one cut-out contacts the surface of the lubricant reservoir and such that said surface of the wicking element has a total surface area that is less that the total surface area of said surface of the lubricant reservoir.

2. A vacuum pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said lubricant reservoir comprises a first reservoir portion and a second reservoir portion, said first reservoir having said surface through which lubricant is transferred to said body portion and said second reservoir having a second surface through which lubricant is transferred to said body portion, said wicking element is disposed intermediate said first and second reservoir portions and has a second surface facing said surface of said second reservoir portion to receive lubricant transferred from said second reservoir portion and said at least one cut-out defines a flow path between said first reservoir portion and said second reservoir portion through which lubricant can flow from said first reservoir portion to said second reservoir portion without passing into said wicking element.

3. A vacuum pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said lubricant reservoir further comprises an external wall, said outer periphery of said body portion is provided with a plurality of said cut-outs to define respective first portions of said outer periphery and said outer periphery includes a plurality of second portions disposed outwardly of said first portions and configured to engage said external wall to center said wicking element with respect to said rotor shaft.

4. A vacuum pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a said cut-out is provided at said outer periphery opposite said finger to define a constriction in a lubricant flow path to said finger.

5. A vacuum pump as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said wicking element comprises a second said finger projecting from said inner periphery and a respective oppositely disposed cut-out provided at said outer periphery and said finger and said second finger are disposed in diametrically opposed spaced apart relation.

6. A vacuum pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said lubricant reservoir has an aperture, said body portion has an aperture, said apertures are aligned and said lubricant transfer device is received in said aligned apertures.

7. A vacuum pump lubricant supply system comprising:
a lubricant reservoir; and
a wicking element that comprises a body portion having an inner periphery, an outer periphery and opposed surfaces and at least one finger projecting from said inner periphery,
wherein said lubricant reservoir comprises a lubricant container that has a surface engaging one of said opposed surfaces of said body portion so that lubricant can migrate through said engaging surfaces into said body portion,
said at least one finger projects from said inner periphery to, in use, engage a lubricant transfer device provided on a rotor shaft of a vacuum pump so that lubricant can wick from said body portion to said lubricant transfer device via said at least one finger, and
at least one of said inner periphery and said outer periphery is provided with at least one cut-out such that a perimeter of the body portion along the at least one cut-out contacts the surface of the lubricant reservoir and so that said surface of said body portion that engages said surface of said lubricant container has a total surface area that is less than the total surface area of said surface of said lubricant container.

8. A vacuum pump lubricant supply system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said lubricant reservoir comprises a first reservoir portion and a second reservoir portion, said first reservoir portion having the surface through which lubricant can migrate into said body portion and said second reservoir portion having a second surface through which lubricant can migrate into said body portion, said body portion is disposed between said first and second reservoir portions such that said opposed surfaces of said body portion engage the surface of the first reservoir portion and the second surface of the second reservoir portion, respectively, and said at least one cut-out defines a flow path through which lubricant can flow from said first reservoir portion to said second reservoir portion without passing into said wicking element.

9. A vacuum pump lubrication system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said outer periphery is provided with a plurality of said cut-outs that define respective first portions of said outer periphery, said outer periphery comprises a plurality of second portions disposed outwardly of said first portions and said second portions are configured to align with an outer periphery of said lubricant reservoir for centering the wicking element with respect to said lubricant reservoir.

10. A vacuum pump lubrication system as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a member defining an enclosing wall and said second portions of said outer periphery of said body portion and said outer periphery of said lubricant reservoir engage said enclosing wall.

11. A vacuum pump lubrication supply system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said wicking element has two said fingers disposed in diametrically opposed spaced apart relation and respective said cut-outs provided at said outer periphery and disposed in line with said fingers.

12. A vacuum pump lubrication system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said lubricant reservoir has an aperture, said body portion has an aperture said apertures are aligned to define a passage to receive said lubricant transfer device and said at least one finger projects into said passage.

13. A method of manufacturing a vacuum pump lubricant supply system, said method comprising:
providing a lubricant reservoir;
providing a wicking element with a body portion having an inner periphery, an outer periphery and opposed surfaces and a finger projecting from said body portion through which, in use, lubricant can travel from said body portion to an element on a vacuum pump rotor shaft engaged by said finger;
disposing a said surface of said body portion in flow communication with a facing surface of said lubricant reservoir so that lubricant can flow from said lubricant reservoir into said body portion through the facing surface; and
providing at least one of said inner periphery and said outer periphery with at least one cut-out such that a perimeter of the body portion along the at least one cut-out contacts the surface of the lubricant reservoir and arranged to provide a restricted lubrican

Assignees

• Edwards Ltd

Inventors

• Rudge Oliver James

Classifications

• F04D29/4206

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F16C2360/45

  Turbo-molecular pumps · CPC title

• F04D29/063 Primary

  specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D19/044

  Holweck-type pumps · CPC title

• F16C33/6659

  Details of supply of the liquid to the bearing, e.g. passages or nozzles · CPC title