VANE MOTOR

Abstract

A vane motor including a casing having a pressurized fluid inlet and a pressurized fluid outlet through which a pressurized fluid is introduced and discharged and a rotor disposed inside the casing and configured to receive the pressure of the pressurized fluid and rotate about a rotary shaft held in the casing, the rotor having a generally cylindrical rotor body with a central axis corresponding to the rotary shaft and vanes installed in vane guide grooves formed in the side surface of the rotor body and changed in widths protruding from the vane guide grooves according to rotation phases, wherein the vanes are arch-shaped in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft, the vane guide grooves are arch-shaped to accommodate the vanes thereinto, and the vanes are rotatably coupled to portions of the rotor body through link rods disposed on one side of the vanes. The vane motor is configured to allow the arch-shaped vanes to perform the rotating motions along the arch traces, not the linear reciprocating motions, thereby suppressing and removing the abnormal operations, abrasion, and friction of the vanes.

Claims

1. A vane motor comprising: a casing having a pressurized fluid inlet and a pressurized fluid outlet through which a pressurized fluid is introduced and discharged; and a rotor disposed inside the casing and configured to receive the pressure of the pressurized fluid and rotate about a rotary shaft held in the casing, the rotor having a generally cylindrical rotor body with a central axis corresponding to the rotary shaft and vanes installed in vane guide grooves formed in the side surface of the rotor body and changed in widths protruding from the vane guide grooves according to rotation phases, wherein the vanes are arch-shaped viewed in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft, the vane guide grooves are arch-shaped to accommodate the vanes thereinto, and the vanes are rotatably coupled to portions of the rotor body through link rods disposed on one side of the vanes.

2. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the rear portions of the inlets of the vane guide groove accommodating the vanes with respect to the rotating direction of the rotor, when viewed in the longitudinal direction (on the side) of the rotary shaft, are locally removed to provide expanding portions through which the rear portions of the vanes are exposed more, and the expanding portions prevent the lower end portions of the vanes from being exposed when the vanes move to the outside to the maximum.

3. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a cylindrical casing body and closure plates for closing both longitudinal ends of the casing body, and the pressurized fluid inlet is formed on the side surface of the cylindrical casing body.

4. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a cylindrical casing body and closure plates for closing both longitudinal ends of the casing body, and the pressurized fluid inlet is formed on the closure plates.

5. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein each vane has a pressure increasing groove formed concavely in a portion of a thickness thereof on upper part of the rear portion thereof.

6. The vane motor according to claim 5, wherein a portion of the pressure increasing groove is formed concavely toward the rotary shaft of the rotor or has an acute-angled projection formed on the lower side inlet of the pressure increasing groove when viewed in the longitudinal direction (on the side) of the rotary shaft.

7. The vane motor according to claim 4, further comprising a cylindrical inner container disposed inside the casing to accommodate the rotor therein and adapted to allow the ends of the vanes to come into contact with the inner peripheral wall thereof, while retaining the pressurized fluid therein until the pressurized fluid introduced from the pressurized fluid inlet of the casing is discharged through the pressurized fluid outlet of the casing, so that the inner container rotates together with the rotor rotating, while having the revolutions per minute different from the revolutions per minute of the rotor, and the pressurized fluid inlet introduces the pressurized fluid to spaces defined by surrounding the inner container, the rotor body, and the rear portions of the vanes when the pressurized fluid inlet is overlaid on the defined spaces or meets the defined spaces according to the rotation of the rotor.

8. The vane motor according to claim 7, wherein the rear portions of the inlets of the vane guide groove accommodating the vanes with respect to the rotating direction of the rotor, when viewed in the longitudinal direction (on the side) of the rotary shaft, are locally removed to provide expanding portions through which the rear portions of the vanes are exposed more, and the pressurized fluid inlet comprises a single hole or a plurality of holes overlaid on some sections of a trace along which the expansion portions move.

9. The vane motor according to claim 8, wherein the expanding portions comprise primary expanding portions formed by removing the rotor body over the entire portion of the longitudinal direction of the rotor and secondary expanding portions formed by additionally removing the rotor body on both longitudinal ends of the rotor of the primary expanding portions to provide concave surfaces to the closure plates and the rear portions of the vanes.

10. The vane motor according to claim 7, wherein the rotation central axis of the inner container and the rotary shaft of the rotor are kept in given positions inside the casing, and when a cylinder constituting the inner container rotates inside the casing, bearings are provided to decrease the friction between the outer peripheral wall of the cylinder and the inner peripheral wall of the casing.

11. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the pressurized fluid inlet comprises a plurality of holes arranged, a plurality of pressurized fluid paths connected correspondingly to the plurality of holes, and a plurality of opening and closing means mounted correspondingly on the plurality of pressurized fluid paths to perform step-by-step (multistage) adjustment in an output or torque thereof.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional vane motor.

[0040] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing another conventional vane motor.

[0041] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a vane motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a side sectional view taken along a plane vertical with respect to a rotary shaft in the vane motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a vane that is coupled to a rotor body in the vane motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention

[0044] FIGS. 6A and 6B are partially side views showing a pressure increasing groove formed on top of the rear portion of the vane and another pressure increasing groove replacing the pressure increasing groove in the vane motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a vane motor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a perspective side view showing the vane motor according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a rotor made by coupling a rotor body to vanes in the vane motor according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment

[0049] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, a vane motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a casing forming the outermost circumference thereof and a rotor disposed inside the casing, and in this case, the casing and the rotor are similar in configurations to existing casings and rotors, excepting specific configurations as will be discussed herein.

[0050] For example, the casing includes a generally cylindrical casing body 311 and closure plates 313 and 315 for closing both longitudinal ends of the casing body 311.

[0051] A rotor body 330 has the shape of a cylinder or thick disc, and the rotor body 330 has vane guide grooves 331a formed on the side periphery thereof to fit vanes 335 thereto.

[0052] According to the present invention, as appreciated from FIGS. 3 to 5, each vane 335 is a thick plate having the shape of an arch, and accordingly, each vane guide groove 331a is an arch-shaped groove for accommodating the corresponding vane 335.

[0053] Further, the vanes 335 are connected to portions of the rotor body 330 by means of link rods 337 disposed on one side thereof (the front sides when rotating directions thereof are considered) and thus rotatably coupled to the rotor body 330 through the link rods 337 and hinge shafts 339.

[0054] The link rods 337 and the hinge shafts 339 extend over a given thickness of the rotor, not over the entire length or thickness (if the rotor body is the thick disc) of the rotor, and in this case, they have the thicknesses smaller than that of the rotor and are thus disposed on the intermediate portion of the rotor in the direction of the rotary shaft. Further, the link rods 337 are coupled to tops (the outermost portions of the vanes 335 with respect to the rotation central axis of the rotor) of the vanes 335, and the hinge shafts 339 are coupled to the surface layer (outer circumferential layer) of the rotor body 330.

[0055] In this case, accordingly, when the vanes 335 are accommodated into the vane guide grooves 331a to the maximum, link rod accommodation grooves 331c formed on the intermediate longitudinal portions of the rotor body 330 are formed at minimum depths, so that it is easy to install the vanes 335 and the volumes occupied by the link rods 337 are minimized. However, the link rod accommodation grooves 331c are desirably formed with given spare depths to prevent the link rods 337 from colliding directly against the rotor body 330 when the vanes 335 move and thus causing vibrations, and in the same manner as above, further, the vane guide grooves 331a are desirably formed with given spare depths.

[0056] Of course, the link rods 337 may be disposed only at one end of the rotor in the direction of the rotary shaft of the rotor body, and otherwise, the link rods 337 may be disposed symmetrically on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotary shaft of the rotor body. In this case, the vanes 335 are supported to the rotor so that they perform angular reciprocating motions more stably.

[0057] As shown in the side view of FIG. 4, if the vane guide grooves 331a are formed on the rotor body 330 simply to accommodate vanes 335, the rear side rotor body portions with respect to the rotating direction from the inlets of the vane guide grooves 331a may have acute angles with the vane guide grooves, but according to the present invention, the rear side rotor body portions on the inlets of the vane guide grooves are locally removed and rounded to provide gentle and smooth curves. As a result, expanding portions 331b are formed through such rounding as a kind of chamfering.

[0058] Through the removed portions or the expanding portions 331b, spaces defined by surrounding the vane rear portions, the inner peripheral wall of the casing, and the surface of the rotor body are bigger, when compared with the case where no expanding portions exist, the vanes meet a pressurized fluid inlet more quickly, and further, the vane rear portions are exposed in larger areas to the outside to allow the pressure to be applied through the larger areas thereof.

[0059] In this case, however, the lower ends (the ends toward the rotor center) of the vanes 335 are not exposed up to the expanding portions 331b even when the vanes 335 are exposed to the outside to the maximum. If the lower ends of the vanes 335 meet the expanding portions 331b, a pressurized fluid leaks to the spaces in front of the vanes through the expansion portions 331b under the lower ends of the vanes 335, so that the pressure in the front side spaces increases and that in the rear side spaces decreases to cause the pressure for pushing the vanes forwardly to be weakened, thereby making the vane efficiencies deteriorated.

[0060] The closure plates 313 and 315 have rotary shaft installation holes 351 adapted to mount or pass through a rotary shaft connected to the rotor. The rotary shaft may be formed integrally with the rotor body 330.

[0061] In this case, the pressurized fluid inlet and a pressurized fluid outlet are formed on the side peripheral wall of the generally cylindrical casing body 311, and the pressurized fluid inlet 355 into which a high-pressure fluid is introduced from the outside includes four holes 355a, 355b, 355c, and 355d, whereas the pressurized fluid outlet 353 includes two holes 353a and 353b. When viewed on the side, they are arranged in a circumferential direction so that when the rotor rotates, they meet the respective spaces defined by surrounding the vanes, the rotor body, and the casing, sequentially.

[0062] Even though not shown, in this case, bearings are disposed on the closure plates having the rotary shaft installation holes, and accordingly, the rotary shaft rotates by means of the bearings, without having any direct contact with the closure plates 313 and 315, so that friction occurring upon the rotation is reduced. Under the above-mentioned configuration, the rotor rotates while having the contact with the inner peripheral surface of the casing body 311.

[0063] Among the four holes constituting the pressurized fluid inlet, when the rotating direction is considered, the first hole 355a, which first meets each vane, is formed at a position where a space or gap is made between the rotor and the inner peripheral surface of the casing body after the vanes 335 are fully (to the maximum) accommodated into the vane guide grooves 331a when the rotor rotates so that the vanes 335 can move to the outside.

[0064] In this case, as the pressurized fluid is introduced from the outside into the space defined by surrounding the rear portion of the corresponding vane, the surface of the rotor body, and the inner peripheral surface of the casing body, the pressure in the defined space becomes high, and the pressurized fluid applies a pressure to the rear portion of the vane to push the vane forwardly. Accordingly, the rotor rotates in a clockwise direction in the drawings.

[0065] The defined space increases in volume as the vane 335 moves from the corresponding vane guide groove 331a to the outside according to the rotation of the rotor to cause the distance between the rotor and the inner peripheral surface of the casing body to become long, and further, as the defined space meets the second hole 355b, the third hole 355c, and the fourth hole 355d, sequentially, the pressurized fluid is supplied consistently to the defined space. Even though the defined space is expanded, accordingly, a substantially high pressure can be maintained, and further, the high-pressure fluid at the inside of the defined space is applied consistently to the rear portion of the vane, thereby generating a torque for rotating the rotor in the clockwise direction.

[0066] After that, if the rotor rotates, the defined space is blocked from the holes constituting the pressurized fluid inlet, and accordingly, the vane is pushed to the outside to the maximum, while the defined space has a maximum volume, so that the internal pressure in the defined space decreases.

[0067] Next, the vane is pushed against the inner peripheral wall of the casing body and enters the vane guide groove 311a again, and accordingly, the defined space is reduced in volume. If the volume decreases, the pressure of the defined space is raised, but the vane meets the first outlet 353b and the second outlet 353a sequentially to discharge the pressurized fluid to the outside, so that the pressure becomes more decreased and the vane is accommodated into the vane guide groove to the maximum.

[0068] Accordingly, the pressure may be somewhat changed according to the positions of the holes constituting the pressurized fluid inlet and the holes constituting the compressed outlet and the expansion rates of the volumes of the defined spaces, but in most cases, the maximum pressure is applied to the defined space meeting the first hole 311a, and the defined spaces in front of the defined space to which the maximum pressure is applied become gradually reduced in pressure in the order arranged, so that the torque for rotating the rotor in the clockwise direction is applied to the respective vanes and thus transferred to the outside through the rotary shaft of the rotor.

[0069] Further, each vane 335 has a pressure increasing groove 336 formed concavely on upper part or top of the rear portion thereof so that the vane 335 is changed in thickness. When it is assumed that a direction oriented by the rotary shaft is a longitudinal direction, the concave pressure increasing groove 336 is formed concavely toward a front face of the vane over the entire length of the vane, but it may be formed only on a portion of the vane in the longitudinal direction.

[0070] Generally, a fluid applies a pressure in a direction vertical to the plane with which the fluid comes into contact, and through the formation of the pressure increasing groove 336, the pressure of the pressurized fluid introduced is applied to the vane in the more efficient direction, thereby enhancing the rotation efficiency of the rotor.

[0071] In this case, the pressure increasing groove 336 is the groove formed concavely in the forward direction of the vane, but a portion 336a′ of a pressure increasing groove 336′ is formed concavely toward the center of the rotor. That is, as shown in the side view of FIG. 6 (viewed in the direction of rotary shaft of the rotor), an acute-angled projection is formed on the lower side of the inlet of the pressure increasing groove 336.

[0072] In this case, the pressure of the fluid introduced is applied to the concave portion 336a′ of the pressure increasing groove 336′ to cause the vane 335 to enter the interior of the vane guide groove 331a, so that a rotation interference phenomenon, in which the vane is pushed forwardly, comes into close contact with the inner peripheral wall of the casing body, and does not naturally slide from the inner peripheral wall, due to the sudden application of the high-pressure pressurized fluid in the first hole 355a to the vane, can be prevented.

[0073] FIGS. 6A and 6B show the two types of pressure increasing grooves formed on the vane, as mentioned above.

[0074] Even though not shown in the present invention, elastic means such as a spring is disposed to apply a restoring force to the outside (to the inner peripheral wall of the casing body) so as to ensure more reliable reciprocations of each vane, and the elastic means is disposed on each vane guide groove or around the hinge shaft.

Second Embodiment

[0075] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, a vane motor according to the second embodiment of the present invention is configured similarly to the vane motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and as a structure in which vanes and a rotor body are coupled to one another is basically the same as in the first embodiment of the present invention, further, the vanes perform the same operations as in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] According to the second embodiment of the present invention, however, the vane motor further includes a cylindrical inner container 420 disposed inside a casing to accommodate a rotor therein and adapted to allow the ends of vanes to come into contact with the inner peripheral wall thereof, while retaining a pressurized fluid therein until the pressurized fluid introduced from pressurized fluid inlets 455 of the casing is discharged through pressurized fluid outlets of the casing, so that the inner container 420 rotates together with the rotor rotating, while a rotation center position in the casing is isolated from a rotary shaft 433, and accordingly, the pressurized fluid inlets and outlets are formed on closure plates 413 and 415 to introduce the pressurized fluid into the inner container 420.

[0077] In more specific, the casing is a cylindrical closed container having a cylindrical body 411a including the inner container 420 and the rotor and providing a space in which the inner container 420 rotates and the closure plates 413 and 415 for closing both ends of the cylindrical body 411a. In this case, the closure plates slide from portions coming into contact with both ends of the inner container in a longitudinal direction (in the direction of the rotation shaft), both ends of a rotor body 420, and both ends of the vanes 435, with fine gaps through which the pressurized fluid rarely leaks. The pressurized fluid outlets and the pressurized fluid inlets 455 are formed on both closure plates or one closure plate, and if they are overlaid on the defined spaces by the inside of the cylindrical inner container and the outside of the rotor body viewed in the direction of the rotary shaft 433 of the rotor, the pressurized fluid is introduced into the defined spaces or discharged from the defined spaces.

[0078] In this case, of course, the vanes 435 are connected to hinge shafts 439 fitted to portions of the rotor body 430 through link rods 437 disposed on one side thereof (the front sides when rotating directions are considered) and thus rotatably coupled to the rotor body 430 through the link rods 437 and the hinge shafts 439. The rotor body has link rod accommodation grooves 431b formed on the surface thereof to accommodate the link rods 437 thereinto.

[0079] The rotor body is locally removed from the rear sides of the inlets of vane guide grooves 431a to form primary expanding portions 431c. According to the present invention, however, in the state where the primary expanding portions 431c are formed by locally removing the rear sides of the inlets of the vane guide grooves 431a formed on the rotor body 430, secondary expanding portions 431d, which are concavely curved to the closure plates and the rear portions of the vanes, are formed by additionally removing both ends of the primary expanding portions 431c in the longitudinal direction of the rotor.

[0080] Accordingly, the secondary expanding portions 431d are spatially connected to the primary expanding portions 431c. The secondary expanding portions 431d provide given spaces in which the pressurized fluid introduced from the pressurized fluid inlets 455 formed on the closure plates is more easily received and somewhat extend the primary expanding portions 431d backwardly to allow the expansion portions to be overlaid on the pressurized fluid inlets for a longer time during the rotation of the rotor, thereby making the pressurized fluid introduced in larger amount.

[0081] On the perspective side view of FIG. 8 viewed in the longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft, the pressurized fluid inlets 455 and the pressurized fluid outlets formed on the closure plates are overlaid on the spaces between the inner side of the casing body 411a and the outer side of the rotor body 430 and at once on the defined spaces formed between the inner side of the inner container 420 and the outer side of the rotor body 430. In specific, each pressurized fluid inlet includes a plurality of holes, more particularly, three holes, and the plurality of holes and the pressurized fluid outlets are formed with given widths along curved lines similar to arches.

[0082] The plurality of holes constituting the pressurized fluid inlets on the respective closure plates are arranged along the trace of the curved line similar to a part of the circumference of the closure plate. When viewed on the side, in specific, the plurality of holes are arranged along the trace along which the secondary expanding portions move and thus defined by positions overlaid on the portions of the primary expanding portions formed on the rotor body behind the vanes and the secondary expanding portions. Through the expanding portions, in this case, the pressurized fluid passing through the holes enters the spaces defined between the rotor and the inner container and by the rear portions of the vanes.

[0083] At the moment as shown in FIG. 8 when the rotor rotates, the rearmost portion of the arch-shaped first hole 455a formed at the rearmost position with respect to the rotating direction of the rotor first communicates with the primary expanding portion as the rear side defined space, and the frontmost portion of the first hole 455a is disconnected to the secondary expanding portion 431d as the front side defined space. The second hole 455b and the third hole 455c are in the state before disconnection after completing the supply of the pressurized fluid to the front side defined spaces.

[0084] If the rotor is kept rotating, in such a state, the pressurized fluid is introduced into the defined space from that time when the rearmost first hole of the pressurized fluid inlet is overlaid on the expanding portion as the rearmost defined space with respect to the rotating direction of the rotor, so that the small defined space becomes in a state of a high pressure, and while the expansion portion is overlaid on the first hole, the pressurized fluid is continuously introduced. If the state of the expansion portion overlaid on the first hole is passed, the defined space overlaidly meets the second hole and the third hole sequentially, so that the pressurized fluid is supplied in larger amount to the defined space. According to embodiments of the present invention, of course, a larger number of holes than the three holes constituting the pressurized fluid inlet may be formed to supply the pressurized fluid to the expansion portions of the rotor.

[0085] Under the above-mentioned configuration, now, an explanation of the operations of the components of the vane motor according to the present invention will be given below. If the rotor rotates to cause the primary expanding portions to move to positions at which they meet the first holes 455a of the pressurized fluid inlets of the closure plates 413 and 415, as shown in FIG. 7, the pressurized fluid introduced at strong pressure from the pressurized fluid inlets enters both longitudinal ends of the rotor and is filled in the entire defined space including the expansion portions. Next, the pressurized fluid meets the rear portion of the corresponding vane defining the defined space and thus applies the pressure to the vane.

[0086] As the rotor rotates with the pressure of the pressurized fluid, the vane enters a section in which the space between the rotor body 430 and the inner container 420 becomes open, and while the end of the vane is kept coming into contact with the inner peripheral wall of the inner container by means of a centrifugal force, the vane moves outward from the vane guide groove 431a, so that the space between the inner container and the rotor body 430 becomes more increased.

[0087] According to the present invention, each pressurized fluid inlet includes the three arch-shaped holes arranged along a generally arch-shaped curve trace corresponding to the center angle of about 90°, and only during the time when the holes and the primary and secondary expanding portions are overlaid on one another while the rotor is rotating, the defined spaces between the inner container 420 and the rotor body 430 are connected to the pressurized fluid inlets so that the pressurized fluid is introduced.

[0088] In the space between the inner container and the rotor body 430, the expanding portions first meet the pressurized fluid inlets at positions where the space between the rotor body 430 and the inner container is open, and at this position, the gap (space) between the rotor body and the inner container is very small so that the pressurized fluid is kept to a state of a high pressure, while being introduced, to allow a rotary force to be efficiently transferred even in smaller amount thereof.

[0089] According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the inner container is further provided and the pressurized fluid inlets are formed on the closure plates. However, the position relation between the rotor body and the vanes and the angular reciprocating motions of the vanes are basically the same as according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Instead of allowing the vanes fitted to the rotor to slide along the inner peripheral wall of the casing, however, the rotor rotates in a state where the vanes come into contact with the inner peripheral wall of the inner container, and thus, the vanes perform the angular reciprocating motions so that they move to and from the vane guide grooves. In this case, a real circumference of the rotor is generally different from the circumference of the inner container, and accordingly, the revolutions per minute of the rotor are different from those of the inner container.

[0090] Further, each vane 435 has a pressure increasing groove 436 formed concavely on top of the rear portion thereof so that the vane 435 is changed in thickness. When it is assumed that a direction oriented by the rotary shaft 433 is a longitudinal direction, the concave pressure increasing groove 436 is formed concavely in a forward direction of the vane over the entire length of the vane.

[0091] While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms.

[0092] For example, the embodiments of the present invention, in which the portions of the rotor body on the rear portions of the inlets of the vane guide groove are removed to form the chamfered or rounded expanding portions, have been explained, but of course, embodiments in which no expansion portions exist may be carried out.

[0093] According to the embodiments of the present invention, further, the pressure increasing grooves are formed on tops of the rear portions of the vanes to enhance the application efficiency of the pressurized fluid, and the pressurized fluid inlet include the plurality of holes. However, of course, the vanes may have no pressure increasing grooves, and a single pressurized fluid inlet may be provided.

[0094] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.