VANE MOTOR

Abstract

A vane motor with a rotor body driven by compressed air having vane gaps for radially movable vanes and a rotor shaft for rotatably bearing the rotor body relative to a motor bushing. A method for lubricating a vane motor that ensures particularly long, low-service operation is provided. The rotor shaft is configured as a hollow shaft with a first lubricant reservoir in the interior. The first lubricant reservoir has a lubricant filling opening accessible from the outside of the vane motor. The first lubricant reservoir is connected by at least one radial lubricant hole to at least one further lubricant reservoir arranged in a section of the rotor body between two vane gaps, and/or is connected to an outlet opening arranged in one of the vane gaps for supplying lubricant into the vane gap.

Claims

1. A vane motor, comprising: a rotor body driven by compressed air with vane gaps for radially movable vanes, and a rotor shaft for rotatably bearing the rotor body relative to a motor bushing, wherein the rotor shaft is designed as a hollow shaft with a first lubricant reservoir in the interior, the first lubricant reservoir has a lubricant filling opening accessible from the outside of the vane motor, and the first lubricant reservoir is connected by at least one radial lubricant hole to at least one further lubricant reservoir arranged in a section of the rotor body between two vane gaps, and/or is connected to an outlet opening arranged in one of the vane gaps for supplying lubricant into the vane gap.

2. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein a further lubricant reservoir is arranged in at least one section of the rotor body between two vane gaps and has at least one outlet opening for lubricant onto a surface of the rotor body.

3. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the outlet opening of the further lubricant reservoir is arranged on at least one face of the rotor body.

4. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein all outlet openings of the further lubricant reservoir are closed with a sintering material or a membrane material through which the lubricant can pass.

5. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein at least two lubricant reservoirs are arranged opposite each other in the rotor body relative to the rotor shaft, wherein a lubricant reservoir is preferably arranged in each section of the rotor body between two vane gaps.

6. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein just one of the at least one radial lubricant holes is connected to an outlet opening arranged in one of the vane gaps for supplying lubricant into the vane gap.

7. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the first lubricant reservoir extends over the entire length of the rotor shaft, wherein the first lubricant reservoir is closed at one end and has the lubricant filling opening at the other end.

8. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the first lubricant reservoir is formed by a cylindrical hole arranged centrally within the rotor shaft.

9. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein a lubrication nipple rotating with the rotor shaft is arranged at the lubricant filling opening.

10. The vane motor according to claim 1, wherein the rotor shaft and the rotor body are formed as a single part.

11. The vane motor according to claim 1, characterized in that the first lubricant reservoir and/or the further lubricant reservoir is provided to receive and to store lubricant, and/or is formed so that there is no continuous supply of lubricant while the vane motor is operating.

12. A method to lubricate a vane motor according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: connecting a lubricant press to a lubrication nipple arranged on a rotor shaft of the vane motor accessible from the outside of the vane motor, pressing lubricant into at least a first lubricant reservoir arranged in the rotor shaft and preferably also into further lubricant reservoirs in a rotor body of the vane motor connected to the first lubricant reservoir through a radial lubricant hole in each case, detaching the lubricant press from the lubrication nipple, and operating the vane motor, wherein the lubricant is discharged out of the at least one lubricant reservoir through at least one outlet opening onto the surface of the rotor body and/or into a vane gap of the rotor body by the rotation of the rotor body and the rotor shaft.

Description

[0033] An exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawings. In the figures:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows several perspective views of the arrangement of a vane motor in a hoist,

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a perspective sectional drawing of the vane motor portrayed in FIG. 1,

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a perspective sectional drawing of the vane motor portrayed in FIG. 2 rotated by 90 relative to FIG. 2, and

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a perspective sectional drawing of the vane motor portrayed in FIG. 3 with a rotor body rotated by 90.

[0038] By means of a hoist H portrayed in FIG. 1, a load on a chain K can be lifted and lowered. To drive the chain K, the hoist H has a vane motor 1 behind a motor cover M as well as additional components. The vane motor 1 has means for lubricating the motor components without the vane motor 1 having to be disassembled. When the motor cover M is removed, a lubrication nipple 61 is accessible from the outside A of the vane motor 1 (see FIG. 1b) so that lubrication of the fully assembled vane motor 1 installed in the hoist H is possible.

[0039] The vane motor 1 has a rotor body 2 rotatably arranged within a motor bushing 11. In order to enable rotation of the rotor body 2, it is integral with a rotor shaft 4 which is arranged eccentrically in the cylindrical motor bushing 11. Between the rotor shaft 4 and a motor housing, or respectively a part of the motor bushing 11, a bearing L is arranged at both ends of the rotor shaft 4. Moreover, a plurality of vanes are guided in vane gaps 3 of the rotor body 2 so that they form a closed chamber between a surface 21 of the rotor body 2 and the motor bushing 11, wherein the volume of this chamber changes when the rotor body 2 rotates due to the eccentric arrangement in the motor bushing 11.

[0040] The rotor shaft 4 is designed as a hollow shaft which is closed on one side by means of a sealing plug 10. The lubrication nipple 61 is arranged on the other side with a lubricant filling opening 6 (see FIG. 2). The volume in the interior of the rotor shaft 4 accordingly forms a first lubricant reservoir 5 for receiving and storing a lubricating grease. The volume of the first lubricant reservoir 5 is 3590 mm.sup.3. In the wall of the rotor shaft 4 in the region of the first lubricant reservoir 5, a radial hole is provided which terminates in one of the vane gaps 3 and serves as an outlet opening 8 for lubricant into the vane gap 3 (see FIG. 3). During the operation of the vane motor 1, the lubricant discharging into this vane gap 3 is quickly distributed so that the vanes in the other vane gaps 3 are also lubricated. To prevent a pressure short circuit within the lubricant reservoir 5, it has just one outlet opening 8 leading into a vane gap 3.

[0041] A further lubricant reservoir 50 is arranged in two opposing sections 20 of the rotor body 2 that are each bordered by two sequential vane gaps 3, wherein the volumes of all lubricant reservoirs 5, 50 are approximately identical. Alternatively, the volume of a further lubricant reservoir 50 can be slightly smaller and in particular approximately 2700 mm.sup.3. The two further lubricant reservoirs 50 are each connected by a radial lubricant hole 7 to the first lubricant reservoir 5 in the rotor shaft 4. The lubricant holes 7 are formed as a single hole from the outside of the rotor body 2 so that one of the lubricant reservoirs 50 also has an auxiliary hole 7a that arises while drilling the lubricant holes 7 and is subsequently closed using a plug (shown in FIG. 4 without a plug).

[0042] The two further lubricant reservoirs 50 are formed as cylindrical holes which are arranged parallel to the rotor shaft 4 and completely penetrate the rotor body 2. Correspondingly, each further lubricant reservoir 50 has an opening in each of the two faces 22a, b of the rotor body 2.

[0043] In order to ensure a controlled discharge of lubricant, or respectively oil from the lubricating grease through these openings, a disk consisting of sintering material 9 is arranged in each case at both ends of the further lubricant reservoir 50 in a seat region 9a, wherein the sintering material 9 permits continuous passage of lubricant on the one hand, and on the other hand, allows the maintenance of a pressure differential in the lubricant reservoir 50 relative to the outside of the rotor body 2. The lubricant leaving there first reaches a region of the vane motor 1 between the face 22a, b of the rotor body 2 and the rotor bushing 11 and subsequently distributes evenly within the rotor bushing 11 during operation of the vane motor 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0044] 1 Vane motor [0045] 2 Rotor body [0046] 20 Section between two vane gaps [0047] 21 Surface of the rotor body [0048] 22a, b Faces of the rotor body [0049] 3 Vane gap [0050] 4 Rotor shaft [0051] 5 First lubricant reservoir [0052] 50 Further lubricant reservoir [0053] 6 Lubricant filling opening [0054] 61 Lubrication nipple [0055] 7 Lubricant hole [0056] 7a Auxiliary hole [0057] 8 Outlet opening [0058] 9 Sintering material [0059] 9a Seat region for sintering material [0060] 10 Sealing plug [0061] 11 Motor bushing [0062] Outside of the vane motor [0063] H Hoist [0064] K Chain [0065] L Bearing unit [0066] M Motor cover