Vacuum pump for applications in vacuum packaging machines

Abstract

A vacuum pump includes a cylinder. The cylinder includes an inner casing forming two transversely intersected, parallel cylindrical chambers, the axes of which rest in one plane, and one of the faces of which represents a wall on which a suction hole inlet is located. The cylinder also includes an outer casing disposed around the inner casing to form a confined space, provided with the inlet and an outlet, which allows a liquid to be circulated. Two pump rotors are situated in the parallel cylindrical chambers and are driven in rotation by an electric motor. A drive housing contains the motor and components for driving and synchronizing the pump rotors supporting the rotors by cantilever and serving as support and centering with respect to the cylinder. The drive housing includes two extended supports that are integrally constructed as one piece. First and second guide elements guide rotation of the rotors, which guide elements support the rotors by cantilever, wherein the first guide elements are situated at the ends of the two extended supports.

Claims

1. Vacuum pump for applications in vacuum packaging machines, comprising: a cylinder, including an inner casing forming two transversely intersected, parallel cylindrical chambers, the axes of which rest in one horizontal plane, and one of the faces of which represents a wall on which a suction hole inlet is located, and an outer casing disposed around said inner casing to form a confined space, which allows a liquid to be circulated, carrying out thermal exchange, said outer casing being provided with said suction hole inlet and an outlet, wherein said cylinder is integrally formed of one piece, an electric motor, two pump rotors including screw portions, said pump rotors being situated such that said screw portions are completely contained in the parallel cylindrical chambers and driven in rotation by said motor, each of said pump rotors including a central opening, a drive housing containing components for driving and synchronizing said pump rotors supporting said rotors by cantilever and serving as support and centering with respect to the cylinder, said drive housing including the following integral construction: two extended supports and a mounting surface, said two extended supports being tubular and disposed in said central openings of said pump rotors, first guide elements and second guide elements for guiding rotation of the rotors, the first and second guide elements support the rotors by cantilever, wherein said first guide elements are situated at the ends of said two extended supports and said second guide elements are incorporated in said drive housing, and wherein said cylinder rests against and is fastened to said mounting surface of said drive housing.

2. Pump according to claim 1, wherein a rear part of said drive housing forms a closed box, including a stator of said electric motor.

3. Pump according to claim 1, wherein one of said pump rotors includes a shaft, said electric motor is supported by cantilever and includes a motor rotor, and said motor rotor is directly connected to said shaft of one of the pump rotors.

4. Pump according to claim 1, wherein one of said pump rotors includes a shaft, said electric motor includes a motor rotor, said electric motor includes bearings and said motor rotor is connected to the shaft of one of the pump rotors by a coupling device.

5. Pump according to claim 1, wherein the suction hole inlet is located in a face of the cylinder opposite the drive housing.

6. Pump according to claim 1, wherein the pump rotors include left-handed thread and right-handed thread respectively, turning meshed together in opposite direction in the cylinder.

7. Pump according to claim 1, wherein the first and second guide elements for guiding in rotation are ball bearings.

8. Vacuum pump for applications in vacuum packaging machines, comprising: a casing extending between a first end and a second end and forming a confined space, wherein said first end includes a suction hole inlet, and said casing includes a passageway adapted for flow of cooling liquid and an outlet; two horizontally extending pump rotors including screw portions, said pump rotors being situated adjacent to each other in parallel such that said screw portions are completely contained inside said casing, a drive shaft extending from one of said pump rotors, said pump rotors including central openings; an electric motor that engages only said drive shaft of one of said pump rotors near the second end of said casing so as to directly rotate only said one pump rotor; gearing enabling said direct rotation of said one rotor to rotate said other rotor; a drive housing containing said gearing and said drive shaft near the second end of said casing, said drive housing including the following integral construction: two, spaced apart tubular supports that extend in parallel inside said central openings of said pump rotors, and a mounting surface, said casing resting against and being fastened to said mounting surface of said drive housing; and first guide elements and second guide elements for guiding rotation of the pump rotors, the first and second guide elements support said pump rotors by cantilever, wherein said first and second guide elements are situated at respective ends of said two tubular supports.

9. Pump according to claim 8, wherein said second guide elements for guiding in rotation are incorporated in said drive housing.

10. Pump according to claim 8, wherein said first and second guide elements for guiding in rotation are ball bearings.

11. Pump according to claim 8, wherein said pump rotors include left-handed thread and right-handed thread respectively, turning meshed together in opposite direction in said casing.

12. Pump according to claim 8 wherein said outlet includes a discharge orifice extending below and being vertically spaced from said casing, and a support connected to said casing for mounting on a ground or floor surface, whereby a flow of pumped gases during pumping or a flow of rinsing liquids during cleaning leaves said casing through said discharge orifice towards the ground or floor.

13. Vacuum pump for applications in vacuum packaging machines, comprising: a cylinder, including an inner casing forming two transversely intersected, parallel cylindrical chambers, the axes of which rest in one horizontal plane, and one of the faces of which represents a wall on which a suction hole inlet is located, and an outer casing disposed around said inner casing to form a confined space, which allows a liquid to be circulated, carrying out thermal exchange, said outer casing being provided with said suction hole inlet, wherein said cylinder is integrally formed of one piece, an electric motor, two pump rotors including screw portions, said pump rotors being situated such that said screw portions are completely contained in the parallel cylindrical chambers and driven in rotation by said motor, each of said pump rotors including a central opening, a drive housing containing components for driving and synchronizing said pump rotors supporting said rotors by cantilever and serving as support and centering with respect to the cylinder, said drive housing including the following integral construction: two extended supports and a mounting surface, said two extended supports being tubular and disposed in said central openings of said pump rotors, first guide elements and second guide elements for guiding rotation of the rotors, the first and second guide elements support the rotors by cantilever, wherein said first guide elements are situated at the ends of said two extended supports and said second guide elements are incorporated in said drive housing, and wherein said cylinder rests against and is fastened to said mounting surface of said drive housing; a support connected to said cylinder for mounting on a ground or floor surface, a discharge orifice extending below and being vertically spaced from said outer casing, whereby a flow of pumped gases during pumping or a flow of rinsing liquids during cleaning leaves said cylinder through said discharge orifice towards the ground or floor.

14. Pump according to claim 13, wherein said support forms an integral part of said outer casing of the cylinder.

Description

(1) The invention will be well understood from reading the following description, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings which represent schematically:

(2) FIG. 1: a perspective view of the vacuum pump according to one embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2: a sectional view of the vacuum pump of FIG. 1 along a plane which passes through the longitudinal axes of the rotors;

(4) FIG. 3: a perspective view of the vacuum pump of FIG. 1 with the cylinder separated from the drive housing and from the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) Represented schematically in FIG. 1 is a vacuum pump 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As already mentioned further above, this vacuum pump 10 is intended in particular for applications in vacuum packaging machines. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the area of applications of the vacuum pump 10 is not limited to this single application. One skilled in the art thus easily understands that this vacuum pump 10 can also be used favourably in other applications.

(6) In response to market trends and to avoid the mentioned drawbacks, this vacuum pump 10 has a specific configuration.

(7) In particular, the body of the pump 10 comprises a cylinder 11 which encloses the active part of the vacuum pump 10, in particular the two pump rotors which enable creation of a vacuum by means of a process known in the art. These pump rotors are arranged in transversely intersected parallel cylindrical chambers, the axes of which rest in one plane. In FIG. 1, the plane in which the axes of the pump rotors rest is horizontal. However, it is likewise possible to imagine a pump which has all the other features of the pump according to FIG. 2, but whose plane in which the axes of the pump rotors rest is inclined by a certain angle with respect to the horizontal plane or even a pump whose pump rotors are arranged vertically or at a certain angle with respect to the vertical plane. The rotors can notably be of the screw type with variable pitch with respectively left-handed thread and right-handed thread, turning meshed together in opposite direction in the cylinder 11 (all the details of this structure of the rotors will be shown in detail further on). Of course the present invention is in no way limited to screws with variable pitch, and it is completely conceivable to use screws with constant pitch (on a single portion or on the whole length of the screw, for example a screw with stages with a first zone having a first constant pitch and at least one second zone having a second constant pitch, different from the first pitch, or a screw with a first zone having a constant pitch and a second zone having a variable pitch) while keeping all the advantages of the present invention.

(8) As regards the cylinder 11, it comprises, on the one hand, an inner casing and, on the other hand, an outer casing. The inner casing of the cylinder 11 encloses the two parallel cylindrical chambers that contain the rotors. The outer casing of the cylinder 11, for its part, encloses the inner casing to form a confined space, provided with an inlet and an outlet, which thus allow a liquid to be circulated, carrying out the thermal exchange. The cylinder 11 is provided with an inlet for gases to be pumped 17 and an outlet for gases 18.

(9) The cylinder 11 rests against a drive housing 12. This drive housing 12 contains, among other things, the various components for driving and for synchronizing the rotors, which components support these rotors by cantilever and which serve as support and centring with respect to the cylinder 11, as will be shown in more detail later.

(10) Also, provided on the upper part of the housing 12 is a suspension arrangement 16. This suspension arrangement 16 comprises a ring 16 to which a hook (or another similar device) can be attached to lift the pump 10 with the aid of a lifting machine, for example in order to install the pump 10 at a good location during the initial installation phase or during service and maintenance periods. The suspension arrangement 16 is typically fixed to the housing 12 with the aid of one or more screws 16 which allow the suspension arrangement to be removed if it is not being used, but it is clear that it is possible to conceive of a pump 10 in which the suspension arrangement 16 cannot be taken off or even a pump 10 which does not have a suspension arrangement.

(11) In FIG. 1, the rear part of the housing 12 is enlarged towards a closed box 15, which includes the stator of the electric motor. This electric motor drives in rotation the two above-mentioned pump rotors, which are located in the chambers enclosed by the cylinder 11. In addition, the box 15 can likewise include the control electronics of the electric motor, display means for the parameters of operation of the pump 10 and/or cooling means, but these elements can also be accommodated in dedicated boxes or in other parts of the vacuum pump 10.

(12) Preferably, the rotor of this electric motor is also supported by cantilever and is directly connected to the shaft of one of the pump rotors which bears one of the screws (as will be illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3). Thus, the rotation of the rotor 40 of the electric motor is directly transmitted to the first pump rotor, and, thanks to a suitable transmission mechanism (for example a gearing), to the second pump rotor of the pump. However, the motor used can also be a conventional motor, supported by its own bearings, the rotor of which is connected to the shaft of one of the pump rotors by a suitable coupling device.

(13) In these two configurations, the motors used can be synchronous motors (brushless or other) or indeed asynchronous or induction motors or any other type. The advantage of using an asynchronous motor lies in particular in the fact that it can be directly connected to the electric network. On the other hand, synchronous motors notably have the advantage of being more compact. Use of a synchronous motor thus makes it possible to advantageously reduce the cumbersomeness of the pump according to the present invention. Moreover synchronous motors are also more economical, and they include an integrated control which makes possible a simple adjustment of the speed of rotation depending upon the desired application.

(14) The reference numeral 13 in FIG. 1 represents a support or a base which achieves the connection to the ground or floor for the cylinder 11. For this purpose, the support 13 has feet 14 which can be made in particular of a soft material, different from the material of the support 13, for example of caoutchouc or the like. These feet 14 can be fixed, but also adjustable in such a way as to be able to compensate for any unevenness of the ground or floor. The number of feet 14 can also vary depending upon the concrete needs.

(15) In another embodiment of the vacuum pump 10 according to the present invention, the support 13 can form an integral part of the outer casing of the cylinder 11 while keeping all its functions.

(16) FIG. 2 represents a sectional view of the vacuum pump 10 of FIG. 1 along a plane which passes through the longitudinal axes of the rotors. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the plane which contains the axes of the pump rotors is a horizontal plane. Nevertheless, as mentioned further above, the axes of the pump rotors can also be located in a vertical plane or a plane inclined with respect to the horizontal plane and/or with respect to the vertical plane.

(17) In FIG. 2, it can be seen that the pump 10 is a dry pump of the screw type with two pump rotors 20, 20. Using another type of pump rotors with a similar configuration is not excluded, however. The two pump rotors 20, 20 are enclosed by the cylinder 11, and they are driven in rotation about their longitudinal axes A1, A2 by the electric motor 40, which is accommodated in the drive box 15. This electric motor is directly connected to a first pump rotor 20, and the driving force is then transmitted to the second pump rotor 20 through a suitable transmission mechanism 21, 21 in such a way as to allow a synchronized rotation, but in opposite direction, of the two rotors 20, 20.

(18) The pump rotors 20, 20 in FIG. 2 are of screw type. The screws 20, 20 are respectively with left-handed thread and right-handed thread, and they are guided in rotation about their longitudinal axes A1, A2 by the first elements for guiding in rotation 22, 22 and the second elements for guiding in rotation 23, 23. The first 22, 22 and second 23, 23 elements for guiding in rotation of the rotors 20, 20 can be in particular ball bearings. It is however possible to use another type of element for guiding in rotation to attain the same aims.

(19) In the region of the two axes of rotation of the rotors A1, A2, the drive housing 12 extends to form a first extended support 12 and a second extended support 12. It is precisely these two supports 12, 12 which bear at their ends the first elements for guiding in rotation 22, 22 which, with the second elements for guiding in rotation 23, 23, support the rotors 20, 20.

(20) The structure of the elements for guiding in rotation 22, 22, 23, 23, which is represented in FIG. 2, enables in particular rotors 20, 20 to be obtained that are supported by cantilever by the drive housing 12. In other words, the rotors 20, 20 are not supported on the side of the inlet 17 which is located on the cylinder 11.

(21) This particular structure thus makes it possible to disassemble the pump 10 and afterwards to put all the elements back in place in a very easy way. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the vacuum pump 10 with the cylinder separated from the drive housing and from the base. In FIG. 3, the cylinder 11 of the body of the pump 10 has been separated completely from the drive housing 12 and from the base 13. Such a separation of the cylinder 11 is necessary in particular for cleaning of the rotors 20 and 20 of the pump 10. Owing to the support by cantilever of the rotors 20, 20 by the elements for guiding in rotation 22, 22, 23, 23, the cylinder 11 can be easily lifted from the base 13, without the rotors 20, 20 having been touched. As the two supports 12, 12 are only integral with the drive housing 12, the absence of the cylinder 11 does not have any effect upon the rotors 20, 20, which can easily remain fixed, centred and balanced in their initial position. In other words, an adjustment of the rotors 20, 20 is not necessary for putting the pump 10 back into operation.

(22) We would like to remind you again here that the use of vacuum pumps in vacuum packaging machines for the food industry must not be contrary to food standards. The pump 10 according to the invention is a dry pump, and it thus eliminates completely the possibility of contamination of foodstuffs by oil. Also, compared with the lubricated slide vane rotary vacuum pump, the draining and the treatment of the oils are likewise eliminated, which makes use of such a pump easier.

(23) Also, the food standards require a regular disassembly of the pump for cleaning, service or inspection. Owing to the proposed structure, the disassembly does not have to be carried out by specialized personnel.

(24) The vacuum pump 10 for applications in vacuum packaging machines according to the present invention thus has several advantages which help improve the use and the operation of a vacuum packaging machine with respect to the following aspects:

(25) 1. Saving electrical energy: in relation to a predefined cycle time owing to the nature of the pumping process (rate of internal compression and variation of pitch along the screw); through use of a synchronous motor coupled to its control electronics (the rotor motor mounted by cantilever on the shaft); through the variation of the speed of rotation of the rotors depending upon the requirements of the vacuum packaging machine;

(26) 2. Saving space: by using a single pump instead of commonly used pumping means and in particular instead of either a lubricated slide vane rotary vacuum pump, integrated in the vacuum packaging machine, or a pumping group, composed of a lubricated slide vane rotary pump, situated at a distance from the vacuum packaging machine, and a pump of the Roots type, integrated in the vacuum packaging machine; by an advantageous positioning of the axes of the pump rotors; by a particularly compact design, compared with pumps currently used, which design is connected to, among other things, the speed of rotation of the rotors, higher than the nominal speeds of asynchronous motors, but also to the absence of a compartment for bearings or for gears on the suction side;

(27) 3. Elimination of the risk of internal contamination of the products to be packaged by the oil coming from the vacuum pump: by using a dry vacuum pump of the screw type; through the absence of a compartment containing lubricant (compartment for bearings or for gears) on the suction side;

(28) 4. Saving oil through elimination of oil changes connected with the slide vane rotary pump;

(29) 5. Saving time during cleaning and maintenance procedures: through an outer form for the pump specially engineered to meet the standards of hygiene for food packaging; through an easiness of disassembly of the pump and of access to the rotors without the necessity of draining oil from the housing for the driving pinions and without upsetting the functional play; through access from a single side for all maintenance operations.

(30) It is clear to one skilled in the art that the information which has been given concerning a vacuum pump can be easily adapted and/or supplemented with the aid of other elements well known in the field without these adaptations and/or supplements going beyond the scope of the present invention.