EP0293213A2 - Improvements relating to gas compressor apparatus - Google Patents

Improvements relating to gas compressor apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0293213A2
EP0293213A2 EP88304809A EP88304809A EP0293213A2 EP 0293213 A2 EP0293213 A2 EP 0293213A2 EP 88304809 A EP88304809 A EP 88304809A EP 88304809 A EP88304809 A EP 88304809A EP 0293213 A2 EP0293213 A2 EP 0293213A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
valve
compression chamber
compressor
volume
gas compressor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP88304809A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0293213A3 (en
EP0293213B1 (en
Inventor
Jeremy James Durrant
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Honeywell UK Ltd
Original Assignee
Bendix Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bendix Ltd filed Critical Bendix Ltd
Publication of EP0293213A2 publication Critical patent/EP0293213A2/en
Publication of EP0293213A3 publication Critical patent/EP0293213A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0293213B1 publication Critical patent/EP0293213B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04BPOSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
    • F04B39/00Component parts, details, or accessories, of pumps or pumping systems specially adapted for elastic fluids, not otherwise provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B25/00 - F04B37/00
    • F04B39/0027Pulsation and noise damping means

Definitions

  • This invention relates to gas compressor apparatus and relates especially but not exclusively to reciprocating piston compressors which are required to be driven by a prime mover through a gear train.
  • a compressor driven from the engine via a train of gears.
  • the compressor may either be provided with means such as an unloader valve operated by a governor for unloading it when the reservoirs are fully charged to a preset pressure or the compressor may be disengaged from the engine by means of a clutch.
  • an unloader valve operated by a governor for unloading it when the reservoirs are fully charged to a preset pressure or the compressor may be disengaged from the engine by means of a clutch.
  • a gas compressor apparatus including a housing having bearing means carrying a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable by the crankshaft to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and characterised by a pressure relief valve operable bymeans of an eccentric coupling with the crank­shaft to open a venting passage to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof.
  • the present invention further provides a gas compressor apparatus including compressor drive means, rotary transmission means between the drive means and the compressor, the compressor having a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and a pressure relief means to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof, unloading means for unloading the compressor by connecting an additional volume to the compression chamber and inhibiting means to prevent the operation of the relief valve whilst the compressor is unloaded.
  • a gas compressor apparatus including compressor drive means, rotary transmission means between the drive means and the compressor, the compressor having a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and a pressure relief means to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof to vent the compression chamber in
  • the present invention further provides a gas compressor apparatus including compressor drive means, rotary trans­mission means between the drive means and the compressor the compressor having a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and a pressure relief means to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof into a closed volume at or near a point of minimum volume of the compression chamber, and means for unloading the compressor by connecting the compression chamber to said closed volume.
  • the compressor has a crankcase and cylinder casting denoted by reference 1, provided with a mounting flange 2 for mounting the compressor on to the crankcase of an engine of a heavy vehicle.
  • the compressor is, therefore, intended to be driven through a train of gears (not shown) connecting the engine to the driven end 3 of a crankshaft of the compressor.
  • the crankshaft runs in main bearings 4 and 5 and has a crankpin 6 connected by a connecting rod 7 and a gudgeon pin 8 to a piston 9, which is thereby able to reciprocate in a bore 10 of the compressor cylinder.
  • the cylinder is provided with a valve plate 11 and a cylinder head 12, details of which are not shown but it should be appreciated that the valve plate 11 comprises reed-valves for intake and delivery via respective input and output ports in the head 12.
  • an eccentric machined cam surface 14 against which a lower end 15 of a rod-­like valve member 16 urged by a spring 17.
  • the rod-like valve member 16 is provided with an annular seal 18 retained in the crankcase casting by a washer 18 held in position by spring 17.
  • the rod 16 is thereby sealingly slideable in a bore 20, drilled alongside the cylinder bore 10 and the upper end 21 provides for opening and closing of a venting passage 22 from the compression chamber 10a of the compressor cylinder.
  • the passage 22 communicates with the crankcase volume via a valve assembly 23 bolted to the side of the compressor cylinder.
  • the valve assembly 23 has a passage 24 which registers with the passage 22 and communicates via a closure element 25 and a passage 27 with a chamber 26 connected to the crankcase volume via a drilling in the housing as denoted by reference 27a and shown dotted.
  • the closure member 25 has two seals 28 and 29 , one each side of 24 and provides a seat 30 for a small check valve member 31 urged into engagement therewith by a light spring 32 resting against a piston 33 with an upward extending stem 33a.
  • the underside of the piston 33 is connected to a control port 34 such that when sufficient pressure is applied to port 34, the piston stem 33a moves upwards against 31 to maintain the check valve closed against its seat 30 for reasons to be described below.
  • the crankshaft 3 is driven through the drive means comprising a train of gears and oeprates in the normal way to supply compressed air via check valves or protection valves to reservoirs of a vehicle braking system.
  • the eccentric cam surface 14 is such that is operates to allow the rod 16 to move downwards under the influence of spring 17 to uncover the vent passage 22 at or near the point of minumum volume fo the compression chamber above piston 9.
  • the otherwise trapped high pressure in the compression chamber is thereby vented via passage 22, closure member 31 of check valve 33, chamber 26 and passage 27 into the crankcase volume of the compressor.
  • the compressor maybe provided with an unloader valve which interconnects the inlet and outlet chambers to interrupt the operation of the compressor when the reservoirs are fully charged. In these conditions, the crankshaft continues to rotate off-load absorbing relatively little power from the engine.
  • An alternative method for unloading the compressor is to provide an unloader valve in the cylinder head of the compressor which conects the compression chamber to an additional clearance volume. Such an arrangement is described in the Specification of European Patent Application No. In that case, a variable volume of air is enclosed within the combined compression chamber and an additional clearance volume also provided in the cylinder head.
  • the piston 33 is signalled by an unlocal signal pressure at point 34 from the governor at the same time as the unloader valve which connects the compression chamber to the additional clearance volume. The effect of this is to maintain the check valve member 31 closed against seat 30 as described above so that continuing actuation of the rod 16 during the unloaded condition 1 of the compressor has no effect.
  • valve means which vents the compression chamber of the compressor into the crankcase volume at or near the point of minimum volume.
  • a compressor in which unloading is accom­plished by means of an unload valve for connecting an additional clearance volume torque reversal may be reduced by means of a small valve such as 16 but which connects the compression chamber to the additional clearance volume at or near the point of minimum volume.
  • a small valve such as 16 but which connects the compression chamber to the additional clearance volume at or near the point of minimum volume.
  • An advantage of this arrangement is that it is not now necessary to provide a valve such as provided by seat 30 and valve member 31.
  • energy inparted by the compressor piston to air in the extra volume is for the most part returned to the system during each induction stroke. The effect is therefore to reduce the magnitude and widen the reverse torque characteristic of the compressor.
  • torque reversal may be reduced by arranging the unload valve to be operated on every cycle at or near the point of means volume of the compression chamber. This maybe readily achieved by means of a suitable overhead valve rocker arrangement operated by a push rod activated by the eccentric cam surface 14.
  • the unload valve thereby also operates as the pressure relief valve, in accordance with the invention.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Compressor (AREA)
  • Compressors, Vaccum Pumps And Other Relevant Systems (AREA)
  • Control Of Positive-Displacement Pumps (AREA)
  • Applications Or Details Of Rotary Compressors (AREA)

Abstract

In a single cylinder piston and cylinder air compressor, transmission noise and stresses are reduced by a valve arrangement (16,21) driven by an excentric (14) of the compressor crankshaft to vent the compression chamber at or near its minimum volume thereby reducing the cyclic torque reversal which occurs.

Description

  • This invention relates to gas compressor apparatus and relates especially but not exclusively to reciprocating piston compressors which are required to be driven by a prime mover through a gear train.
  • In a vehicle compressed air braking system it is usual to provide one or more compressed air reservoirs which are chargeable through suitable check valves and/or protection valves by a compressor driven from the engine via a train of gears. The compressor may either be provided with means such as an unloader valve operated by a governor for unloading it when the reservoirs are fully charged to a preset pressure or the compressor may be disengaged from the engine by means of a clutch. When a compressor is working into a near-fully charged reservoir it suffers from a torque reversal following the top of each compression stroke of the reciprocating piston and this torque reversal may introduce repetitive high stresses in the gear train and associated shaft splines which can cause noise and even limit their useful life.
  • It has already been proposed to reduce torque reversal in gas compressors by providing vent passages which are uncovered by the piston of the compressor when the piston attains its uppermost position thereby to reduce the pressure of the small volume of air trapped in the compression chamber at that point. An alternative proposal has been to arrange the connecting rod action to uncover a small vent port in the piston to achieve the same result.
  • In practice such methods have hitherto been found to be unsatisfactory and the present invention seeks to provide an improved means for reducing the effects of torque reversal in a compressor.
  • According to the present invention there is provided a gas compressor apparatus including a housing having bearing means carrying a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable by the crankshaft to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and characterised by a pressure relief valve operable bymeans of an eccentric coupling with the crank­shaft to open a venting passage to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof.
  • The present invention further provides a gas compressor apparatus including compressor drive means, rotary transmission means between the drive means and the compressor, the compressor having a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and a pressure relief means to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof, unloading means for unloading the compressor by connecting an additional volume to the compression chamber and inhibiting means to prevent the operation of the relief valve whilst the compressor is unloaded.
  • The present invention further provides a gas compressor apparatus including compressor drive means, rotary trans­mission means between the drive means and the compressor the compressor having a crankshaft and a reciprocating compressor member cyclicly operable to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and a pressure relief means to vent the compression chamber in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof into a closed volume at or near a point of minimum volume of the compression chamber, and means for unloading the compressor by connecting the compression chamber to said closed volume.
  • In order that the invention may be more clearly under­stood and readily carried into effect, the same will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a single cylinder air compressor incorporating the invention.
  • Referring to the drawing, the compressor has a crankcase and cylinder casting denoted by reference 1, provided with a mounting flange 2 for mounting the compressor on to the crankcase of an engine of a heavy vehicle.
  • The compressor is, therefore, intended to be driven through a train of gears (not shown) connecting the engine to the driven end 3 of a crankshaft of the compressor. The crankshaft runs in main bearings 4 and 5 and has a crankpin 6 connected by a connecting rod 7 and a gudgeon pin 8 to a piston 9, which is thereby able to reciprocate in a bore 10 of the compressor cylinder. The cylinder is provided with a valve plate 11 and a cylinder head 12, details of which are not shown but it should be appreciated that the valve plate 11 comprises reed-valves for intake and delivery via respective input and output ports in the head 12.
  • Between the bearing 5 and the adjacent crankweb 13 of the crankshaft, there is provided an eccentric machined cam surface 14 against which a lower end 15 of a rod-­like valve member 16 urged by a spring 17. The rod-like valve member 16 is provided with an annular seal 18 retained in the crankcase casting by a washer 18 held in position by spring 17. The rod 16 is thereby sealingly slideable in a bore 20, drilled alongside the cylinder bore 10 and the upper end 21 provides for opening and closing of a venting passage 22 from the compression chamber 10a of the compressor cylinder.
  • The passage 22 communicates with the crankcase volume via a valve assembly 23 bolted to the side of the compressor cylinder. The valve assembly 23 has a passage 24 which registers with the passage 22 and communicates via a closure element 25 and a passage 27 with a chamber 26 connected to the crankcase volume via a drilling in the housing as denoted by reference 27a and shown dotted. The closure member 25 has two seals 28 and 29 , one each side of 24 and provides a seat 30 for a small check valve member 31 urged into engagement therewith by a light spring 32 resting against a piston 33 with an upward extending stem 33a. The underside of the piston 33 is connected to a control port 34 such that when sufficient pressure is applied to port 34, the piston stem 33a moves upwards against 31 to maintain the check valve closed against its seat 30 for reasons to be described below.
  • Referring to the operation of the compressor, the crankshaft 3 is driven through the drive means comprising a train of gears and oeprates in the normal way to supply compressed air via check valves or protection valves to reservoirs of a vehicle braking system. However, the eccentric cam surface 14 is such that is operates to allow the rod 16 to move downwards under the influence of spring 17 to uncover the vent passage 22 at or near the point of minumum volume fo the compression chamber above piston 9. The otherwise trapped high pressure in the compression chamber is thereby vented via passage 22, closure member 31 of check valve 33, chamber 26 and passage 27 into the crankcase volume of the compressor. By virtue of such venting reverse torque which otherwise is applied to the crankshaft at commencement of the downward stroke of the piston is substantially reduced in magnitude. In a typical compressor arrangement, the compressor maybe provided with an unloader valve which interconnects the inlet and outlet chambers to interrupt the operation of the compressor when the reservoirs are fully charged. In these conditions, the crankshaft continues to rotate off-load absorbing relatively little power from the engine. An alternative method for unloading the compressor is to provide an unloader valve in the cylinder head of the compressor which conects the compression chamber to an additional clearance volume. Such an arrangement is described in the Specification of European Patent Application No. In that case, a variable volume of air is enclosed within the combined compression chamber and an additional clearance volume also provided in the cylinder head. In order to prevent compressed air being despatched from the additional clearance volume, via the passage 22 when a valve such as 16 is incorporated in the compressor, the piston 33 is signalled by an unlocal signal pressure at point 34 from the governor at the same time as the unloader valve which connects the compression chamber to the additional clearance volume. The effect of this is to maintain the check valve member 31 closed against seat 30 as described above so that continuing actuation of the rod 16 during the unloaded condition 1 of the compressor has no effect.
  • In the embodiment of the invention described above there is provided valve means which vents the compression chamber of the compressor into the crankcase volume at or near the point of minimum volume. In the case of a compressor in which unloading is accom­plished by means of an unload valve for connecting an additional clearance volume torque reversal may be reduced by means of a small valve such as 16 but which connects the compression chamber to the additional clearance volume at or near the point of minimum volume. In such an arrangement it is desirable to ensure that the vent passage remains open during a sufficient part of the down-stroke of the piston to allow the pressure in the extra volume to reduce before the next compression stroke. An advantage of this arrangement is that it is not now necessary to provide a valve such as provided by seat 30 and valve member 31. Moreover, energy inparted by the compressor piston to air in the extra volume is for the most part returned to the system during each induction stroke. The effect is therefore to reduce the magnitude and widen the reverse torque characteristic of the compressor.
  • In yet another alternative for a compressor in which unloading is accomplished by means of an unload valve for connecting an additional clearance volume, torque reversal may be reduced by arranging the unload valve to be operated on every cycle at or near the point of means volume of the compression chamber. This maybe readily achieved by means of a suitable overhead valve rocker arrangement operated by a push rod activated by the eccentric cam surface 14. The unload valve thereby also operates as the pressure relief valve, in accordance with the invention.

Claims (7)

1. Gas compressor apparatus including a housing having bearing means carrying a crankshaft (3) and a reciprocating compressor member (9) cyclicly operable by the crankshaft to increase and decrease the volume of a compression chamber (10a) to drive gas induced via an inlet valve under compression through an outlet valve and characterised by a pressure relief valve (21,22) operable by means of an eccentric coupling (14,15) with the crankshaft to open a venting passage (22) to vent the compression chamber (10a) in the proximity of a point of minimum volume thereof.
2. Gas compressor apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised by said pressure relief valve comprising a rod-like valve member slideable in a bore in the housing to cover or uncover the venting passage (22) communicating with the compression chamber (10a).
3. Gas compressor apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterised by further valve means (23) operable by a compressor unload signal to inhibit venting via the venting passage (22).
4. Gas compressor apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised by said further valve means (23) being a fluid pressure operable valve operable by an unload signal at a control port (34).
5. Gas compressor apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterised by said vent passage being between the compression chamber and a crank case volume.
6. Gas compressor apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterised by the apparatus having means for compressor unloading by connecting the compression chamber to an additional closed volume and said venting passage connecting said pressure relief valve (21,22) connecting said compression chamber to said additional volume.
7. Gas compressor apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterised by said pressure relief valve comprising valve means which is operable also by a compressor unload signal to connect said compression chamber to an additional closed volume.
EP88304809A 1987-05-28 1988-05-27 Improvements relating to gas compressor apparatus Expired - Lifetime EP0293213B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8712538 1987-05-28
GB878712538A GB8712538D0 (en) 1987-05-28 1987-05-28 Gas compressor apparatus

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0293213A2 true EP0293213A2 (en) 1988-11-30
EP0293213A3 EP0293213A3 (en) 1989-12-06
EP0293213B1 EP0293213B1 (en) 1992-10-28

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ID=10618032

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP88304809A Expired - Lifetime EP0293213B1 (en) 1987-05-28 1988-05-27 Improvements relating to gas compressor apparatus

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0293213B1 (en)
DE (1) DE3875523T2 (en)
ES (1) ES2035921T3 (en)
GB (2) GB8712538D0 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1103741A2 (en) 1999-11-29 2001-05-30 Knorr-Bremse Systems for Commercial Vehicles Limited Drive gear train
JP2019503453A (en) * 2016-01-27 2019-02-07 クノル−ブレムゼ ジステーメ フューア ヌッツファールツォイゲ ゲゼルシャフト ミット ベシュレンクテル ハフツングKnorr−Bremse Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH Piston compressor with air vent

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106762539A (en) * 2015-11-19 2017-05-31 张家港合升进出口有限公司 Air-cooled single casing air compressor

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE138907C (en) *
FR433191A (en) * 1911-08-11 1911-12-27 Armand Rueff Improvements to engines using elastic fluids as motive fluid, more particularly applicable to those of small power, in particular those intended for the actuation of small household, medical or other tools
GB455102A (en) * 1935-05-29 1936-10-14 Matthew White Ridley Improvements relating to compressors for air or other gases
FR963663A (en) * 1950-07-18
GB2158888A (en) * 1984-05-19 1985-11-20 Bendix Ltd Reciprocating gas compressor
EP0254524A2 (en) * 1986-07-25 1988-01-27 Bendix Limited Gas compressor apparatus

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE138907C (en) *
FR963663A (en) * 1950-07-18
FR433191A (en) * 1911-08-11 1911-12-27 Armand Rueff Improvements to engines using elastic fluids as motive fluid, more particularly applicable to those of small power, in particular those intended for the actuation of small household, medical or other tools
GB455102A (en) * 1935-05-29 1936-10-14 Matthew White Ridley Improvements relating to compressors for air or other gases
GB2158888A (en) * 1984-05-19 1985-11-20 Bendix Ltd Reciprocating gas compressor
EP0254524A2 (en) * 1986-07-25 1988-01-27 Bendix Limited Gas compressor apparatus

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1103741A2 (en) 1999-11-29 2001-05-30 Knorr-Bremse Systems for Commercial Vehicles Limited Drive gear train
JP2019503453A (en) * 2016-01-27 2019-02-07 クノル−ブレムゼ ジステーメ フューア ヌッツファールツォイゲ ゲゼルシャフト ミット ベシュレンクテル ハフツングKnorr−Bremse Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH Piston compressor with air vent

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3875523D1 (en) 1992-12-03
DE3875523T2 (en) 1993-06-03
GB8712538D0 (en) 1987-07-01
EP0293213A3 (en) 1989-12-06
EP0293213B1 (en) 1992-10-28
GB2205904A (en) 1988-12-21
GB2205904B (en) 1991-06-19
ES2035921T3 (en) 1993-05-01
GB8812624D0 (en) 1988-06-29

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