EP4067658A2 - Vacuum pump apparatus - Google Patents
Vacuum pump apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP4067658A2 EP4067658A2 EP22164110.3A EP22164110A EP4067658A2 EP 4067658 A2 EP4067658 A2 EP 4067658A2 EP 22164110 A EP22164110 A EP 22164110A EP 4067658 A2 EP4067658 A2 EP 4067658A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- wall portion
- heater
- side cover
- vacuum pump
- pump apparatus
- 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.)
- Pending
Links
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 30
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 17
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 15
- 239000002826 coolant Substances 0.000 description 13
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 7
- 239000006227 byproduct Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229910001018 Cast iron Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 230000003749 cleanliness Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000005266 casting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011810 insulating material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013021 overheating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003252 repetitive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000859 sublimation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008022 sublimation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C29/00—Component parts, details or accessories of pumps or pumping installations, not provided for in groups F04C18/00 - F04C28/00
- F04C29/04—Heating; Cooling; Heat insulation
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/08—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing
- F04C18/082—Details specially related to intermeshing engagement type pumps
- F04C18/084—Toothed wheels
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/08—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing
- F04C18/12—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/08—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing
- F04C18/12—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type
- F04C18/126—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type with radially from the rotor body extending elements, not necessarily co-operating with corresponding recesses in the other rotor, e.g. lobes, Roots type
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/08—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing
- F04C18/12—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type
- F04C18/14—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type with toothed rotary pistons
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/08—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing
- F04C18/12—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type
- F04C18/14—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type with toothed rotary pistons
- F04C18/16—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids of intermeshing-engagement type, i.e. with engagement of co-operating members similar to that of toothed gearing of other than internal-axis type with toothed rotary pistons with helical teeth, e.g. chevron-shaped, screw type
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C23/00—Combinations of two or more pumps, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type, specially adapted for elastic fluids; Pumping installations specially adapted for elastic fluids; Multi-stage pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C23/02—Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C25/00—Adaptations of pumps for special use of pumps for elastic fluids
- F04C25/02—Adaptations of pumps for special use of pumps for elastic fluids for producing high vacuum
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C29/00—Component parts, details or accessories of pumps or pumping installations, not provided for in groups F04C18/00 - F04C28/00
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C29/00—Component parts, details or accessories of pumps or pumping installations, not provided for in groups F04C18/00 - F04C28/00
- F04C29/0042—Driving elements, brakes, couplings, transmissions specially adapted for pumps
- F04C29/0085—Prime movers
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2240/00—Components
- F04C2240/10—Stators
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2240/00—Components
- F04C2240/20—Rotors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2240/00—Components
- F04C2240/30—Casings or housings
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2240/00—Components
- F04C2240/40—Electric motor
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2240/00—Components
- F04C2240/60—Shafts
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2210/00—Working fluid
- F05B2210/10—Kind or type
- F05B2210/12—Kind or type gaseous, i.e. compressible
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2240/00—Components
- F05B2240/10—Stators
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2240/00—Components
- F05B2240/20—Rotors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2240/00—Components
- F05B2240/60—Shafts
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a vacuum pump apparatus, and more particularly to a vacuum pump apparatus suitable for use in evacuating a process gas used in manufacturing of semiconductor devices, liquid crystals, LEDs, solar cells, or the like.
- a process gas is introduced into a process chamber to perform a certain type of process, such as etching process or CVD process.
- the process gas that has introduced into the process chamber is evacuated by a vacuum pump apparatus.
- the vacuum pump apparatus used in these manufacturing processes that require high cleanliness is a so-called dry vacuum pump apparatus that does not use oil in gas passages.
- a dry vacuum pump apparatus is a positive-displacement vacuum pump apparatus having a pair of pump rotors in a rotor chamber which are rotated in opposite directions to deliver the gas.
- the process gas may contain by-product having a high sublimation temperature.
- the by-product When a temperature in the rotor chamber of the vacuum pump apparatus is low, the by-product may be solidified in the rotor chamber and may be deposited on the pump rotors and an inner surface of a pump casing. The solidified by-product may prevent the rotation of the pump rotors, causing the pump rotors to slow down and, in the worst case, causing shutdown of the vacuum pump apparatus. Therefore, in order to prevent the solidification of the by-product, a heater is provided on an outer surface of the pump casing to heat the rotor chamber.
- the vacuum pump apparatus described above usually includes a cooling system for cooling the electric motor and the gears.
- the cooling system is configured to cool the electric motor and the gears by, for example, circulating a coolant through a cooling pipe provided in a motor housing accommodating the electric motor and a cooling pipe provided in a gear housing accommodating the gears.
- Such cooling system can prevent overheating of the electric motor and the gears and can therefore achieve stable operation of the vacuum pump apparatus.
- the heat of the pump casing heated by the heater is likely to be transferred to the motor housing and the gear housing having low temperatures.
- the temperature of the rotor chamber in the pump casing may drop.
- the temperature of the end surface of the rotor chamber tends to decrease.
- the by-product contained in the process gas may be solidified in the rotor chamber.
- One solution for such a drawback may be to use a high-power heater, but such a heater requires more electric power, and an energy-saving operation of the vacuum pump apparatus cannot be achieved.
- the present invention provides a vacuum pump apparatus capable of preventing a decrease in temperature of a pump casing due to heat transfer, and capable of maintaining a high temperature in a rotor chamber.
- a vacuum pump apparatus comprising: a pump casing having a rotor chamber therein; pump rotors disposed in the rotor chamber; rotation shafts to which the pump rotors are fixed; an electric motor coupled to the rotation shafts; a side cover forming an end surface of the rotor chamber; and a housing structure located outwardly of the side cover in an axial direction of the rotation shafts, wherein the side cover includes an inner wall portion forming the end surface of the rotor chamber, an outer wall portion located outwardly of the inner wall portion in the axial direction of the rotation shafts, and a narrow portion located between the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion, the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the narrow portion are an integrally-formed structure, and the narrow portion has a cross-sectional area smaller than cross-sectional areas of the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion.
- the vacuum pump apparatus further comprises a heater arranged in the side cover.
- the heater is removably attached to the side cover.
- the side cover has a heater housing having a hole, the hole is open in an outer surface of the side cover, and the heater is arranged in the hole.
- the hole extends linearly, and the heater is a rod-shaped heater.
- the vacuum pump apparatus further comprises a fixing mechanism configured to removably fix the heater to the heater housing.
- the heater housing is connected to the inner wall portion.
- At least a part of the heater housing is separated from the outer wall portion.
- the vacuum pump apparatus further comprises: a cooling flow passage provided in the housing structure; a flow passage valve coupled to the cooling flow passage; a temperature sensor attached to any one of the electric motor, the side cover, and the housing structure; and a valve controller configured to open the flow passage valve when a temperature measured by the temperature sensor exceeds a threshold value and close the flow passage valve when the temperature falls below the threshold value.
- the side cover having the narrow portion with a small cross-sectional area can reduce heat transfer from the pump casing to the housing structure. Therefore, the inside of the rotor chamber can be maintained at a high temperature. In addition, the heat transfer to the bearing can be reduced, so that the bearing does not exceed its heat resisting temperature.
- the heater can heat the side cover itself, which can in turn increase the temperature in the rotor chamber whose end surface is formed by the side cover.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a vacuum pump apparatus.
- the vacuum pump apparatus of the embodiment described below is a positive-displacement vacuum pump apparatus.
- the vacuum pump apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called dry vacuum pump apparatus that does not use oil in its flow passages for a gas. Since a vaporized oil does not flow to an upstream side, the dry vacuum pump apparatus can be suitably used for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that requires high cleanliness.
- the vacuum pump apparatus includes a pump casing 2 having a rotor chamber 1 therein, pump rotors 5 arranged in the rotor chamber 1, rotation shafts 7 to which the pump rotors 5 are fixed, and an electric motor 8 coupled to the rotation shafts 7.
- the pump rotor 5 and the rotation shaft 7 may be an integral structure. Although only one pump rotor 5 and one rotation shaft 7 are depicted in FIG. 1 , a pair of pump rotors 5 are arranged in the rotor chamber 1, and are secured to a pair of rotation shafts 7, respectively.
- the electric motor 8 is coupled to one of the rotation shafts 7. In one embodiment, a pair of electric motors 8 may be coupled to the pair of rotation shafts 7, respectively.
- the pump rotors 5 of the present embodiment are Roots-type pump rotors, while the type of the pump rotors 5 is not limited to the present embodiment.
- the pump rotors 5 may be screw-type pump rotors.
- the pump rotors 5 of the present embodiment are single-stage pump rotors, in one embodiment the pump rotors 5 may be multistage pump rotors.
- the vacuum pump apparatus further includes side covers 10A and 10B located outwardly of the pump casing 2 in an axial direction of the rotation shafts 7.
- the side covers 10A and 10B are provided on both sides of the pump casing 2 and are coupled to the pump casing 2.
- the side covers 10A and 10B are fixed to end surfaces of the pump casing 2 by screws (not shown).
- the rotor chamber 1 is formed by an inner surface of the pump casing 2 and inner surfaces of the side covers 10A and 10B.
- the pump casing 2 has an intake port 2a and an exhaust port 2b.
- the intake port 2a is coupled to a chamber (not shown) filled with gas to be delivered.
- the intake port 2a may be coupled to a process chamber of a semiconductor-device manufacturing apparatus, and the vacuum pump apparatus may be used for evacuating a process gas that has been introduced into the process chamber.
- the vacuum pump apparatus further includes a motor housing 14 and a gear housing 16, which are housing structures located outwardly of the side covers 10A and 10B in the axial direction of the rotation shafts 7.
- the side cover 10A is located between the pump casing 2 and the motor housing 14, and the side cover 10B is located between the pump casing 2 and the gear housing 16.
- Each rotary shaft 7 is rotatably supported by a bearing 17 held by the side cover 10A and a bearing 18 held by the side cover 10B.
- the motor housing 14 accommodates a motor rotor 8A and a motor stator 8B of the electric motor 8 therein.
- the motor housing 14 and the gear housing 16 are examples of the housing structures, and the housing structures are not limited to this embodiment.
- the housing structure may be a bearing housing that holds the bearing.
- a pair of gears 20 that mesh with each other are arranged in the gear housing 16.
- the electric motor 8 is rotated by a motor driver (not shown), and one rotation shaft 7 that is coupled the electric motor 8 rotates the other rotation shaft 7 to which the electric motor 8 is not coupled in the opposite direction via the gears 20.
- a pair of electric motors 8 may be coupled to the pair of rotation shafts 7, respectively.
- the pair of motors 8 are synchronously rotated in opposite directions by a motor driver (not shown), so that the pair of rotation shafts 7 and the pair of pump rotors 5 are synchronously rotated in opposite directions.
- the role of the gears 20 in this case is to prevent out of the synchronous rotations of the pump rotors 5 due to a sudden external cause.
- a cooling flow passage 21 is provided in the motor housing 14.
- a cooling flow passage 22 is provided in the gear housing 16.
- the cooling flow passage 21 extends an entire peripheral wall of the motor housing 14, and the cooling flow passage 22 extends an entire peripheral wall of the gear housing 16.
- the cooling flow passage 21 and the cooling flow passage 22 are coupled to a coolant supply source (not shown).
- a coolant is supplied from the coolant supply source to the cooling flow passage 21 and the cooling flow passage 22.
- the coolant flowing through the cooling flow passage 21 can cool the motor housing 14, whereby the electric motor 8 and the bearings 17 arranged in the motor housing 14 can be cooled.
- the coolant flowing through the cooling flow passage 22 can cool the gear housing 16, whereby the gears 20 and the bearings 18 arranged in the gear housing 16 can be cooled.
- Some of the process gases to be handled by the vacuum pump apparatus of the present embodiment include by-product that is solidified as the temperature decreases.
- the process gas is compressed in the process of being transferred from the intake port 2a to the exhaust port 2b by the pump rotors 5. Therefore, the inside of the rotor chamber 1 becomes hot due to the heat of compression of the process gas.
- the side cover 10A is configured to reduce heat transfer from the pump casing 2 to the motor housing 14, and the side cover 10B is configured to reduce heat transfer from the pump casing 2 to the gear housing 16. Therefore, the side covers 10A and 10B can maintain the inside of the rotor chamber 1 at a high temperature. In particular, the side covers 10A and 10B can maintain the inside of the rotor chamber 1 at a high temperature while the motor housing 14 and the gear housing 16 are cooled by the coolant flowing through the cooling passages 21 and 22.
- the pump casing 2 and the side covers 10A and 10B forming the rotor chamber 1 are made of cast iron.
- the side covers 10A and 10B may be made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than cast iron.
- FIG. 2 is a side view of the side cover 10A
- FIG. 3 is a view seen from a direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 2
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the side cover 10A shown in FIG. 2 .
- the side cover 10A has through-holes 27 through which the rotation shafts 7 extend.
- the through-holes 27 communicate with the rotor chamber 1.
- the side cover 10A includes an inner wall portion 31 forming an end surface 31a of the rotor chamber 1, an outer wall portion 32 located outwardly of the inner wall portion 31 in the axial direction of the rotation shafts 7, and a narrow portion 33 located between the inner wall portion 31 and the outer wall portion 32.
- the inner wall portion 31 is coupled to the pump casing 2 (see FIG. 1 ), and the outer wall portion 32 is coupled to the motor housing 14.
- the outer wall portion 32 has recesses 32a in which the bearings 17 are housed.
- a heat insulating material may be arranged between the outer wall portion 32 and the motor housing 14.
- the inner wall portion 31, the outer wall portion 32, and the narrow portion 33 are an integrally-formed structure.
- the inner wall portion 31, the outer wall portion 32, and the narrow portion 33 are an integrally-formed casting.
- the side cover 10A since the side cover 10A includes the integrally-formed structure, it is not necessary to separately prepare a plurality of parts and assemble them. As a result, a manufacturing cost can be reduced.
- the narrow portion 33 has an outer peripheral length shorter than those of the inner wall portion 31 and the outer wall portion 32. Specifically, the narrow portion 33 has a cross-sectional area smaller than cross-sectional areas of the inner wall portion 31 and the outer wall portion 32.
- the inner wall portion 31, the outer wall portion 32, and the narrow portion 33 are made of the same material, but the cross-sectional area of the narrow portion 33 is smaller than the cross-sectional areas of the inner wall portion 31 and the outer wall portion 32. As a result, the heat is unlikely to be transferred from the inner wall portion 31 to the outer wall portion 32 through the narrow portion 33.
- the side cover 10B basically has the same configuration.
- the side covers 10A and 10B include the narrow portions 33 have a high heat insulation, the inside of the rotor chamber 1 can be maintained at a high temperature.
- the side covers 10A and 10B can prevent the pump casing 2 from being cooled by the coolant flowing through the cooling flow passage 21 and the cooling flow passage 22.
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the vacuum pump apparatus. Configurations of the present embodiment, which will not be particularly described, are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 , and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.
- the vacuum pump apparatus shown in FIG. 5 further includes heaters 40A and 40B arranged in the side covers 10A and 10B, respectively. The heaters 40A and 40B are removably mounted to the side covers 10A and 10B.
- FIG. 6 is a side view of the side cover 10A shown in FIG. 5
- FIG. 7 is a view seen from a direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 6
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the side cover 10A shown in FIG. 6
- the side cover 10A has two heater housings 35 having holes 35a, respectively.
- the two heater housings 35, the inner wall portion 31, the outer wall portion 32, and the narrow portion 33 are an integrally-formed structure.
- Each hole 35a is open in an outer surface of the side cover 10A (more specifically, in an outer surface of the heater housing 35), and each heater 40A is arranged in each hole 35a.
- the two heaters 40A are arranged such that the rotation shafts 7 (see FIG. 5 ) are located between these two heaters 40A.
- only one heater 40A may be provided, or three or more heaters 40A may be provided.
- the hole 35a extends linearly, and the heater 40A is a rod-shaped heater that also extends linearly.
- the heater 40A is inserted into the hole 35a and fixed to the side cover 10A by a screw 45 which is a fixing mechanism. More specifically, the heater housing 35 has a screw hole 46 communicating with the hole 35a, and the screw 45 is screwed into the screw hole 46 until an end of the screw 45 presses the heater 40A in the hole 35a against the heater housing 35. As a result, the position of the heater 40A is fixed. When the screw 45 is loosened, the heater 40A can be removed from the hole 35a.
- the heater 40A can be removed from the side cover 10A without disassembling the vacuum pump apparatus. Therefore, the heater 40A can be easily replaced with a new heater in case the heater 40A gets out of order.
- the heat generated by the heater 40A is transferred to the rotor chamber 1 (see FIG. 5 ) through the heater housing 35 and the inner wall portion 31 to thereby heat the rotor chamber 1.
- the heater housing 35 and the inner wall portion 31 are integrally formed, an efficiency of the heat transfer from the heater 40A to the inner wall portion 31 is improved.
- the heater housing 35 is separated from the outer wall portion 32. Although not shown, the entire heater housing 35 may be separated from the outer wall portion 32. With such a configuration, the heat generated by the heater 40A is unlikely to be transferred to the outer wall portion 32. Therefore, the heater 40A hardly heats the motor housing 14 (see FIG. 5 ), which is a housing structure coupled to the outer wall portion 32, while the heater 40A can heat the rotor chamber 1.
- the heater 40B is also arranged in the side cover 10B.
- the descriptions with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 can be applied to the side cover 10B and the heater 40B disposed in the side cover 10B, and repetitive descriptions thereof will be omitted.
- FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the vacuum pump apparatus. Configurations of the present embodiment, which will not be particularly described, are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 , and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.
- the vacuum pump apparatus shown in FIG. 9 includes cooling flow passages 21 and 22 provided in the motor housing 14 and the gear housing 16 which are housing structures, flow passage valves 51 and 52 coupled to the cooling flow passages, respectively, a temperature sensor 55 attached to the electric motor 8, a temperature sensor 56 attached to the side cover 10B, and a valve controller 60 configured to control operations of the flow passage valves 51 and 52 based on temperatures measured by the temperature sensors 55 and 56.
- the temperature sensor 55 is attached to the motor stator 8B of the electric motor 8, and the temperature sensor 56 is attached to the outer wall portion 32 (see FIGS. 2 to 4 ) coupled to the gear housing 16.
- the valve controller 60 is constituted by at least one computer.
- the temperature sensors 55, 56 and the flow passage valves 51, 52 are electrically coupled to the valve controller 60.
- the temperature sensor 55 attached to the electric motor 8 measures the temperature of the electric motor 8 and transmits a measured value of the temperature to the valve controller 60.
- the valve controller 60 is configured to open the flow passage valve 51 when the temperature of the electric motor 8 exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close the flow passage valve 51 when the temperature of the electric motor 8 falls below the threshold value.
- the temperature sensor 56 attached to the side cover 10B measures the temperature of the side cover 10B and transmits a measured value of the temperature to the valve controller 60.
- the valve controller 60 is configured to open the flow passage valve 52 when the temperature of the side cover 10B exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close the flow passage valve 52 when the temperature of the side cover 10B falls below the threshold value.
- the coolant flows through the cooling flow passage 21 in the motor housing 14 only when the temperature of the electric motor 8 exceeds the threshold value, so that excessive cooling of the side cover 10A by the coolant can be prevented.
- the coolant flows through the cooling flow passage 22 in the gear housing 16 only when the temperature of the side cover 10B exceeds the threshold value, so that excessive cooling of the side cover 10B by the coolant can be prevented.
- the temperature sensor 55 may be attached to the motor housing 14 or the outer wall portion 32 (see FIGS. 2 to 4 ) of the side cover 10A, instead of the electric motor 8.
- the valve controller 60 is configured to open the flow passage valve 51 when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 55 exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close the flow passage valve 51 when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 55 falls below the threshold value.
- the temperature sensor 56 may be attached to the gear housing 16, instead of the side cover 10B.
- the valve controller 60 is configured to open the flow passage valve 52 when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 56 exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close the flow passage valve 52 when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 56 falls below the threshold value.
- FIG. 9 may be combined with the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 .
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a vacuum pump apparatus, and more particularly to a vacuum pump apparatus suitable for use in evacuating a process gas used in manufacturing of semiconductor devices, liquid crystals, LEDs, solar cells, or the like.
- In manufacturing process for manufacturing semiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels, LEDs, solar cells, etc., a process gas is introduced into a process chamber to perform a certain type of process, such as etching process or CVD process. The process gas that has introduced into the process chamber is evacuated by a vacuum pump apparatus. Generally, the vacuum pump apparatus used in these manufacturing processes that require high cleanliness is a so-called dry vacuum pump apparatus that does not use oil in gas passages. One typical example of such a dry vacuum pump apparatus is a positive-displacement vacuum pump apparatus having a pair of pump rotors in a rotor chamber which are rotated in opposite directions to deliver the gas.
- The process gas may contain by-product having a high sublimation temperature. When a temperature in the rotor chamber of the vacuum pump apparatus is low, the by-product may be solidified in the rotor chamber and may be deposited on the pump rotors and an inner surface of a pump casing. The solidified by-product may prevent the rotation of the pump rotors, causing the pump rotors to slow down and, in the worst case, causing shutdown of the vacuum pump apparatus. Therefore, in order to prevent the solidification of the by-product, a heater is provided on an outer surface of the pump casing to heat the rotor chamber.
- On the other hand, it is necessary to cool an electric motor that drives the pump rotors and gears that are fixed to rotation shafts of the pump rotors. Therefore, the vacuum pump apparatus described above usually includes a cooling system for cooling the electric motor and the gears. The cooling system is configured to cool the electric motor and the gears by, for example, circulating a coolant through a cooling pipe provided in a motor housing accommodating the electric motor and a cooling pipe provided in a gear housing accommodating the gears. Such cooling system can prevent overheating of the electric motor and the gears and can therefore achieve stable operation of the vacuum pump apparatus.
-
- Patent document 1:
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2003-35290 - Patent document 2:
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2012-251470 - However, the heat of the pump casing heated by the heater is likely to be transferred to the motor housing and the gear housing having low temperatures. As a result of such heat transfer, the temperature of the rotor chamber in the pump casing may drop. In particular, since an end surface of the rotor chamber is located near the motor housing or the gear housing having a low temperature, the temperature of the end surface of the rotor chamber tends to decrease. As a result, the by-product contained in the process gas may be solidified in the rotor chamber. One solution for such a drawback may be to use a high-power heater, but such a heater requires more electric power, and an energy-saving operation of the vacuum pump apparatus cannot be achieved.
- Therefore, the present invention provides a vacuum pump apparatus capable of preventing a decrease in temperature of a pump casing due to heat transfer, and capable of maintaining a high temperature in a rotor chamber.
- In an embodiment, there is provided a vacuum pump apparatus comprising: a pump casing having a rotor chamber therein; pump rotors disposed in the rotor chamber; rotation shafts to which the pump rotors are fixed; an electric motor coupled to the rotation shafts; a side cover forming an end surface of the rotor chamber; and a housing structure located outwardly of the side cover in an axial direction of the rotation shafts, wherein the side cover includes an inner wall portion forming the end surface of the rotor chamber, an outer wall portion located outwardly of the inner wall portion in the axial direction of the rotation shafts, and a narrow portion located between the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion, the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the narrow portion are an integrally-formed structure, and the narrow portion has a cross-sectional area smaller than cross-sectional areas of the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion.
- In an embodiment, the vacuum pump apparatus further comprises a heater arranged in the side cover.
- In an embodiment, the heater is removably attached to the side cover.
- In an embodiment, the side cover has a heater housing having a hole, the hole is open in an outer surface of the side cover, and the heater is arranged in the hole..
- In an embodiment, the hole extends linearly, and the heater is a rod-shaped heater.
- In an embodiment, the vacuum pump apparatus further comprises a fixing mechanism configured to removably fix the heater to the heater housing.
- In an embodiment, the heater housing is connected to the inner wall portion.
- In an embodiment, at least a part of the heater housing is separated from the outer wall portion.
- In an embodiment, the vacuum pump apparatus further comprises: a cooling flow passage provided in the housing structure; a flow passage valve coupled to the cooling flow passage; a temperature sensor attached to any one of the electric motor, the side cover, and the housing structure; and a valve controller configured to open the flow passage valve when a temperature measured by the temperature sensor exceeds a threshold value and close the flow passage valve when the temperature falls below the threshold value.
- The side cover having the narrow portion with a small cross-sectional area can reduce heat transfer from the pump casing to the housing structure. Therefore, the inside of the rotor chamber can be maintained at a high temperature. In addition, the heat transfer to the bearing can be reduced, so that the bearing does not exceed its heat resisting temperature.
- The heater can heat the side cover itself, which can in turn increase the temperature in the rotor chamber whose end surface is formed by the side cover.
-
-
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a vacuum pump apparatus; -
FIG. 2 is a side view of a side cover; -
FIG. 3 is a view seen from a direction indicated by arrow A inFIG 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the side cover shown inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the vacuum pump apparatus; -
FIG. 6 is a side view of the side cover shown inFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a view seen from a direction indicated by arrow B inFIG. 6 ; -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the side cover shown inFIG. 6 ; and -
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the vacuum pump apparatus. - Embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a vacuum pump apparatus. The vacuum pump apparatus of the embodiment described below is a positive-displacement vacuum pump apparatus. In particular, the vacuum pump apparatus shown inFIG. 1 is a so-called dry vacuum pump apparatus that does not use oil in its flow passages for a gas. Since a vaporized oil does not flow to an upstream side, the dry vacuum pump apparatus can be suitably used for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that requires high cleanliness. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , the vacuum pump apparatus includes apump casing 2 having arotor chamber 1 therein,pump rotors 5 arranged in therotor chamber 1,rotation shafts 7 to which thepump rotors 5 are fixed, and anelectric motor 8 coupled to therotation shafts 7. Thepump rotor 5 and therotation shaft 7 may be an integral structure. Although only onepump rotor 5 and onerotation shaft 7 are depicted inFIG. 1 , a pair ofpump rotors 5 are arranged in therotor chamber 1, and are secured to a pair ofrotation shafts 7, respectively. Theelectric motor 8 is coupled to one of therotation shafts 7. In one embodiment, a pair ofelectric motors 8 may be coupled to the pair ofrotation shafts 7, respectively. - The
pump rotors 5 of the present embodiment are Roots-type pump rotors, while the type of thepump rotors 5 is not limited to the present embodiment. In one embodiment, thepump rotors 5 may be screw-type pump rotors. Further, although thepump rotors 5 of the present embodiment are single-stage pump rotors, in one embodiment thepump rotors 5 may be multistage pump rotors. - The vacuum pump apparatus further includes side covers 10A and 10B located outwardly of the
pump casing 2 in an axial direction of therotation shafts 7. The side covers 10A and 10B are provided on both sides of thepump casing 2 and are coupled to thepump casing 2. In the present embodiment, the side covers 10A and 10B are fixed to end surfaces of thepump casing 2 by screws (not shown). - The
rotor chamber 1 is formed by an inner surface of thepump casing 2 and inner surfaces of the side covers 10A and 10B. Thepump casing 2 has anintake port 2a and anexhaust port 2b. Theintake port 2a is coupled to a chamber (not shown) filled with gas to be delivered. In one example, theintake port 2a may be coupled to a process chamber of a semiconductor-device manufacturing apparatus, and the vacuum pump apparatus may be used for evacuating a process gas that has been introduced into the process chamber. - The vacuum pump apparatus further includes a
motor housing 14 and agear housing 16, which are housing structures located outwardly of the side covers 10A and 10B in the axial direction of therotation shafts 7. The side cover 10A is located between thepump casing 2 and themotor housing 14, and theside cover 10B is located between thepump casing 2 and thegear housing 16. - Each
rotary shaft 7 is rotatably supported by a bearing 17 held by theside cover 10A and abearing 18 held by theside cover 10B. Themotor housing 14 accommodates amotor rotor 8A and amotor stator 8B of theelectric motor 8 therein. Themotor housing 14 and thegear housing 16 are examples of the housing structures, and the housing structures are not limited to this embodiment. For example, the housing structure may be a bearing housing that holds the bearing. - A pair of
gears 20 that mesh with each other are arranged in thegear housing 16. InFIG. 1 , only onegear 20 is depicted. Theelectric motor 8 is rotated by a motor driver (not shown), and onerotation shaft 7 that is coupled theelectric motor 8 rotates theother rotation shaft 7 to which theelectric motor 8 is not coupled in the opposite direction via thegears 20. - In one embodiment, a pair of
electric motors 8 may be coupled to the pair ofrotation shafts 7, respectively. The pair ofmotors 8 are synchronously rotated in opposite directions by a motor driver (not shown), so that the pair ofrotation shafts 7 and the pair ofpump rotors 5 are synchronously rotated in opposite directions. The role of thegears 20 in this case is to prevent out of the synchronous rotations of thepump rotors 5 due to a sudden external cause. - When the
pump rotors 5 are rotated by theelectric motor 8, a gas is sucked into thepump casing 2 through theintake port 2a. The gas is transferred from theintake port 2a to theexhaust port 2b by therotating pump rotors 5. - A
cooling flow passage 21 is provided in themotor housing 14. Similarly, acooling flow passage 22 is provided in thegear housing 16. Thecooling flow passage 21 extends an entire peripheral wall of themotor housing 14, and thecooling flow passage 22 extends an entire peripheral wall of thegear housing 16. Thecooling flow passage 21 and thecooling flow passage 22 are coupled to a coolant supply source (not shown). A coolant is supplied from the coolant supply source to thecooling flow passage 21 and thecooling flow passage 22. The coolant flowing through thecooling flow passage 21 can cool themotor housing 14, whereby theelectric motor 8 and thebearings 17 arranged in themotor housing 14 can be cooled. The coolant flowing through thecooling flow passage 22 can cool thegear housing 16, whereby thegears 20 and thebearings 18 arranged in thegear housing 16 can be cooled. - Some of the process gases to be handled by the vacuum pump apparatus of the present embodiment include by-product that is solidified as the temperature decreases. During the operation of the vacuum pump apparatus, the process gas is compressed in the process of being transferred from the
intake port 2a to theexhaust port 2b by thepump rotors 5. Therefore, the inside of therotor chamber 1 becomes hot due to the heat of compression of the process gas. The side cover 10A is configured to reduce heat transfer from thepump casing 2 to themotor housing 14, and theside cover 10B is configured to reduce heat transfer from thepump casing 2 to thegear housing 16. Therefore, the side covers 10A and 10B can maintain the inside of therotor chamber 1 at a high temperature. In particular, the side covers 10A and 10B can maintain the inside of therotor chamber 1 at a high temperature while themotor housing 14 and thegear housing 16 are cooled by the coolant flowing through thecooling passages - In the present embodiment, the
pump casing 2 and the side covers 10A and 10B forming therotor chamber 1 are made of cast iron. In one embodiment, the side covers 10A and 10B may be made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than cast iron. - Since the side covers 10A and 10B basically have the same configuration, the
side cover 10A will be described below.FIG. 2 is a side view of theside cover 10A,FIG. 3 is a view seen from a direction indicated by arrow A inFIG. 2 , andFIG. 4 is a perspective view of theside cover 10A shown inFIG. 2 . The side cover 10A has through-holes 27 through which therotation shafts 7 extend. The through-holes 27 communicate with therotor chamber 1. - The side cover 10A includes an
inner wall portion 31 forming anend surface 31a of therotor chamber 1, anouter wall portion 32 located outwardly of theinner wall portion 31 in the axial direction of therotation shafts 7, and anarrow portion 33 located between theinner wall portion 31 and theouter wall portion 32. Theinner wall portion 31 is coupled to the pump casing 2 (seeFIG. 1 ), and theouter wall portion 32 is coupled to themotor housing 14. Theouter wall portion 32 hasrecesses 32a in which thebearings 17 are housed. A heat insulating material may be arranged between theouter wall portion 32 and themotor housing 14. - The
inner wall portion 31, theouter wall portion 32, and thenarrow portion 33 are an integrally-formed structure. In the present embodiment, theinner wall portion 31, theouter wall portion 32, and thenarrow portion 33 are an integrally-formed casting. As described above, since theside cover 10A includes the integrally-formed structure, it is not necessary to separately prepare a plurality of parts and assemble them. As a result, a manufacturing cost can be reduced. - The
narrow portion 33 has an outer peripheral length shorter than those of theinner wall portion 31 and theouter wall portion 32. Specifically, thenarrow portion 33 has a cross-sectional area smaller than cross-sectional areas of theinner wall portion 31 and theouter wall portion 32. Theinner wall portion 31, theouter wall portion 32, and thenarrow portion 33 are made of the same material, but the cross-sectional area of thenarrow portion 33 is smaller than the cross-sectional areas of theinner wall portion 31 and theouter wall portion 32. As a result, the heat is unlikely to be transferred from theinner wall portion 31 to theouter wall portion 32 through thenarrow portion 33. Although descriptions are omitted, theside cover 10B basically has the same configuration. Since the side covers 10A and 10B include thenarrow portions 33 have a high heat insulation, the inside of therotor chamber 1 can be maintained at a high temperature. In addition, the side covers 10A and 10B can prevent thepump casing 2 from being cooled by the coolant flowing through thecooling flow passage 21 and thecooling flow passage 22. -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the vacuum pump apparatus. Configurations of the present embodiment, which will not be particularly described, are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4 , and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. The vacuum pump apparatus shown inFIG. 5 further includesheaters heaters - The side covers 10A and 10B have basically the same configuration, and the
heaters side cover 10A and theheater 40A will be described below.FIG. 6 is a side view of theside cover 10A shown inFIG. 5 ,FIG. 7 is a view seen from a direction indicated by arrow B inFIG. 6 , andFIG. 8 is a perspective view of theside cover 10A shown inFIG. 6 . The side cover 10A has twoheater housings 35 havingholes 35a, respectively. The twoheater housings 35, theinner wall portion 31, theouter wall portion 32, and thenarrow portion 33 are an integrally-formed structure. Eachhole 35a is open in an outer surface of the side cover 10A (more specifically, in an outer surface of the heater housing 35), and eachheater 40A is arranged in eachhole 35a. In the present embodiment, the twoheaters 40A are arranged such that the rotation shafts 7 (seeFIG. 5 ) are located between these twoheaters 40A. In one embodiment, only oneheater 40A may be provided, or three ormore heaters 40A may be provided. - The
hole 35a extends linearly, and theheater 40A is a rod-shaped heater that also extends linearly. Theheater 40A is inserted into thehole 35a and fixed to theside cover 10A by ascrew 45 which is a fixing mechanism. More specifically, theheater housing 35 has ascrew hole 46 communicating with thehole 35a, and thescrew 45 is screwed into thescrew hole 46 until an end of thescrew 45 presses theheater 40A in thehole 35a against theheater housing 35. As a result, the position of theheater 40A is fixed. When thescrew 45 is loosened, theheater 40A can be removed from thehole 35a. Since thehole 35a is open in the outer surface of theside cover 10A, theheater 40A can be removed from theside cover 10A without disassembling the vacuum pump apparatus. Therefore, theheater 40A can be easily replaced with a new heater in case theheater 40A gets out of order. - The heat generated by the
heater 40A is transferred to the rotor chamber 1 (seeFIG. 5 ) through theheater housing 35 and theinner wall portion 31 to thereby heat therotor chamber 1. In particular, since theheater housing 35 and theinner wall portion 31 are integrally formed, an efficiency of the heat transfer from theheater 40A to theinner wall portion 31 is improved. - As shown in
FIG. 8 , at least a part of theheater housing 35 is separated from theouter wall portion 32. Although not shown, theentire heater housing 35 may be separated from theouter wall portion 32. With such a configuration, the heat generated by theheater 40A is unlikely to be transferred to theouter wall portion 32. Therefore, theheater 40A hardly heats the motor housing 14 (seeFIG. 5 ), which is a housing structure coupled to theouter wall portion 32, while theheater 40A can heat therotor chamber 1. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , theheater 40B is also arranged in theside cover 10B. The descriptions with reference toFIGS. 6 to 8 can be applied to theside cover 10B and theheater 40B disposed in theside cover 10B, and repetitive descriptions thereof will be omitted. -
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the vacuum pump apparatus. Configurations of the present embodiment, which will not be particularly described, are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4 , and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. The vacuum pump apparatus shown inFIG. 9 includes coolingflow passages motor housing 14 and thegear housing 16 which are housing structures, flowpassage valves temperature sensor 55 attached to theelectric motor 8, atemperature sensor 56 attached to theside cover 10B, and avalve controller 60 configured to control operations of theflow passage valves temperature sensors temperature sensor 55 is attached to themotor stator 8B of theelectric motor 8, and thetemperature sensor 56 is attached to the outer wall portion 32 (seeFIGS. 2 to 4 ) coupled to thegear housing 16. Thevalve controller 60 is constituted by at least one computer. - The
temperature sensors flow passage valves valve controller 60. Thetemperature sensor 55 attached to theelectric motor 8 measures the temperature of theelectric motor 8 and transmits a measured value of the temperature to thevalve controller 60. Thevalve controller 60 is configured to open theflow passage valve 51 when the temperature of theelectric motor 8 exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close theflow passage valve 51 when the temperature of theelectric motor 8 falls below the threshold value. Similarly, thetemperature sensor 56 attached to theside cover 10B measures the temperature of theside cover 10B and transmits a measured value of the temperature to thevalve controller 60. Thevalve controller 60 is configured to open theflow passage valve 52 when the temperature of theside cover 10B exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close theflow passage valve 52 when the temperature of theside cover 10B falls below the threshold value. - According to the present embodiment, the coolant flows through the
cooling flow passage 21 in themotor housing 14 only when the temperature of theelectric motor 8 exceeds the threshold value, so that excessive cooling of theside cover 10A by the coolant can be prevented. Similarly, the coolant flows through thecooling flow passage 22 in thegear housing 16 only when the temperature of theside cover 10B exceeds the threshold value, so that excessive cooling of theside cover 10B by the coolant can be prevented. - In one embodiment, the
temperature sensor 55 may be attached to themotor housing 14 or the outer wall portion 32 (seeFIGS. 2 to 4 ) of theside cover 10A, instead of theelectric motor 8. In this case also, thevalve controller 60 is configured to open theflow passage valve 51 when the temperature measured by thetemperature sensor 55 exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close theflow passage valve 51 when the temperature measured by thetemperature sensor 55 falls below the threshold value. In one embodiment, thetemperature sensor 56 may be attached to thegear housing 16, instead of theside cover 10B. Thevalve controller 60 is configured to open theflow passage valve 52 when the temperature measured by thetemperature sensor 56 exceeds a predetermined threshold value and close theflow passage valve 52 when the temperature measured by thetemperature sensor 56 falls below the threshold value. These embodiments can also prevent excessive cooling of the side covers 10A and 10B by the coolant. - The embodiment shown in
FIG. 9 may be combined with the embodiments described with reference toFIGS. 5 to 8 . - The previous description of embodiments is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. Moreover, various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles and specific examples defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope as defined by limitation of the claims.
Claims (9)
- A vacuum pump apparatus comprising:a pump casing having a rotor chamber therein;pump rotors disposed in the rotor chamber;rotation shafts to which the pump rotors are fixed;an electric motor coupled to the rotation shafts;a side cover forming an end surface of the rotor chamber; anda housing structure located outwardly of the side cover in an axial direction of the rotation shafts,wherein the side cover includes an inner wall portion forming the end surface of the rotor chamber, an outer wall portion located outwardly of the inner wall portion in the axial direction of the rotation shafts, and a narrow portion located between the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion,the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the narrow portion are an integrally-formed structure, andthe narrow portion has a cross-sectional area smaller than cross-sectional areas of the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heater arranged in the side cover.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heater is removably attached to the side cover.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:the side cover has a heater housing having a hole;the hole is open in an outer surface of the side cover; andthe heater is arranged in the hole.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hole extends linearly and the heater is a rod-shaped heater.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a fixing mechanism configured to removably fix the heater to the heater housing.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the heater housing is connected to the inner wall portion.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least a part of the heater housing is separated from the outer wall portion.
- The vacuum pump apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:a cooling flow passage provided in the housing structure;a flow passage valve coupled to the cooling flow passage;a temperature sensor attached to any one of the electric motor, the side cover, and the housing structure; anda valve controller configured to open the flow passage valve when a temperature measured by the temperature sensor exceeds a threshold value and close the flow passage valve when the temperature falls below the threshold value.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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JP2021054585A JP2022151996A (en) | 2021-03-29 | 2021-03-29 | vacuum pump device |
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EP4067658A2 true EP4067658A2 (en) | 2022-10-05 |
EP4067658A3 EP4067658A3 (en) | 2022-11-02 |
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Family Applications (1)
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EP22164110.3A Pending EP4067658A3 (en) | 2021-03-29 | 2022-03-24 | Vacuum pump apparatus |
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EP (1) | EP4067658A3 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2022151996A (en) |
KR (1) | KR20220136156A (en) |
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Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2003035290A (en) | 2001-07-19 | 2003-02-07 | Ebara Corp | Dry vacuum pump |
JP2012251470A (en) | 2011-06-02 | 2012-12-20 | Ebara Corp | Vacuum pump |
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JP4702236B2 (en) * | 2006-09-12 | 2011-06-15 | 株式会社豊田自動織機 | Vacuum pump shutdown control method and shutdown control apparatus |
JP2009092042A (en) * | 2007-10-11 | 2009-04-30 | Nabtesco Corp | Bearing protection mechanism for rotor type pump |
JP6453070B2 (en) * | 2014-12-18 | 2019-01-16 | 株式会社荏原製作所 | Dry vacuum pump and dry vacuum pump manufacturing method |
-
2021
- 2021-03-29 JP JP2021054585A patent/JP2022151996A/en active Pending
-
2022
- 2022-03-23 KR KR1020220035782A patent/KR20220136156A/en unknown
- 2022-03-23 TW TW111110862A patent/TW202244392A/en unknown
- 2022-03-23 CN CN202210304826.1A patent/CN115143114A/en active Pending
- 2022-03-24 EP EP22164110.3A patent/EP4067658A3/en active Pending
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2003035290A (en) | 2001-07-19 | 2003-02-07 | Ebara Corp | Dry vacuum pump |
JP2012251470A (en) | 2011-06-02 | 2012-12-20 | Ebara Corp | Vacuum pump |
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CN115143114A (en) | 2022-10-04 |
TW202244392A (en) | 2022-11-16 |
JP2022151996A (en) | 2022-10-12 |
EP4067658A3 (en) | 2022-11-02 |
KR20220136156A (en) | 2022-10-07 |
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