HUT76605A - Vacuum motor bearing protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor. The bearing protection system (10) has a closing wall which is positioned between the motor (24) and the fan (26). The shaft (22) connecting the motor (24) and the fan (26) is received by the bearing (20) in the closure wall. In the upper plate (34) of the fan (26), there are openings (42) close to the bearing (20) and adjacent to the bearing, which draw air from the bearing to the air passage of the fan (26) in order to prevent wetness and dirt. This rinsing effect will drain all moisture and debris from the bearing area. To facilitate this pumping effect, blades, the top plate (34) of the fan (26) or the spacer (32) placed between them can be provided with blades, positioned and configured to direct the moisture-saturated air to the openings (42) in the top plate (34) of the fan (26) and to the air passage of the fan (26) (Figure 1).

Description

The present invention relates generally to a vacuum motor, in particular to a vacuum motor used in liquid-spraying suction machines such as carpet cleaners and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vacuum motor incorporating means for protecting the fan and motor shaft bearings from means of protection from outflow materials such as water, soap, foam and the like, in particular a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor.

It is now well known to use liquid jet vacuum cleaners for cleaning carpets and the like. Such liquid-jet suction machines typically include an engine housed in a motor housing, from which a shaft passes through a baffle to a fan in a fan housing. Typically, the retaining wall has a suitable bearing that accommodates the shaft connecting the motor and fan. When the fan creates a vacuum to remove moisture and dirt from the carpet, the fan receiving chamber is surrounded by dirty air, water, detergent, and foam, as the shaft bearing is in the wall separating the fan housing and the motor housing, is for this environment and, if there are no means to protect and separate the bearing from the environment, the bearing is often exposed to this environment and consequently fails. Moisture, cleaning agent, and foam attack the bearing lubricant, causing the bearing to fail.

In the prior art, air closures are used to create an air stream that separates the bearing from a harmful environment. Such air locks work well and are sealed.

- 3 applications in industrial units where the overhead is small relative to the total unit cost. However, in low-cost household units, the additional protection created by air-sealing cannot be applied in most cases because of the cost.

Other methods of protecting the motor and fan shaft bearings have been suggested, including seals, labyrinth seals, and vanes on the housing near the back of the fan. These structures and methods also increase costs that are typically not justified in cheaper household units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor used in a suction machine containing outlet materials that provides an appropriate level of protection for the shaft bearing for domestic use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor used in a suction machine containing exhaust materials that eliminates the need for complicated and expensive seals, blades and labyrinth seals.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor used in a suction machine containing outlet materials which is very effective and economical in the use in a household or consumer suction unit.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor used in a suction machine with outlet materials that provides effective bearing sealing by utilizing openings in the fan blade that are very close to the bearing.

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It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor used in a suction machine containing outlet materials that improves bearing sealing by inserting external fan blades close to the bearing.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor used in a suction machine containing outlet materials that improves bearing sealing by inserting vanes from the bonnet close to the fan and bearing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bearing protection system for a vacuum motor in a suction machine which contains a discharge material that improves the bearing seal by inserting blades in the spacer between the fan and the bearing.

According to the invention, this object is solved by the bearing motor protection system of the vacuum motor comprising a closure wall; an engine on one side of the closure wall; a shaft which protrudes from the engine passes through the end wall and can rotate in a bearing; and a fan on the shaft facing the engine side of the wall, which fan comprises an upper plate, a lower plate and curved blades disposed between the two plates. The lower plate has a central opening for air intake from the outside of the fan to the blades, and the upper plate has at least one opening for air intake from the area adjacent the bearing to the blades.

According to a preferred development of the bearing protection system according to the invention, the vacuum generating device comprises a motor on the front side of a wall and an axis which is the motor.

- It extends from 5 torches across the wall and has a fan on the other side of the wall. The shaft rotates in a bearing in the wall. In the further development, the fan top plate has two openings diametrically opposed to the shaft and the openings are located adjacent to the bearing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The objects, objects and structure of the invention are exemplary thereof. Embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail by means of the drawings, of which

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of the fan bearing assembly of the present invention used in fluid jet vacuum cleaners,

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the fan used in the embodiment of Figure 1, a

Figure 3 is a side view of the fan of Figure 2, a

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a vacuum motor bearing protection system according to the invention,

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fan used in a third embodiment of the invention, a

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a vacuum motor bearing protection system according to the invention,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the spacer used in the embodiment of Figure 6, a

Figure 8 is a side view of the spacer of Figure 7.

The figures, in particular Figure 1, show the bearing motor protection system 10 of the vacuum motor. As can be seen, the motor housing 12 forms a sealing wall between the engine compartment 14 and the fan compartment 16, respectively. A bore 18 passes through the housing 12 into which a suitable bearing 20 is inserted. The 20 bearings can be used at any time • · * * ·········· ··· '···· · · ·

- 6 other types of bearings such as plain bearings, ball bearings or the like. In each case, the bearing 20 receives a shaft 22 which connects the motor 24 in the engine compartment 14 and the fan 26 in the fan compartment 16. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fan 26 comprises a plurality of superposed fan elements or layers 28, 30, as shown.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, the engine compartment 14 is separated from the fan compartment 16 by the engine closure wall. Accordingly, the motor 24 is not exposed to the fan compartment 16. The engine compartment 14 typically receives clean and dry air from the environment as engine cooling air and transmits it to the engine 24. In contrast, the fan space 16 typically receives the working air of a fluid jet suction machine using a bearing unit 10 of the vacuum motor. Accordingly, the fan space 16 comprises an environment consisting of liquid, foam, detergent and dirt. Of course, it is highly desirable to isolate the bearing 20 from this environment.

As shown in Figure 1, a suitable spacer 32 is disposed between the bearing 20 and the nearest fan member 28. In addition, as is customary in the art, a nut, bracket, or the like is fastened to the shaft 22 against the fan element furthest away from the spacer 32 such that the fan elements are held in a fixed position along the axis 22. All fan elements are suitably positioned between spacer 32 and a suitable nut or bracket for engagement with shaft 22.

As can be seen, the fan element 28 comprises an upper plate or disc 34 and a lower plate or disc 36 between which are provided a plurality of curved blades 38. The vanes 38 are preferably curved backward relative to the rotation, but may be hollow in the direction of rotation, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, the fan element 30 has a corresponding upper and lower plate, between which are provided similar curved blades.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, starting from the curved blade 38, rivets 40 pass through the top plate 34 and the bottom plate 36 to secure the blades 38 in position. As also shown in Figures 1 and 2, the bottom plate 36 has an annular aperture 42 which provides a passage for the associated fan member 28. The air is drawn from the outside of the fan member to the vanes between the top plate 34 and the bottom plate 36, whereupon the air is expelled. As is also the case in paragraph 2. 1 and 2, the upper plate 34 has an opening 44 which accommodates the shaft 22 which connects the motor 24 to the fan 26.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that additional fan elements such as fan member 30 may be disposed axially offset along axis 22. For the sake of simplicity, only two fan elements 28 and 30 are shown. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the fan members 28 and 30 are secured to the shaft 22 and rotated therewith so as to enter the fan space 16 through the inlet,

- At 8 points below fan 26 air is drawn in. The air, in the form of a serpentine, successively passes through the fan elements along the axis 22 until it reaches the uppermost fan element 28, which exits through an outlet in the housing enclosing the fan space.

As shown in Figure 1, air is drawn in at the passageway of the fan member 30 delimited by the annular opening 50 and then ejected from the fan along the curved blades 56. The air thus discharged is then directed to the vent passage of the fan member 28, delimited by the lower opening 42. Similarly, air is drawn into the vanes 48 and discharged radially outwardly along the vanes 38 and finally to an outlet of the fan compartment 16.

As a feature of the present invention, the upper plate 34 of the fan member 28 has openings 46. The apertures 46 are preferably distributed evenly around the aperture 44 receiving the shaft 22 in the circumference. Two such openings 46 are illustrated and it is preferred that there are two such openings, but obviously a different number of openings 46 may be used. In any case, it is highly desirable that the apertures 46 are disposed adjacent to the spacer 32 between the bearing 20 and the bearing 20 and the top plate 34. In addition, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the apertures 46 will be positioned within the fan passageway when the apertures 46 are closer to the shaft 22 than the outer circumference of the aperture 42.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the orifices 46 allow the.

In the air passage of the fan 9, the vacuum created by rotation of the fan member 28 draws water or foam in its path between the top plate 34 and the motor housing 12 to or from the working face of the fan member. In other words, the water or foam that would otherwise approach the bearing 20 is drawn through the openings 46 from the bearing 20 and spacer 32 to the fan air passage. Accordingly, any liquid or foam that would otherwise damage the bearing 20 is absorbed into the interior of the fan and thus cannot be damaged.

It has been found that the efficiency of rinsing or pumping of openings in the upper plate of the superimposed fan member depends on the number and location of the openings 46, the size of the openings and the speed of the fan. Of course, the efficiency of the system described will also be influenced by the amount of foam or water returned to the back of the fan.

It will be appreciated that the flushing system of the invention will only operate when the fan is running. Accordingly, the system consisting of a motor 24 and a fan 26 is configured such that, when the fan is not operating, the foam and water attack the bearing 20 and may be damaged despite the flushing system just described. Conversely, when the engine is energized, fan member 28 will pump outlets from apertures 46 around spindle 22, spacer 32 and bearing 20 through openings 46. Thus, the present invention provides a method for reducing potential damage to a bearing in the system described, and for reducing the possibility of a shaft • ·· ····

- Leakage in its sealing portion 10 in any application where the bearing on a rotating impeller is on the opposite side of the fan airway. The invention described is particularly advantageous for use in fan units for picking up liquids, such as liquid spray nozzles and wet or dry vacuum units.

The pumping action of the fluid and foam to flush the bearing area 20 of the upper fan member 28 to the back area may be facilitated by various modifications of the basic embodiment of the invention, such as Figure 4 for a vacuum motor bearing protection system 60 of the present invention. Here, the housing 62 receives the bearing 64 through which the shaft 66 of a motor and a fan passes, as in the embodiment of FIG. A spacer 68 is disposed between the motor housing 62 and the fan 70. As stated above, the fan 70 is provided with apertures 72 through which foam or liquid is drawn from the bearing 64 towards the vent passage of the fan 70. The bearing protection system 60 further comprises a plurality of vanes 74 extending downwardly from the housing 62 and disposed in the space between the housing 62 and the upper plate 70 of the fan. The blades 74 are preferably curved, although it has been found that straight blades are also suitable for increasing the pumping effect of the openings 72 as the fan 70 rotates. The radially disposed vanes 74 deflect the foam and water inwardly toward the vent passage of fan 70 to enter through apertures 72.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the fan 76 shown in Figure 5 in the vacuum motor bearing protection system

- 11 apply. In this embodiment, the top plate of the fan 76 is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending vanes or ribs 78 radially outwardly of apertures 80 on either side of the airway 82 for shaft 66. Again, in the conventional manner, there is an air opening 84 in the lower plate of the fan 76, preferably having a diameter greater than the spacing between the openings 80. In the embodiment of Figure 5, it has been found that the blades 78 on the top plate of the fan 76 improve the pumping effect by deflecting the liquid and foam radially inwardly toward the apertures 80 so as to enter the airway of the fan 76. The blades 78 are substantially similar to the blades 74 of Figure 4, but the blades are located on the fan and not on the housing. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the vanes 78 press the outlet material against the outer edge of the fan top plate, thus eliminating the need for opening 80.

6-8. Fig. 6A shows a vacuum motor bearing protection system 86 according to the invention. Here, the motor housing 88 holds a bearing 90 which accommodates the fan and motor shaft 92.

Although not shown in Figure 6, it is obvious that the engine is located on the side of the housing 88 opposite to the fan 94 mounted on the shaft 92. As stated above, a plurality of openings 96 are uniformly distributed around the center of the top plate of the fan 94.

A spacer 98 is disposed between the motor housing 88 or the bearing 90 and the fan 94 in the conventional manner. 6-8. The spacer 98 has a specific shape which facilitates the pump sealing or flushing action created by the openings 96 in the fan 94 in accordance with the present invention. The spacer 98 has an axial bore 100 for receiving the shaft 92. The disk 98 is at the bottom of the spacer 98 and is in contact with the upper plate of the fan 94

There are recesses in the circumference of the 102 foundations. The top 106 of the spacer 98 is substantially an annular disk configured to engage the motor housing 88 or the bearing 90.

A plurality of vanes 108 or ribs protrude from the base 102 toward the outer side wall 110 of the cylindrical spacer body 110 between the top 106 and the base 102. The plurality of curved surfaces 112 extending between the vanes 108 or ribs extend from the cylindrical spacer body 110 to the periphery 104 with the recesses.

As the fan 94 rotates, the flushing provided by the openings 96 is enhanced by the blades or ribs 108 extending downwardly and radially outward from the bearing area 90 to the openings 96 and forming a slide for moisture and conveying sediment. .

Thus, it will be understood that, in accordance with the present invention, flushing openings are provided in the upper plate of the upper fan member disposed adjacent the bearing between the fan and the motor. The openings are located inside the fan air passage to draw in moisture, liquid, or sediment from the area adjacent to the fan and motor bearing to the low pressure portion of the fan air passage. This material then flows through the outlet of the unit along with other exhaust air. Shovels may be provided on the house, fan or spacer between them to facilitate the rinsing and pumping action to remove such damaging material.

It will be seen that the objects of the invention are accomplished by the structure described. Although only the best mode and preferred embodiment of the invention have been described and described in detail in the patent law, it is obvious that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby limited. The actual scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

Claims (20)

PATENT CLAIMS A bearing protection system for a vacuum motor, comprising: a closure wall; an engine (24) on one side of the closure wall; a shaft (22) projecting from the motor (24) passing through the locking wall and rotating in a bearing (20); and a fan (20) on the shaft (22) on the side of the closure wall opposite to the motor (24), the fan (20) comprising an upper plate (34), a lower plate (36) and curved blades (38) disposed between the two plates. ); the lower plate (36) having a central opening (42) for sucking air from outside the fan (26) onto the vanes (38) and the upper plate (34) having at least one opening (46) for sucking air from an area adjacent to the bearing (20) on the blades (38). Bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening (46) is arranged adjacent to the bearing (20). Bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 2, characterized in that a spacer (32) is arranged between the fan (26) and the bearing (20), which is fixed at a distance relative to the fan (26) and the bearing (20). holds. The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 3, characterized in that the spacer (32) receives the ten 15 gels (22) and having a first, larger diameter end at the top plate (34) and a second, smaller diameter end at the bearing (20). A bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 4, characterized in that the spacer (32) has a plurality of ribs circumferentially spaced from the first, larger diameter end to the second, smaller diameter end. The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 5, characterized in that the spacer (32) further comprises curved surfaces (112) located between two adjacent pairs of ribs and interconnecting them. The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper plate (34) of the fan (26) has a plurality of ribs extending from the upper plate towards the closure wall. The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 7, characterized in that the ribs are curved. The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 8, characterized in that the ribs are arranged uniformly circumferentially and radially on the top plate (34) relative to the shaft (22). The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 3, characterized in that the closure wall has a plurality of ribs extending therefrom toward the top plate (34). The bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 10, characterized in that the ribs are curved. • · · · ···· - 16th A bearing protection system for a vacuum motor according to claim 11, characterized in that the ribs are arranged uniformly circumferentially and radially in relation to the shaft (22). An improved bearing protection system for a vacuum generator comprising a motor on a first side of a wall and a shaft (92) extending from the motor starting from the motor and a fan (94) secured thereto on the second side of the wall; the shaft (92) rotating in a bearing (90) in the wall, characterized in that it comprises two openings which pass through the upper plate of the fan (94), diametrically opposed to the shaft (92), and the bearing (90) are placed next to them. The bearing protection system for a vacuum generating device according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of vanes extending from the top plate toward the wall. 15. The 14 heat generating arches. Bearing protection system for vacuum device according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades The bearing protection system for a vacuum generating device according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of vanes extending from the wall to the top plate. The bearing protection system for a vacuum generator according to claim 13, characterized in that a spacer (98) is disposed between the fan (94) and the bearing (90), which has a disk portion which receives a shaft (92). ) and having a first, larger end at the fan (94) and a second, smaller end at the bearing (90), the two ends being connected by a cylindrical spacer body (110). The bearing protection system for a vacuum generator according to claim 17, characterized in that the spacer (98) further comprises uniformly spaced ribs (108) extending from the cylindrical spacer body (110) to the first end. The bearing protection system for a vacuum generating device according to claim 18, further comprising curved surfaces (112) connecting adjacent pairs of ribs. The bearing protection system for a vacuum generator according to claim 19, characterized in that the first end circumference of the spacer (98) is provided with recesses.