JP2018528356A - Motor pump and control manifold assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A motor pump assembly is provided that includes a motor, a drive shaft connected to the motor, a pump, and a control manifold, the control manifold including means for controlling fluid flow to and from the pump. The motor, drive shaft, pump and manifold are housed in a single common housing. The manifold forms an integral part of the housing and includes a pump chamber that houses the pump. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a motor pump and control manifold assembly, and more particularly to a motor pump assembly used to control a hydraulic actuator.

A hydraulic apparatus including a hydraulic actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder requires a pump that drives a fluid to the actuator and a driving unit such as a motor that operates the pump. A control manifold is also required, but this control manifold controls and directs the pressurized fluid from the pump and the decompressed fluid flowing in the tank. FIG. 1 shows an example of a hydraulic drive system. The system includes an electric motor 1 housed in a motor housing 2. The pump 4 is accommodated in the pump housing 6. The pump housing 6 is connected to the motor housing 2, and a motor drive shaft (not shown) is connected to the pump shaft via a coupling to drive the pump 4. The fluid outlet line 8 includes a series of control valves. On the other hand, the control manifold 10 includes a fluid outlet connected to the supply port of the fluid actuator. The return line 12 connects the control manifold 10 to the inlet port of the pump 4. The control manifold 10 is further connected to the outlet port of the hydraulic actuator and the tank. The support frame 14 connects the motor 1, the pump 4, and the control manifold 10. The size and / or cost of such a device is prohibitive for certain applications.

  Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved motor pump and control manifold assembly that addresses the above problems and / or generally provides improvements.

According to the present invention there is provided a motor pump assembly as described in the appended claims.

In an embodiment of the invention, a motor pump comprising a motor, a drive shaft connected to the motor, and a pump control manifold including means for controlling fluid flow to and / or from the pump It is to provide an assembly with a control manifold.

  The motor, drive shaft, pump and manifold are housed in a single common housing. The term “single common housing” is a term that is in contrast to the prior art described below. In the prior art, each of the motor, pump, and manifold is independently formed separately but housed in an operatively connected housing, at least one of which is independent of the others And physically separated. Placing the motor, drive shaft, pump and manifold in a single housing eliminates the need for a network of pipes that interconnect many independent components and minimizes assembly size. Has the advantage of being able to. The manifold may consist of an integral part of the housing, and the term “contained within” means that at least the working part of the manifold, ie the fluid channels and valves, are at least partially contained within the housing. Rather, it is not necessary for the manifold to be a separate component located in a separate housing.

  The housing preferably includes a main housing body that houses each of the motor, drive shaft, pump, and manifold. The housing includes a first section that houses a motor, and a second section that includes a pump housing and a manifold, the first and second sections being secured to each other, and the shafts having first and second shafts. 2 extends through both sections. For all housings or first and second sections, the term “single body” means that the body of the associated housing section is formed as a single body, but the endplate cover, port connection or closure member. It is not intended to exclude the housing or the housing section from such additional components.

Preferably, the manifold is integrally formed as part of the housing and the valve chamber and associated fluid channels and ports are integrally formed as part of the housing in that they are formed within the body forming the housing. Is done. This manifold thus forms one of the housing sections in which the pump is housed. Forming the manifold to be part of the housing in this manner eliminates the need for external pipes and connectors that connect the separate manifold to the pump. While reducing the number of parts, it simplifies assembly and reduces leakage paths.

Preferably, the housing includes an integrally formed pump chamber configured to receive a pump, which may be a vane pump, a gear pump or other suitable pumping device. The pump chamber is fluidly connected to a manifold in the housing body. The pump chamber is preferably formed in the manifold.

Preferably, the housing further includes an integrally formed chamber for housing the motor. Both the motor and the pump are connected to a single common drive shaft within the housing. The term “single common drive shaft” means that the shaft is continuous along its length and unbroken. A single bearing is preferably provided along the drive shaft between the motor and the pump, which is made possible by the use of a single shaft housed in a common housing. In contrast, prior art devices are provided with independent pumps and motors, each having a separate drive shaft element that must be connected when the independent ones are assembled together.

The pump chamber of the housing preferably includes an inner wall located axially inside the pump. A closure member is provided on the opposite side of the pump in the axial direction, and this closure member forms the outer wall of the pump chamber. The pump includes a gear pump cartridge or a vane pump cartridge, and the vane pump cartridge includes a plurality of vanes attached to a cam ring and a drive shaft. This pump cartridge is directly clamped and fixed between the inner and outer walls. In embodiments where a vane pump is used, the device can eliminate the need for a separate cheek plate or other additional component to secure the pump and port fluid, thereby reducing the size.

Preferably, the fluid channel of the control manifold is disposed axially between the pump chamber and the motor chamber. With such a device, the pump can be located at the end of the assembly to facilitate assembly. The housing includes one or more integrally formed heat exchange fluid channels that have passages extending near the walls of the motor chamber. Preferably, a matrix or network of channels is formed and flows through the housing near the inner wall of the motor chamber. The manifold is configured to pass and control the flow of heat exchange fluid to assist in cooling the motor. Placing the manifold near the motor chamber advantageously installs the device and limits the length of the cooling channel.

  The motor pump assembly can include at least one control manifold module that includes one or more valves. In addition to the control manifold, a control manifold module is provided, which can be arbitrarily connected to the control manifold. The control manifold module is configured to be fixed and fluidly connected to the control manifold. The control manifold module is comprised of a manifold body, one or more control valves, and additional ports configured to provide additional control functionality to the motor pump assembly. For example, the control manifold includes ports and valves provided to control fluid supply to the main hydraulic cylinder and the auxiliary cylinder, and the control manifold module is connected to one or more additional auxiliary cylinders. And a valve provided to control the supply of fluid.

The control manifold preferably includes one or more fluid ports provided for connection to at least one control manifold module. These are the control manifold inlet and outlet ports, which are connected directly to the main and / or auxiliary cylinders in the basic configuration, i.e. without additional modules being connected. . Alternatively, additional ports may be included within the control manifold, which is accessed by the control manifold module when connected to the main control module. The main control manifold and the control manifold module include corresponding connection means that can be bolted or otherwise secured to the control manifold module.

Preferably, the control manifold module includes connector elements arranged so that other control manifold modules can be connected in a manner similar to that secured to the main control manifold. Thus, the functionality of the motor pump assembly is selectively increased and can be modified in the form of a module by the addition of this further control manifold module. This produces a universal motor pump unit that can be selectively modified by the addition of a control manifold module based on the desired functionality, rather than a large number of different units with a fixed configuration and functionality. can do.

Preferably, at least a portion of the housing includes a control manifold and a pump chamber, the housing portion is a single body, and the housing portion including the control manifold and the pump chamber is, for example, a single body casting. be able to.

In an aspect of the invention, a motor pump assembly is provided that includes a motor, a drive shaft connected to the motor, and a pump control manifold that pumps fluid flow. And / or means for controlling from the pump. The manifold forms a housing that houses the pump. The motor is housed within the housing and / or with the housing section, which is directly connected to the manifold, and the motor housing and manifold are combined to form a housing assembly.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a motor pump assembly according to the prior art. FIG. 2 illustrates a motor pump assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hydraulic drive system 18 that includes an electric motor 20, a gear pump 22, and a control manifold 24 is provided. The motor 20 is preferably a permanent magnet motor. It will be appreciated that in the apparatus of FIG. 2, two permanent magnets are installed in series, but in other embodiments, one of more than two motors is provided and provided. The drive shaft 23 is connected to the first end 21 of the motor 20 and extends from the motor 20 in the axial direction. The gear pump 22 is packaged in a pump cartridge 25, and the pump cartridge 25 is attached to the second end portion 26 of the shaft 23 and functions as a pump motor. Advantageously, only a single common shaft is required in the assembly that is directly connected to both the motor 20 and the pump 22.

The roller bearing 32 is located between the motor 20 and the pump cartridge 25 that rotatably supports the shaft 23. Advantageously, this assembly utilizes a common shaft since only a single bearing is required along the length of shaft 23. In contrast, an apparatus such as in FIG. 1 where the pump unit is bolted to a separate motor unit requires two bearings along the axis at the pump unit along with the motor unit. The Applicant has further recognized that the fluid pressure at the tip of the pump vane supports the second end of the shaft 23 so that no additional bearing is required at this second end. The shaft support bearing design can be optimized when a lower inherent side load is generated by the gear pump 22 compared to other pump types.

The housing 34 houses all the components of the assembly. The housing is preferably a two-part housing, but can also be manufactured as a single piece casting. The first section of the housing 34 forms a motor chamber 36 at the first shaft end of the housing 34. The motor housing 36 has an inner end wall 38 that closes the motor chamber 36. The end wall 38 includes a shaft hole 40 through which the shaft 23 passes. This inner wall 38 may be formed as part of the first motor chamber section 35 of the second housing section 37. The axial bore 40 extends axially toward the second end and includes a first radial section 42 that houses the bearing 32. In order to prevent pressure fluid from exiting the motor 20 along the shaft 23, a reduced second step-down section 44 houses the shaft seal 45. The third section 46 forms a pump chamber having a diameter sized to receive the vane cartridge 25. Between the second and third sections, the bore 40 has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the shaft 23 with dimensions that allow the shaft 23 to rotate freely within the bore 40.

The pump chamber 46 has an inner wall 48. A closure plate or cap 50 closes the open outer end of the pump chamber 46. An inner surface 52 of the end plate 50 forms an outer wall of the valve chamber 46. The closure plate 50 is bolted at a predetermined position to the end wall of the housing 34 and acts to clamp the pump cartridge at a position where it abuts against the inner wall of the pump chamber 46. The inner wall 48 of the pump chamber 46 is preferably an integral part of the housing 34 formed by a casting process. A port for the pump 22 is formed in the inner wall 48. Blocking plates conventionally provided for the clamp, port and pump by clamping the vane cartridge between the closure plate 50 and the inner wall 48 and by forming the port of the pump 22 in the end wall 48 Is no longer needed, thus reducing the number of parts, simplifying assembly and reducing costs.

The housing 34 further includes a control manifold section 54. The manifold section 54 is provided between the pump 22 and the motor 20. This section 54 is integrally formed as part of the unitary housing 34. This section 54 includes a plurality of ports, such as ports 56, which are provided to receive a control valve, such as a cartridge valve 58, for controlling fluid flow to or from the pump 22. . The pump extends directly from the inner wall port surface 48 of the pump chamber 46 to the manifold section 54, and the outer surface of the manifold 54 forms the port surface 48 of the pump 22. Integrating the control manifold directly into the assembly housing eliminates the need for a pipework system that connects the pump to a separate control manifold assembly, thereby allowing the overall dimensions of the assembly to be dramatically reduced. Integrating the manifold with the housing greatly simplifies the assembly and significantly reduces parts. The integrated manifold 54 can easily control the flow to and from the pump 22 so that any port of the pump is pressurized. In this way, the pump 22 can operate as a pump in the first direction, and can operate as a motor that drives an electric motor that operates as a generator in the second direction. Thus, this assembly is ideally suited for various applications where energy recovery from the hydraulic system is required.

In a further advantage, the liquid channel (not shown) may be formed in a manifold that is routed through the manifold 54 in a region immediately adjacent to the inner wall 38 of the motor housing 36. Fluid flow through these channels is provided to cool the motor housing 36. This integrated cooling system for the motor housing 36 integrates the manifold 54 into the housing 34 and is positioned between the motor housing 36 and the pump housing 46 in the axial direction adjacent to the motor housing 36. Made possible by.

The use of a pump 22 such as a gear pump or vane pump in the single housing integral assembly of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is preferred because the pump 22 provides a flexible range of operation for the assembly. Where the pump 22 is integrated into the assembly, it is desirable that the assembly can be specified over a wide range of operations without having to change the size or placement of the unitary housing 34.

In prior art devices, if the system specification requires a large displacement from the pump, the designer simply identifies an alternative pump. It is required to replace this pump in the assembly. In this embodiment, if it is necessary to change the pump discharge, this is accomplished by replacing the valve cartridge 25 with another configuration. When the internal structure of the cam ring is changed, the pump cartridge 25 occupies the same space in the housing 34 as it is.

Thus, a single assembly that includes an integrated pump and motor and control manifold package that the various packages optimize optimizes packaging and performance while minimizing the required components. This embodiment advantageously reduces the number of parts, thus reducing cost and space requirements. Prior art motor pumps typically use two shafts, a coupling, and four bearings, but this embodiment has only one pump 22 that functions like an oil bearing to help support the shaft. Two bearings are used.

While striving to draw attention to the features of the invention that are considered to be particularly important in the above specification, the Applicant has so far described and / or drawings, with or without special emphasis. It should be understood that protection is sought with respect to the patentable features or combinations shown in.

Claims (22)

A motor, a drive shaft connected to the motor, a pump and a control manifold including means for controlling fluid flow to and / or from the pump, the motor, the drive shaft pump and the manifold comprising a single common Assembly of motor pump and control manifold housed in housing. 2. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a main housing body that houses each of said motor, drive shaft, pump and manifold. . 3. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 2, wherein the manifold is integrally formed as part of the housing body. 4. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 3, wherein the manifold includes an integrally formed pump chamber in which the pump is housed. 5. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 4, wherein the pump chamber is fluidly connected to a manifold in the housing body. 6. An assembly of a motor pump and a control manifold according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pump is a gear pump and the control manifold. 7. An assembly of a motor pump and control manifold according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pump is a vane pump. 8. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to any of claims 2-7, wherein the housing includes an integrally formed chamber for housing the motor. 9. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the drive shaft is a single common shaft connected to both the motor and the pump. assembly. 10. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 9, wherein only a single bearing is provided along the drive shaft between the motor and pump. 11. An assembly of a motor pump and a control manifold according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein a port surface of the valve chamber is formed, and a port surface of the valve chamber is formed inside the pump in the axial direction. A motor pump and control manifold assembly including a plurality of ports configured to carry fluid to and from the pump. 12. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 11, wherein a closure member for closing the pump chamber and fixing the pump is provided at the end opposite to the port surface in the axial direction. And control manifold assembly. 13. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 12, wherein the closure member forms an axially outer sidewall of the pump chamber. 12. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to any of claims 2 to 11, wherein the control manifold is located axially between the pump chamber and the motor chamber. Assembly. 15. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 14, wherein the housing is provided near the motor chamber and includes one or more heat exchange fluid channels for cooling. assembly. 16. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 15, wherein a network of heat exchange fluid channels is formed in the housing near the axial inner wall of the motor chamber. 17. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the manifold is configured to control fluid through the heat exchange fluid channel. 18. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to any of the preceding claims, comprising at least one control manifold module comprising one or more valves, the control manifold module being a control function of the motor pump assembly. A motor pump and control manifold assembly connected to the control manifold to enhance performance. 19. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 18, wherein the control manifold includes one or more fluid ports provided to connect to the at least one control manifold module, the control manifold and the control manifold A control manifold module is an assembly of a motor pump and a control manifold that includes corresponding connector elements so that the control manifold module can be secured to the control manifold. 20. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 19, wherein the control manifold module includes a connector element provided so that a further control manifold module can be secured. Assembly. 21. A motor pump and control manifold assembly according to any of claims 1 to 20, wherein at least a portion of the housing containing the control manifold and the pump chamber are a single body. 22. The motor pump and control manifold assembly according to claim 21, wherein the housing portion including at least the control manifold and the pump chamber are a single body casting.

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