US3207078A

US3207078A - Rotary pump

Info

Publication number: US3207078A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1965-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 1982-09-21

Description

Sept. 2l, 1965 E, E. COCK 3,207,078

ROTARY PUMP Filed Jan. l0, 1965 United States Patent O 3,207,078 ROTARY PUMP Ernest E. Cook, Anoka, Minn., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Hypro, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 250,621 1 Claim. (Cl. 10S- 136) This invention relates generally to rotary pumps, and pertains more particularly to a pump provided with an eccentrically mounted rotor having a plurality of grooves or recesses for the accommodation of a number of centrifugally actuated impeller rollers that provide the pumping action as they traverse a curvilinear path within a pumping chamber.

One object of the invention is to provide a rotary pump having a large volumetric capacity for its size. More specifically, it is an aim of the invention to provide a pump that employs an axial flow from one end thereof to the other with increased et`n`ciency derived in part from the particular method of porting.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary pump that is extremely simple and which can be manufactured at a low cost. In this regard, it is contemplated that the pump housing will consist of duplicate halves that can readily be molded from appropriate plastic material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary pump that can very easily be driven from either end, thereby making it unnecessary to exercise any degree of care as far as the axial orientation of the pump is concerned when coupling the pump to a drive motor.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pump that can be completely submerged and which is capable of pumping to the bottom of a container. It is also an aim of the invention to provide a pump that can be inserted into small-mouthed containers, such as bottles and the like.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a pump capable of producing a relatively constant flow which for all intents and purposes will be virtually pulse-free.

It is also within the purview of the invention to provide a pump of the envisaged character, the basic design of which can be modified for a balanced rotor type of operation.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

` FIGURE l is a vertical sectional view showing the pump of the instant invention in actual use;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken in the direction of line 2`2`of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken in the direction of line 3-3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of line 4-4 of FIGURE l; v

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view in perspective of the pump housing, the rotor having been removed in order to show to better advantage the construction of the two identical housing halves; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the grooved pump rotor.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the pump selected for the purpose of exemplfying the invention has been designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10. As can be seen from FIGURES 1 and 5, the pump 10 comprises a housing which includes two identical halves or sections labeled 12a and 12b. It is planned that these

housing halves

12a and 12b be molded from a suitable plastic material, such as nylon.

In their assembled relation, the

housing halves

12a and 12b provide a pumping chamber 14 formed by the 3,207,078 Patented Sept. 2l, 1965 ICC side walls 16a, 16b and the

end walls

18a, 18b. The

housing halves

12a and 12b abut each other, and for the purpose of aligning the two halves or sections with respect to each other a pair of dowel pins 20a and 201) are formed integrally with the

halves

12a and 12b. These

pins

20a and 20b are appropriately received in properly located holes, one such hole appearing as 22a in FIGURE 4.

In order to facilitate the ensuing description, a diametrical plane 24 may be considered to be present. This plane may be considered to be perpendicular to the plane of the drawing as viewed in FIGURE 1, and such plane has also been indicated in certain of the other views. Integral with the

end walls

18a, 18b are

sleeve bearings

26a, 26b. The common axis (when the

housing halves

12a, 12b are assembled) of these

sleeve bearings

26a, 26b, lies in the plane labeled 24. However, the axis that has just been referred to is nearer the side walls 16a, 16b in a direction toward the viewer. In other words, as evident from FIGURES 2, 3, and 4, the common axis for the

sleeve bearings

26a, 26b is offset with respect to the center of the pumping chamber 14 in order to provide a desired eccentricity that will be presently referred t0.

It will also be of help in appreciating the advantages flowing from the present invention to make reference to a plane 28 which is perpendicular to the previously mentioned plane 24. The plane 28 intersects the plane 24 aft of the common axis for the

sleeve bearings

26a, 26b. Having alluded to the plane 28, it will now be explained that the end walls 18a, 18h are formed with outer

arcuate openings

30a, 30b, these arcuate openings being innerjacent the side walls 16a, 16h. Located radially inwardly from the

arcuate openings

30a, 30b are additional arcuate openings 32a, 321; which cane be made slightly wider at one end than the other owing to the eccentric or offset location of the

sleeve bearings

26a, 26b. Thus, the

arcuate openings

30a, 30h and 32a, 32b are separated by

arcuate strips

34a, 34b which strips are of course integral with the

respective end walls

18a, 18b. It will be observed from FIGURES 2 and 3 that the

arcuate openings

30a, 30b, 32a, and 32b are generally bisected by the plane 28. It is also to be noted that these arcuate openings subtend an arc of approximately or what amounts to a quadrant at one side of the diametrical plane 24 as far as the end wall-18a is concerned and the opposite side of the plane 24, as far as the end wall 18b is concerned, this being the relationship when the two

halves

12a, 12b are assembled as in FIGURE 5.

As can be seen from FIGURES 1 and 5, the

housing halves

12a, 12b are formed so that skirt portions 36a, 36b project in opposite directions from the

end walls

18a, 18b. These skirt portions 36a, 36b are formed with

notches

38a, 38b having supporting

feet

40a, 40b therebetween. The

notches

38a or 38b, as the case may be, permit the intake of fluid to the pump 10 under certain circumstances, as will be presently made manifest.

At this time attention is directed to a rotor denoted by the numeral 42. As with the housing parts or

halves

12a, 12b, the rotor 42 may be molded from a suitable plastic material, such as nylon. The diameter of the rotor 42 is equal to the radial distance measured from the plane 28 along the plane 24 toward the reader, which is the shortest distance between the axis of the

sleeve bearings

26a, 26b and the side walls 16a, 16b. The rotor 42 has a length substantially equal to the length of the pumping chamber 14. Thus, when the two

halves

12a, 12b are placed in abutting relation, such as appears in FIGURES l and 5, it will be appreciated that the rotor 42 occupies substantially the full height of the chamber 14. Actually, the lower end wall 18a serves as a thrust bearing or support upon which the rotor 42 rotates. Although the number is susceptable to variation, it will be observed that the rotor 42 is formed with four longitudinal grooves or recesses 44, each having parallel sides and extending the full length of the rotor. For the purpose of making the rotor rotatable, a shaft 46 is press-fitted into a bore extending longitudinally through the rotor 42, this shaft having its ends projecting oppositely as can be seen in FIGURE 1.

Inasmuch as four grooves or recesses 44 have been selected, the same number of

cylindrical rollers

48a, 48b, 48C, and 48d are employed. These rollers which act as pistons or vanes, are freely disposed within the recesses 44 and have a length coextensive therewith. It will be appreciated that the recesses 44 are actually radially directed and therefore the cylindrical roller 48a- 48d are free to move radially within these recesses, being guided in such a movement by the parallel sides of the various recesses.

A close inspection of FIGURES 1 and 5 will reveal that the skirts 36a, 3611 are formed with counterbores 50a, 5013, thereby providing shoulders 52a, SZb. The upper counterbore Sb accommodates the lower end of a vertical delivery tube 54. The upper end of the tube 54 is received in a nozzle head 56 having a laterally directed discharge spout 5S.

For the purpose of operating the pump is a drive motor 60 provided with a downwardly directed shaft 62. The shaft 62 is connected through the agency of an upper coupling member 64 to an intermediate shaft 66, the nozzle head 56 being configured so as to accommodate an O-ring packing member 68. The lower end of the intermediate shaft 66 is connected to the pump shaft 46 by reason of a second coupling member 70.

While the pump 10 can be used for a variety of purposes, it is believed that it will possess especial utility in pumping liquids from small-mouthed containers such as bottles and the like. Therefore, in FIGURE 1 the pump 10 has been shown as having been inserted through the mouth of a bottle 72 containing liquid 74 therein which is to be removed from such container. It will be appreciated that the nozzle head 56 can be designed with a suitable seal for the particular type and size of bottle 72. In this regard, if the pump 10 is to be employed for pumping water from a bottle, say for the purpose of making a beverage, then the head S6 will be preferably designed with a resilient ring that can be pressed into the mouth of the bottle 72, appropriate provision being made for venting the bottle as its contents are withdrawn.

Having presented the foregoing information, the operation of the pump 10 will now be described. It will be noted from FIGURE 4 that an arrow 76 indicates the direction in which the motor 60 drives or rotates the rotor 4Z. It will also be of assistance to assign reference numerals to various lunate regions in order to facilitate the operational description. With this in mind,

reference numerals

78, 80, 82 and 84 have been used to designate certain regions in which various pressure conditions exist during the pumping operation. Additional regions labeled 86, 88 and 90 appear in FIG- URE 4, these regions being at the base of the various recesses 44 with the exceptionlof the recess appearing in the six oclock position of this particular figure.

What occurs as the roller 48a is advanced from the six oclock position to the three oclock position of FIG- URE 4 is that the lower end of the roller 48a is moved from a position overlying a solid section of the end wall 18a to a position where it rests on the arcuate strip 24a and thus overlies portions of the openings or

inlet ports

30a, 32a. In the six oclock position, it will be discerned that the roller 48a occupies a position in its recess 44 which is for all intents and purposes against the base of this particular recess. However, as it is moved in its counterclockwise path, it is forced outwardly by centrifugal action and traverses what has been labeled the lunate region 78. As can readily be discerned from FIGURE 4, this lunate region 78, which of course extends from the lower end wall 18a to the upper end wall 18h, increases in cubic volume as measured in a counterclockwise direction. Likewise, inasmuch as the roller 48a is moving radially outwardly, the region 86 continually increases in volume. The increase in volume of the two

regions

78 and 86 causes a reduced pressure condition to exist, and as the lower end of the roller 48a moves into juxtaposition with the

arcuate openings

30a, 32a some of the liquid 74 is drawn upwardly into these

regions

78, 86.

The suction thus produced continues at an accelerated rate as the roller 48a is progressed toward the twelve oclock position of FIGURE 4. However, the suction ceases when the roller 48a reaches a superimposed position with the trailing edges of the

arcuate openings

30a, 32b. However, when the roller 48a reaches the trailing edges of these particular arcuate openings, the following roller 48d is just beginning to move into juxtaposition with the leading or advance edges of these particular openings.

The continued advancement of the

rollers

48d and 48a carries the entrapped liquid therebetween and when the roller 48a, which is now to be considered as leaving its twelve oclock position, reaches the leading or advance edges of the arcuate openings 30h, 32b, these being the openings in the upper end wall 18b, it will be appreciated that the roller 48d under these circumstances will just be leaving the lower

arcuate openings

30a, 32b and the liquid entrapped between these two particular rollers will be forced upwardly to the openings 30h, 32b. This is so by reason of the decrease in cubic volume of the lunate region 82 and also the decrease in volume of the region 8S.

After passing through the nine oclock position, it will be understood that the roller 48a is still being urged inwardly with respect to its particular recess and that the region is becoming progressively smaller and will be continually reduced until the roller 48a has passed beyond the trailing edge of the

arcuate openings

30b, 32b.

From what has been said above, it is believed evident that the

arcuate openings

30a, 32a function as inlet ports, whereas the arcuate openings 3017, 32b function as discharge ports. Consequently, the

various rollers

48a, 48b, 48e, and 48d continually and successively draw into the regions '78, 80, and 86 liquid 74 from the container 72. On the other hand, the rollers force liquid from the

regions

82, 84 and 90 due to the rotation of the rotor 42 about its offset or eccentric axis. It is important to note that the successive positions of the

various rollers

48a, 48h, 48C, and 48d with respect to the

arcuate openings

30a, 30b, 32a and 32b are such that produce a pumping action of maximum effectiveness with the rollers acting as pistons or vanes as previously mentioned. Not only does one -roller arrive at the advance or leading edges of the inlet ports (

openings

30a and 32a) just when the roller ahead is leaving these ports, the same thing happening at the discharge ports (openings 30b .and 32b), but it is to be distinctly noted that use is made of the

vregions

86, 88 and 90 between the various rollers and the base of each recess 44. Stated somewhat differently, in the disclosed construction, a pumping action occurs via two parallel paths, so to speak. Thus, for a given size of pump, a high volume of liquid can be pumped and is pumped in a non-pulsating fashion. It is also to be discerned that the flow of liquid is in an axial direction without requiring a reversal of liquid movement or even an abrupt change in the direction in which the liquid moves. Hence, a highly efficient pump is produced when following the teachings of the present invention.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details arrangements and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A rotary pump comprising:

(a) housing means forming an elongated pumping chamber therewithin having an imperforate sidewall and opposite end walls, one end wall having an inlet port at one angular location and the other end wall having an outlet port displaced angularly from said inlet port,

(b) a cylindrical rotor Within said pumping chamber journaled for rotation about an axis offset from the longitudinal axis of said pumping chamber, said rotor having a plurality of radially directed recesses extending from one end thereof to the other, and

(c) an elongated piston member freely disposed in each of said recesses and having a length substantially coextensive to said recesses, whereby when said rotor is rotated about its said axis the ends of said rollers will successively overlie said inlet and outlet ports,

(d) said housing means constituting two identical housing halves abutting each other in a radial plane passing substantially perpendicularly through the axis of said rotor,

(e) said piston members being cylindrical rollers,

(f) the end wall of each housing half being recessed from the distal end thereof to provide oppositely projecting skirts for said housing means,

(g) each housing half being of molded construction and in which (h) each end wall being provided with an integral sleeve bearing projecting into its associated skirt, (i) said rotor having a shaft extending axially therethrough into said sleeve bearings to rotatably journal said rotor,

(j) the free edge of each skirt being formed with a series of spaced notches to permit ingress of liquid to said inlet port when the housing half containing said inlet port is resting on a at horizontal surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS KARL I. ALBRECHT, Primary Examiner.

LAURENCE V. EFNER, JOSEPH H. BRANSON, IR.,

Examiners.