Rotary expansible chamber devices – Working member has planetary or planetating movement – Helical working member – e.g. – scroll
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-01-30
Vrablik, John J. (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
Working member has planetary or planetating movement
Helical working member, e.g., scroll
C418S055400, C418S057000, C418S101000, C418S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179590
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to scroll fluid apparatuses and, more particularly, to a shaft seal structure in a scroll fluid apparatus of a rotating drive/driven scroll type comprising a drive and a driven scroll, the shaft seal structure being provided in a discharge part for discharging compressed fluid, as well as a scroll fluid apparatus in which the engagement between wraps and an opposed scroll plate is adjustable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 11
shows a prior art scroll fluid apparatus. The apparatus comprises a stationary scroll
110
secured to an end face of a frame
140
. The stationary scroll
110
has vertically an involute wrap
113
which is provided in a concave space defined by a peripheral wall
111
with a suction port
116
formed therein, and also has a discharge port
117
provided substantially at a central position for discharging compressed fluid.
In a concave space defined by the frame
140
, a revolving scroll
120
is accommodated and has an involute wrap
121
formed vertically on a scroll body having an end surface in contact with an end surface of the peripheral wall
111
. The involute wrap
121
has substantially the same shape as the wrap
113
of the stationary scroll
110
. The wraps
113
and
121
are engaged with each other in a 180-degree out-of-phase relation to each other.
Self-lubricating seals
131
are each fitted in a concave groove formed in the end surface of each of the wraps
113
and
121
of the scrolls
110
and
120
in contact with the other scroll. The wraps
113
and
121
thus undergo sliding by lubricant-free oil. A ring-like self-lubricant free seal
132
is fitted in a concave groove formed in the end surface of the stationary scroll
110
in contact with the corresponding end surface of the revolving scroll
120
, whereby the concave space defined by the peripheral wall
111
noted above is thus sealed gas-tight from the outside.
The frame
140
axially supports a drive crankshaft
141
with a pulley
142
provided at one end, and also supports three driven crankshafts
150
spaced apart at an interval of 120° with respect to the main drive shaft
141
.
The crankshafts
141
and
150
have their eccentric end portions
411
and
501
supported for rotation via bearings
143
and
155
in an inner frame
125
which is integral with the revolving scroll
120
.
Rotation of the drive crankshaft
141
causes revolving of the driven crankshafts
150
in correspondence to the eccentricity of the drive crankshaft
141
, whereby the revolving scroll
120
undergoes revolving about the wrap center of the stationary scroll
110
with a predetermined radius of revolving while not in rotation.
In the prior art scroll fluid apparatus as described above, the parallelness and clearance of the revolving scroll
120
with respect to the stationary scroll
110
should be accurately adjusted so that the revolving scroll
120
can revolve with adequate accuracy of wrap engagement. Without these accurate adjustments, fluid may leak through sealed spaces. In addition, the wraps and the opposed sliding surfaces may be brought into contact with one another, resulting in noise generation and abnormal wear. Moreover, partial contact of the wraps is liable, thus increasing the drive power and reducing the durability of the bearings.
In the frame
140
, ball bearings
151
are fitted for movement in the thrust direction on the driven crankshafts
150
, which are provided at an interval of 120° with respect to the drive crankshaft
141
. The position of the ball bearings
151
in the thrust direction is made adjustable by turning outside race retainers
160
in plus or minus directions. The race retainers are screwed on the driven crankshafts
150
and can be turned in either direction.
The outside race retainers
160
slightly project from the end surface of the frame
140
, and can be locked by lids
146
.
The driven crankshafts
150
have their eccentric portions
501
supported via bearings
155
in the inner frame
125
integral with the revolving scroll
120
.
In this embodiment, the thrust displacement volume between the sliding surface
120
a
of the revolving scroll
120
and the frame end surface
140
a
is adjustable by turning the outside race retainer
160
in plus or minus directions.
In the above prior art scroll fluid apparatus, for the adjustment of thrust displacement volume between the sliding surface
120
a
of the revolving scroll
120
and the frame end surface
140
a,
the bearings
155
which are provided near the outer periphery of the revolving scroll
120
are advanced and retreated in the thrust direction by turning the outside race retainers
160
in either a plus or a minus direction. Therefore, some of the bearings
155
may be advanced or retreated excessively, while the others are advanced or retreated insufficiently, resulting in an increase of the drive power due to partial contact of wraps or durability reduction of the bearings.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above background, it is an object of the invention to provide a scroll fluid apparatus, of a rotating drive/driven scroll type, which is capable of thrust adjustment of the drive scroll with a simple construction.
Another object of the invention is to improve a shaft seal structure which is provided in a discharge section for compressing and discharging fluid.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a scroll fluid apparatus of a rotating drive/driven scroll type is provided. The apparatus comprises a drive scroll plate and a driven scroll plate, these scroll plates being driven in a housing such that their wraps compress fluid and discharge the compressed fluid to the outside with their wraps. A scroll adjustment mechanism is provided for adjusting the engagement between the wraps and the opposed scroll plates.
The scroll fluid apparatus further comprises:
supporting means providing support around the central portions of the opposite side face to the wrap formative face of each scroll plate to the housing;
elastically displaceable means disposed between one of the supporting means and the housing so as to be capable of displacement in the axial direction; and
adjusting means displacing one of the supporting means in the axial directions of the scroll plates.
The scroll plates are capable of being adjusted in the axial directions.
In a scroll fluid apparatus of a rotating drive/driven scroll type, drive and driven scroll plates are rotated around their supporting means. Therefore, where the thrust displacement adjustment is made at outer peripheral portions of the scroll plates, thrust displacement adjustment members should be held in the housing over the entire circumference, and complicate the construction.
However, the scroll fluid apparatus of a rotating drive/driven scroll type according to the invention is provided with drive and driven scroll plates having supporting means providing support in the above housing in the neighborhood of central portions of their side faces opposite to the wrap formative face of each scroll plate, that is, both scroll plates are supported at their central portions by the housing.
The above supporting means are displaceably adjusted in the axial direction of a scroll plate, instead of adjustable by arranging plural adjusting means provided in the outer peripheral portion of the scroll plate. Thus, the outer peripheral portion of the scroll plate is not in partial contact with the opposed scroll means and is not driven with squeak due to excessive displacement of the one of the plural adjusting means. Therefore, it is possible to improve durability.
The construction of the above scroll fluid apparatus is made simply by displacement adjustment for the above supporting means.
Since the above supporting means are displaceably adjusted, the outer peripheral portions of the scroll plate are also displaceably adjusted. Therefore, the supporting means of the central portion are not caused to be inclined diagonally and do not result in irrational
Honma Toshihiro
Kawazoe Shinji
Sato Toru
Tsuji Masaki
Anest Iwata Corporation
Evenson, McKeown, Edwards & Lenahan P.L.L.C.
Vrablik John J.
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