vane pump

Abstract

Vane pump (1) for supplying an internal combustion engine with lubricant, comprising an inner rotor (3) rotatably mounted in a cage (5) and a plurality of vanes (4) which are radially displaceable in substantially radial slots (12) in the inner rotor (3), wherein the slots (12) and thus also the vanes (4) are arranged asymmetrically on the inner rotor (3), characterized in that the slots (12) on the inner rotor (3) have different dimensions and thus also the vanes (4) have different thicknesses.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a vane pump, in particular for supplying an internal combustion engine with lubricant, for example with oil.

[0002] The use of flow-controlled vane pumps in internal combustion engines has long been state of the art, enabling easy adjustment of the flow rate and pressure to the engine's requirements. This adjustment is typically achieved by applying oil pressure from the engine's main oil gallery to a valve within the vane pump.

[0003] From DE 196 41 779 C1, a generic vane pump is known with an inner rotor mounted to rotate in a cage and a plurality of pistons mounted in substantially radial slots. These slots, and thus also the pistons / vanes, are arranged asymmetrically on the inner rotor.

[0004] From DE 103 52 267 A1, a vane pump with an inner rotor mounted rotating in a cage is known, wherein a plurality of vanes are provided which are slidably mounted in essentially radial slots.

[0005] From DE 195 32 703 C1, a vane pump for supplying an internal combustion engine with lubricant, in particular oil, is known, comprising an inner rotor and a movable outer rotor that rotates via pendulum drivers. For the rotational drive from the inner rotor to the eccentrically movable outer rotor, only one pendulum driver with its drive head, drive foot, and only one sliding flank is in sliding contact. The outer rotor is moved to control the delivery rate.

[0006] From DE 10 2004 030 478 A1, a pump, such as a vane pump, is known with a double-stroke conveying contour, which has at least one rising section, at least one large-circle section, at least one descending section and at least one small-circle section, and the pump has a rotor within the conveying contour with radially displaceable vanes or rollers in radial slots.

[0007] From DE 34 25 013 A1, a hydraulic pump, in particular a vane pump, is known with a rotor rotatably mounted in a housing which is to be closed with a cover that is fastened to the housing by four circumferentially spaced screws, wherein these screws can be screwed into threaded holes. The circumferential arrangement of the screws is such that they absorb approximately equal forces.

[0008] Another vane pump is known, for example, from EP 1 931 879 B1.

[0009] A disadvantage of conventional vane pumps is, in particular, their less than optimal smooth running and the associated vibrations or undesirable noise generation.

[0010] The present invention deals with the problem of providing an improved or at least an alternative embodiment for a vane pump of the generic type, which is characterized in particular by a higher smoothness of operation and thus a quieter operation.

[0011] This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0012] The present invention is based on the general concept of achieving energy dispersion with respect to pulsations, structure-borne noise, and airborne noise in a known vane pump for supplying a combustion engine with lubricant, particularly oil, by distributing the energy not only among the main pump orders but also among the secondary pump orders. For this purpose, the vane pump according to the invention has an inner rotor with a plurality of vanes, which are mounted to rotate within a cage (outer rotor) and are radially displaceable in substantially radial slots in the inner rotor. According to the invention, these slots, and thus the vanes themselves, are arranged asymmetrically on the inner rotor, thereby distributing pressure peaks and pulsations, in particular, into different orders.The asymmetrical arrangement of the slots, and thus also the asymmetrical arrangement of the vanes on the inner rotor, offers further structural advantages, since the forces resulting from torque are introduced unevenly into the structures of the vane pump, thereby avoiding or at least reducing vibration effects. The asymmetrical arrangement of the vanes on the inner rotor thus enables significantly smoother operation, which in particular makes the operation of the vane pump according to the invention considerably quieter. Furthermore, the slots on the inner rotor, and thus also the vanes or pendulums, are designed to have different dimensions, for example, different thicknesses.

[0013] In an advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, at least one wing has a greater circumferential distance to one neighbor than to its other neighbor. An asymmetrical arrangement of the individual wings can thus be achieved, for example, by having one or more wings have a closer distance to each other than to other wings, so that the wings form different angles with each other in the circumferential direction. For example, when providing six wings, three wings can be arranged at an angle of 58° each, and three further wings at an angular distance of approximately 62° from each other, thereby achieving the asymmetrical arrangement of the individual wings according to the invention.In a vane pump with a total of six chambers, i.e., with six vanes, there are three main orders: 6, 12, and 18. With the asymmetrical arrangement of these vanes, the respective sub-orders can be energetically increased by + / -1, e.g., 5, 7 for main order 6 and 11, 13 for main order 12, while the aforementioned main orders can be slightly lowered. This energetic variation is particularly noticeable in improved smoothness of operation and reduced tendency to vibrate.

[0014] Further important features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the drawing and the associated description of the figures based on the drawing.

[0015] It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or on their own, without leaving the scope of the present invention.

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and is explained in more detail in the following description.

[0017] The only Fig. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view through a vane pump according to the invention.

[0018] According to the Fig. Figure 1, a vane pump 1 according to the invention, which in this case is designed as a pendulum vane pump, has a shaft 2 on which an inner rotor 3 is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner. The inner rotor 3 is operatively connected via individual vanes 4, which in this case are designed as pendulums 4, to a cage 5, which has the function of an outer rotor. The cage 5 is in turn held in a slide 6 and can be pivoted about a bearing pin 7 via the slide 6. A spring 8 causes a preload of the slide 6 in a predefined direction. The spring 8, for example a control spring, is supported at one end by the slide 6 and at the other end by a spring counter-bearing on the housing 9.By rotating the slide 6 around the bearing pin 7, the delivery rate of the vane pump 1 according to the invention can be regulated, for example by changing the volumes of a pressure chamber 10 and a suction chamber 11 by altering the eccentricity of the inner rotor 3 relative to the slide 6. The [function] according to the [invention]. Fig. The vane pump 1 shown is designed as a pendulum vane pump.

[0019] The vanes / pendulums 4 are radially displaceable in essentially radial slots 12 in the inner rotor 3, the slots 12 and thus also the vanes 4, or rather the pendulums 4, being arranged asymmetrically on the inner rotor 3. Asymmetrical in this context means that, for example, an angle α between two adjacent pendulums 4 or two adjacent slots 12 is smaller than an angle β between two other directly adjacent slots 12. In this case, vane 4 has a smaller circumferential distance to one of its neighbors, i.e., vane 4', than to its neighboring vane 4" viewed in the opposite direction.

[0020] The pendulum-shaped wings 4 are pivotally mounted on the cage 5 surrounding the inner rotor 3. Overall, the [component] according to the Fig. The vane pump 1, depicted in Figure 1 and designed as a pendulum vane pump, has six vanes 4 or six pendulums 4, although of course more or fewer pendulums are also conceivable. A further asymmetrical arrangement of the slots 12 or vanes 4 is achieved by the fact that the slots 12 on the inner rotor 3, and thus also the vanes 4 or the pendulums 4, have different dimensions, for example, different thicknesses.

[0021] Due to the uneven angular distribution of the vanes 4 and the slots 12, the volume flow and pressure fluctuations inherent in positive displacement pumps are emitted at uneven time intervals, resulting in a dispersion of pulsations (pressure peaks) into different orders. Such energy dispersion can offer advantages, particularly with regard to pulsation, structure-borne noise, and airborne noise, since, in addition to the weaker main pump orders, which essentially correspond to the number of vanes in the vane pump 1, the secondary orders also absorb energy. According to the Fig.In the vane pump 1 shown in Figure 1, which, for example, has the main orders 6, 12, and 18, the energy of these orders can be lowered, and the respective suborders can be raised by + / -1, i.e., for example, suborders 5 and 7 for main order 6, and suborders 11 and 13 for main order 12. This can also result in structural advantages at the rotor assembly itself, that is, particularly at the inner rotor 3, since the forces resulting from the torque are introduced unevenly into the structures, especially into the housing 9, and thus vibration effects can be avoided or at least reduced.

Claims

[1] Vane pump (1) for supplying an internal combustion engine with lubricant, comprising an inner rotor (3) rotatably mounted in a cage (5) and a plurality of vanes (4) which are radially displaceable in substantially radial slots (12) in the inner rotor (3), wherein the slots (12) and thus also the vanes (4) are arranged asymmetrically on the inner rotor (3), characterized by , that the slots (12) on the inner rotor (3) have different dimensions and therefore the blades (4) also have different thicknesses. [2] Vane pump according to claim 1, characterized by , that at least one wing (4) has a greater circumferential distance to one of its neighbors (4") than to its other neighbor (4'). [3] Vane pump according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the vane pump (1) is designed as a pendulum vane pump. [4] Vane pump according to claim 3, characterized by, that the vanes (4) of the pendulum vane pump, designed as pendulums (4), are pivotably mounted on the cage (5) surrounding the inner rotor. [5] Vane pump according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that a total of six wings (4) or six pendulums (4) are provided. [6] Vane pump according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that a slide (6) is provided which receives the cage (5) and the inner rotor (3) and is pre-tensioned by a spring (8), via which the delivery rate of the vane pump (1) can be regulated. [7] Vane pump according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that the vane pump (1) is designed to supply an internal combustion engine with oil.

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