Single-Piece Sliding Vane Pump With Eccentric Contact Geometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding vane rotary displacement pumps face challenges in manufacturing efficiency and performance due to the use of segmented vanes that require additional mechanisms for contact maintenance, limiting rotor eccentricity and increasing complexity.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece vane design with constant thickness and circular tip regions that maintains contact with a non-circular bore, allowing for smooth operation without additional contact maintenance mechanisms, such as springs or hydraulic porting, by following a circular path within a rotor slot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If segmented vanes are used to maintain contact with the bore wall, then contact maintenance is achieved, but device complexity increases due to additional mechanisms required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the vane contact maintenance function into the rotor geometry itself by creating an offset between the rotor center and bore center. This eliminates the need for separate springs, hydraulic porting, or centrifugal force mechanisms, as the eccentric rotor design inherently ensures continuous vane contact with the bore wall through geometric constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor design serves itself by using its own offset geometry to maintain vane contact with the bore wall. The eccentric configuration creates a self-regulating system where the rotor's rotational motion automatically ensures proper vane engagement without requiring external maintenance mechanisms.
2Reliability
If vane segments are used to extend and retract, then contact with bore wall is maintained, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation to the rotor rather than the vane. By dividing the rotor into segments with offset geometry, the design achieves vane contact maintenance while keeping the vane itself as a simple, unsegmented component that is easier to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces asymmetry through the offset between rotor center and bore center. This asymmetric geometry enables the vane to maintain contact with the bore wall throughout rotation, simplifying both the vane design and manufacturing process compared to symmetric segmented vane approaches.
3Reliability
If additional contact maintenance mechanisms are used, then vane contact is ensured, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the contact maintenance function with the rotor's primary rotational function through offset geometry. This integration eliminates the need for separate, costly components such as springs, hydraulic systems, or centrifugal mechanisms, thereby reducing overall manufacturing cost while ensuring reliable vane contact.
4Ease of manufacture
If rotor eccentricity is limited to support short vane segments, then manufacturing is simplified, but pump performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic offset geometry where the rotor's eccentric position relative to the bore creates varying vane engagement conditions throughout rotation. This dynamic configuration allows the rotor to support longer vane segments that can achieve greater eccentricity and improve pump performance, while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the systematic design approach.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables cost-effective manufacturing and improved performance by eliminating the need for additional contact maintenance mechanisms, ensuring efficient fluid transfer and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
typically, springs, hydraulic porting, or centrifugal force from the rotor motion can be employed to ensure contact between the vane segments and the bore wall
Implementation Method 2
a rotor having a central axis about which the rotor rotates within the bore
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding vane rotary pump apparatus embodiment of the invention has a stator having a bore with a wall, a rotor having a central axis about which the rotor rotates within the bore, and a vane comprising a single piece that includes two opposed tip regions that each have a contact point where the vane contacts the wall of the bore of the stator. The vane has a centroid that follows an eccentric circular path as the vane slidably moves within the rotor as the rotor rotates and induces the vane to slidably move within the rotor from contacting the wall of the bore at the contact point of the two opposed tip regions. The vane can have a constant thickness along its length until the two opposed tip regions at each end and the two opposed tip regions can be circular each having a common constant vane tip radius.