Vane cell pump/motor

Abstract

A vane pump or motor has structural features for ensuring a substantially constant relationship between rotor vanes ( 30 ) and a surrounding wall 44 ) of a rotor chamber ( 15 ) of a stator ( 16 ). This is done by changing shapes of either the surrounding wall or the guide tracks to be out of round such that, during a full rotation, the arrangement of the rotor vanes ( 30 ) to the surrounding wall ( 44 ) remains the same. That is, a diameter (b) of the rotor chamber ( 15 ) in an axial plane (a-a), defined by maximum and minimum radial movement of a rotor vane ( 30 ), is greater than a diameter (c) perpendicular thereto, or a diameter (d) of the guide tracks ( 59 ) perpendicular to the axial plane is greater than a diameter (e) lying in the axial plane (a-a) of the guide tracks ( 59 ). An intake and an exhaust are provided in one of two symmetrical sections of the rotor chamber ( 15 ) defined by the axial plane (a-a). Elastic guide rings, rotatable with the rotor, can also be used.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A vane pump/motor having a stator ( 16 ) and a rotor ( 10 ) linked to a drive shaft ( 12 ), said rotor being mounted eccentrically in a cylindrical rotor chamber ( 15 ) of the stator ( 16 ), said chamber having an intake and an exhaust, with the rotor having angularly-spaced radially-movable plate-like rotor vanes mounted thereon, with a portion of each vane within the rotor chamber ( 15 ) facing away from a surrounding wall ( 44 ) of the rotor chamber ( 15 ) engaging with a circular guide track ( 59 ) that is coaxial to the rotor chamber ( 15 ) and which moves the vanes to defined radial positions, wherein: 
 a diameter (b) of the rotor chamber ( 15 ) in a defined axial plane (a-a) extending through maximum and minimum radial movement position of the rotor vanes ( 30 ) in the rotor ( 10 ) is larger than a diameter (c) of the rotor chamber perpendicular to the diameter (b), with the intake and exhaust being in one of symmetrical segments of the rotor chamber defined by the axial plane (a-a).    
     
     
         2 . A vane pump/motor having a stator ( 16 ) and a rotor ( 10 ) linked to a drive shaft ( 12 ), said rotor being mounted eccentrically in a cylindrical rotor chamber ( 15 ) of the stator ( 16 ), said chamber having an intake and an exhaust, with the rotor having angularly-spaced radially-movable plate-like rotor vanes mounted thereon, with a portion of each vane within the rotor chamber ( 15 ) facing away from a surrounding wall ( 44 ) of the rotor chamber ( 15 ) engaging a guide track ( 59 ) that is coaxial to the rotor chamber ( 15 ) and which moves the vanes to defined radial positions, wherein: 
 A diameter (d) of the guide track ( 59 ) taken perpendicular to a defined axial plane (a-a) through maximum and minimum radial movement positions of the rotor vanes ( 30 ) in the rotor ( 10 ) is larger than a diameter (e) of the guide track ( 59 ) lying in the axial plane (a-a), and wherein the intake and exhaust are provided in one of symmetrical segments of the rotor chamber defined by the axial plane (a-a).    
     
     
         3 . A vane pump/motor having a stator ( 16 ) and a rotor ( 10 ) linked to a drive shaft ( 12 ), said rotor being mounted eccentrically in a circular-cylindrical rotor chamber ( 15 ) of the stator ( 16 ), said chamber having an intake ( 74 ) and an exhaust ( 76 ), with said rotor having angularly-spaced radially-movable plate-like rotor vanes mounted thereon, with a portion of each vane within the rotor chamber ( 15 ) facing away from a surrounding wall ( 44 ) of the rotor chamber ( 15 ) engaging an outer surrounding surfaces ( 59 ) of cylindrical steering rings ( 66 ,  68 ) which are engaged, with radial play, with the rotor drive shaft ( 12 ) by being respectively loosely placed in depressions in the rotor, wherein: 
 at least outer surfaces of the steering rings ( 66 ,  68 ) are structured to have radial spring elasticity and the rotor vane ( 30 ) is held by a predetermined spring bias between the outer surfaces of the steering rings and a cylindrical surrounding wall ( 52 ).    
     
     
         4 . The vane pump/motor of    claim 3    wherein the steering ring ( 66 ,  68 ) has a shell ( 73 ) of a material having spring elasticity.  
     
     
         5 . The vane pump/motor of    claim 3    wherein an entire ring body ( 72 ) forming each steering ring ( 66 ,  68 ) is radially elastic.