Turbomolecular pump lubricant supply systems
AssigneeEdwards Limited
InventorNicola Perrino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbomolecular pump has a housing, a rotor shaft supported by a plurality of bearings for rotation relative to the housing about an axis of rotation, a deflector, a lubricant supply system and a lubricant transfer device provided on the rotor shaft. The bearings include a rolling bearing that receives lubricant from the lubricant supply system to via the lubricant transfer device. The rolling bearing is disposed intermediate the lubricant transfer device and the deflector and the deflector is configured to deflect lubricant that passes through the rolling bearing outwardly with respect to the rotor shaft.
Claims18
A lubricant supply system comprising:
- a lubricant reservoir body;
- a finger projecting inwardly from said lubricant reservoir body;
- a plurality of lubricant return members;
- a holder having a main holder body to hold said lubricant reservoir body and a plurality of return member holder bodies extending from said main holder body to hold respective lubricant return members, each lubricant return member extending through an aperture provided in said main holder body;
- a collection channel, said lubricant return members extending from said lubricant reservoir body to said collection channel to transfer lubricant from said collection channel to said lubricant reservoir body;
- and
- a collector body having an annular portion and a tab portion extending from the annular portion into the collection channel.
A turbomolecular pump comprising:
- a housing;
- a pumping mechanism disposed in said housing, said pumping mechanism comprising a rotor shaft having an axis of rotation;
- a plurality of bearings supporting said rotor shaft for rotation relative to said housing about said axis of rotation, said plurality of bearings including a rolling bearing;
- a bearing housing wherein an outer race of the rolling bearing is fixed relative to the bearing housing;
- a deflector;
- a lubricant supply system;
- a lubricant transfer device provided on said rotor shaft to transfer lubricant from said lubricant supply system to said rolling bearing;
- and
- a collection channel,
- wherein said rolling bearing is disposed intermediate said lubricant transfer device and said deflector and said deflector is configured to deflect lubricant that passes through said rolling bearing outwardly with respect to said rotor shaft, said deflector being configured to deflect said lubricant into said collection channel,
- wherein said lubricant supply system comprises a lubricant reservoir body, a finger projecting inwardly from said reservoir body to engage said lubricant transfer device and a lubricant return member extending from said lubricant reservoir body to said collection channel to transfer lubricant from said collection channel to said lubricant reservoir body, and
- wherein said turbomolecular pump further comprises a holder having a main holder body to hold said lubricant reservoir body and a return member holder body extending from said main holder body to hold said lubricant return member, said lubricant return member extending through an aperture provided in said main holder body, wherein said housing is provided with a recess, said holder being received in said recess such that when the bearing housing is present in said housing, the holder is configured to be inserted into said housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.