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US 2014/0271296 A1Published application
No Corner Seal Rotary Vane Actuator
AssigneeWoodward, Inc.
InventorsJoseph H. Kim, Robert P. O'Hara, Shahbaz H. Hydari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a rotary vane actuator. A rotor assembly includes longitudinal vanes disposed radially on a central shaft, with each vane connected at their ends to a circular plates secured to the shaft. Each vane has an outer edge, wherein the shaft, a surface of each plate, and the vanes define interior pockets in the rotor assembly. A stator assembly includes two stator elements each having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge.
Claims12
A rotary vane actuator comprising:
- a stator housing having a bore disposed axially therethrough;
- a rotor assembly including:
- a central longitudinal shaft, and
- at least a first longitudinal vane disposed radially on and rigidly connected to the central longitudinal shaft, and at least a second longitudinal vane disposed radially on and rigidly connected to the central longitudinal shaft, said second vane disposed substantially opposite from the first vane, each of said longitudinal vanes connected at a first terminal end to a first circular plate rigidly secured to the output shaft and at a second terminal end to a second circular plate rigidly secured to the output shaft, each of said vanes having an outer longitudinal edge, said longitudinal edge parallel to a central axis of the longitudinal shaft;
- said longitudinal edge spaced a distance from the central axis substantially equal to an outer radial distance of a circumferential edge of each of the first and second circular plates,
- wherein a first cylindrical surface of the central longitudinal shaft, a first inner surface of the first plate and a first inner surface of the second plate and a first face of the first longitudinal vane and a first face of the second longitudinal vane define a first interior pocket in the rotor assembly, and
- wherein a second cylindrical surface of the central longitudinal shaft, a second inner surface of the first plate and a second inner surface of the second plate and a second face of first longitudinal vane and a second face of the second longitudinal vane define a second interior pocket in the rotor assembly;
- and
- a stator assembly including:
- a first stator element having a concave interior surface adapted to contact the first cylindrical surface in the first pocket and a convex outer surface adapted to be secured to the bore of the stator housing and sized to be received in the first pocket, said stator element having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge;
- and
- a second stator element having a concave interior surface adapted to contact the second cylindrical surface in the second pocket and a convex outer surface adapted to be secured to the bore of the stator housing and sized to be received in the second pocket, said stator element having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge.
9 more elements
A method of rotary actuation comprising:
- providing a stator housing having a bore disposed axially therethrough;
- providing a rotor assembly including:
- a central longitudinal shaft, and
- at least a first longitudinal vane disposed radially on a central longitudinal shaft, and at least a second longitudinal vane disposed radially on the central longitudinal shaft, each of said longitudinal vanes connected at a first terminal end to a first circular plate secured to the output shaft and at a second terminal end to a second circular plate secured to the output shaft, each of said vanes having an outer longitudinal edge, said longitudinal edge parallel to a central axis of the longitudinal shaft;
- said longitudinal edge spaced a distance from the central axis substantially equal to an outer radial distance of a circumferential edge of each of the first and second circular plates,
- wherein a first cylindrical surface of the central longitudinal shaft, a first inner surface of the first plate and a first inner surface of the second plate and a first face of the first longitudinal vane and a first face of the second longitudinal vane define a first interior pocket in the rotor assembly, and
- wherein a second cylindrical surface of the central longitudinal shaft, a second inner surface of the first plate and a second inner surface of the second plate and a second face of the first longitudinal vane and a second face of the second longitudinal vane define a second interior pocket in the rotor assembly;
- and
- a stator assembly including:
- a first stator element adapted to contact the first cylindrical surface in the first pocket and an outer surface adapted to be secured to the bore of the stator housing and sized to be received in the first pocket, said stator element having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge;
- a second stator element having a concave interior surface adapted to contact the second cylindrical surface in the second pocket and an outer surface adapted to be secured to the bore of the stator housing and sized to be received in the second pocket, said stator element having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge;
- at least a first continuous seal groove disposed in the outer longitudinal edge of the first vane and the outer longitudinal edge of the second vane and the circumferential edge of the first plate and the circumferential edge of the second plate;
- and
- a continuous seal disposed in the continuous seal groove;
- providing a fluid at a first pressure and contacting the first vane of the rotor assembly with the fluid;
- providing a fluid at a second pressure less than the first pressure and contacting the second vane of the rotor assembly with the fluid at the second pressure;
- and
- rotating the rotor assembly in a first direction of rotation.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.