Scroll pump with two-piece crankshaft
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorJohn Calhoun
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a pump head for a scroll pump, an orbiting scroll is coupled to a crank of a crankshaft. As the crankshaft rotates, the crank drives the orbiting scroll to orbit relative to one or more fixed scrolls to pump fluid from an inlet to an outlet. A stub shaft is attached to the crank and may be removed as part of an at least partial disassembly of the pump head. An adjusting nut may adjust an axial position of the orbiting scroll relative to the fixed scroll(s). The adjusting nut may be removed, and thereafter reinstalled, together with the stub shaft without altering an axial position of the adjusting nut relative to the stub shaft.
Claims21
A scroll pump head, comprising:
- a pumping stage comprising an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll nested together, wherein the orbiting scroll is configured to orbit about a drive axis relative to the fixed scroll to create a moving pocket between the orbiting scroll and the fixed scroll effective to pump fluid from a pump inlet to a pump outlet;
- a crankshaft comprising a main shaft rotatable about the drive axis and a crank radially offset from the drive axis and coupled to the orbiting scroll, wherein the crank is configured to drive the orbiting scroll to orbit around the drive axis in response to rotation of the main shaft, and the crank comprises an outboard end axially opposite the main shaft;
- and
- a stub shaft removably attached to the crank and extending axially away from the outboard end.
(canceled)
A method for performing maintenance on a scroll pump head, the method comprising:
- providing the scroll pump head, the scroll pump head comprising:
- a pumping stage comprising an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll nested together, wherein the orbiting scroll is configured to orbit about a drive axis relative to the fixed scroll to create a moving pocket between the orbiting scroll and the fixed scroll effective to pump fluid from a pump inlet to a pump outlet;
- a crankshaft comprising a main shaft rotatable about the drive axis and a crank radially offset from the drive axis and coupled to the orbiting scroll, wherein the crank is configured to drive the orbiting scroll to orbit around the drive axis in response to rotation of the main shaft, and the crank comprises an outboard end axially opposite the main shaft;
- and
- a stub shaft removably attached to the crank and extending axially away from the outboard end;
- removing the stub shaft from the crank;
- and
- removing the orbiting scroll from the crank.
A scroll pump head, comprising:
- a pumping stage comprising an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll nested together, wherein the orbiting scroll is configured to orbit about a drive axis relative to the fixed scroll to create a moving pocket between the orbiting scroll and the fixed scroll effective to pump fluid from a pump inlet to a pump outlet;
- a crankshaft comprising a main shaft rotatable about the drive axis and a crank radially offset from the drive axis and coupled to the orbiting scroll, wherein the crank is configured to drive the orbiting scroll to orbit around the drive axis in response to rotation of the main shaft;
- and
- a stub shaft removably attached to the crank and configured to engage an adjusting nut and allow the adjusting nut to be axially adjustable relative to the stub shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.