Vane air motor with eccentric adjustment ring and bearing ring for vane ends
AssigneeKaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co.
InventorGerd Lohn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatically operated vane-type motor for driving medical or dental handpieces. A housing forms a rotor chamber in which a rotor is mounted, the rotor having axial slots in which radially moveable vanes are housed. An adjustment ring is positioned between the inner surface of the housing and the outer ends of the vanes, and is moveable to adjust the speed and torque characteristics of the rotor without requiring adjustment in the compressed air supply. To this end, the adjustment ring has a cylindrical outer surface engaging the inner surface of the housing, and a cylindrical inner surface towards which the vanes extend. The axes of the inner and outer surfaces of the adjustment ring are spaced-apart.
Claims15
A pneumatic vane-type motor for a dental handpiece to drive a dental tool operable by compressed air and comprising:
- a sleeve-like housing having a cylindrical inner surface which is circular in cross-section and which forms a stator, said stator forming a rotor chamber;
- a rotor mounted for rotation in said rotor chamber about an axis which extends parallel to the axis of said inner surface;
- axially extending slots provided in said rotor;
- rotor vanes radially movably mounted in said slots and extending with their radially outer ends towards said inner surface of the housing;
- air inlet means communicating with said rotor chamber for supplying compressed air to drive the rotor;
- air outlet means communicating with said rotor chamber;
- an adjusting ring positioned between said inner surface of the housing and said outer ends of the vanes, said ring being rotatable relative to said inner surface of the housing;
- a cylindrical outer surface provided on said adjustment ring which engages said inner surface of the housing;
- a cylindrical inner surface provided on said adjustment ring and towards which the vanes extend, the inner and outer surfaces of said adjustment ring being circular in cross-section and having axes which are spaced from each other;
- and a bearing ring positioned between said inner surface of the adjustment ring and said outer ends of the vanes, said bearing ring being co-axial with and freely rotatable relative to said inner surface of the adjustment ring, and said outer ends of the vanes bearing against said bearing ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.