Involute scroll-type positive displacement rotary fluid apparatus with orbiting guide means
AssigneeArthur D. Little, Inc.
InventorJohn E. McCullough
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A scroll-type fluid motor or pump is provided with a roller Oldham coupling and bearing for guiding the orbiting scroll wrap relative to the fixed wrap, the coupling including plural, equal diameter cylindrical rollers disposed in overlapping but equally offset cylindrical openings forming bearing surfaces for the rollers. The diameter of each roller is such as to maintain the offset distance so that the orbiting scroll wrap is precisely guided relative to a fixed scroll wrap, whereby radial loads are fully carried by large rolling surfaces provided by the rollers. A magnetic drive system for the orbiting scroll is also disclosed.
Claims6
A positive displacement scroll-type fluid apparatus comprising:
- a fixed scroll having at least one involute wrap;
- an orbiting scroll having at least one involute wrap in mating engagement with the fixed involute wrap and arrangement to be orbitally driven about an orbital radius relative to the fixed wrap to enable transfer of energy between a fluid confined between the fixed and orbiting wraps and the orbiting scroll;
- said orbiting scroll being guided for orbital movement and maintained in a predetermined angular orientation relative to the fixed scroll solely by a rolling contact bearing arrangement comprising opposed pairs of fixed hollow cylindrical bearing surfaces of equal interior diameter concentrically disposed on axially opposite sides of the orbiting scroll, the axes of said pairs of fixed bearing surfaces extending parallel to the orbital axis of the orbiting scroll and being located on a circumference of a circle that is concentric with the axis of orbiting movement of the orbiting scroll;
- orbiting hollow cylindrical bearing surfaces having diameters equal to the diameters of the fixed bearing surfaces extending axially through and being connected with the orbiting scroll, the axes of said orbiting bearing surfaces extending parallel with the axes of said fixed pairs of bearing surfaces, and lying on a circumference of a circle of equal diameter as the first said circumference;
- each axis of an orbiting bearing surface being located adjacent to and offset in the same direction from the axis of respective pairs of fixed bearing surfaces by an equal offset distance that is equal to said orbital radius;
- and an orbiting cylindrical roller bearing element disposed in and extending between each of said pairs of fixed bearing surfaces and through a respective orbiting bearing surface, the roller bearing element having a diameter corresponding to the difference between the diameter of said fixed bearing surfaces and said orbital radius, said rolling contact bearing carrying and reacting substantially all centrifugal radial loads of the orbiting scroll.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.