US 5,634,775 A · Wave cam type compressor

Abstract

A wave cam type compressor is provided. The compressor has a wave cam body mounted on a rotary shaft for integral rotation and pistons operably contacting said cam body by way of shoes. The shoes are moveable relative to the cam body according to the rotation of the cam body. The shoes move on predetermined paths on cam surfaces of the cam body. The rotation therewith of the rotary shaft is converted into a reciprocation movement of the pistons between top dead center and a lower dead center in cylinder bores to compress fluid supplied into the cylinder bores. Each cam surface has a contour matching the locus of a predetermined smooth two-dimensional imaginary curve when the curve is translated from its plane in the direction perpendicular to the plane. A first portion is provided on the cam surface to drive the piston to the bottom dead center and a second portion is provided on the cam surface to drive the piston to the top dead center. The second portion has a greater radius of curvature than the first portion.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A wave cam type compressor comprising a wave cam body mounted on a rotary shaft for integral rotation therewith, a piston operably coupled to said cam body by way of a shoe moveable relative to the cam body which shoe follows a predetermined path on a cam surface of said cam body, said piston being disposed for reciprocation in a cylinder bore whereby rotation of the rotary shaft is converted into reciprocating movement of the piston between a top dead center and a bottom dead center in said cylinder bore to compress fluid supplied to the cylinder bore,

said cam surface having a contour matching the locus of a predetermined smooth two-dimensional imaginary curve of finite length when said curve is translated from its plane in the direction perpendicular to said plane;
a first portion provided on said cam surface to drive the piston to the bottom dead center;
and
a second portion provide on said cam surface to drive the piston to the top dead center, said second portion having a larger radius of curvature than said first portion.

1 more element

A wave cam type compressor comprising a wave cam body having a first cam surface and a second cam surface respectively provided on opposite sides of the cam body, said cam body being mounted on a rotary shaft for rotation therewith, said compressor having a plurality of pairs of cylinder bores arranged along an imaginary circle centered about an axis of the rotary shaft, each of said pairs consisting of two axially aligned cylinder bores, a plurality of pistons each having a pair of opposed piston heads respectively accommodated in an associated pair of said aligned cylinder bores, and a plurality of pairs of shoes respectively coupled to the pistons and slidably contacting the cam body, wherein said shoes follow a predetermined path on each cam surface and wherein rotation of the rotary shaft is converted into reciprocating movement of each piston between a top dead center and a bottom dead center in the associated cylinder bores to compress fluid supplied into the cylinder bores,

each of said cam surfaces having a contour matching the locus of a predetermined smooth two-dimensional imaginary curve of finite length when said curve is translated from its plane in the direction perpendicular to said plane;
a pair of advancing portions provided on each cam surface to advance the heads of each piston to the top dead center;
a pair of retrieving portions provided on each cam surface to retrieve the heads of each piston to the bottom dead center, said advancing portions having a larger radius of curvature than said retrieving portions;
and
said predetermined paths are axially aligned and spaced apart an equal axial distance over the entire length of the paths.

2 more elements

A wave cam type compressor comprising a wave cam body having a first cam surface and a second cam surface respectively provided on opposite sides of the cam body, said cam body being mounted on a rotary shaft for rotation therewith, said compressor having a plurality of pairs of cylinder bores arranged along an imaginary circle centered about an axis of the rotary shaft, each of said pairs consisting of two axially aligned cylinder bores, a plurality of pistons each having a pair of opposed piston heads respectively accommodated in an associated pair of said aligned cylinder bores, and a plurality of pairs of shoes respectively coupled to the pistons and adapted to slidably contact the cam body, wherein said shoes follow a predetermined path on each cam surface and wherein rotation of the rotary shaft is converted into reciprocating movement of each piston between a top dead center and a bottom dead center in the associated cylinder bores to compress fluid supplied to the cylinder bores,

each of said cam surfaces having a contour matching the locus of a predetermined smooth two-dimensional imaginary curve of finite length when said curve is translated from its plane in the direction perpendicular to said plane;
and
said first cam surface and said second cam surface both including convex contours which are 90 degrees of arc out of phase one from the other.

A wave cam for a compressor, said wave cam having a wave cam body with a first cam surface and a second cam surface respectively provided on opposite sides of the cam body, said cam body being constructed for mounting on a rotary shaft of said compressor for rotation therewith;

where said compressor has a plurality of pairs of cylinder bores, each of said pairs of cylinder bores consisting of two axially aligned cylinder bores all of which bores have a respective longitudinal axis extending along the surface of an imaginary cylinder with said pairs of cylinder bores being arranged spaced circumferentially about said imaginary cylinder which is centered about an axis of the rotary shaft,
a plurality of opposed pistons each having a pair of piston heads respectively accommodated in an associated pair of said aligned cylinder bores, and
a plurality of pairs of shoes respectively coupled to the pistons and adapted to slidably contact said cam body and follow predetermined paths on the cam surfaces whereby rotation of the rotary shaft is converted into reciprocating movement of each piston between a top dead center and a bottom dead center in the associated cylinder bores to compress fluid supplied to the cylinder bores;
each of said cam surfaces comprising:
a contour matching a locus of a predetermined smooth two-dimensional imaginary curve of finite length when said curve is translated from its plane in the direction perpendicular to said plane, wherein said predetermined smooth curve has two straight end lines inclining with a predetermined angle and an arc connecting the straight end lines;
an outer peripheral edge defined by a first circle concentric with said imaginary cylinder and of larger diameter than said cylinder;
an inner peripheral edge defined by a second circle concentric with said imaginary cylinder and of smaller diameter than said cylinder;
a pair of advancing portions to advance the heads of each piston to top dead center;
and
a pair of retrieving portions to retrieve the heads of each piston to bottom dead center;
said advancing portions having a greater radius of curvature than said retrieving portions, and
said predetermined paths are axially aligned and spaced apart by an equal axial distance along the entire length of said paths and each of said predetermined paths is located along the surface of said imaginary cylinder.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Wave cam type compressor

Life of this patent

Wave cam type compressor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25