U.S. patent application number 13/133756 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-09 for compressor and kit repairing and inflating inflatable articles.
This patent application is currently assigned to TEX GLOBAL S.r.l.. Invention is credited to Sergio Lolli.
Application Number | 20120034124 13/133756 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41151839 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120034124 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lolli; Sergio |
February 9, 2012 |
COMPRESSOR AND KIT REPAIRING AND INFLATING INFLATABLE ARTICLES
Abstract
A non-lubricated, rotary vane compressor of maximum 10-70
litres/minute capacity, and having a pump body defining a cavity; a
rotor having a cylindrical body housed in the cavity; a number of
vanes; an inlet and outlet connected to the cavity; and a
non-return valve fitted to the outlet.
Inventors: |
Lolli; Sergio; (Pesaro,
IT) |
Assignee: |
TEX GLOBAL S.r.l.
Pesaro
IT
|
Family ID: |
41151839 |
Appl. No.: |
13/133756 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
December 7, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB09/07670 |
371 Date: |
October 28, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
418/152 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04C 18/3442 20130101;
B29C 73/166 20130101; F04C 2250/00 20130101; B29L 2030/00 20130101;
F04C 29/126 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
418/152 |
International
Class: |
F04C 18/00 20060101
F04C018/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 9, 2008 |
IT |
TO2008A000918 |
Claims
1. A non-lubricated, rotary vane compressor (13) of maximum 10-70
litres/minute capacity, and comprising a pump body (14) defining a
cavity (15); a rotor (16) having a cylindrical body housed in said
cavity (15); a number of vanes (27); and an inlet (25) and outlet
(26) connected to said cavity (15); the compressor being
characterized by a non-return valve (31) fitted to said outlet
(26).
2. A compressor as claimed in claim 1, characterized by comprising
a block (18) defining said cavity (15); and a first and second
flange (19, 20) fixed to opposite sides of said block (18); and
wherein, of said block (18), said first and second flange (19, 20),
said rotor (16), and said number of vanes (27), at least three are
made of non-friction, non-metal material.
3. A compressor as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said
non-metal material can be pressed and machined.
4. A compressor as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said
inlet (25), said outlet (26), and said vanes (27) are so configured
that at least one vane (27) is interposed angularly between said
inlet (25) and said outlet (26) for each position of said rotor
(16).
5. A compressor as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the
ratio between the diameter of said cylindrical body and the maximum
dimension of said cavity (15) in a direction perpendicular to the
axis of rotation of said rotor (16) ranges between 0.6 and 0.9.
6. A compressor as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the
maximum diameter of said cavity (15) is 50 mm.
7. A compressor assembly comprising a direct-current motor with a
maximum consumption of 5-25 amperes.
8. A kit for repairing and inflating inflatable articles, and
comprising a compressor or compressor assembly as claimed in claim
1.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an improved, direct-current
or DC vane compressor for a kit for repairing and inflating
inflatable articles, in particular tyres, and to a kit comprising
such a compressor. The compressor also applies non-limitingly to
12V systems used for a wide range of two- and/or four-wheel vehicle
applications, as opposed to hobby applications, and/or to
applications that call for a silent-operating, DC compressor with a
wide 1-10 bar pressure range and low 7-30 ampere absorption.
[0002] A tyre repair and inflation kit is preferably compact, for
easy handling by any user, and silent-operating.
[0003] High delivery pressure enables fast inflation of automobile,
motorcycle and even commercial vehicle tyres, but should not
increase the size of the kit, for the reason given above, or
increase electric current absorption, to avoid overloading the
vehicle's electric system, which could discharge the battery and at
least temporarily affect the reliability of on-vehicle equipment.
Moreover, vehicle electric systems are low-current, which means
equipment powered by them must also be capable of efficient,
low-current operation.
[0004] A need is felt for compressors of simple design, with a
small number of component parts, designed to meet increasing demand
in the automobile market for low-cost technology, and which are
therefore cheap to produce. A miniaturized compressed-air vane
compressor, of improved performance as compared with ordinary
alternating compressors and as yet not employed in automobiles,
could have big advantages in terms of performance, silent
operation, and scope.
[0005] The most obvious hurdles in miniaturizing such a low-cost
compressor, which would have to operate with no lubrication, are
substantially:
[0006] 1) the materials to use, which must be low-friction, with a
sufficient temperature gradient;
[0007] 2) optimum sealing between the assembled parts, in
particular between the rotor and stator, between the vanes and
rotor, and therefore between the vanes and stator;
[0008] 3) sufficiently good efficiency of the air intake and
pressurized air to reduce "parasitic air" circulation inside the
compressor.
[0009] The above requirements apply to, and may successfully become
characteristic of kits for repairing and inflating inflatable
articles, but also apply to other applications as well.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a vane
compressor designed to at least partly meet the above
requirements.
[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a vane
compressor as claimed in claim 1.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention will be described by way of example with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective of a kit which may be
fitted with a compressor in accordance with the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an axial section of a vane compressor in
accordance with the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 shows a section along line in FIG. 2;
[0016] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section of a component part of
the FIG. 2 compressor;
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a section along line V-V in FIG. 4;
[0018] FIG. 6 shows a section along line VI-VI in FIG. 4;
[0019] FIG. 7 shows performance graphs of a compressor in
accordance with the present invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0020] Number 1 in FIG. 1 indicates as a whole a kit for repairing
and inflating inflatable articles, and which is purely a
non-limiting example of one application of the present invention.
Kit 1 comprises a casing 2; a compressor assembly (described in
detail below) housed in casing 2; and a canister assembly 3
connected releasably to the compressor assembly, e.g. as described
and illustrated in International Patent WO-A1-2008001179 filed by
the present Applicant.
[0021] More specifically, casing 2 comprises a substantially
parallelepiped-shaped portion 4 for housing the compressor
assembly; and a projecting portion 5 projecting from the front of
portion 4 and defining a seat for at least partly housing canister
assembly 3.
[0022] Canister assembly 3 contains a sealing fluid for repairing
tyre punctures, and comprises a bottle 6 inverted in use; and a
hose 7 connected to bottle 6 to feed the sealing fluid into the
tyre.
[0023] Kit 1 also comprises a second hose 8 connected directly to
the compressor assembly to inflate the tyre without injecting
sealing fluid; and control means for selecting a repair mode, in
which hose 7 and bottle 6 are connected to the compressor assembly,
and an inflation mode, in which hose 8 is connected to the
compressor assembly. The control means comprise, for example, a
valve 12 switched by a knob 9 on casing 2, and having two outlets
connected to canister assembly 3 and hose 8 respectively.
Kit 1 also comprises a power plug for powering a DC, i.e.
direct-current, electric motor (not shown) of the compressor
assembly from a vehicle electric system; and a switch 11 for
turning the compressor assembly on.
[0024] According to the present invention, the compressor assembly
comprises a rotary vane compressor 13 for producing compressed air
for injection into the tyre, either via bottle 6 and hose 7 to make
repairs, or via hose 8 to simply inflate the tyre.
[0025] More specifically, compressor 13 comprises a cylindrical
pump body 14 defining a cavity 15; a rotor 16 housed in cavity 15;
and an input shaft 17, of axis A, powered by the electric motor and
connected to rotor 16.
[0026] Pump body 14 comprises a central block 18 defining cavity
15; and two flanges 19, 20 fixed to opposite sides of central block
18. Flanges 19, 20 are positioned angularly with respect to block
18 by a number of pins P; and respective sealing rings G are
inserted to seal cavity 15.
[0027] Input shaft 17 has a projecting portion 21 projecting from
flange 19 and connected to rotor 16 at least to rotate integrally
with rotor 16. On the longitudinally opposite side of rotor 16 to
projecting portion 21, input shaft 17 has a pin 23 supported
radially on flange 20 by a bearing 24. Similarly, projecting
portion 21 is supported radially on flange 19 by a bearing 25; and
rotor 16, projecting portion 21, and pin 23 are preferably formed
in one piece.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, compressor 13 defines an inlet 25 and an
outlet 26 connected fluidically to cavity 15, and through which
compressed air generated by rotation of the rotor flows.
Accordingly, compressor 13 comprises a number of, e.g. four, vanes
27 housed slidably inside respective seats 28 equally spaced
angularly and defined by rotor 16. In the non-limiting embodiment
shown, seats 28 are preferably located along chord portions of the
cross section of rotor 16, as opposed to radially. For example,
seats 28 extend beyond the geometric centre of the cross section of
rotor 16 with respect to the direction defined by a radius parallel
to the sliding direction of vane 27 inside respective seat 28.
[0029] According to the present invention, air intake is assisted
by the inlet combining a through a hole 29, and a slot 30 which
communicates with and is tangentially larger than hole 29. More
specifically, slot 30 is shallower than the thickness of flange
20.
[0030] Preferably, the size of slot 30, the location of outlet 26,
and the angular distance between each two consecutive vanes 27 are
such that no angular position of the rotor connects slot 30
fluidically to outlet 26.
[0031] That is, whatever the angular position of rotor 16, there is
always at least one vane 27 interposed between inlet 25 and outlet
26. As shown in FIG. 3, preferably one or two vanes 27 are
interposed between inlet 25 and outlet 26.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a non-return valve 31 located in series between
cavity 15 and outlet 26, and which comprises an annular insert 32
screwed inside a radial hole 33 in central block 18; a tubular body
34 with a threaded stem 35 screwed inside radial hole 33 to rest
against annular insert 32; and a movable disk D inside a seat 36
defined between annular insert 32 and threaded stem 35.
[0033] More specifically (FIG. 4), annular insert 32 comprises a
threaded flange 37 which engages radial hole 33; and a tubular
portion 38 projecting axially from threaded flange 37. Threaded
stem 35 defines a contoured seat S for housing the whole of tubular
portion 38. According to the present invention, the contoured seat
has a number of conduits 39 connected fluidically to outlet 26 and
to a passage 40 in annular insert 32. Preferably, outlet 26 is
defined by a preferably cylindrical hole with an axis B; and
conduits 39 are straight, and are so located and of such a radius
that the geometric surfaces defined by their respective lateral
walls interfere with the geometric surface defined by the lateral
wall of outlet 26, thus forming a number of windows 41 connecting
outlet 26 to conduits 39.
[0034] Contoured seat S of tubular portion 38 is deeper, along axis
B, than the height of tubular portion 38, so that seat 36 of
movable disk D is defined between a top face 42 of contoured seat S
and an end face 43 of tubular portion 38. Moreover, tubular portion
38 is smaller in diameter than the largest circle tangent to all of
conduits 39, so that, when disk D is raised, outlet 26 is connected
fluidically to cavity 15.
[0035] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least
pump body 14 and vanes 27 are made of highly wear-resistant,
low-friction, non-metal material that can be pressed and/or
machined easily, such as carbon-graphite. Generally speaking, other
pressable materials of a lower density than metal materials may
also be used for non-return valve 31.
[0036] By way of a non-limiting example of the application
described, FIG. 7 shows the flow and energy consumption of a
compressor, in accordance with the present invention, featuring a
30 mm diameter cavity 15, a 23 mm diameter rotor 16, and four
vanes. More generally speaking, cavity 15 is less than 50 mm and
preferably less than 40 mm in diameter.
[0037] As can be seen, consumption is low with respect to flow, and
the compressor is compact in size.
[0038] High flow is also and substantially due to leakage being
minimized by the design of non-return valve 31 and the angular
position of slot 30 with respect to outlet 26. Slot 30,
conveniently located according to the work point selected according
to rotor rotation speed, compressor size and rotor-stator ratio,
also improves air intake and the fill coefficient of the
variable-volume chambers of compressor 13.
[0039] Clearly, changes may be made to the compressor as described
and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope
defined in the accompanying Claims.
[0040] For example, the number of vanes 27 may range from a minimum
of two to a maximum of six.
[0041] Compressor 13 is preferably non-lubricated, i.e. operates
dry or with a small amount of lubrication applied during
manufacture. In other words, compressor has no lubrication circuit,
and draws untreated outside air.
* * * * *