Vacuum pump

• US 6,135,709 A
• Filed: 05/20/1999
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edwards Limited (Atlas Copco AB)
• Original Assignee: BOC Group BV (Linde Plc)
• Inventors: Stones, Ian David
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barton, Rhonda
• Application Number:
  US09/316,121
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 415/90, 415/143, 417/423.4
• US Class Current: 415/90
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 17/168 Pumps specially adapted to produce a vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/042 Turbomolecular vacuum pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/044 Holweck-type pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/046 Combinations of two or more different types of pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 23/008 Regenerative pumps for liquids or for liquids and elastic fluids F04D5/002

Abstract

A vacuum pump comprising at least a molecular drag section and a turbo-molecular section, a rotor common to both sections and a stator common to both sections. The turbo-molecular section is positioned wholly within an envelope defined by the molecular drag section.

Claims

1. A vacuum pump comprising:

at least a molecular drag section;

a turbo-molecular section;

a rotor common to both sections; and

a stator common to both sections;

the turbo-molecular section positioned wholly within an envelope defined by the molecular drag section.

2. The vacuum pump as claimed in claim 1, in which the turbo-molecular section comprises a stator formed with an array of radially extending stationary stator vanes and a rotor formed with an array of radially extending vanes arranged for rotation between the stator vanes, and in which the molecular drag section is a Holweck section comprising alternate stationary and rotating cylinders, the stationary cylinders being mounted on the stator and the rotating cylinders being mounted for rotary movement with the rotor.

3. The vacuum pump as claimed in claim 2, in which the Holweck cylinders each have a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor.

4. The vacuum pump as claimed in claim 2 or 3, in which the stator vanes define a plurality of spaced arrays and the rotor vanes define a similar plurality of spaced arrays, the diameter of the arrays of vanes decreasing in a direction towards an inlet stage of the Holweck section.

5. The vacuum pump as claimed in claim 2 in which the cylinders of the Holweck section decrease in length in a direction towards the longitudinal axis of the rotor.

6. The vacuum pump as claimed in claims 1 in which the pump has a third regenerative section.