Vacuum pump

• US 6,877,963 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leybold Vakuum GmbH (Atlas Copco AB)
• Original Assignee: Leybold Vakuum GmbH (Atlas Copco AB)
• Inventors: Beyer, Christian, Hodapp, Josef, Engländer, Heinrich
• Primary Examiner(s): KOCZO JR, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/363,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20030180162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 310/90.5, 417/365, 417/423.4, 417/423.12
• US Class Current: 417/365
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/048 comprising magnetic bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/051 Axial thrust balancing
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/058 magnetic; electromagnetic
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2360/45 Turbo-molecular pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 32/047 Details of housings; Mounting of active magnetic bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 32/0478 with permanent magnets to support radial load

Abstract

A rotor (12) is mounted in a stator (14) with radial magnetic bearings (16, 19) and with an axial magnetic bearing (40) in a contactless manner. The axial magnetic bearing (40) produces an axial magnetic field with a magnet coil (40) and a yoke iron (44) mounted on the stator (14). An axially magnetized permanent magnet (50) is provided on the rotor (12), located approxaimately axially opposite the yoke iron (44). A permanently axially magnetized compensating magnet (54) is provided on the stator (14) and arranged axially opposite the permanent magnet of the rotor (50) and polarized in the opposite direction, such that the permanent magnet (50) of the rotor and the compensating magnet (54) repel each other. In a center position, the rotor is bias-free by compensating the forces of attraction between the permanent magnet of the rotor and the yoke iron. As a result, the center position of the rotor can be adjusted with relatively small magnet coil flows. This results in small magnet coils, produces less heat and reduces the required power of the axial bearing.

Claims

1. A vacuum pump comprising:

a stator;

a rotor borne in the stator with a radial magnetic bearing and an axial magnetic bearing in a contactless manner, the axial magnetic bearing comprising;

a magnet coil with a yoke iron on the stator, the magnet coil producing an axial magnetic field,

an axially magnetized permanent magnet located approximately axially opposite the yoke iron on the rotor, such that the magnetic field of the magnet coil acts to attract and repel the rotor magnet in an axial direction depending on the polarization of the magnetic field of the magnetic coil, and

a permanently axially magnetized compensating magnet compensating the magnetic field of the permanent magnet of the rotor and being polarized in opposite direction to the rotor magnet.

2. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein the axial magnetic bearing has an annular configuration, and the magnet coil, the yoke iron, the permanent magnet of the rotor and the compensating magnet are arranged annularly about the rotor.

3. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, further including:

a plurality of magnet coils with yoke irons arranged annularly about the rotor.

4. The vacuum pump according to claim 3, further including:

several distance sensors in a single transverse plane of the rotor for detecting rotor position and connected to a control device for controlling the magnet coils for compensating for tilting movements of the rotor.

5. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, further including:

an eddy current damping disk of electrically conductive material axially arranged on the stator between the permanent magnet of the rotor and the yoke iron.

6. The vacuum pump according to claim 1 wherein a first free end of the yoke iron is arranged axially and a second free end of the yoke iron is arranged radially with respect to the permanent magnet of the rotor.

7. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein the magnet coil is arranged radially outside or inside with respect to the permanent magnets.

8. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein an air gap between the yoke iron and the compensating magnet is inclined relative to a transverse plane.

9. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein the magnet coil is arranged outside with respect to the permanent magnets.

10. A method of axially biasing the rotor of the vacuum pump of claim 1 relative to the stator, the method including:

applying current of a first polarity to the magnet coil causing attraction toward the permanent rotor magnet biasing the rotor in a first axial direction; and

,

applying current of a second polarity opposite to the first polarity to the magnet coil causing repulsion from the permanent rotor magnet biasing the rotor in a second axial direction opposite to the first axial direction.

11. A vacuum pump comprising:

a stator;

a rotor borne in the stator with a radial magnetic bearing and an axial magnetic bearing in a contactless manner, the axial magnetic bearing comprising;

a magnet coil with a yoke iron on the stator, the magnet coil producing an axial magnetic field,

an axially magnetized permanent magnet located approximately axially opposite the yoke iron on the rotor, and

a permanently axially magnetized compensating magnet compensating the magnetic field of the permanent magnet of the rotor provided on the stator;

the axial bearing being arranged approximately radially with respect to a center of gravity of the rotor and between two radial bearings each of which is axially displaced from the center of gravity of the rotor.

12. A vacuum pump pump comprising:

a stator;

a rotor borne in the stator with a radial magnetic bearing and an axial magnetic bearing in a contactless manner, the axial magnetic bearing comprising;

a magnet coil with a ferrous yoke on the stator, the magnet coil producing an axial magnetic field,

an axially magnetized permanent magnet located approximately axially opposite the yoke on the rotor, and

a permanently axially magnetized compensating magnet compensating the magnetic field of the permanent rotor magnet provided on the stator; and

the radial magnetic bearing including;

permanent magnet rings arranged without an axial offset with respect to each other.