Patent Publication Number: US-2022216763-A1

Title: Rotating Machine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a rotating machine, and in particular to a rotating machine using an oil seal structure. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Rotating machines usually need lubricating oil for lubrication during operation, which can effectively reduce machine wear and increase service life. However, the rotating machine may also have oil leakage phenomenon, that is, the lubricating oil will leak to the outside. In order to avoid oil leakage, oil seals are generally used in the rotating machines. 
     The oil seal is a kind of sealing component that is sleeved outside the rotating shaft to prevent the lubricating oil from leaking to the outside and ensure the normal operation of the rotating shaft. However, when the rotating machine is used in a moisture-rich environment, such as swimming pools, car wash workshops, etc., the pressure difference between the interior and the outside of the housing of the rotating machine may drive external moisture to enter the interior of the rotating machine. In other words, the conventional oil seal cannot effectively prevent the external moisture from entering the housing of the rotating machine, which may affect the normal operation and service life of the rotating machine. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to overcome the above mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotating machine, which is capable to strengthen the connection between the oil seal structure and the rotating shaft, improve the sealing performance of the oil seal structure, avoid external moisture intruding into the shell, ensure the normal operation of the rotating machine, and extend the service life of the rotating machine. 
     The present invention provides a rotating machine. The rotating machine comprises a housing, a rotating shaft and an oil seal structure. The housing has an opening. The rotating shaft extends from an interior of the housing through the opening to an exterior of the housing. The oil seal structure is set at the opening. The oil seal structure includes a body, an annular groove and an annular elastic structure. The body has a through hole to accommodate the rotating shaft. The annular groove is located on the surface of the body facing the outside of the housing and surrounds the through hole. The annular elastic structure is arranged in the annular groove to press against the rotating shaft. 
     In an embodiment, the body comprises a supporting structure and a covering structure, the covering structure covering the supporting structure, the annular groove divides the covering structure into an inner covering structure and an outer covering structure, and the inner covering structure is connected to the outer covering structure. 
     In an embodiment, a cross section of the supporting structure along a longitude direction is L-shaped. 
     In an embodiment, the supporting structure comprises a vertical segment and a horizontal segment, and a thickness of the vertical segment is greater than a thickness of the horizontal segment. 
     In an embodiment, the supporting structure is made of a metallic material, and the covering structure is made of a rubber material. 
     In an embodiment, the annular groove has a curved surface on a side away from the through hole. 
     In an embodiment, the curved surface extends from an open of the annular groove to a bottom of the annular groove. 
     In an embodiment, the annular groove has an inclined surface on a side away from the through hole, and the inclined surface is inclined toward the through hole. 
     In an embodiment, a depth of the annular groove is ranged between ⅓ and ⅔ of a height of the body. 
     In an embodiment, the annular elastic structure is a coil spring. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rotating machine, which is capable to strengthen the connection between the oil seal structure and the rotating shaft, improve the sealing performance of the oil seal structure, avoid external moisture intruding into the shell, ensure the normal operation of the rotating machine, and extend the service life of the rotating machine. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic sectional view of the rotating machine of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic sectional view of the oil seal structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic sectional view of the oil seal structure in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 2 , a rotating machine is provided in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. The rotating machine  10  comprises a housing  100 , a rotating shaft  200  and an oil seal structure  300 . Looking further, the housing  100  is provided with an opening  110 . It should be noted that when the oil seal structure  300  is installed on the housing  100 , the oil seal structure  300  will undergo a certain degree of deformation to closely fit the housing  100  and the rotating shaft  200 . 
     The rotating shaft  200  extends from an interior of the housing  100  through the opening  110  of the housing  100  to an exterior of the housing  100 . From the perspective of  FIG. 1 , the rotating shaft  200  penetrates the housing  100  through the opening  110  from bottom to top. The oil seal structure  300  is installed at the opening  110  of the housing  100 , that is, it is sleeved on the rotating shaft  200  to avoid leakage of lubricating oil. Further, the oil seal structure  300  comprises a body  310 , an annular groove  320 , and an annular elastic structure  330 . An installation direction Z of the oil seal structure  300  is from the outside of the housing  100  to the inside of the housing  100 . According to the installation direction Z, the body  310  defines an outer surface  312  and an inner surface  319 . In one embodiment, the annular elastic structure  330  is a coil spring. 
     The body  310  has a through hole  311  for receiving the rotating shaft  200 . In other words, the rotating shaft  200  penetrates through the through hole  311  to be sleeved by the oil seal structure  300 . The annular groove  320  is located on the surface of the main body  310  facing the outside of the housing  100 . As understood from the figure, the annular groove  320  is located on the outer surface  312  of the main body  310 . In addition, the annular groove  320  surrounds the through hole  311 . The annular elastic structure  330  is disposed in the annular groove  320 , and the contraction force of the annular elastic structure  330  can be applied to the rotating shaft  200 , so that the oil seal structure  300  is sleeved on the rotating shaft  200  and has better sealing performance. In addition, when the body  310  has fatigue loss after a period of use, the tightening force of the annular elastic structure  330  will compensate for the fatigue loss of the body  310 , so that the oil seal structure  300  continues to maintain the sealing effect. 
     To further explain, when the rotating machine  10  of this case is placed in a liquid or a place rich in moisture, for example, when operating in water, because the annular groove  320  is located on the outer surface  312  of the body  310 , that is, it faces the shell. On the outside of the housing  100 , the annular elastic structure  330  is exposed to water. In other words, the water flow enters the annular groove  320  and exerts pressure on the annular elastic structure  330 , so that the oil seal structure  300  and the rotating shaft  200  are connected more closely, and the annular elastic structure  330  can be tightened to further strengthen the sealing effect. The good sealing effect can not only prevent the leakage of lubricating oil, but also prevent foreign objects such as external moisture and sand from entering the interior of the rotating machine  10 , effectively protecting the normal operation of the rotating machine  10  and extending its service life. 
     In an embodiment, a motor is provided inside the rotating machine  10 , and the motor is used to drive the rotating shaft  200  to rotate in response to usage requirements. 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the body  310  comprises a supporting structure  313  and a covering structure  316 . The supporting structure  313  is a skeleton, so that the oil seal structure  300  can maintain the shape and tension. The covering structure  316  is covering the supporting structure  313 . The annular groove  320  divides the covering structure  316  into an inner covering structure  317  and an outer covering structure  318 , and the inner covering structure  317  is connected to the outer covering structure  318 . The outer covering structure  318  is connected to the housing  100 , and the inner covering structure  317  is sleeved on the rotating shaft  200 . Looking further, the longitudinal section of the supporting structure  313  is L-shaped. In other words, the supporting structure  313  comprises an integrally formed vertical segment  314  and a horizontal segment  315 , the vertical segment  314  is connected to the horizontal segment  315 , and a thickness L 1  of the vertical segment  314  is greater than a thickness L 2  of the horizontal segment  315  to enhance the overall structure of the oil seal structure  300  strength. The thicker vertical segment  314  also helps to install the oil seal structure  300  in the opening  110  of the housing  100  and at the same time ensures the tightness of the oil seal structure  300  and the side wall of the opening  110 . 
     In an embodiment, the supporting structure  313  is made of an metallic material as the skeleton of the body  310  to ensure a certain structural strength. The covering structure  316  is made of a elastic material, such as rubber, to facilitate installation. Utilizing the elastic restoring force generated by the deformation of the covering structure  316 , the body  310  can be tightly installed between the side wall of the opening  110  and the rotating shaft  200 . But this case is not limited to this. Moreover, in an embodiment, the main body  310  may also be integrally formed. 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the annular elastic structure  330  substantially surrounds the middle of the inner covering structure  317 . In order to effectively apply water pressure to the inner covering structure  317  and ensure the structural strength of the body  310 , a depth H 1  of the annular groove  320  is ranged between ⅓ and ⅔ of a height H 2  of the body  310 . It is worth noting that the depth H 1  of the annular groove  320  is the distance from a groove open  321  of the annular groove  320  to a groove bottom  322  of the annular groove  320 . The height H 2  of the body  310  is the distance from the outer surface  312  of the body  310  to its inner surface  319 . 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the annular groove  320  has a U-shaped surface  324  on the side close to the through hole  311 . The U-shaped surface  324  is used to accommodate the annular elastic structure  330 . In an embodiment, the U-shaped surface  324  extends from the groove bottom  322  of the annular groove  320  to half the depth H 1  of the annular groove  320  to position the annular elastic structure  300 . Thereby, the pressure generated by the liquid can be effectively applied to the inner covering structure  317  and push the annular elastic structure  330 . 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the annular groove  320  has an curved surface  323  on the side away from the through hole  311 . The curved surface  323  extends from the groove open  321  of the annular groove  320  toward the inner covering structure  317  to the groove bottom  322  of the annular groove  320 . The annular elastic structure  330  is disposed in the annular groove  320  and is adjacent to the groove bottom  322 . With the arrangement of the curved surface  323 , when the rotary machine  10  of this case is placed in a liquid to work, the pressure generated by the liquid can be effectively applied to the inner covering structure  317  and push the annular elastic structure  330  to further strengthen the connection between the body  310  and the rotating shaft  200 , which enhances the sealing effect and prevents external liquid from entering the housing  100 . 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the annular groove  320  forms an inclined surface  325  inclined toward the through hole  311  on the side away from the through hole  311 , and the inclined surface  325  is formed by the groove open  321  of the annular groove  320 . It extends toward the inner covering structure  317  to the bottom  322  of the annular groove  320 , so that the pressure generated by the liquid is effectively applied to the inner covering structure  317  and pushes the annular elastic structure  330  to improve the sealing effect. To further illustrate, in order to enhance the sealing effect of the oil seal structure  300 , the inclined surface  325  is not limited to the straight inclined surface  325  in  FIG. 3 , and can also be other forms of inclined surfaces, such as irregular inclined surfaces, which only need to face through hole  311 . The tilting effect can effectively apply the pressure generated by the liquid to the inner covering structure  317  and push the annular elastic structure  330  to improve the sealing effect. 
     In summary, by using the rotating machine  10  provided by the present invention, when the rotating machine  10  is operating in liquid, such as water, the annular groove  320 , which is located on the outer surface  312  of the body  310  and faces the outside of the housing  100 , may allow the water to flow into the annular groove  320  to exert a pressure force on the inner covering structure  317  and push the annular elastic structure  330  accommodated in the annular groove  320 . Thereby, the annular elastic structure  330  may exert a force on the rotating shaft  200  to have the body  310  and the rotating shaft  200  firmly connected with each other. Thereby, the sealing performance of the oil seal structure  300  may be improved, and the external objects such as water and dusty air may be blocked from the outside of the housing  100  to guarantee the normal operation of the rotating machine  10  and extend its service life. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the invention. Persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above.