US 12,410,805 B2
Turbomolecular vacuum pump and associated method
Pierre-Emmanuel Cavarec, Annecy (FR); Cécile Chavanne, Annecy (FR); Nicolas Varennes, Annecy (FR); and Alysson Bruno Barbosa Moreira, Annecy (FR)
Assigned to PFEIFFER VACUUM, Annecy (FR)
Appl. No. 18/840,954
Filed by PFEIFFER VACUUM, Annecy (FR)
PCT Filed Nov. 15, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/082029
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 23, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/160840, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 31, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2201761 (FR), filed on Feb. 28, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2025/0163924 A1, May 22, 2025
Int. Cl. F04D 27/00 (2006.01); F04D 19/04 (2006.01); F04D 25/06 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 27/001 (2013.01) [F04D 19/042 (2013.01); F04D 25/06 (2013.01); F05D 2270/11 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turbomolecular vacuum pump comprising:
a stator;
a rotor configured to rotate in the stator;
a motor configured to drive the rotation of the rotor;
a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the rotor; and
a creep maintenance counter having a memory in which there are stored a value for a creep of the rotor and a correspondence table providing values for the creep of the rotor over time as a function of the temperature and a rotational speed of the rotor, the creep maintenance counter being configured to:
determine an increment for the creep of the rotor over a predetermined period of time based on the temperature of the rotor measured by the temperature sensor, the rotational speed of the rotor, the value for the creep of the rotor, and the correspondence table,
increment the value for the creep of the rotor by the determined increment for the creep, and
determine, based on the incremented value for the creep, information representative of a period of time remaining before preventative maintenance of the rotor for creep.