A bistable pulsed air pump and its air pumping method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a bistable pulsed air pump and a method for pumping air by the pump. The bistable pulsed air pump includes a steady-state switching device, a lower support plate, a support frame, a first side baffle and a second side baffle. The lower support plate and the steady-state switching device are both installed on the support frame. The steady-state switching device includes a power element, a rotating body, a spring steel strip and an air storage bag. The rotating body can rotate under the drive of the power element. One end of the spring steel strip is fixed to one end of the lower support plate, and the other end is fixed to the rotating body. The spring steel strip is bent. The air storage bag is fixed between the lower support plate and the spring steel strip. The present invention uses the bending deformation of the spring steel strip to pump air and inhale air into the air bag. Since there is a critical position between the two steady states of the spring steel strip, it will deform rapidly under the action of elastic force after passing through the critical position, so as to achieve the effect of pulsed air pumping; in addition, since the present invention can remain standby under the condition of zero power of the power element after the air pumping is completed or the air inhalation is completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of air pumps, and particularly relates to a bistable pulse air pump and a method for pumping air with the same. Background Art

[0002] Pulse pumps are widely used in fields such as biomedicine, fluid dispensing and canning, etc. Generally, pulse pumps are driven by motors. By the rotation of the motor, a roller periodically squeezes an air pipe to achieve the effect of pumping air by the pulse pump; or driven by the motor, gears are driven to mesh and rotate, thereby pumping out the fluid in the cavity. Currently, all motor-driven pulse pumps require continuous rotation of the motor to achieve the pumping air effect, or the driving element directly contacts the fluid to be pumped, resulting in pollution. During the operation of the pulse pump, if the working conditions change, parameters need to be reset or the pulse pump needs to be replaced. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a bistable pulse air pump and a method for pumping air with the same, in which the driver does not need to rotate continuously to complete pumping air. When the working conditions change, it is not necessary to modify the driving program or replace the pulse air pump, and only the spring steel belt needs to be replaced to adapt to different working conditions.

[0004] A bistable pulse air pump of the present invention includes a steady-state switching device, a lower support plate and a support frame. The lower support plate and the steady-state switching device are both installed on the support frame and are aligned with each other. The steady-state switching device includes a power element, a rotating body, a spring steel belt and an air storage bag. The rotating body can rotate under the drive of the power element. One end of the spring steel belt is fixed to one end of the lower support plate, and the other end is fixed to the rotating body. The spring steel belt is in a bent shape. The air storage bag is fixed between the lower support plate and the spring steel belt. The spring steel belt can be switched between a convex state and a concave state under the drive of the rotation of the rotating body. An air inlet joint and an air outlet joint are connected to the air storage bag. The air inlet joint is connected to the output end of the first one-way valve, and the air outlet joint is connected to the input end of the second one-way valve. The input end of the first one-way valve is connected to a fluid source. The output end of the second one-way valve is used for outputting pulsed air flow.

[0005] Preferably, the spring steel belt is detachably connected to the lower support plate and the rotating body, and the output flow rate, flow velocity and driving efficiency of the bistable pulse air pump are changed by replacing spring steel belts with different lengths and elastic coefficients.

[0006] Preferably, the air storage bag is a double-layer structure inside and outside, the outer layer material is polyethylene material, and the inner layer material is polystyrene.

[0007] Preferably, side baffles are arranged on both sides of the lower support plate. The two side baffles cover part or all of the areas on both sides of the air storage bag.

[0008] Preferably, the power element is a rotary servo; the rotary servo is fixed to the support frame through a mounting bracket. The output shaft of the rotary servo is fixed to the inner end of the rotating body.

[0009] Preferably, the air inlet joint, the air outlet joint, the first one-way valve and the second one-way valve are all installed on the lower support plate.

[0010] Preferably, the lower support plate includes a first support plate, a second support plate, a third support plate, a fourth support plate and a fifth support plate that are sequentially connected end to end by bolts. The second support plate is in a concave L shape; the first one-way valve is installed on the second support plate, and the input end is inclined downward. The second one-way valve is installed on the fifth support plate.

[0011] Preferably, the support frame includes a first support leg and a second support leg that are spaced apart. The mounting bracket is fixed to the first support leg. Both ends of the lower support plate are respectively fixed to the tops of the first support leg and the second support leg.

[0012] The air pumping method of this bistable pulse air pump is as follows:

[0013] The bent spring steel strip has bistability, namely the upward convex stable state and the downward concave stable state respectively. When the spring steel strip is in the upward convex stable state, the volume of the air storage bag is larger than that when the spring steel strip is in the downward concave stable state. In the initial state, the spring steel strip is in the upward convex stable state.

[0014] During the air pumping process, the rotating body drives the free end of the spring steel strip to rotate forward under the drive of the power element, so that the spring steel strip gradually bends and deforms from the upward convex stable state to the downward concave stable state; there is a critical equilibrium state between the upward convex stable state and the downward concave stable state of the spring steel strip; when the spring steel strip deforms from the upward convex stable state and crosses the critical equilibrium state, the spring steel strip quickly changes to the downward concave stable state, so that the volume of the air storage bag decreases at a faster speed, and the gas in the air storage bag is ejected from the second one-way valve to achieve pulsed air pumping; after the pulsed air pumping is completed, the rotating body drives the free end of the spring steel strip to rotate reversely under the drive of the power element, so that the spring steel strip gradually bends and deforms from the upward convex stable state to the downward concave stable state; the volume of the air storage bag increases again, and gas is inhaled from the first one-way valve; and so on in a cycle to achieve intermittent pulsed air pumping.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0016] 1. The present invention uses the bending deformation of the spring steel strip to pump air and inhale air for the air bag. Since there is a critical position between the two stable states of the spring steel strip, it will quickly deform under the action of elastic force after passing through the critical position, so as to achieve the effect of pulsed air pumping; in addition, since the spring steel strip of the present invention has two stable states, it can remain standby with zero power of the power element after the air pumping is over or the air inhalation is over, which can reduce energy consumption and improve the service life of the power element.

[0017] 2. The spring steel strip of the present invention is convenient for installation and disassembly, and different pumping efficiencies and flow rates can be achieved by using spring steel strips with different specifications and parameters.

[0018] 3. During the air pumping process of the present invention, the driving mechanism does not directly contact the working fluid, effectively avoiding the pollution problem. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] Figure 1 is the overall structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is the structural schematic diagram of the steady-state switching device in the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is the structural schematic diagram of the lower support plate in the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4a is the schematic diagram of the spring steel strip in the upper convex steady state in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4b is the schematic diagram of the spring steel strip in the upper concave steady state in the present invention. Detailed Embodiment

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] As Figure 1 shown, a bistable pulse air pump includes an installation frame 1, a steady-state switching device 2, a lower support plate 3, a support frame 4, a first side baffle 5.1 and a second side baffle 5.2. The support frame 4 includes a first support leg 4.1 and a second support leg 4.2 arranged at intervals. The installation frame 1 is fixed on the first support leg 4.1. The two ends of the lower support plate 3 are respectively fixed to the tops of the first support leg 4.1 and the second support leg 4.2.

[0026] As Figure 2 and 3 shown, the steady-state switching device 2 is installed on the installation frame 1, and it includes a rotary servo 2.1, a rotating body 2.2, a spring steel strip 2.3 and an air storage bag 2.4. The rotary servo 2.1 is connected to the installation frame by bolts. The output shaft of the rotary servo 2.1 is fixed to the inner end of the rotating body 2.2. When the rotary servo 2.1 rotates, it drives the rotating body 2.2 to rotate around the output shaft of the rotary servo 2.1. Two parallel threaded holes are provided at the outer end of the rotating body. The end of the lower support plate 3 close to the rotary servo 2.1 is the input end, and the end far from the rotary servo 2.1 is the output end. The rotating body 2.2 is located directly above the input end of the lower support plate 3. The rotation axis of the rotating body 2.2 is perpendicular to the length direction of the lower support plate 3.

[0027] The spring steel strip 2.3 is a rectangular high-elasticity and toughness spring steel strip; the length of the spring steel strip 2.3 is greater than the distance between the threaded hole at the outer end of the rotating body 2.2 and the output end of the lower support plate 3. One end of the spring steel strip 2.3 is fixedly connected to the output end of the lower support plate 3 by a bolt, and the other end is fixedly connected to the threaded hole on the rotating body 2.2 by a bolt. The air storage bag 2.4 is arranged between the lower support plate 3 and the spring steel strip 2.3, and both sides are adhesively connected to the lower support plate 3 and the spring steel strip 2.3 respectively.

[0028] The first side baffle 5.1 and the second side baffle 5.2 are respectively fixed on both sides of the lower support plate 3. It is located between the first side baffle 5.1 and the second side baffle 5.2. The first side baffle 5.1 and the second side baffle 5.2 are used to prevent the air storage bag 2.4 from expanding to both sides when the spring steel strip 2.3 turns downward to press on the air storage bag 2.4, ensuring that the gas in the air storage bag 2.4 can be quickly ejected, achieving the effect of pulse air pumping. Figure 1 In it, the first side baffle 5.1 and the second side baffle 5.2 only cover partial areas on both sides of the air storage bag 2.4; but the first side baffle 5.1 and the second side baffle 5.2 can also cover all areas on both sides of the air storage bag 2.4 to improve the limiting effect on the air storage bag 2.4 and provide the instantaneous speed of pulse air pumping.

[0029] The air storage bag 2.4 is a double-layer structure inside and outside. The outer layer is made of polyethylene material, and the inner layer is made of polystyrene, which can effectively prevent the air storage bag 2.4 from wrinkling after multiple inflations and deflations. An air inlet joint is arranged at the position of the lower support plate 3 close to the input end, and an air outlet joint is arranged at the output end. The air storage bag 2.4 is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet at the positions close to the air inlet joint and the air outlet joint. The air inlet and air outlet of the air storage bag 2.4 are hermetically connected to the air outlet joint and the air inlet joint on the support plate 3 respectively.

[0030] The air inlet joint of the lower support plate 3 is connected to the output end of the first one-way valve 3.7, and the air outlet joint is connected to the input end of the second one-way valve 3.6. The input end of the first one-way valve 3.7 is connected to the fluid source. The output end of the second one-way valve 3.6 is connected to the pneumatic component that needs to use pulsed air flow. The fluid source stores the fluid to be pumped; when the fluid to be pumped is air, the fluid source is the external environment.

[0031] Since the length of the spring steel strip 2.3 is greater than the distance between the rotating body 2.2 and the output end of the lower support plate 3, that is, the spring steel strip 2.3 is in a bent state, the spring steel strip has bistability, namely the upper convex stable state and the lower concave stable state. When the rotating body 2.2 drives the free end of the spring steel strip in the upper convex stable state to rotate downward (that is, as Figures 4a to 4bDuring the process, the spring steel strip 2.3 gradually bends downward from the upper convex steady state; there is a critical equilibrium state between the upper convex steady state and the lower concave steady state of the spring steel strip 2.3; when the spring steel strip 2.3 deforms from the upper convex steady state to cross the critical equilibrium state, the spring steel strip will rapidly change to the lower concave steady state; during the rapid change of the spring steel strip 2.3, the volume of the air storage bag rapidly decreases, the air pressure increases, and it pumps air outwards in pulses; similarly, when the spring steel strip changes from the lower concave steady state to the upper convex steady state, there will also be a critical equilibrium state; when the rotating body 2.2 drives the free end of the spring steel strip in the lower concave steady state to rotate upwards (i.e., as Figures 4b to 4a During the process); the spring steel strip 2.3 changes from the lower concave steady state to the upper convex steady state, and the air storage bag inhales air from the external environment through the first one-way valve 3.7. Therefore, the present invention can achieve the effects of rapid inhalation and pulsed air pumping.

[0032] Such as Figure 3 As shown, the lower support plate 3 includes a first support plate 3.1, a second support plate 3.2, a third support plate 3.3, a fourth support plate 3.4, and a fifth support plate 3.5 that are sequentially connected end to end by bolts. The first support plate 3.1 is fixed to the top of the first support leg 4.1; the fifth support plate 3.5 is fixed to the top of the second support leg 4.2. The second support plate 3.2 is in a downwardly concave L shape; the first one-way valve 3.7 is installed on one side of the second support plate 3.2 close to the first support leg 4.1, and the input end is inclined downward.

[0033] The second one-way valve 3.6 is installed on the fifth support plate 3.5.

[0034] The air pumping method of this bistable pulsed air pump is as follows:

[0035] Step 1, install the air storage bag. Connect the air inlet and outlet of the air storage bag to the first one-way valve 3.7 and the second one-way valve 3.6 respectively.

[0036] Step 2, install the spring steel strip. Select a spring steel strip with a fixed length, install one end of it on the rotating body 2.2, and the other end on the fifth support plate 3.5, and apply glue on the lower surface of the spring steel strip to connect the spring steel strip to the air storage bag.

[0037] Step 3, measure the performance parameters of the pulsed air pump. Start the rotating servo, measure the gas flow rate and velocity of the pulsed air pump output, and calculate the driving efficiency of the pulsed air pump. Replace the spring steel strips with different lengths and different elastic coefficients, measure the gas flow rate and velocity of the pulsed air pump, calculate the driving efficiency, and fit the length (l) of the spring steel strip and the driving efficiency (η) of the pulsed air pump into an η l curve; fit the spring steel strips with different elastic coefficients (k) and the driving efficiency (η) of the pulsed air pump at the same length into an η k curve.

[0038] Step 4. According to the obtained multiple fitting curves and actual usage requirements, select a spring steel strip with an appropriate length and elastic coefficient, install it on the pulse pump, and the bistable pulse pump starts to work.

Claims

1. A bistable pulse air pump, comprising a steady-state switching device (2), a lower support plate (3) and a support frame (4); characterized in that: The described lower support plate (3) and the steady-state switching device (2) are both installed on the support frame (4) and are aligned with each other; the steady-state switching device (2) includes a power element, a rotating body (2.2), a spring steel belt (2.3), and an air storage bag (2.4); the rotating body (2.2) can rotate under the drive of the power element; one end of the spring steel belt (2.3) is fixed to one end of the lower support plate (3), and the other end is fixed to the rotating body (2.2); the spring steel belt (2.3) is curved; the air storage bag (2.4) is fixed between the lower support plate (3) and the spring steel belt (2.3); the spring steel belt (2.3) can be switched between a convex state and a concave state under the drive of the rotation of the rotating body (2.2); an air inlet joint and an air outlet joint are connected to the air storage bag (2.4); the air inlet joint is connected to the output end of the first one-way valve (3.7), and the air outlet joint is connected to the input end of the second one-way valve (3.6); the input end of the first one-way valve (3.7) is connected to a fluid source; the output end of the second one-way valve (3.6) is used to output pulsed air flow; The described power element uses a rotary servo (2.1); the rotary servo (2.1) is fixed to the support frame (4) through a mounting bracket; the output shaft of the rotary servo (2.1) is fixed to the inner end of the rotating body (2.2); the support frame (4) includes a first support leg (4.1) and a second support leg (4.2) arranged at intervals; the mounting bracket (1) is fixed to the first support leg (4.1); both ends of the lower support plate (3) are respectively fixed to the tops of the first support leg (4.1) and the second support leg (4.2); The spring steel belt (2.3) is detachably connected to the lower support plate (3) and the rotating body (2.2), and the output flow rate, flow velocity, and driving efficiency of the bistable pulse air pump are changed by replacing spring steel belts (2.3) with different lengths and elastic coefficients; Side baffles are arranged on both sides of the lower support plate (3); the two side baffles cover part or all of the areas on both sides of the air storage bag (2.4).

2. The bistable pulsed air pump according to claim 1, wherein: The described air storage bag (2.4) has a double-layer structure, the outer layer is made of polyethylene material, and the inner layer is made of polystyrene.

3. The bistable pulse air pump according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet joint, the air outlet joint, the first one-way valve (3.7), and the second one-way valve (3.6) are all installed on the lower support plate (3).

4. A bistable pulsed air pump according to claim 1, characterized in that: The described lower support plate (3) includes a first support plate (3.1), a second support plate (3.2), a third support plate (3.3), a fourth support plate (3.4), and a fifth support plate (3.5) that are sequentially connected end to end by bolts; the second support plate (3.2) is in a concave L shape; the first one-way valve (3.7) is installed on the second support plate (3.2), and the input end is inclined downward; the second one-way valve (3.6) is installed on the fifth support plate (3.5).

5. A method for pumping gas by a pulse pump, characterized in that: Applied to a bistable pulse air pump as described in claim 1; the curved spring steel belt has two stable states, namely a convex stable state and a concave stable state; the volume of the air storage bag (2.4) when the spring steel belt is in the convex stable state is larger than the volume of the air storage bag (2.4) when the spring steel belt is in the concave stable state; in the initial state, the spring steel belt is in the convex stable state; During the pumping process, the rotating body (2.2) drives the free end of the spring steel belt to rotate forward under the drive of the power element, causing the spring steel belt to bend and deform gradually from the upper convex steady state to the lower concave steady state; there is a critical equilibrium state between the upper convex steady state and the lower concave steady state of the spring steel belt (2.3); when the spring steel belt (2.3) deforms from the upper convex steady state and crosses the critical equilibrium state, the spring steel belt quickly changes to the lower concave steady state, causing the volume of the air storage bag to decrease at a faster speed, and the gas in the air storage bag is ejected from the second one-way valve to achieve pulsed pumping; after the pulsed pumping is completed, the rotating body (2.2) drives the free end of the spring steel belt to rotate reversely under the drive of the power element, causing the spring steel belt to bend and deform gradually from the upper convex steady state to the lower concave steady state; the volume of the air storage bag increases again, and gas is inhaled from the first one-way valve; this cycle is repeated to achieve intermittent pulsed pumping.

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