An electrohydrodynamic micropump

Abstract

The application provides an electrohydrodynamic micropump, comprising a pump body in a tubular structure, an upper cover, and a pair of arranged emitter sheets and receiver sheets arranged in the pump body, each pair of emitter sheets and receiver sheets are parallel to each other and have a fixed distance, and multiple pairs of emitter sheets and receiver sheets are linearly arranged along the direction of a flow channel in the pump body; wherein the emitter sheets and the receiver sheets are inserted into electrode cavities of the pump body through insertion holes arranged on the top of the pump body, the top of the electrode cavities is provided with insertion holes for the insertion of the emitter sheets and the receiver sheets, the upper cover is butted against the pump body and covers the insertion holes to form lead cavities; for the emitter sheets and the receiver sheets, a bus contact sheet is arranged in each lead cavity to be connected with the positive electrode and the negative electrode of a power supply. The electrohydrodynamic micropump provided by the application is of an independent sheet structure, and is connected in the pump body through a side insertion mode, so that the emitter sheets and the receiver sheets can be independently and freely replaced without affecting the installation of other normal emitter sheets and receiver sheets.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrohydraulic micropump technology, specifically an electrohydraulic micropump. Background Technology

[0002] Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) micropumps utilize high-voltage electric fields to drive the flow of dielectric fluid, offering advantages such as no moving parts, no noise, fast response, and miniaturization. They are core components of artificial muscle (EFM) fiber actuation systems. Conventional EHD micropumps use metal wires as electrodes. To improve the power of EHD micropumps, CN107093949A discloses a mesh electrode series-connected EHD micropump and method. This patent employs a staggered mesh electrode structure; electrodes of the same level are connected in parallel, fixed by a single grooved retaining ring, and led out from a common lead-out end. However, the lead-out end and retaining ring must be installed inside the pump body structure, and the lead-out end or the lead wire connected to it must pass through the side wall of the pump body structure. This leads to sealing problems in the pump body structure and, because the lead-out end or lead wire is located inside the pump body structure, and the fluid inside the pump body structure is a dielectric, it easily causes electrolytic corrosion of the lead-out end or lead wire.

[0003] Furthermore, the fixed ring and mesh electrode used in this patent are fixedly connected via an annular groove. This means the mesh electrode needs to be connected to the fixed ring structure before the annular groove is formed, inevitably making the machining of the entire electrode ring's annular groove difficult. Simultaneously, if any mesh electrode is damaged and needs replacement, all mesh electrodes, along with their connected fixed rings and leads, must be removed from the pump body. The fixed ring containing the damaged mesh electrode must then be opened, a new mesh electrode replaced, and the fixed ring re-wrapped around the mesh electrode. During this process, the positions of all fixed rings need to be recalibrated and adjusted, making the process extremely complex and the repair and replacement costs very high. It is highly likely that if any one mesh electrode is damaged, the entire electrohydrodynamic micropump will become unusable. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the high maintenance and replacement costs of existing EHD micropumps with mesh electrode structures, this invention provides an electrohydrodynamic micropump with rapidly replaceable electrode plates.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: An electrohydrodynamic micropump includes a tubular pump body (1), a top cover (2), and pairs of emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) arranged inside the pump body (1). Each pair of emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) are parallel to each other and at a fixed distance. Multiple pairs of emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) are arranged linearly along the flow channel direction inside the pump body (1). The emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) are inserted into the electrode cavity (1a) of the pump body (1) through the insertion holes provided on the top of the pump body (1). The top of the electrode cavity (1a) is provided with insertion holes (11) for the emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6). The top cover (2) is connected to the pump body (1) and covers the insertion holes (11) to form a lead cavity (1b). For the emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6), a busbar contact (3) is provided in the lead cavity (1b) to connect to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply.

[0006] Corresponding to the insertion positions of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6), slots (12) are respectively provided on the inner wall of the bottom of the pump body. The upper and lower ends of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6) are fixed by the slots (12) and the insertion holes (11). Preferably, the upper ends of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6) form protrusion block structures, which can be locked on the outside of the insertion holes (11), thereby limiting the position of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6); the length and width of the insertion holes are adapted to the length and width of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6), thereby reducing the gap.

[0007] The emitting electrode (5) is made of a microporous metal plate; the receiving electrode (6) is made of a porous metal plate, and the aperture of the opening on the receiving electrode (6) is larger than the aperture of the micropore on the emitting electrode (5).

[0008] The emitter electrode (5) and receiver electrode (6) have gaps between their sides and the inner wall of the electrode cavity (1a), and the total area of ​​the gaps does not exceed one-third of the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel of the entire electrode cavity (1a).

[0009] The busbar contact (3) is U-shaped or Z-shaped and is placed horizontally in the lead cavity (1b). The upper edge of the busbar contact (3) abuts against the upper cover (2) and the lower edge abuts against the emitter electrode (5) or receiver electrode (6). The upper cover (2) presses the busbar contact (3) so that the lower edge of the busbar contact (3) contacts the top surface of the emitter electrode (5) or receiver electrode (6).

[0010] The upper edge of the bus contact piece (3) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the upper cover (2).

[0011] Correspondingly, the busbar contact piece (3) is fixed by designing a positioning post in the upper cover (2); or a groove is designed in the upper cover (2) corresponding to the upper edge shape of the busbar contact piece (3) to fix the busbar contact piece (3); or the busbar contact piece (3) is fixedly connected to the upper cover (2) by adhesive bonding; or any combination of the above three methods.

[0012] Insulating grease is injected into the lead cavity (1b) for insulation and sealing; and the connection between the emitter electrode (5), receiver electrode (6) and socket (11) is not individually sealed.

[0013] The busbar contact piece (3) is divided into an emitter contact piece and a receiver contact piece. The emitter contact piece abuts against the emitter piece (5), and the receiver contact piece abuts against the receiver piece (6). Each busbar contact piece (3) has a lead-out end, which passes through the lead-out hole of the upper cover (2). The two lead-out holes on the upper cover (2) are located at the far end, which is relatively far apart.

[0014] An injection hole is provided on the upper cover (2), or one of the outlet holes is used as an injection hole to inject insulating grease into the lead wire cavity (1b), while the other outlet hole is used as an exhaust hole.

[0015] The electrohydrodynamic micropump provided by this invention features an independent sheet-like structure for each emitter and receiver electrode, which is connected to the pump body via a side-insertion method. This allows for independent and free replacement without affecting the installation of other normal emitter and receiver electrodes. The two-chamber structure, consisting of an electrode cavity and a lead cavity, places the emitter and receiver electrodes in the electrode cavity while simultaneously positioning the busbar contact plate entirely within the lead cavity. Consequently, the busbar contact plate does not need to come into contact with the medium within the pump body.

[0016] The electrohydrodynamic micropump provided by this invention uses insertion holes and slots on the upper and lower side walls of the pump body to fix the emitter and receiver electrodes, thereby fixing the upper and lower ends of the emitter and receiver electrodes, enabling them to withstand the impact of large flow rates and reduce deformation, and maintaining the structural stability of the entire electrohydrodynamic micropump during operation.

[0017] The emitting electrode is made of a microporous metal plate, preferably foamed copper, and the receiving electrode is made of a porous metal plate, so that the particles from the emitting electrode to the receiving electrode converge. The emitting electrode and the receiving electrode have gaps on both sides, so that when the medium fluid passes through the porous metal plate, it can simultaneously carry some of the medium through the gaps on both sides, which can amplify the flow rate.

[0018] The busbar contact piece is fixed to the top cover, exerting downward pressure on the emitter and receiver electrodes, thus ensuring good electrical contact without the need for welding. If any emitter or receiver electrode fails or is damaged, it can be directly removed for replacement without affecting the installation and use of the other emitter and receiver electrodes.

[0019] The entire lead cavity is sealed with insulating grease. The insulating grease has poor fluidity but good insulation properties, which can seal the connection gap between the emitter and receiver electrodes and the socket. Therefore, no additional technical means are needed to seal this position. In addition to not needing separate sealing, it also makes disassembly and installation more convenient. The insulating grease injection hole can be designed separately, or one of the lead holes can be used as the injection hole to inject insulating grease into the lead cavity. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the electrohydrodynamic micropump of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the top cover is removed.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a longitudinal sectional view.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a longitudinal sectional view.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the busbar contact piece.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the contact between the bus contact piece and the transmitting and receiving electrodes.

[0027] 1-Pump body; 1a-Electrode cavity; 1b-Lead cavity; 11-Socket; 12-Slot; 2-Top cover; 3-Bus contact piece; 5-Emitter electrode; 6-Receiver electrode. Detailed Implementation

[0028] like Figure 1-7As shown, this embodiment provides an electrohydrodynamic micropump, including a tubular pump body 1, a top cover 2, and pairs of emitting electrodes 5 and receiving electrodes 6 arranged inside the pump body 1. Each pair of emitting electrodes 5 and receiving electrodes 6 are parallel to each other and at a fixed distance. Multiple pairs of emitting electrodes 5 and receiving electrodes 6 are arranged linearly along the flow channel direction inside the pump body 1. The emitting electrodes 5 and receiving electrodes 6 are inserted into the electrode cavity 1a of the pump body 1 through insertion holes provided on the top of the pump body 1. The top of the electrode cavity 1a is provided with insertion holes 11 for inserting the emitting electrodes 5 and receiving electrodes 6. The top cover 2 is attached to the pump body 1 and covers the insertion holes 11 to form a lead cavity 1b. For the emitting electrodes 5 and receiving electrodes 6, a bus contact piece 3 is respectively provided in the lead cavity 1b to connect to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply.

[0029] In this embodiment, the busbar contact 3 is assembled in the lead cavity, while the main bodies of the emitter and receiver electrodes are placed in the electrode cavity, forming a two-cavity structure. A portion of the emitter and receiver electrodes are located in the lead cavity and connected to the pump body via insertion. The emitter electrodes and receiver electrodes are connected in parallel, meaning they are drawn out through a single busbar contact. The emitter and receiver electrodes in the pump body are arranged in pairs and linearly along the flow path of the pump body, thus creating a progressive acceleration effect and achieving a larger pump flow rate.

[0030] In this embodiment, the pump body is a cylindrical tube with an upward protrusion at the position of the upper cover 2. In actual application, the upper cover 2 can also be designed as a cylindrical tube integral with the pump body. The pump body has an inlet and an outlet. Generally, the flow channel area at the inlet end is larger than the flow channel area at the outlet end, that is, the pipe diameter at the inlet end is larger than the pipe diameter at the outlet end.

[0031] Corresponding to the insertion positions of the transmitting electrode 5 and the receiving electrode 6, slots 12 are respectively provided on the inner wall of the bottom of the pump body. The upper and lower ends of the transmitting electrode 5 and the receiving electrode 6 are fixed by the slots 12 and the insertion holes 11. Preferably, the upper ends of the transmitting electrode 5 and the receiving electrode 6 form protruding block structures on both sides, which can be locked on the outside of the insertion holes 11, thereby limiting the position of the transmitting electrode 5 and the receiving electrode 6; the length and width of the insertion holes are adapted to the length and width of the transmitting electrode 5 and the receiving electrode 6, thereby reducing the gap.

[0032] The emitting electrode 5 is made of a microporous metal plate (preferably copper foam or other microporous metal plates); the receiving electrode 6 is made of a porous metal plate, and the aperture of the opening on the receiving electrode 6 is larger than the aperture of the micropore on the emitting electrode 5, so that the medium fluid passes through the micropore of the microporous metal plate and then collects in the opening of the porous metal plate.

[0033] The emitter electrode 5 and receiver electrode 6 have gaps between their sides and the inner wall of the electrode cavity 1a, and the total area of ​​the gaps does not exceed one-third of the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel of the entire electrode cavity 1a.

[0034] The busbar contact 3 is U-shaped (e.g., Figure 3 (As shown) or Z-shaped, and placed horizontally in the lead cavity 1b, the upper edge of the bus contact 3 abuts against the upper cover 2, and the lower edge abuts against the emitter electrode 5 or receiver electrode 6. The upper cover 2 presses the bus contact 3 so that the lower edge of the bus contact 3 contacts the top surface of the emitter electrode 5 or receiver electrode 6.

[0035] The upper edge of the bus contact piece 3 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the upper cover 2.

[0036] Correspondingly, the busbar contact piece 3 can be fixed by designing a positioning post in the upper cover 2; or by designing a groove in the upper cover 2 corresponding to the shape of the upper edge of the busbar contact piece 3 to fix the busbar contact piece 3; or by adhesive bonding to fix the busbar contact piece 3 in the upper cover 2; or any combination of the above three methods.

[0037] Insulating grease is injected into the lead cavity 1b for insulation and sealing; and the connection between the emitter electrode 5, the receiver electrode 6 and the socket 11 is not individually sealed.

[0038] The busbar contact 3 is divided into an emitter contact and a receiver contact. The emitter contact abuts against the emitter plate 5, and the receiver contact abuts against the receiver plate 6. Each busbar contact 3 has a lead-out end, which passes through the lead-out hole of the upper cover 2. The two lead-out holes on the upper cover 2 are located at the far end with a relatively large distance between them.

[0039] An injection hole is provided on the upper cover 2, or one of the outlet holes is used as an injection hole to inject insulating grease into the lead wire cavity 1b, while the other outlet hole is used as an exhaust hole.

[0040] The electrohydrodynamic micropump provided by this invention features an independent sheet-like structure for each emitter and receiver electrode, which is connected to the pump body via a side-insertion method. This allows for independent and free replacement without affecting the installation of other normal emitter and receiver electrodes. The two-chamber structure, consisting of an electrode cavity and a lead cavity, places the emitter and receiver electrodes in the electrode cavity while simultaneously positioning the busbar contact plate entirely within the lead cavity. Consequently, the busbar contact plate does not need to come into contact with the medium within the pump body.

[0041] The electrohydrodynamic micropump provided by this invention uses insertion holes and slots on the upper and lower side walls of the pump body to fix the emitter and receiver electrodes, thereby fixing the upper and lower ends of the emitter and receiver electrodes, enabling them to withstand the impact of large flow rates and reduce deformation, and maintaining the structural stability of the entire electrohydrodynamic micropump during operation.

[0042] The emitting electrode is made of a microporous metal plate, preferably foamed copper, and the receiving electrode is made of a porous metal plate, so that the particles from the emitting electrode to the receiving electrode converge. The emitting electrode and the receiving electrode have gaps on both sides, so that when the medium fluid passes through the porous metal plate, it can simultaneously carry some of the medium through the gaps on both sides, which can amplify the flow rate.

[0043] The busbar contact piece is fixed to the top cover, exerting downward pressure on the emitter and receiver electrodes, thus ensuring good electrical contact without the need for welding. If any emitter or receiver electrode fails or is damaged, it can be directly removed for replacement without affecting the installation and use of the other emitter and receiver electrodes.

[0044] The entire lead cavity is sealed with insulating grease. The insulating grease has poor fluidity but good insulation properties, which can seal the connection gap between the emitter and receiver electrodes and the socket. Therefore, no additional technical means are needed to seal this position. In addition to not needing separate sealing, it also makes disassembly and installation more convenient. The insulating grease injection hole can be designed separately, or one of the lead holes can be used as the injection hole to inject insulating grease into the lead cavity.

Claims

1. A hydrodynamic micropump, characterized in that, The pump body (1) includes a tubular structure, a top cover (2), and pairs of emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) arranged inside the pump body (1). Each pair of emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) are parallel to each other and at a fixed distance. Multiple pairs of emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) are arranged linearly along the flow channel direction inside the pump body (1). The emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6) are inserted into the electrode cavity (1a) of the pump body (1) through the insertion holes provided on the top of the pump body (1). The top of the electrode cavity (1a) is provided with insertion holes (11) for the emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6). The top cover (2) is connected to the pump body (1) and covers the insertion holes (11) to form a lead cavity (1b). For the emitter electrodes (5) and receiver electrodes (6), a busbar contact piece (3) is provided in the lead cavity (1b) to connect to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply.

2. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 1, characterized in that, Corresponding to the insertion positions of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6), slots (12) are provided on the bottom inner wall of the pump body, and the upper and lower ends of the transmitting electrode (5) and the receiving electrode (6) are fixed by the slots (12) and the holes (11).

3. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 1, characterized in that, The emitting electrode (5) is made of a microporous metal plate; the receiving electrode (6) is made of a porous metal plate, and the aperture of the opening on the receiving electrode (6) is larger than the aperture of the micropore on the emitting electrode (5).

4. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 1, characterized in that, The emitter electrode (5) and receiver electrode (6) have gaps between their sides and the inner wall of the electrode cavity (1a), and the total area of ​​the gaps does not exceed one-third of the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel of the entire electrode cavity (1a).

5. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 1, characterized in that, The busbar contact (3) is U-shaped or Z-shaped and is placed horizontally in the lead cavity (1b). The upper edge of the busbar contact (3) abuts against the upper cover (2) and the lower edge abuts against the emitter electrode (5) or receiver electrode (6). The upper cover (2) presses the busbar contact (3) so that the lower edge of the busbar contact (3) contacts the top surface of the emitter electrode (5) or receiver electrode (6).

6. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 5, characterized in that, The upper edge of the bus contact piece (3) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the upper cover (2).

7. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 6, characterized in that, Correspondingly, the busbar contact piece (3) is fixed by designing a positioning post in the upper cover (2); or a groove is designed in the upper cover (2) corresponding to the upper edge shape of the busbar contact piece (3) to fix the busbar contact piece (3); or the busbar contact piece (3) is fixedly connected to the upper cover (2) by adhesive bonding; or any combination of the above three methods.

8. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 2, characterized in that, Insulating grease is injected into the lead cavity (1b) for insulation and sealing; and the connection between the emitter electrode (5), receiver electrode (6) and socket (11) is not individually sealed.

9. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 2, characterized in that, The busbar contact piece (3) is divided into an emitter contact piece and a receiver contact piece. The emitter contact piece abuts against the emitter piece (5), and the receiver contact piece abuts against the receiver piece (6). Each busbar contact piece (3) has a lead-out end, which passes through the lead-out hole of the upper cover (2). The two lead-out holes on the upper cover (2) are located at the far end, which is relatively far apart.

10. The electrohydrodynamic micropump according to claim 2, characterized in that, An injection hole is provided on the upper cover (2), or one of the outlet holes is used as an injection hole to inject insulating grease into the lead wire cavity (1b), while the other outlet hole is used as an exhaust hole.

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