MEMBRANPUMPE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a diaphragm pump with a pumping chamber, wherein the pumping chamber is connected to an inlet chamber via an inlet valve and to an outlet chamber via an outlet valve. The invention also relates to a device for conveying fluids with a diaphragm pump.

[0002] Diaphragm pumps are known from DE 101 17 531 A1 and DE 20 2006 020 237 U1, which have a pump head essentially connected to a drive. The pump head has several, for example four, pump chambers, each of which is sealed from a drive chamber by means of a pump diaphragm. The respective pump diaphragm is connected via an associated pump element to a swash plate arranged in the drive chamber. A swash plate wobbles the pump diaphragm into a wobbling, axially periodic pumping motion. The swash plate sits on a drive pin of a drive shaft connected to the drive. The drive pin is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft and is connected to the swash plate via a ball bearing.In the diaphragm pumps according to DE 101 17 531 A1 and DE 20 2006 020 237 U1, an outlet chamber is arranged centrally and an inlet chamber is arranged concentrically to the outlet chamber around the outlet chamber.

[0003] EP 3 327 287 A1 discloses a diaphragm pump with at least one pumping chamber. The pumping chamber is connected to an inlet chamber via an inlet valve and to an outlet chamber via an outlet valve. The inlet valve has an inlet opening that can be closed by an inlet valve body, and the outlet valve has an outlet opening that can be closed by an outlet valve body. The outlet opening surrounds the inlet opening, or the inlet opening surrounds the outlet opening.

[0004] WO 2013 / 032587 A1 describes a multi-valve compressor head having a housing defining an inlet chamber in selective communication with a cavity via a plurality of one-way inlet valves and an outlet chamber selectively communicating with the cavity via a plurality of one-way outlet valves. The housing further defines an inlet port for the entry of gas into the inlet chamber and an outlet port for expelling compressed gas from the outlet chamber. In operation, the multi-valve compressor head is operatively connected to a reciprocating diaphragm that draws gas into the inlet chamber and then into the cavity during the diaphragm's intake stroke, while expelling compressed gas from the cavity and through the outlet port during the diaphragm's exhaust stroke.

[0005] DE 198 33 286 A1 describes a piston and cylinder air compressor having a valve plate between an upper end of the cylinder and a cylinder head. The valve plate has a generally diametrically disposed recess that receives a suction valve blade, the valve being disposed above openings on at least one side of the recess, and the device being configured to minimize the operating clearance of the compressor.

[0006] US 5,141,409 A describes a compression machine that can be used as a compressor, pump, or actuator. The machine comprises a housing in which a flexible diaphragm is housed. The interior of the housing is divided into a compression chamber and a backpressure chamber by the diaphragm, which consists of a diaphragm spring or bellows. The diaphragm is moved back and forth to compress the fluid in the compression chamber and force it out of the compression chamber. The backpressure chamber is sealed with a pressurized gas. The pressure in the backpressure chamber counteracts the pressure in the compression chamber and is maintained at approximately half the pressure that prevails in the compression chamber during compression to suppress flexion of the diaphragm.

[0007] Diaphragm pumps are used primarily in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, where the pumped media can be very expensive. Therefore, it is desirable that no or only a small residual volume of the pumped medium remains in the diaphragm pump after the pumping process. Furthermore, completely filling such diaphragm pumps with the fluid without air inclusions is beneficial for pumping performance.

[0008] A disadvantage of the diaphragm pumps known from DE 101 17 531 A1 and DE 20 2006 020 237 U1, which have generally proven themselves, is that they have a central inlet chamber. Due to the external outlet chamber being arranged essentially concentrically to the inlet chamber, a relatively large residual volume of the pumped medium remains in the inlet chamber after the pumping process has ended. Furthermore, air usually remains in the upper pump chambers of the pump, which generally has a detrimental effect on both the pumping stability (pulsation) and the pumping performance.A disadvantage of the diaphragm pump known from EP 3 327 287 A1, which has also proven itself in principle, is that the provision of an outlet opening surrounding the inlet opening or the provision of an inlet opening surrounding the outlet opening places relatively high demands on the design of the diaphragm pump, in particular on the design of individual inlet chambers which are connected to an inlet valve.

[0009] The object of the present invention is therefore to improve the known diaphragm pumps with regard to the residual emptying and / or the venting of the pump chambers, whereby a simple structure and / or a simple design is sought.

[0010] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments are presented in the subclaims and the following description.

[0011] The invention is based on the basic idea of ​​selecting the positioning of two outlet valves in the pumping chamber and one inlet valve in the pumping chamber more effectively in order to improve residual emptying and / or venting of the pumping chamber, but also to simplify the design. The invention is the first to recognize that providing two outlet valves in addition to the inlet valve can lead to a simpler design if the two outlet valves and the inlet valve are arranged in the corners of any triangle. Until now, it was assumed that a direct spatial relationship between outlet openings and inlet openings was necessary, for example by surrounding the inlet opening. The invention has, among other things, broken the prejudice that an offset arrangement of the outlet valves to the inlet valve does not allow for an improvement in the diaphragm pump.Instead of an arrangement of the inlet / outlet openings, the invention is primarily based on a substantially special arrangement of an inlet valve and two outlet valves of a pumping chamber, by means of which the residual quantity of pumped medium and also the air remaining in the pumping chamber after the end of the pumping process can be reduced and even complete emptying is possible. One of the outlet valves can be arranged in the upper region of the pumping chamber with respect to the direction of gravitational acceleration and the other outlet valve can be arranged in the lower region of the pumping chamber with respect to the direction of gravitational acceleration. The inlet valve is arranged offset from the outlet valves of a respective pumping chamber so that an advantageous placement of the outlet valves can be achieved. For example, the inlet valve can be arranged next to or to the side of the lower of the two outlet valves.In addition to the possibility of the diaphragm pump emptying and / or venting itself to a large extent, an improved flow distribution can be achieved with a simpler design of the diaphragm pump.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention, the diaphragm pump has at least one pumping chamber, wherein the pumping chamber is connected to an inlet chamber via an inlet valve and to an outlet chamber via two outlet valves, wherein the outlet chamber is annular.

[0013] The inlet valve has an inlet opening that can be closed by an inlet valve body. Each outlet valve has an outlet opening that can be closed by an outlet valve body. Two outlet valves are provided for the pump chamber, and the two outlet valves and the inlet valve form a triangle when projected onto a projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pump chamber. The offset arrangement of the inlet valve and the two outlet valves enables optimal placement of the pump chamber. In particular, one outlet valve can be arranged in the lower area and another outlet valve in the upper area of ​​the pump chamber, regardless of the arrangement of the inlet valve in the pump chamber. The inlet valve can be arranged in the lower area of ​​the pump chamber. The inlet valve can be arranged closer to a central axis of the diaphragm pump than the outlet valves.The arrangement of the two outlet valves and the inlet valve enables a simple design of the diaphragm pump. By arranging the two outlet valves with the inlet valve to form a triangle, it is possible for projections of a straight line connecting each of the two outlet valves to the inlet valve of the pump chamber on a projection plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, with the projection plane sharing a point with the longitudinal axis, to form an angle other than 0 degrees.

[0014] For the purposes of this description, the term "central axis" or "central axis" of the diaphragm pump encompasses an axis that extends substantially transversely to the front plate, the valve plate, and / or the end plate (the central axis or central axis may extend substantially parallel to the normal of the front plate, the valve plate, and / or the end plate) and may be arranged substantially centrally to one of the plates. In a preferred embodiment, the central axis or central axis may extend centrally through an inlet, which is arranged centrally, in particular in a front plate.

[0015] For the purposes of this description, the term "longitudinal axis" of the pumping chamber encompasses an axis that runs, in particular, transversely to the valve plate (essentially parallel to the normal of the valve plate). The longitudinal axis is arranged essentially centrally to the pumping chamber, in particular essentially centrally to the pumping diaphragm. The longitudinal axis of the pumping chamber runs essentially parallel to the central axis of the diaphragm pump.

[0016] In a second aspect of the invention, the diaphragm pump has at least one pumping chamber, wherein the pumping chamber is connected to an inlet chamber via an inlet valve and to an outlet chamber via two outlet valves, wherein the outlet chamber is annular. The inlet valve has an inlet opening that can be closed by an inlet valve body, and each outlet valve has an outlet opening that can be closed by an outlet valve body. Two outlet valves are provided for the pumping chamber. A projection of straight connecting lines, which each connect adjacent outlet valves to one another, onto a projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pumping chamber does not intersect with inlet valves.It is possible that, although two outlet valves are provided per pump chamber, the outlet valves are arranged in relation to the inlet valve in such a way that an arrangement of the outlet valves in relation to the inlet valve results which, in addition to the desired residual emptying, the venting of the pump chamber and the delivery stability as well as the pumping performance, a simple structure with regard to the inlet chamber and outlet chamber fluidically connected to the inlet valves and the outlet valves can be achieved by combining the inlet valves in a common inlet chamber and / or the outlet valves in a common outlet chamber.

[0017] In a third aspect of the invention, the diaphragm pump has at least two pumping chambers, each pumping chamber being connected to a respective inlet chamber via a respective inlet valve and to an outlet chamber via two outlet valves. Each inlet valve has an inlet opening that can be closed by a respective inlet valve body, and each outlet valve has an outlet opening that can be closed by a respective outlet valve body. The inlet valves are arranged in a common inlet chamber. This makes it possible to simplify the design and / or construction; in particular, in the case of modular diaphragm pumps, an attempt can be made to use a plate that has previously also been used for diaphragm pumps.It is possible to achieve an improvement in residual emptying, venting, and / or pulsation simply by changing the arrangement of the outlet and / or inlet valves of the pump chamber, without having to modify the plates forming the inlet chamber and / or outlet chamber. Furthermore, the cost of sealing the one inlet chamber can be reduced compared to providing multiple inlet chambers. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the inlet chamber can be provided substantially centrally.

[0018] The aforementioned aspects of the invention can be freely combined with one another and further improvements may result.

[0019] The diaphragm pump has a pumping chamber, preferably two, and particularly preferably three, four, or more pumping chambers. The volume of this pumping chamber or the plurality of pumping chambers can, particularly preferably, be changed cyclically, in particular periodically, by an external force. Particularly preferably, at least one wall of the chamber volume is formed by a diaphragm, which is preferably made of one or more elastic materials, for example, plastic, rubber, elastomer, silicone, or an equivalent material, which can, in particular, also comprise one or more composite materials for increased stability and service life.If the wall formed by the diaphragm is designed to completely squeeze off the space intended to form the pumping chamber, the pumping chamber can be dimensioned with respect to the maximum volume to be maintained in such a way that this maximum volume corresponds exactly to the fluid volume to be pumped within one pumping stroke. However, (significantly) larger pumping chambers are also conceivable, which could, for example, improve the flow behavior, the efficiency of the diaphragm pump, or reduce production costs.

[0020] A valve body within the scope of the description can in particular be formed by an elastic membrane, which generally at least partially opens the valve opening assigned to the valve body when a suitable pressure difference is applied. Possible materials for the valve body include, for example, metals, but in particular also plastic, rubber, elastomer, silicone or an equivalent material, which in particular can also comprise or be formed from one or more composite materials. When a pressure difference is applied in the opposite direction, the valve body closes the valve opening and / or a spring element is provided which acts on the valve body and preloads it into the closed position when the valve is outside the closed position in which it closes the valve opening.A diaphragm is understood here, in particular, to be a plate that generally has elastic and / or resilient properties. These elastic and / or resilient properties can also be present only in certain sections, for example, in the edge region. The diaphragm can be flat in certain sections, but in a preferred embodiment, it is curved in the sections where it seals a pump chamber. The curved section can be adapted to the stroke. Furthermore, a valve control system can control the opening and closing of the valves or influence the optimization of the pumping process.

[0021] Particularly preferably, the inlet valve and / or the outlet valve is an umbrella valve. An umbrella valve is understood to be a valve in which the valve body is formed by an umbrella.

[0022] In the context of the description, the mention of a number includes the provision of exactly the number of elements designated by the number, although further identical or similar elements are not excluded. If, for example, the description describes that a pump chamber has two outlet valves, the pump chamber can have exactly two, but also three, four or more outlet valves. The same applies to the inlet valve. A pump chamber can have exactly one inlet valve, two, but also three, four or more inlet valves. It is possible for pump chambers to have a different number of inlet and / or outlet valves.

[0023] An inlet chamber within the scope of the description functions to hold the fluid to be pumped. The inlet opening can be formed directly in a wall of the inlet chamber. This enables a compact design of the diaphragm pump, particularly if, in a further preferred embodiment, the inlet opening opens directly into the pumping chamber. It is possible to provide an inlet channel between the inlet chamber and the pumping chamber, which connects the inlet chamber to the pumping chamber. This creates the possibility of designing the position of the inlet chamber within the diaphragm pump relative to the pumping chamber more freely. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the inlet chamber is connected directly to the pumping chamber via the inlet opening without the interposition of an inlet channel, so that an additional design of an inlet channel can be omitted.

[0024] An outlet chamber within the scope of the description serves to collect and bundle the pumped fluid, in particular for forwarding it to a central outlet of the diaphragm pump, particularly in the case of multiple pump chambers and / or outlet valves. The outlet opening can be formed directly in a wall of the outlet chamber. This enables a compact design of the diaphragm pump, in particular if, in a further preferred embodiment, the outlet opening opens directly into the pump chamber. It is possible to provide an outlet channel between the outlet chamber and the pump chamber, which connects the outlet chamber to the pump chamber. This creates the possibility of designing the position of the outlet chamber within the diaphragm pump relative to the pump chamber more freely.In a particularly preferred embodiment, the outlet chamber is connected directly to the pump chamber via the outlet opening without the interposition of an outlet channel, which can simplify the design of the diaphragm pump.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, an outlet valve is arranged in one edge region of the pumping chamber and an outlet valve is arranged in the opposite edge region of the pumping chamber. This allows the outlet valves to be effectively positioned to achieve improved residual fluid drainage and venting. One of the edge regions can be an "upper region" of the pumping chamber, and the other of the edge regions can be a "lower region" of the pumping chamber. For the purposes of the description, the terms "upper region" and "lower region" encompass two regions of the pumping chamber that are located in opposite edge regions of the pumping chamber. The term "upper region" functionally encompasses the placement of the outlet valve such that at least one outlet opening is provided, which is arranged as close as possible to the upper edge of the pumping chamber. The directional indication "top" or "bottom" refers to the position of the outlet valve."Upper" refers to the direction of gravity when the diaphragm pump is installed and in operating position. The "upper" area refers to an edge area of ​​the pump chamber that is further spaced in the direction of gravity than the "lower area." The arrangement of the outlet valves in the upper and lower areas includes positioning such that one or more outlet openings associated with the outlet valve are located in the upper and lower edge areas of the pump chamber.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the inlet valve is positioned closer to the center axis of the diaphragm pump than the two outlet valves. This allows the inlet chamber to be centrally located and surrounded by the outlet chamber, which allows the outlet chamber to be positioned below the inlet chamber relative to the direction of gravity, further improving the residual emptying of the entire diaphragm pump.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, two outlet valves offset from one another with respect to a vertical line are provided for the pump chamber. This allows for variability in the arrangement of the outlet valve and inlet valve, which, in addition to having a beneficial effect on residual emptying, venting, and delivery stability, also affects the pumping performance, but also leads to a simpler design of the diaphragm pump. Within the scope of the invention, a vertical line describes a line that runs transversely to the central axis of the diaphragm pump or transversely to the longitudinal axis of the pump chamber. In particular, the vertical line can run parallel to the axis of gravitational acceleration, with the diaphragm pump being considered in the installed and operational state.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the inlet valve of the pump chamber is arranged off-center in the cross-section of the pump chamber. This allows for an offset of the inlet valve, which can create the greatest possible freedom of choice for the arrangement of the two outlet valves. Essentially, the inlet valve can be offset into a region of the pump chamber so that the outlet valves can be positioned more effectively and, at the same time, the connection of the pump chamber to the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber by means of the outlet valves and the inlet valve is improved. The term "off-center" in the sense of the description includes a position indication that essentially corresponds to the center of the cross-section and / or the center of gravity of the cross-section, wherein a view along the longitudinal axis of the diaphragm pump is present; in this respect, it is described that the inlet valve is not arranged on an axis through the center of the cross-section orlies on an axis through the center of gravity of the cross-section.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the outlet valves are arranged in a circular or circular segment shape. The outlet valves can be arranged essentially in a circular or circular segment shape on a valve plate, which simplifies the manufacture of the diaphragm pump. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the outlet valves are arranged in a circular or circular segment shape around a central axis of the diaphragm pump. The circular or circular segment-shaped arrangement of the outlet valves can lead to a reduced design effort for an outlet chamber. A circular (segment-shaped) design can enable the outlet chamber to exhibit rotational invariance.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the diaphragm pump has more than one pumping chamber, wherein the arrangement of the inlet valve and the two outlet valves of the pumping chambers essentially has rotational invariance with respect to an angle of less than 360° around the central axis of the diaphragm pump. If multiple pumping chambers are used, rotational invariance can be created, which, in addition to a simple structure or design, enables easy handling or assembly of the diaphragm pump. For example, it can be provided that a rotational invariance of 360° per number of pumping chambers can be achieved.

[0031] According to the invention, an annular outlet chamber is provided. This makes it possible to construct a simply constructed diaphragm pump; in particular, the outlet chamber can surround the inlet chamber, and the sealing of the outlet chamber can be limited to just one chamber, if possible. Particularly with two or more pump chambers, a common outlet chamber and a common inlet chamber can be provided, with the outlet chamber surrounding the inlet chamber and no region of the outlet chamber being arranged between two inlet chambers. The shape of the outlet chamber and / or inlet chamber can be simple.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the cross-section of the pumping chamber has at least one straight section on a side wall. This makes it possible to enlarge the pumping chamber compared to a completely curved side wall. A completely curved side wall in the upper or lower region does indeed provide direct positioning arrangements for the outlet valves by positioning one inlet valve at the highest point and the other outlet valve at the lowest point of the pumping chamber; this is where the air is trapped or the fluid flows to, but venting or residual emptying can also be successful with straight sections. Despite the obvious shape of a completely curved side wall, it was recognized that the staggered arrangement can also achieve an enlargement of the pumping chamber by providing straight sections of the side wall, particularly in the upper and / or lower regions.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, multiple pump chambers are provided, and the pump chambers are arranged in a grid of columns and rows. The pump chambers can also be arranged on different levels. The grid-like arrangement of the pump chambers, essentially one above and one below the other, allows for an arrangement in which the inlet valve can be offset from a central area to effectively position the two outlet valves.

[0034] The invention also provides a device for conveying fluids with a diaphragm pump as described in the description and / or the claims, wherein a pump head is provided with a drive chamber and a drive, and the pump chamber is sealed from the drive chamber by means of a pump diaphragm. If two or more pump chambers are provided, the pump chambers can each be sealed from the drive chamber by means of a pump diaphragm. In a preferred embodiment, the pump diaphragm can be set into a periodic axial pumping movement via an associated pump element.

[0035] The term "outlet opening" in the context of the present description does not just describe a single opening, but is also used to represent a sum of individual openings that are delimited from one another. According to a preferred embodiment, the outlet opening is segmented into a plurality of outlet opening sections that are spaced apart from one another with respect to the projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pump chamber. The outlet opening sections of an outlet valve can preferably be circular or in the shape of a circular segment. The association of the outlet opening sections with an outlet valve is achieved in a preferred embodiment in that the outlet opening sections are closed by a common valve body. The outlet opening or the outlet opening sections can extend in one direction such that the extension of the outlet opening orThe area in which the outlet opening sections of an outlet valve are located essentially corresponds to 1 / 5 to 1 / 3 of the width and / or height of the pump chamber. This allows a high pump throughput to be achieved.

[0036] For the purposes of this description, the term "inlet opening" does not only encompass a single opening; rather, the inlet opening can be formed by inlet opening sections that are delimited from one another. According to a preferred embodiment, the inlet opening is segmented into a plurality of inlet opening sections that are spaced apart from one another with respect to the projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pumping chamber. The inlet opening sections can preferably be arranged in a circular shape or in the shape of a circular segment in a projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pumping chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the inlet opening sections belong to an inlet valve by closing the inlet opening sections by a common valve body.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment, the inlet chamber has a wall at its vertically lower end, which is configured such that the wall is substantially flush with the lower part of the inlet opening of at least one inlet valve. In particular, one or more lowest-lying inlet valves merge with the wall of the inlet chamber with the respective lower region of their respective inlet opening in such a way that the inlet chamber can be completely emptied via the inlet valves, and residual fluid is conveyed from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber during the pumping process.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment, the outlet chamber has a wall at its lower vertically directed region, which is configured such that the wall is substantially flush with the lower part of the outlet opening of at least one outlet valve. In particular, one or more lowest-lying outlet valves merge with the wall of the outlet chamber with the respective lower region of their respective outlet opening in such a way that the outlet chamber can be completely emptied via the outlet valves, and any remaining fluid is pumped from the outlet chamber out of the diaphragm pump during the pumping process.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, several, in particular all, outlet valves of the diaphragm pump are designed similarly and particularly preferably have the same shape of the outlet opening and / or the same shape of the valve body. In a preferred embodiment, several, in particular all, inlet valves of the diaphragm pump are designed similarly to one another and particularly preferably have the same shape of the inlet opening and / or the same shape of the valve body.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, an inlet valve plate is provided in or on which the inlet valves are arranged spatially separated. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the diaphragm pump has four pump chambers. In a preferred embodiment, the inlet valve plate has four spatially separated inlet valves. In a very particularly preferred embodiment, the inlet valve plate has four spatially separated inlet valves arranged in a ring.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, an outlet valve plate is provided in or on which the outlet valves are arranged spatially separated. In a preferred embodiment, the diaphragm pump has four pump chambers. In a preferred embodiment, the outlet valve plate has eight spatially separated outlet valves. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the outlet valve plate has eight spatially separated outlet valves arranged in a ring.

[0042] In a particularly preferred embodiment, a valve plate is provided in or on which both the inlet valves and the outlet valves are arranged.

[0043] According to a preferred embodiment, a front plate, which can also be referred to as a pump housing, and a valve plate are provided. The valve plate can be arranged between the front plate on one side and a membrane support part carrying the pump membrane, for example a membrane housing cover on the other side. The inlet chamber or inlet chambers can be at least partially formed in the front plate. The inlet chamber or inlet chambers are formed by the front plate and valve plate being in contact with one another, in that recesses formed in the front plate are covered at the rear by the valve plate. The outlet chamber can be at least partially formed in the front plate. The front plate and valve plate being in contact with one another, in that recesses formed in the front plate are covered at the rear by the valve plate. The inlet valve or the inlet chambers can bethe inlet valves and the outlet valves are arranged. The pumping chamber(s) can be at least partially formed in the valve plate. For simple and cost-effective production, the valve plate can be essentially flat. Profiling on the edges, in particular for interaction with a corresponding profile on the front plate, can be provided.

[0044] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to two exemplary embodiments of the invention, in which: Fig.1 a front view of a pump head of a diaphragm pump according to the invention (without drive); Fig.2 a sectioned side view along the line AA of the Fig. 1 ; Fig.3 a rear view of a valve plate of the diaphragm pump; Fig.4 a rear view of a line along the AA in the Fig. 4 cut valve plate; and Fig.5 a device for conveying a fluid.

[0045] Fig. 1 shows the pump head 2 of a diaphragm pump 1. The diaphragm pump 1 forms part of a device for conveying a fluid.

[0046] Again Fig. 2 As can be seen, the pump head 2 has a front plate 3, also referred to as a chamber housing, a valve plate 4 and an end plate 5, also referred to as a membrane carrier, with pump membranes 6, which are connected via pump elements with a Fig. 2 connected to a swashplate not shown.

[0047] On the front plate 3, a central inlet 7 is provided in this embodiment, which opens into a central inlet chamber 8. On the front plate 3, an outlet 9 is provided, which is connected to an outlet chamber 10, which is annular in this embodiment and surrounds the inlet chamber 8.

[0048] The valve plate 4 is arranged between the front plate 3 and the end plate 5. The valve plate 4 has four pump chambers 12 on its rear side 11 facing the end plate 5. The pump chambers 12, which are open towards the end plate 5, are each closed or delimited by a pump diaphragm 6. The pump diaphragms 6 are arranged between the end plate 5 and the valve plate 4. A bead 13 of the pump diaphragm 6, which is annular in this embodiment, is arranged in a groove 14 of the valve plate 4 arranged around the pump chamber 12.

[0049] The valve plate 4 closes the inlet chamber 8 of the front plate 3 and the outlet chamber 10 of the front plate 3. The valve plate 4 has four inlet valves 15, which are designed as umbrella valves. The inlet chamber 8 is connected to the pump chamber 12 via an inlet opening 16 assigned to the inlet valve 15. The inlet opening 16 is segmented and has several inlet opening sections 16a.

[0050] The valve plate 4 seals the annular outlet chamber 10 of the front plate 3. The valve plate 4 is essentially flat and has eight outlet valves 17 corresponding to the outlet chamber 10, which are also designed as umbrella valves. The outlet opening 18 of the outlet valve 17 is formed by outlet opening sections 19.

[0051] An inlet valve 15 is provided for each pumping chamber 12. Each pumping chamber 12 has two outlet valves 17.

[0052] The two outlet valves 17 and the inlet valve 15 form a triangle in a projection onto a projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the pump chamber 12, which runs essentially parallel to a central axis M of the diaphragm pump 1, as shown in Fig. 3 is shown.

[0053] The Fig. 3 It can also be seen that adjacent outlet valves 17 on the valve plate 4 can be connected with straight connecting lines and a projection of these onto a projection plane transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the pump chamber 12 is free of intersection with the inlet valves 15.

[0054] The two outlet valves 17 of a pumping chamber are arranged in opposite edge regions of the pumping chamber 12. One of the two outlet valves 17 is arranged in an upper region of the pumping chamber 12, while the other of the two outlet valves 17 is arranged in a lower region of the pumping chamber 12. The upper of the two outlet valves 17 allows venting of the pumping chamber 12. Residual emptying is possible using the lower of the two outlet valves 17. The inlet valve 15 of a pumping chamber 12 is arranged laterally offset from one of the two outlet valves 17. The inlet valves 15 are arranged closer to the central axis M of the diaphragm pump 1 than the outlet valves 17 of the pumping chambers 12.

[0055] The two outlet valves 17 of a pumping chamber 12 are arranged offset from one another with respect to a vertical line running essentially along or parallel to section AA. The inlet valve 15 is arranged off-center with respect to the cross-section of the pumping chamber 12.

[0056] The outlet valves 17 of the diaphragm pump 1 are arranged in a circle around the central axis M of the diaphragm pump 1.

[0057] With respect to the valve plate 4, there is a rotational invariance of 90° around the central axis M of the diaphragm pump 1. As the Fig. 3 As can also be seen, the four pumping chambers 12 are arranged in a grid of columns and rows, with the pumping chambers 12 being arranged one above and next to each other.

[0058] The Fig. 4 is a comparison with the Fig. 3 A differently designed cross-section of the pump chambers 12 for a further embodiment of the diaphragm pump 1 can be seen. Except for the cross-section of the pump chambers 12, the embodiments are otherwise identical and correspond to one another, so that no repetition is necessary here. The cross-section of the pump chamber 12 in Fig. 4 The embodiment shown has straight sections 20 on the side wall of the pumping chamber 12, which has an intersection point with the vertical and / or horizontal of a cross section of the pumping chamber 12.

[0059] The Fig. 5The swash plate 21 shown is connected via a ball bearing 22 to a pin 23 of a drive shaft 24. The pin 23 is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis 25 of the drive shaft 24 in order to generate a wobbling movement of the swash plate 21. The connection between the drive axis and the swash plate 21 is arranged in the region of a drive chamber 26 located upstream of the end plate 5. The inlet chamber 8 is sealed off from the outlet chamber 10 by a seal 27, which in the example is designed as a cord ring seal. The outer boundary of the outlet chamber 10 is sealed off by a seal 28, which in the example is also designed as a cord ring seal.

[0060] By rotating the drive shaft 24 about its longitudinal axis 25, the swash plate 21 is set into a circumferential wobbling motion due to the inclination of the pin 23, without rotating with the drive shaft 24. The wobbling motion of the swash plate 21 sets the pump diaphragms 6 in a periodic axial pumping motion, by which negative pressure is generated in the pump chambers 12 alternately in the intake stroke by the movement towards the drive chamber 26 and positive pressure is generated in the exhaust stroke by a movement towards the front plate 3.

[0061] Due to the downstream arrangement of the valve shield of the inlet valve 15, the inlet valve 15 opens and the corresponding outlet valve 17 closes automatically when negative pressure prevails in the associated pump chamber 12. When excess pressure prevails in the pump chamber 12, the associated inlet valve 15 closes and the corresponding outlet valve 17 opens automatically. This pumps the pumped medium out of the pump chamber 12 through the outlet chamber 10 to the outlet 9.

Claims

1. Diaphragm pump (1) with at least one pump chamber (12), wherein the pump chamber (12) is connected via an inlet valve (15) to an inlet chamber (8) and via two outlet valves (17) to an outlet chamber (10), wherein the inlet valve (15) has an inlet opening (16) which can be closed by an inlet valve body, and each outlet valve (17) has an outlet opening (18) which can be closed by a respective outlet valve body, wherein the outlet chamber (10) is of annular configuration, and wherein the two outlet valves (17) and the inlet valve (15) form a triangle in a projection onto a projection plane perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis (L) of the pump chamber (12), or a projection of straight connecting lines connecting adjacent exhaust valves (17) onto the projection plane transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis (L) of the pump chamber (12) is free from intersection points with inlet valves (15).

2. Diaphragm pump (1) according to Claim 1, with two pump chambers (12), wherein the pump chambers (12) are each connected via an inlet valve (15) to a common inlet chamber (8) and are each connected via two outlet valves (17) to an outlet chamber (10), wherein the inlet valve (15) has an inlet opening (16) which can be closed by an inlet valve body, and each outlet valve (17) has an outlet opening (18) which can be closed by a respective outlet valve body.

3. Diaphragm pump (1) according to either of Claims 1 or 2, wherein an outlet valve (17) is arranged in a peripheral region of the pump chamber (12), and an outlet valve (17) is arranged in the opposite peripheral region of the pump chamber (12).

4. Diaphragm pump (1) according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the inlet valve (15) is arranged closer to the centre axis (M) of the diaphragm pump (1) than the two outlet valves (17).

5. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the two outlet valves (17) provided for the pump chamber (12) are arranged offset with respect to each other with regard to a vertical, wherein the vertical runs transversely with respect to the centre axis of the diaphragm pump and / or transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pump chamber.

6. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the inlet chamber (8) and outlet chamber (10) are at least partially formed in a front plate (3).

7. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the pump chamber (12) has an inlet valve (15) which is arranged eccentrically in the cross section of the pump chamber (12).

8. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein more than one pump chamber (12) is provided, and wherein the outlet valves (17) are arranged in a circular or circular segment-shaped manner.

9. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein more than one pump chamber (12) is provided, and the arrangement of the respective inlet valve (15) and the respective two outlet valves (17) of the respective pump chambers (12) substantially has a rotational invariance with regard to an angle below 360° about the central axis (M).

10. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the cross section of the pump chamber (12) has at least one substantially straight section on a side wall.

11. Diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein a plurality of pump chambers (12) are provided which are arranged in a grid of columns and rows.

12. Device for conveying fluids with a diaphragm pump (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein a pump head (2) is provided with a drive chamber (26) and a drive, wherein the pump chamber (12) is sealed with respect to the drive chamber (26) by means of a pump diaphragm (6).