Air Compressors and Equipment

Abstract

To provide an air pump and an air compressor having the same, for reducing a high frequency component of noise caused by seating on a valve seat of an inlet side check valve.SOLUTION: A first air supply portion including a first piston rod reciprocating in a first cylinder to change a volume of a first air chamber formed between the first piston rod and the first cylinder, and an inlet-side check valve made of metal which opens a first air intake hole for introducing air into the first air chamber during intake and closes the first air intake hole during exhaust; And a second air supply portion including a metal inlet-side check valve that opens the second air intake hole formed in the first air supply portion and closes the second air intake hole formed in the second air supply portion at the time of suction and closes the second air intake hole at the time of discharge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air compressor and an apparatus, and in particular to an air compressor and an apparatus that can be connected to an external control device separate from the apparatus. and is built into external devices. Air compressors and equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a small air pump has been known that has a first piston rod that reciprocates within a first cylinder to change the volume of a first air chamber formed between the first cylinder and the second piston rod, and a second piston rod that reciprocates within a second cylinder to change the volume of a second air chamber formed between the first cylinder and the second cylinder (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-211708 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A metal flapper valve that functions as a check valve is provided on at least the inlet side (intake side) of the cylinders (first cylinder and second cylinder) of the above-mentioned air pump, and as the piston rods (first piston rod and second piston rod) reciprocate, the flapper valve repeatedly seats on and separates from a valve seat formed in the cylinder. The inventors have found that in such air pumps, repeated seating of the flapper valve while the air pump is in operation generates an unpleasant opening and closing noise containing high frequency components.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a device that controls the drive by an external control device provided outside the housing and minimizes the noise generation time. , built into external devicesTo provide an air compressor and an apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention of claim 1 is an air compressor comprising an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device, and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, wherein the air pump has an air supply unit that has a piston rod that reciprocates within a cylinder to change the volume of an air chamber formed between the air pump and the cylinder, and an inlet-side check valve that opens an intake port that introduces air into the air chamber when intake air is supplied and closes it when exhaust air is discharged, and a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates the piston rod of the air pump. A display unit for displaying the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface of the air tank. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from the air pressure device of the external device. of On the back Setting and built into the external device. a housing; the housing houses at least the controller; The external communication port provided in the housing is connected to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the air compressor and provided outside the housing, which controls the controller, and the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, and is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is an air compressor comprising an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device, and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, wherein the air pump is driven at a volume of 45 dB to 55 dB in the vicinity of a worker who uses an appliance that operates using the air supplied by the air pump, and a controller that controls a drive motor of the air pump; A display unit for displaying the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface of the air tank. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from the air pressure device of the external device.of On the back Setting and built into the external device. a housing; the housing houses at least the controller; The external communication port provided in the housing is connected to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the air compressor and provided outside the housing, which controls the controller, and the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, and is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0008] The invention according to claim 3 is an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump and stores the air supplied from the air pump, a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, and a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates a piston rod of the air pump. A display unit for displaying the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface of the air tank. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into the external device. a housing, the housing houses at least the controller; The above-mentioned problem is solved by connecting an external communication port provided in the housing to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the device provided outside the housing and controls the controller, and the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, and is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the air compressor of the invention of claim 1, the air compressor comprises an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device, and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, wherein the air pump has an air supply unit that has a piston rod that reciprocates within a cylinder to change the volume of an air chamber formed between the air pump and the cylinder, and an inlet-side check valve that opens an intake port that introduces air into the air chamber when intake air is supplied and closes it when exhaust air is discharged, and a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates the piston rod of the air pump. A display unit that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into external devices a housing; The housing contains at least a controller, Because the external communication port provided on the housing can be freely connected to a signal line extending from an external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing that controls the controller, an external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing that controls the controller can be connected to the housing, and the controller can be controlled by the external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing to drive the air pump. In addition, the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to an external control device, and the air compressor is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank. Connected to the air compressor with a signal line The external control device can drive the air pump drive motor according to the operating environment of the air compressor, minimizing the amount of time the air compressor generates noise.

[0010] According to the air compressor of the invention of claim 2, the air compressor comprises an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with the outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device, and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, wherein the air pump is operated at a volume of 45 dB or more and 55 dB or less in the vicinity of a worker who uses an appliance that operates using the air supplied by the air pump, and a controller that controls the drive motor of the air pump; A display unit that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into external devices a housing; The housing contains at least a controller, Because the external communication port provided on the housing can be freely connected to a signal line extending from an external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing that controls the controller, an external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing that controls the controller can be connected to the housing, and the controller can be controlled by the external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing to drive the air pump. Furthermore, by operating the air pump at a volume between 45 dB and 55 dB, the noise level of the air pump's operation is at a level that occurs on an everyday basis, so the health of the worker can be maintained even if the air pump is placed near a worker who uses equipment that operates using the air supplied by the air pump. In addition, the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to an external control device, and the air compressor is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank. Connected to the air compressor with a signal line The external control device can drive the air pump drive motor according to the operating environment of the air compressor, minimizing the amount of time the air compressor generates noise.

[0011] According to the invention of claim 3, the device comprises an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with the outlet of the air pump and stores the air supplied from the air pump, a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, and a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates a piston rod of the air pump. A display unit that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into external devices a housing, The housing contains at least a controller, Since the external communication port provided in the housing can be freely connected to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the device provided outside the housing that controls the controller, an external control device that is separate from the device provided outside the housing that controls the controller can be connected to the housing, and the controller can be controlled by the external control device that is separate from the device provided outside the housing to drive the air pump. In addition, the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to an external control device, and the device is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank. Connected to the device by a signal line The external control device can drive the air pump drive motor depending on the environment in which the device is used, minimizing the amount of time the device generates noise. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1A] 1 is a perspective view showing the front, right side, and top of an air compressor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] 1 is a perspective view showing the rear, left side, and bottom of an air compressor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1B is a piping diagram of the air compressor 10 shown in FIG. 1A. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3 is a front view of the air pump 100 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3 is a left side view of the air pump 100 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] Partial cross-sectional view of IIIA-IIIA in FIG. 3A. [Figure 5]Cross-sectional view of IIIB-IIIB in Figure 3B. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 3B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The air compressor of the present invention comprises an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device, and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, wherein the air pump has an air supply section that has a piston rod that reciprocates within a cylinder to change the volume of an air chamber formed between the air pump and the cylinder, and an inlet check valve that opens an intake port that introduces air into the air chamber during intake and closes it during exhaust, and a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates the piston rod of the air pump. A display unit that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into external devices a housing; The housing contains at least a controller, The external communication port provided on the housing is freely connectable to a signal line extending from an external control device separate from the air compressor provided outside the housing that controls the controller, and the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, and the external control device controls the drive according to the internal pressure of the air tank, minimizing the noise generation time. , built into external devices The specific embodiment may be any one as long as it satisfies the requirements. The air compressor of the present invention is an air compressor comprising an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with the outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device, and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, wherein the air pump is operated at a volume of 45 dB to 55 dB in the vicinity of a worker using an appliance that operates using the air supplied by the air pump, and a controller that controls the drive motor of the air pump; A display unit that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into external devices a housing; The housing contains at least a controller, An external communication port separate from the air compressor provided in the housing is freely connectable to a signal line extending from an external control device provided outside the housing that controls the controller, and the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, and the external control device controls the drive according to the internal pressure of the air tank, minimizing the noise generation time. , built into external devices The specific embodiment may be any one as long as it satisfies the requirements. The device of the present invention also includes an air pump that takes in air from the outside, an air tank that communicates with the outlet of the air pump and stores the air supplied from the air pump, a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, and a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates a piston rod of the air pump. A display unit that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank is provided on the surface. External communication port connected to the signal line extending from the controller and an outlet that can be freely connected to an air line extending from an air pressure device of an external device. of On the back Setting and built into external devices a housing, The housing contains at least a controller, An external communication port provided in the housing is freely connectable to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the housing and provided outside the housing that controls the controller, and the controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, and is driven and controlled by the external control device according to the internal pressure of the air tank, minimizing the time that noise is generated. , built into external devices The specific embodiment may be any one as long as it satisfies the requirements.

[0014] For example, an air compressor equipped with the air pump of the present invention can be used in a cooperative robot such as a robot arm. robots, AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), and AGVs (automated guided vehicles) It must be built into external equipment that uses compressed air, such as a feed robot or analytical equipment. is preferred, but is not limited to this. [Example]

[0015] 1 to 7, an air compressor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The air pump 100 incorporated in the air compressor 10 will now be described. Air Compressor 10 is used for AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) or AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) It is built into external equipment that uses compressed air, such as transport robots and analytical equipment, and It supplies compressed air to pneumatic devices in external equipment that require air pressure.

[0016] <1. Appearance of Air Compressor 10> First, the external appearance of the air compressor 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the front, right side, and top of an air compressor 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the back, left side, and bottom of the air compressor 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the air compressor 10 has a height of 10 cm and a base area of ​​310 cm. 2 This is a small air compressor consisting of a rectangular parallelepiped housing 11 of about 1 / 4 inch.

[0018] A power switch 12 for turning the air compressor 10 on and off is provided on the front surface of the housing 11. The air compressor 10 is supplied with power through a power cord (not shown) connected to the rear surface of the housing 11.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1A, a heat dissipation hole 11a is formed on the left side surface of the housing 11 to dissipate heat inside the housing to the outside. The number and shape of the heat dissipation holes 11a may be any as long as they can dissipate heat inside the housing to the outside, and are not limited to the number and shape shown in FIG. 1A.

[0020] Furthermore, an intake hole 11b for taking air into the inside of the housing 11 is formed on the left side surface of the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 1B. The number and shape of the intake holes 11b may be any as long as they can take air into the air compressor 10, and are not limited to the number and shape shown in FIG. 1B.

[0021] An external communication port 13 is provided at the top of the rear surface of the housing 11, and can be freely connected to a signal line extending from an external control device. Of the external communication ports 13, the first external communication port 13a is a port for performing serial communication such as RS-485 with a computer, etc., and the second external communication port 13b is an I / O port (input / output port) for connecting to, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), etc. Therefore, in the air compressor 10 of this embodiment, an external control device can be connected to the air compressor 10, and the operation of the air compressor 10 can be controlled by the external control device.

[0022] At the bottom of the rear surface of the housing 11, an outlet 14 is formed which can be freely connected to an air pipe extending from an air pressure device of an external device.

[0023] <2. Flow path configuration of air compressor 10> Next, the flow path configuration of the air compressor 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2, which is a piping system diagram of the air compressor 10 shown in FIG. 1A.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the air compressor 10 includes an air pump 100, an air tank 200 that communicates with the outlet of the air pump 100 and stores the air supplied from the air pump 100, a pressure gauge 300 that is connected to the air tank 200 and measures the internal pressure of the air tank 200, a check valve 400 that is disposed between the air pump 100 and the air tank 200 and prevents air from flowing back from the air tank 200 to the air pump 100, and a relief valve 500 that is connected to the outlet of the air tank 200 and reduces the pressure inside the air tank 200 to a predetermined pressure value or below.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1A, the pressure gauge 300 has a display / operation unit 310 on the surface of the housing 11 that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank 200 and also operates the pressure gauge 300.

[0026] The air compressor 10 also includes a controller 600 electrically connected to the electrically operated components of the air pump 100 and the pressure gauge 300 . The controller 600 has a signal line 610 one end of which is connected to the external communication port 13 . Therefore, when the signal line EC1 extending from the external control device EC is connected to the external communication port 13, the controller 600 connected to the pressure gauge 300 outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank 200 to the external control device EC, thereby enabling the external control device EC to control the drive of the air compressor 10 according to the internal pressure value of the air tank 200. Therefore, in the air compressor 10 of this embodiment, the air pump 100 can be driven depending on the environment in which the air compressor 10 is used, thereby minimizing the time during which noise is generated by the air compressor 10.

[0027] <3. Air pump structure> Next, the air pump 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3A is a front view of the air pump 100 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3B is a left side view of the air pump 100 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along IIIA-IIIA in FIG. 3A, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along IIIB-IIIB in FIG. 3B, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along VI-VI in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along VII-VII in FIG. 3B.

[0028] As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the air pump 100 is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped drive unit 110, a first air supply section 120 connected to the left side of the drive unit 110, a second air supply section 130 connected to the right side of the drive unit 110, a flow path forming member 140 attached to the front of the drive unit 110, and an inlet side connecting pipe 150 connecting the first air supply section 120 and the second air supply section 130.

[0029] The noise level of this air pump 100 is approximately 45 dB to 55 dB. Therefore, since the operating noise of the air pump 100 is at a noise level that occurs on a daily basis, the health of the worker can be maintained even if the air pump 100 is placed near a worker who uses equipment that operates using the air supplied by the air pump 100.

[0030] <3.1. Drive unit> As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the drive unit 110 has a housing 111, a drive motor 112 mounted on the housing 111, a base 113 that rotates integrally with the drive motor 112, and an upper crank 114 and a lower crank 115 connected to the base 113.

[0031] The drive motor 112 is connected to the controller 600 and is controlled by the controller 600 .

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6, the base 113 has a cylindrical portion 113a into which the motor shaft 112a hanging down from the drive motor 112 is inserted, and a hollow disk-shaped portion 113b connected to the lower end of the cylindrical portion 113a, and is fixed to the motor shaft 112a by fixing screws (not shown). Therefore, the base 113 rotates integrally with the motor shaft 112a.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6 and other figures, an upper key 113c and a lower key 113d below the upper key 113c are attached to the cylindrical portion 113a of the base 113. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper key 113c and the lower key 113d are provided at positions facing each other (positions offset by 180 degrees) with the motor shaft 112a at the center.

[0034] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the upper crank 114 is composed of a hollow, disk-shaped crank base 114a that engages with an upper key 113c attached to the base 113 and rotates integrally with the base 113, a crank body 114b consisting of an annular portion and a square portion protruding from this annular portion, and a radial bearing 114c that is arranged between the crank base 114a and the crank body 114b.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the center of the crank base 114a is eccentric to the axis of the motor shaft 112a. As shown in FIG. 5, the center of the crank body 114b coincides with the center of the crank base 114a, the center of the radial bearing 114c, and the center of the annular portion of the crank body 114b. Therefore, when the motor shaft 112a rotates, the crank body 114b moves back and forth in the left and right direction.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6, the lower crank 115 is composed of a hollow, disk-shaped crank base 115a that engages with a lower key 113d attached to the base 113 and rotates integrally with the base 113, a crank body 115b consisting of an annular portion and a square portion protruding from the annular portion, and a radial bearing 115c that is arranged between the crank base 115a and the crank body 115b.

[0037] The center of the crank base 115a is also eccentric to the axis of the motor shaft 112a, similar to the center of the crank base 114a of the upper crank 114. Similar to the upper crank 114, the center of the crank body 115b also coincides with the center of the crank base 115a, the center of the radial bearing 115c, and the center of the annular portion of the crank body 115b. Therefore, when the motor shaft 112a rotates, the crank body 115b also moves back and forth in the left and right direction.

[0038] <3.2. First air supply section> As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first air supply section 120 has a cylindrical first cylinder 121 inserted into the left side surface of the housing 111 of the drive unit 110, a first piston rod 122 connected to the crank body 114b of the drive unit 110 to close one end of the first cylinder 121 and to reciprocate within the first cylinder 121, a cover member 123 that closes the other end of the first cylinder 121, a flow path member 124 attached to the cover member 123, a heat sink 125 affixed to the flow path member 124, and an inlet side joint 126 and an outlet side joint 127 connected to the flow path member 124. Therefore, in the first air supply unit 120, the first cylinder 121, the first piston rod 122, and the cover member 123 form a first air chamber AC1 as shown in FIG. The first piston rod 122 reciprocates within the first air chamber AC1, thereby changing the volume of the first air chamber AC1.

[0039] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first piston rod 122 is composed of a disk-shaped piston body 122a, a sealing member 122b that covers the outer periphery of the piston body 122a and seals the space between it and the first cylinder 121, and a connecting bolt 122c that connects the piston body 122a to the crank body 114b of the drive unit 110. Therefore, the first piston rod 122 is reciprocated within the first air chamber AC1 by the drive motor 112 of the drive unit 110.

[0040] The cover member 123 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and as shown in FIG. 5, has an inlet hole (first air intake hole) 123a for introducing air into the first air chamber AC1, and an exhaust hole 123b for discharging air from the first air chamber AC1.

[0041] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a metallic flap-shaped inlet check valve 123c is provided at the outlet end of the introduction hole 123a to prevent air from flowing from the first air chamber AC1 into the introduction hole 123a. That is, the inlet check valve 123c opens the introduction hole 123a during intake and abuts against the valve seat 123d to close the introduction hole 123a during exhaust.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an outlet-side check valve 123e is provided at the outlet end of the exhaust hole 123b to prevent air from flowing into the first air chamber AC1 from the exhaust hole 123b. Further, a stopper 123f for limiting the opening degree of the outlet side check valve 123e is provided at the outlet end of the exhaust hole 123b.

[0043] The flow path member 124 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, has an inlet flow path 124a that extends forward from the rear surface of the flow path member 124 and communicates with the introduction hole 123a of the cover member 123, and an outlet flow path 124b that communicates with the exhaust hole 123b of the cover member 123 and extends toward the front surface of the flow path member 124.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, the inlet side joint 126 is an L-shaped joint connected to the rear end side of the flow path member , and its downstream end communicates with the inlet flow path a of the flow path member .

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, the outlet side joint 127 is a linear joint connected to the front end side of the flow path member 124, and its upstream end communicates with the outlet flow path 124b of the flow path member 124.

[0046] <3.3. Second Air Supply Unit> As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the second air supply section 130 has a cylindrical second cylinder 131 inserted into the right side surface of the housing 111 of the drive unit 110, a second piston rod 132 connected to the crank body 114b of the drive unit 110 to close one end of the second cylinder 131 and to reciprocate within the second cylinder 131, a cover member 133 that closes the other end of the second cylinder 131, a flow path member 134 attached to the cover member 133, a heat sink 135 affixed to the flow path member 134, and an inlet side joint 136 and an outlet side joint 137 connected to the flow path member 134. Therefore, in the second air supply unit 130, the second cylinder 131, the second piston rod 132, and the cover member 133 form a second air chamber AC2 as shown in FIG. The second piston rod 132 reciprocates within the second air chamber AC2, thereby changing the volume of the second air chamber AC2.

[0047] As shown in Figure 6, the second piston rod 132 is composed of a disk-shaped piston body 132a, a sealing member 132b that covers the outer periphery of the piston body 132a and seals the space between it and the second cylinder 131, and a connecting bolt 132c that connects the piston body 132a to the crank body 115b of the drive unit 110. Therefore, the second piston rod 132 is reciprocated within the second air chamber AC2 by the drive motor 112 of the drive unit 110.

[0048] The cover member 133 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and as shown in Figures 5 and 6, has an inlet hole (second intake hole) 133a that introduces air into the second air chamber AC2, and an exhaust hole 133b that exhausts air from the second air chamber AC2.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, a metallic flap-shaped inlet check valve 133c is provided at the outlet end of the introduction hole 133a to prevent air from flowing from the second air chamber AC2 into the introduction hole 133a. That is, the inlet check valve 133c opens the introduction hole 133a during intake and abuts against the valve seat 133d to close it during exhaust.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, an outlet-side check valve 133e is provided at the outlet end of the exhaust hole 133b to prevent air from flowing into the second air chamber AC2 from the exhaust hole 133b. As shown in FIG. 6, a stopper 133f is provided at the outlet end of the exhaust hole 133b to limit the opening of the outlet-side check valve 133e.

[0051] The flow path member 134 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and as shown in Figure 5, etc., has an inlet flow path 134a that extends forward from the rear surface of the flow path member 134 and communicates with the introduction hole 133a of the cover member 133, and an outlet flow path 134b that communicates with the exhaust hole 133b of the cover member 133 and extends toward the front surface of the flow path member 134.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5 and other figures, the inlet side joint 136 is an L-shaped joint connected to the rear end side of the flow path member , and its downstream end communicates with the inlet flow path a of the flow path member .

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5 and other figures, the outlet side joint 137 is a linear joint connected to the front end side of the flow path member , and its upstream end communicates with the outlet flow path b of the flow path member .

[0054] <3.4. Flow path forming member> As shown in FIG. 3B, the flow path forming member 140 is disposed in front of the drive unit 110. This flow path forming member 140 has a plate material 141, a hollow connecting member 142 that connects this plate material 141 to the outlet side joint 127 of the first air supply section 120 and the outlet side joint 137 of the second air supply section 130 as shown in Figure 4, and an upper joint 143 provided on the upper surface of the plate material 141.

[0055] The plate material 141 is a rectangular plate-shaped member as shown in FIG. 3, and has a horizontal flow path 141a extending in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 7, and an upper flow path 141b extending upward from near the center of the horizontal flow path 141a.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 7, the horizontal flow path 141a is a through-hole that passes through the plate material 141 in the left-right direction. Channel sealing plugs 144 that seal both ends of the horizontal channel 141a are inserted into both ends of the horizontal channel 141a.

[0057] The outlet end of the upper fitting 143 is connected to an air supply line Ta which communicates with a check valve 400 as shown in FIG. 3A.

[0058] <3.5. Inlet side communication pipe> As shown in FIG. 3A, the inlet-side communication pipe 150 is composed of a first intake member 151 connected to the first air supply unit 120, a second intake member 152 connected to the second air supply unit 130, and a communication pipe 153 that connects the first intake member 151 and the second intake member 152. There are.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3B, the first air intake member 151 has a three-way joint 151a and a filter 151b having an air intake hole connected to the connection port on the front side of the three-way joint 151a. One end of a communication pipe 153 is connected to the upper connection port of the three-way joint 151a. One end of a connection pipe 151c that connects to the inlet side of the inlet side joint 126 of the first air supply unit 120 is connected to the connection port on the lower side of the three-way joint 151a. Therefore, the first intake member 151 allows the communication pipe 153 to communicate with the introduction hole 123 a of the first air supply unit 120 .

[0060] As shown in FIG. 3A, the second air intake member 152 has a three-way joint 152a and a filter 152b having an air intake hole connected to the connection port on the front side of the three-way joint 152a. The other end of the communication pipe 153 is connected to the upper connection port of the three-way joint 152a. One end of a connection pipe 152c that connects to the inlet side of the inlet side joint 136 of the second air supply unit 130 is connected to the connection port on the lower side of the three-way joint 152a. Therefore, the second intake member 152 allows the communication pipe 153 to communicate with the introduction hole 133a of the second air supply unit .

[0061] The communication pipe 153 that communicates with the inlet hole 123a of the first air supply part 120 and the inlet hole 133a of the second air supply part 130 is an arch-shaped pipe made of resin and has flexibility.

[0062] <4. Air flow in the air compressor> Next, the air flow in the air compressor 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1B, 2, 4, 5, and 7.

[0063] When the drive motor 112 rotates and the first piston rod 122 moves away from the cover member 123 and the second piston rod 132 moves away from the cover member 133, the first air chamber AC1 and the second air chamber AC2 tend to become negative pressure, and the air pump 100 takes in air from the outside. Therefore, the air compressor 10 takes in air A through the intake hole 11b as shown in FIG. 1B.

[0064] The air A taken into the air compressor 10 is taken into the air pump 100 through the air intake holes (filters 151b, 152b) of the air pump 100, as shown in FIGS.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 4, air A taken in through filter 151b of air pump 100 fills communication pipe 153 and flows into first air supply section 120 via connection pipe 151c. Although not shown, the air A taken in through the filter 152b of the air pump 100 fills the inside of the communication pipe 153 and flows into the second air supply unit 130 via the connection pipe 152c. Hereinafter, the flow of air A in the second air supply section 130 is similar to the flow of air A in the first air supply section 120, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, air A that has flowed into the first air supply unit 120 flows through the inlet flow path 124a of the flow path member 124 and the introduction hole 123a of the cover member 123 into the first air chamber AC1.

[0067] Then, when the drive motor 112 rotates further and the first piston rod 122 approaches the cover member 123, the air in the first air chamber AC1 flows into the flow path forming member 140 via the exhaust hole 123b of the cover member 123, the outlet flow path 124b of the flow path member 124, and the outlet side joint 127.

[0068] Air A that has flowed into the flow path forming member 140 flows out from the horizontal flow path 141a, the upper flow path 141b, and the outlet 143a of the upper joint 143, as shown in FIG.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 2, air A flowing out from outlet 143a of air pump 100 passes through air supply pipe Ta and check valve 400 and is stored in air tank 200.

[0070] The air A stored in the air tank 200 is compressed and discharged from the discharge port 14 to an external device.

[0071] <5. Effects> According to air pump 100 of the embodiment of the present invention described above, introduction hole 123a, which is a first intake hole formed in first air supply section 120, and introduction hole 133a, which is a second intake hole formed in second air supply section 130, are connected by inlet-side communication conduit 150 having an air intake hole for taking in air from the outside. Therefore, when introduction hole 123a is opened and closed by metal inlet-side check valve 123c accompanying the reciprocating motion of first piston rod 122, or when introduction hole 133a is opened and closed by metal inlet-side check valve 123c accompanying the reciprocating motion of second piston rod 122, When the inlet-side check valve 133c opens and closes the introduction hole 133a due to the reciprocating movement of the piston rod 132, the harsh high-frequency components of the impact noise caused by the metallic inlet-side check valves 123c, 133c seating on the valve seats 123d, 133d are attenuated by the air present in the inlet-side communicating conduit 150, so that the high-frequency components of the noise caused by the metallic inlet-side check valves 123c, 133c seating on the valve seats 123d, 133d when the air pump 100 is driven can be reduced.

[0072] Furthermore, since the communicating pipe 153 of the inlet side communicating conduit 150 is flexible, when the air pump 100 is placed inside the housing 11, the communicating pipe 153 deforms depending on the degree of interference with the housing 11, making it easier to make the housing 11 smaller.

[0073] <Modification> The above describes the air pump 100 and the air compressor 10 equipped with the same, which are one embodiment of the present invention. However, the air pump and air compressor of the present invention are not limited to the air pump 100 and air compressor 10 of the above-described embodiment.

[0074] For example, in this embodiment, the inlet-side communication pipe 150 has two air intake holes, but the number of air intake holes in the inlet-side communication pipe may be at least one. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inlet side connecting pipe 150 is composed of the first intake member 151, the second intake member 152, and the connecting pipe 153, but any pipe may be used as long as it can connect the inlet side of the first air supply section 120 and the inlet side of the second air supply section 130 and has an air intake hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10. Air Compressor 11 ··· Housing 11a... Waste heat hole 11b...Intake hole 12 Power switch 13 External communication port 13a First external communication port 13b Second external communication port 14...Discharge port 100 ··· Air pump 110 Drive unit 111 ··· Housing 112 Drive motor 112a Motor shaft 113 ··· Base 113a ··· Cylindrical part 113b ··· Disc part 113c ··· Upper key 113d ··· bottom key 114 Upper crank 114a ··· Crank base 114b Crank body 114c Radial bearing 115 Lower crank 115a ··· crank base 115b Crank body 115c Radial bearing 120 First air supply unit 121 First Cylinder 122 First piston rod 122a Piston body 122b Sealing member 122c ··· Connecting bolt 123 Cover member 123a: Inlet hole (first intake hole) 123b Exhaust hole 123c Inlet check valve 123d ··· Valve seat 123e... Outlet side check valve 123f ··· Stopper 124 Flow path member 124a... Inlet channel 124b Outlet flow path 125 ··· Heat sink 126 Inlet side joint 127 Outlet side fitting 130 Second air supply section 131 21st cylinder 132 Second piston rod 132a Piston body 132b Seal member 132c ··· Connecting bolt 133 Cover member 133a: Inlet hole (second intake hole) 133b Exhaust hole 133c Inlet check valve 133d ··· Valve seat 133e... Outlet side check valve 133f ··· Stopper 134 Flow path member 134a... Inlet channel 134b Outlet flow path 135 Heat sink 136 Inlet side joint 137 Outlet side fitting 140 Flow path forming member 141 ··· Board material 141a...Horizontal channel 141b Upper flow path 142 Connection member 143 Upper joint 143a...exit 144 Flow path sealing plug 150... Inlet side communication pipe 151 First intake member 151a Three-way joint 151b ··· Filter 151c Connecting pipe 152 Second intake member 152a Three-way joint 152b ··· Filter 152c Connecting pipe 153 ··· Communication pipe 200 ··· Air tank 300 Pressure Gauge 310...Display operation section 400 ··· Check valve 500 ··· Relief valve 600 ··· Controller 610 Signal line EC: External control device EC1... Signal line AC1: First air chamber AC2: Second air chamber Ta Air supply line A: Air

Claims

1. an air pump that takes in air from the outside; an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device; and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank; the air pump is an air compressor having an air supply part with a piston rod that reciprocates within a cylinder to change the volume of an air chamber formed between the piston rod and the cylinder, and an inlet-side check valve that opens an intake hole that introduces air into the air chamber during intake and closes it during exhaust, a controller for controlling a drive motor that reciprocates a piston rod of the air pump; a housing to be built into the external device, the housing having a display unit on its surface that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank, an external communication port that is connected to a signal line extending from the controller, and an outlet that is freely connectable to an air pipeline extending from a pneumatic device of the external device, on its rear surface; the housing houses at least the controller; An external communication port provided in the housing is connected to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the air compressor and provided outside the housing to control the controller, The controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, An air compressor characterized in that its drive is controlled by the external control device in accordance with the internal pressure of the air tank.

2. An air compressor comprising: an air pump that takes in air from the outside; an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump to store the air supplied from the air pump and that communicates with an external device to supply compressed air to the external device; and a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank, The air pump is operated at a volume of 45 dB or more and 55 dB or less in the vicinity of a worker using an appliance that operates with air supplied by the air pump, a controller for controlling a drive motor of the air pump; a housing to be built into the external device, the housing having a display unit on its surface that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank, an external communication port that is connected to a signal line extending from the controller, and an outlet that is freely connectable to an air pipeline extending from a pneumatic device of the external device, on its rear surface; the housing houses at least the controller; An external communication port provided in the housing is connected to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the air compressor and provided outside the housing to control the controller, The controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, An air compressor characterized in that its drive is controlled by the external control device in accordance with the internal pressure of the air tank.

3. An apparatus comprising: an air pump that takes in air from the outside; an air tank that communicates with an outlet of the air pump and stores the air supplied from the air pump; a pressure gauge that measures the internal pressure of the air tank; a controller that controls a drive motor that reciprocates a piston rod of the air pump; and a housing that is built into the external device and has a display unit on its surface that displays the internal pressure value of the air tank, an external communication port that is connected to a signal line extending from the controller, and an outlet that is freely connectable to an air pipeline extending from a pneumatic device of the external device, on its back surface, the housing houses at least the controller; an external communication port provided in the housing is connected to a signal line extending from an external control device that is separate from the device provided outside the housing and that controls the controller; The controller connected to the pressure gauge outputs the internal pressure value of the air tank to the external control device, A device that is driven and controlled by the external control device in response to the internal pressure of the air tank.

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