Air Massage Pump With Contactless Sensor And Magnetic Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional spa devices face challenges with sanitization due to the use of disposable liners, which interfere with fluid detection, motor seal wear leading to costly replacements, difficult maintenance, and misalignment issues causing vibration noise in magnetic coupling-type pumps.
Innovation Solution
An air pump assembly mounted on a basin's sidewall with a contactless fluid sensor and a disposable air dispenser, including a mounting housing and air nozzle, to provide effective air massage therapy while preventing water ingress and facilitating easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a disposable liner is used for sanitization, then hygiene is improved, but fluid detection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A contactless fluid sensor is introduced as an intermediary device that can detect fluid levels through the disposable liner without direct contact. The sensor uses electromagnetic fields or other non-contact methods to sense water presence, allowing the system to maintain both hygiene (through disposable liner) and fluid detection capability.
2Reliability
If seals are used to prevent water ingress, then motor protection is improved, but maintenance complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical seal system with a magnetic coupling mechanism. The motor shaft magnetically couples with the impeller shaft through a non-contact magnetic field, eliminating the need for physical seals that wear out. This substitution removes the maintenance burden of seal replacement while maintaining motor protection against water ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor is extracted and positioned outside the water-containing chamber, connected only through a magnetic coupling interface. This separation removes the motor from the wet environment entirely, eliminating the need for seals and simplifying maintenance to basic cleaning of the magnetic coupling interface.
3Reliability
If magnetic coupling is used to prevent seal wear, then motor protection is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic coupling system incorporates self-aligning features where the magnetic fields automatically adjust to achieve optimal alignment between the motor shaft and impeller shaft. The magnetic attraction forces guide the components into proper alignment during operation, compensating for minor manufacturing tolerances without requiring high-precision assembly.
4Adaptability or versatility
If extensive piping systems are built into the spa device, then functionality is improved, but cleaning difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piping system is segmented into removable, modular components that can be easily detached and cleaned separately. The air pump assembly and water circulation components are designed as discrete modules that can be accessed and cleaned without disassembling the entire spa device, significantly reducing maintenance complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An air pump for dispensing air massage therapy to a basin is provided. It may be used and with a disposal liner. The air pump includes a motor, an air generator, a mounting housing member, a gasket or seal, and an air nozzle. The air pump assembly includes the air pump and the air dispenser. The air pump preferably also includes a printed circuit board (PCB), a PCB cover, an LED light, an infrared light, and a contactless fluid sensor. The present invention is also directed to a pump apparatus that includes an air pump as described, a power source, and/or a control apparatus.