Discharge Device Gas-Permeable Air Outlet for Reliable Liquid Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Discharge devices with pressure-controlled outlet valves often struggle to expel air from the system when idle for a prolonged period, leading to difficulty in initiating operation due to insufficient air pressure, especially when high limit pressures are required for high-viscosity media or dispenser systems.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a gas-permeable and liquid-tight air outlet that connects the pump chamber or feed path to the external environment, allowing air to be expelled without exceeding the outlet valve's limit pressure, and using a manually actuated pump to replace air with liquid, ensuring the liquid pressure exceeds the limit pressure for valve opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the outlet valve is designed with a high limit pressure to ensure proper discharge characteristics for high-viscosity media, then the discharge performance is improved, but the air removal from the system becomes difficult because the air pressure generated during initial actuation is insufficient to open the valve
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate functions: air removal through the gas-permeable membrane and liquid discharge through the pressure-controlled outlet valve. The membrane allows air to escape independently at low pressure, while the outlet valve remains closed until sufficient liquid pressure is achieved, resolving the contradiction between high limit pressure for reliable discharge and ease of initial operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas-permeable membrane acts as an intermediary element that facilitates air removal without interfering with the liquid discharge function. It provides a separate pathway for air to escape at pressures below the outlet valve's limit pressure, enabling easy initiation of operation while maintaining high limit pressure for reliable discharge performance.
2Manufacturing precision
If the outlet valve opens only at a structurally predetermined limit pressure to ensure desired discharge shape, then the discharge characteristics are improved, but the air in the feed path cannot be expelled easily during initial actuation
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure control function is segmented into two independent mechanisms: the gas-permeable membrane handles air expulsion at low pressures, while the outlet valve controls liquid discharge at the predetermined limit pressure. This segmentation allows the outlet valve to maintain its structurally predetermined opening pressure for precise discharge shape control while the air is removed separately through the membrane without affecting the discharge characteristics.
3Device complexity
If a traditional pressure-controlled outlet valve is used without additional air outlet, then the device structure remains simple, but the air removal process becomes complex and difficult when the device is idle for prolonged periods
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-permeable membrane is a porous material that allows air molecules to pass through while blocking liquid. This simple addition to the device structure provides an effective air removal pathway without significantly increasing overall complexity, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and ease of air removal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas-permeable membrane serves as an intermediary component that adds minimal structural complexity while providing a dedicated air removal function. It integrates seamlessly with the existing pump chamber and feed path, enabling easy air expulsion during initial actuation without complicating the overall device structure or interfering with the liquid discharge function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easy removal of air upon device activation, allowing for efficient operation without premature valve opening and ensuring reliable discharge characteristics, including desired spray patterns, by using a gas-permeable membrane for air expulsion and incompressible liquid for pressure buildup.
Implementation Method 1
a gas-permeable and liquid-tight air outlet which connects the pump chamber or the feed path to an external environment
Implementation Method 2
by means of liquid until there is a sufficient amount of liquid in the pump chamber and/or the feed path in order, owing to the incompressibility of the liquid, to achieve, upon a further actuation, the limit pressure required for opening the outlet valve
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a discharge device for discharging liquid medium, with a pump device with a variable volume pump chamber, a discharge opening for the liquid medium, a feed path between the pump device and the discharge opening, and an outlet valve which is designed to open the discharge opening as a function of the pressure in the feed path, and to a discharge head provided for this purpose. The discharge device or the discharge head has a gas-permeable and liquid-tight air outlet which connects the pump chamber or the feed path to an external environment.