Dispenser Locking Element for Piston-Cylinder Mounting Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid dispensers face challenges in handling and stability when mounting and releasing piston-cylinder units, leading to inaccuracies in volume dispensing, particularly with viscous liquids, and have complex structures that affect reliability and durability.
Innovation Solution
The dispenser incorporates a locking element driven by a separate electric stepper motor, which blocks relative movement between the stop element and housing, combined with a reset mechanism and sensor systems for automatic detection and handling of piston-cylinder units, ensuring secure engagement and easy release, and an acquisition device for identifying unit types to control dispensing accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a piston-cylinder unit is mounted on the dispenser by axial movement with simple fastening means, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of mounting and stability during operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking element is designed to be movable between an unlocked position (allowing axial mounting) and a locked position (securing the cylinder). This dynamic mechanism enables the system to transition from a simple mounting state to a secure locked state, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and reliable mounting by introducing controlled movement rather than permanent complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking element is extracted as a separate, dedicated component with its own drive mechanism, distinct from the piston actuator. This separation allows the locking function to be independently controlled and optimized without complicating the overall mounting structure, maintaining simplicity while enhancing reliability through functional specialization.
2Manufacturing precision
If a locking element with separate drive is added to block relative movement, then the stability and accuracy of fluid volume dispensing is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking element acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the cylinder and the dispenser housing. By introducing this intermediate locking mechanism, the system achieves precise control over the cylinder's position, preventing any relative movement that would compromise dispensing accuracy, while the modular nature of the locking element keeps the added complexity manageable.
3Ease of operation
If manual actuation of fastening means is used for releasing the piston-cylinder unit, then the ease of operation is reduced, but the device complexity is minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The locking element is designed to be automatically actuated by the drive mechanism, eliminating the need for manual intervention to release the piston-cylinder unit. The system serves itself by using the drive to both lock and unlock the cylinder, improving ease of operation while keeping the structural complexity limited to the automated locking/unlocking mechanism without requiring additional manual release components.
Data Source
AI summary
A dispenser for receiving and dispensing volumes of fluid, on which a piston/cylinder unit having a piston and a cylinder, can be fitted in a releasable manner by means of a movement running at least substantially in an axial direction of the dispenser. The dispenser has a piston actuator for moving the piston relative to the cylinder. The piston actuator is arranged in a movable manner in the dispenser and is driven by means of a drive. The dispenser has a locking element which is arranged in a movable manner in the dispenser and is driven by a further drive. Also disclosed is a system for receiving and dispensing volumes of fluid, to a method for fitting a piston/cylinder unit in a releasable manner on a dispenser, and to a method for releasing a piston/cylinder unit which has been fitted on a dispenser.