Electric Pump Rotary Valve Intermittent Drive Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric pumps used to inflate and deflate vehicle seat bladders face challenges in size enlargement due to the need for a sufficient body-side outlet and speed reduction units to ensure proper fluid discharge, leading to increased pump size.
Innovation Solution
The electric pump incorporates a motor unit, transmission unit, and a rotary valve unit with an intermittent drive mechanism, utilizing a Geneva drive to convert continuous drive into intermittent drive, allowing the valve body to be intermittently driven and reducing the need for a larger body-side outlet or speed reduction unit, thus limiting the overall pump size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the body-side outlet is made larger to ensure sufficient fluid discharge time, then the fluid outlet can be opposed to the body-side outlet over a sufficient time, but the valve body size must be enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is driven intermittently rather than continuously, creating periodic action cycles. The intermittent drive mechanism causes the valve body to rotate to specific positions and remain stationary, allowing fluid discharge to occur during the stationary periods. This periodic motion pattern ensures sufficient discharge time without requiring a larger valve body outlet area.
2Speed
If a speed reduction unit is added to reduce the speed of the valve body, then the fluid outlet can be opposed to the body-side outlet over a sufficient time, but the pump size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermittent drive mechanism creates periodic motion where the valve body rotates to positioning angles and then remains stationary. This periodic action naturally reduces the average rotation speed of the valve body without requiring additional speed reduction units, thereby maintaining compact pump dimensions while ensuring sufficient fluid discharge time during the stationary phases.
3Productivity
If the valve body is continuously driven, then the motor can operate at constant speed, but the fluid outlet cannot be opposed to the body-side outlet over a sufficient time for proper fluid discharge
Solution Approach 1:
The intermittent drive mechanism converts continuous motor operation into periodic valve body motion. The motor continues to operate continuously, but the intermittent drive mechanism translates this into periodic rotation where the valve body moves to specific angles and remains stationary. This allows the fluid outlet to be opposed to the body-side outlet during the stationary periods, ensuring sufficient discharge time while maintaining continuous motor operation for efficiency.
4Duration of action of moving object
If the body-side outlet is made arc-shaped and larger, then the fluid outlet can be opposed to the body-side outlet over a sufficient time, but the valve body must be enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the body-side outlet arc-shaped and larger to increase discharge time, the intermittent drive mechanism creates periodic motion that allows the valve body to remain stationary at specific positioning angles. This approach maintains a compact valve body configuration while ensuring sufficient fluid discharge time during the stationary phases of the periodic cycle.
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
This configuration enables efficient fluid discharge without enlarging the pump, maintaining compactness by ensuring the valve body is intermittently driven, eliminating the need for additional speed reduction units and minimizing the device's overall size.
Implementation Method 1
The valve body is intermittently driven by an intermittent drive mechanism that converts continuous drive corresponding to the rotational drive force into intermittent drive
Data Source
AI summary
An electric pump includes a transmission unit that transmits rotational drive of a motor unit, a pump unit, and a rotary valve unit. The pump unit expands and contracts a pump chamber to draw in a fluid from an inlet and discharge the fluid from an outlet. The rotary valve unit includes a valve body and a valve cover. The valve body is rotated by the rotational drive force transmitted by the transmission unit. The valve cover includes a valve-side inlet that draws in a fluid and a plurality of fluid outlets that discharges the fluid to the exterior. The rotary valve unit is configured to switch the fluid outlets that come into communication with the inlet in accordance with rotational drive of the valve body. The valve body is intermittently driven by an intermittent drive mechanism that converts continuous drive corresponding to the rotational drive force into intermittent drive.