Fluid Pump Drive Chamber Dust Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Fluid pumps that control fluid feeding and discharging through piston movements often suffer from suction of dust and moisture into the drive chamber, leading to operation failures and corrosion, especially when the drive chamber reaches a negative pressure state.
Innovation Solution
A fluid pump design featuring a cylinder with a piston, a valve unit, a ventilation path, and a fluid filter that filters fluid entering or leaving the drive chamber during piston movements, reducing the risk of dust and moisture ingress and alleviating drive load by controlling fluid flow through the valve unit and merging space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drive chamber is configured as a sealed space to prevent dust and moisture ingress, then reliability is improved, but pressure variation acts as a drive load on the actuator increasing energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The drive chamber is segmented into a sealed main chamber and a communication path leading to the exterior. The communication path includes a fluid filter that allows pressure equalization while blocking dust and moisture, thus maintaining reliability while reducing drive load.
Solution Approach 2:
A fluid filter is introduced as an intermediary element between the sealed drive chamber and the exterior environment. This mediator allows pressure variation to occur (reducing drive load) while simultaneously filtering out dust and moisture (maintaining reliability).
2Use of energy by moving object
If the drive chamber is opened to the exterior to equalize pressure and reduce drive load, then energy consumption is reduced, but dust and moisture can ingress causing operation failures and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
A fluid filter made of porous material is used to create a selective barrier. The porous structure allows gas molecules to pass through for pressure equalization while the pore size is sufficiently small to block dust particles and moisture droplets, thus resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and reliability.
3Reliability
If a fluid filter is added to the communication path between the drive chamber and exterior, then dust and moisture ingress is prevented improving reliability, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid filter serves multiple functions simultaneously: it equalizes pressure between the drive chamber and exterior (reducing drive load), blocks dust and moisture (improving reliability), and can also trap condensation. This multi-functionality justifies the added component by providing multiple benefits from a single element.
4Productivity
If the drive chamber allows pressure variation during piston movement, then fluid feeding and discharging efficiency is improved, but gas discharging noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid filter acts as a noise-damping intermediary in the communication path. While allowing pressure variation necessary for efficient fluid feeding and discharging, the filter structure dampens gas flow noise, thus reducing the harmful noise effect while maintaining productivity.
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
The design effectively restricts the suction of dust and moisture into the drive chamber, reducing operational load and noise associated with pressure variations, while maintaining the pump's efficiency and extending the lifespan of components like the electric motor.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid filter mounted in the merging space... effectively restricts the suction of dust and moisture into the drive chamber
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention inhibits suction of dust and moisture into a drive chamber for driving a piston of a fluid pump while reducing drive load through feeding/discharging of fluid to/from the drive chamber. In the interior of a cylinder, a pressure increasing/decreasing chamber is formed between a valve unit on the cylinder head side and the piston. On the opposite side of the pressure increasing/decreasing chamber, the drive chamber is disposed. There are provided a ventilation path for communicating the drive chamber and the outside space, a fluid path connected to the feeding/discharging space of the valve unit, a merging space where the fluid path is merged with the ventilation path midway, and a fluid filter provided in the merging space.