Concentric Foam Pump Assembly to Clear Liquid From the Air Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foam dispensing assemblies face issues with liquid ingress into the air pump chamber, leading to accumulation and potential malfunctioning of the air piston pump, which existing solutions attempt to mitigate but not fully address.
Innovation Solution
The foam dispensing assembly features a double cylinder element with a liquid cylinder and air cylinder arranged concentrically, a piston assembly with a liquid piston and air piston, and an air outlet integrated into the liquid piston within the air pump chamber, allowing liquid to be pumped out via the air outlet during the dispensing stroke, reducing accumulation and risk of malfunction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air piston pump is used to dispense foam, then foam dispensing function is achieved, but liquid ingress into the air pump chamber causes accumulation and malfunctioning
Solution Approach 1:
The air outlet is extracted from the traditional location and integrated into the liquid piston within the air pump chamber. This allows liquid to be actively pumped out through the air outlet during the dispensing stroke, extracting the harmful liquid accumulation problem from the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The air outlet serves dual functions: it allows air to enter the air pump chamber during the return stroke and simultaneously enables liquid to be pumped out during the dispensing stroke. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the same structure serve both air intake and liquid removal purposes.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If additional features are added to avoid liquid ingress, then liquid protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air outlet is merged with the liquid piston structure, integrating the liquid removal function into the existing piston assembly. This merging approach avoids adding separate complex liquid drainage mechanisms while still preventing liquid accumulation in the air pump chamber.
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 effectively reduces the accumulation of liquid in the air pump chamber, minimizing the risk of air piston pump malfunction and ensuring consistent operation by actively pumping out liquid during the dispensing process.
Implementation Method 1
a piston assembly comprising a liquid piston and an air piston for reciprocal movements in the liquid cylinder and air cylinder, respectively
Implementation Method 2
The foam dispensing assembly is configured to dispense a foam
Implementation Method 3
the air outlet is at least partly provided in the liquid piston in a region of the air pump chamber opposite to the air piston. With this arrangement liquid present in the air pump chamber, can be pumped out of the air pump chamber by actuation of the air pump.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a dispensing assembly to dispense a foam, comprising: ⋅—a double cylinder element (2) mounted or to be mounted in an opening of a container (100), comprising a liquid cylinder (3) and an air cylinder (4), wherein the liquid cylinder has a smaller diameter than the air cylinder, and wherein the liquid cylinder and the air cylinder are arranged substantially concentrically, and ⋅—a piston assembly (10) comprising a liquid piston (11) and an air piston (12) for reciprocal movements in the liquid cylinder and air cylinder, respectively, and a common operating part for operating the liquid piston and air piston, ⋅ wherein a liquid pump chamber (14) is at least delimited by the liquid cylinder and the liquid piston, said liquid pump chamber having a liquid inlet (15) and a liquid outlet (16), ⋅ wherein an air pump chamber (25) is at least delimited by the air cylinder, the air piston and the liquid piston, said air pump chamber having an air inlet (26) and an air outlet (27), ⋅ wherein the piston assembly (10) further comprises a dispensing channel (28) in fluid communication with the liquid outlet and the air outlet, wherein the dispensing channel ends in a dispensing opening (29), ⋅ characterized in that the air outlet (27) is provided in the liquid piston in a region of the air pump chamber opposite to the air piston (12).