Gas Spring Fastener Driver Pressure Control With Tank Separator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastener drivers face challenges with pressure loss and fluctuation due to external temperatures, which are not adequately addressed by current designs, and the addition of onboard air compressors increases complexity, cost, and weight.
Innovation Solution
A gas spring-powered fastener driver that utilizes a storage chamber cylinder with a movable piston, driver blade, and a tank separator mechanism to maintain consistent pressure through gas compression and expansion, incorporating features like a check valve and pressure relief valve to compensate for pressure losses and temperature fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an onboard air compressor is added to alleviate pressure loss, then pressure stability is improved, but device complexity, cost, and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the compression function from a complex onboard air compressor and implements it using a simple pump mechanism that utilizes the existing cyclic motion of the driver blade. This pump selectively accumulates pressurized air in a storage chamber, providing pressure stability without the complexity of a full compressor system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing cyclic motion of the driver blade to drive the pump mechanism, allowing the fastener driver to self-pressurize during operation. The pump automatically accumulates pressurized air in the storage chamber during the recovery stroke, eliminating the need for external compression devices.
2Reliability
If a tank separator mechanism is added to compensate for temperature fluctuations, then pressure consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tank separator acts as an intermediary element between the storage chamber and the cylinder. It selectively allows pressurized air to pass through to the cylinder while retaining excess air in the storage chamber, thereby compensating for temperature-induced pressure fluctuations and maintaining consistent operating pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank separator dynamically adjusts the volume of pressurized air available to the cylinder based on temperature conditions. When temperature increases cause pressure to rise, the separator restricts flow; when temperature decreases, it allows more air through, providing adaptive pressure compensation.
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 system maintains consistent pressure within the fastener driver, reducing the need for external compressors and ensuring reliable performance across varying temperatures and usage conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a spring that biases the tank separator toward a position in which a volume of the cylinder is decreased. The spring biases the tank separator toward the storage chamber cylinder.
Implementation Method 2
As the pressure within the storage chamber cylinder increases, the pressure biases the tank separator away from the storage chamber cylinder, compressing the spring.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas spring-powered fastener driver includes a cylinder, a storage chamber cylinder having pressurized air in communication with the cylinder, a moveable piston positioned within the cylinder, a driver blade attached to the piston and movable therewith between a top-dead-center position and a bottom-dead-center position, the driver blade defining a driving axis, a lifter operable to move the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position, the lifter is configured to engage the driver blade when moving the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position, and a tank separator positioned within the storage chamber cylinder. The tank separator is moved in response to a pressure of the air within the storage chamber cylinder reaching a predetermined level, and when the tank separator is moved, a volume of the cylinder increases or decreases.