Mini Air Pump Relief Valve Spring Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mini air pumps face instability in spring actuation and increased noise due to direct relief flow into the spring chamber, affecting accurate pressure regulation and overpressure protection.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a diaphragm with bladders, a bladder base, a pump body with separate exhaust and spring chambers, and a return channel that prevents relief flows from entering the spring chamber, ensuring stable spring positioning and integrating a preload member to maintain consistent abutting force on the relief valve, while directing return flows to the air inlet channel to reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If relief flows are directly released to the atmosphere, then the structure is simple, but operating noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust chamber serves as an intermediary component between the relief valve and the atmosphere. Relief flows are first directed into the exhaust chamber before being released, which dampens the direct discharge noise while maintaining structural simplicity. The exhaust chamber acts as a buffer that reduces the harmful noise effect without adding complex noise control mechanisms.
2Device complexity
If relief flows flow into the spring chamber, then the structure is compact, but spring positioning stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pump body is segmented into functionally independent chambers: the spring chamber and the exhaust chamber. The spring chamber houses the preload member and relief valve without exposure to relief flows, while the exhaust chamber handles the discharge of relief flows. This segmentation ensures spring positioning stability while maintaining a compact integrated structure through shared walls and coordinated components.
3Device complexity
If relief flows directly act on the spring, then the structure is simplified, but relief valve actuation precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust chamber serves as an intermediary that isolates the spring and relief valve from direct exposure to relief flows. The spring chamber provides a stable, pressurized environment for the preload member and relief valve, while the exhaust chamber receives and manages the relief flows. This intermediary arrangement ensures precise relief valve actuation by preventing flow-induced pressure fluctuations from affecting the spring force.
4Stability of the object's composition
If exhaust chamber and spring chamber are separated, then spring positioning stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump body is segmented into functionally independent exhaust chamber and spring chamber through a shared valve seat structure. The valve seat serves as a common interface for both chambers, allowing separation of functions while maintaining structural integration. This segmentation approach improves spring positioning stability by isolating the spring chamber from relief flows, while the shared valve seat and coordinated mounting structures prevent excessive complexity increase.
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 ensures accurate relief valve actuation, enhances the stability of the mini air pump during inflation, and minimizes operating noise by maintaining consistent spring force and redirecting return flows to reduce noise emission.
Implementation Method 1
a preload member mounted in the spring chamber and having at least one spring which applies a preload to the relief valve
Implementation Method 2
a diaphragm which includes a plurality of bladders on one side of the diaphragm
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A mini air pump which includes a diaphragm, a bladder base provided with penetrating bladder holes and air inlet channels, a pump body having a valve seat and a pump cover, an air inlet valve, an air outlet valve, a relief valve and a preload member is revealed. The valve seat is stacked over the diaphragm. An exhaust chamber and a spring chamber are constructed by the valve seat and the pump cover. The valve seat has exhaust channels communicating with the bladder cavity. A communicating return channel is constructed by the diaphragm, the bladder base and the valve seat. The return channel is communicating with the air inlet channel but not communicating with the spring chamber. A spring of the preload member applies a preload to the relief valve. Thereby the relief valve acts more accurately and the mini air pump is more stable in use.