Apparatus For Pumping Liquid Onto A Rotating Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pumping technologies face challenges in efficiently and accurately dispensing liquids onto rotating surfaces without leakage or mechanical complexity, particularly in applications requiring controlled fluid flow.
Innovation Solution
A peristaltic pumping apparatus utilizing an actuator with rollers to compress a flexible pump tube, ensuring controlled liquid flow onto a rotating surface, such as a robotic end effector, without fluid transmission through rotation joints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional pumping mechanisms are used to dispense liquid onto rotating surfaces, then liquid flow can be achieved, but mechanical complexity increases and leakage risks arise due to fluid transmission through rotation joints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pumping function from the rotating assembly by using a peristaltic pump located in the stationary base. The pump operates independently to meter liquid through tubing that delivers fluid to the rotating end effector, eliminating the need for complex fluid transmission mechanisms through rotation joints. This separation ensures leak-free operation while reducing mechanical complexity in the rotating components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces flexible tubing as an intermediary medium to transport liquid from the stationary peristaltic pump to the rotating end effector. This intermediary approach allows controlled liquid delivery without requiring direct fluid transmission through the rotation joint, thereby eliminating leakage risks while maintaining simplicity in the rotating assembly.
2Productivity
If controlled liquid flow is achieved through traditional mechanisms, then fluid dispensing is possible, but mechanical complexity and potential for mechanical failure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical flow control mechanisms with a peristaltic pumping system that uses rhythmic compression of flexible tubing. This substitution provides precise metered flow rates through controlled roller compression cycles, achieving reliable productivity enhancement without increasing mechanical complexity. The pump's design inherently provides flow control through its peristaltic action rather than requiring additional valves or regulators.
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 solution provides a reliable, leak-free, and mechanically simplified mechanism for controlled liquid dispensing onto rotating surfaces, enhancing precision and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
In a typical peristaltic pump, a motor rotates a set of rollers across a flexible tube containing a fluid. The rollers trap liquid in the tube by pinching off sections of tubing where the roller and tube meet. The roller then pushes trapped liquid through the tube until the liquid reaches an outlet.
Implementation Method 2
A check valve allows fluid to flow in only one direction. Examples of check valves include a swing or hinged-type check valve and a ball-and-set check valve, among others.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes an actuator coupled to an end effector, the actuator configured to create relative rotation between the actuator and the end effector. The apparatus further includes one or more peristaltic-pump rollers coupled to the actuator. The end effector includes a liquid-storage chamber configured to store a liquid and a flexible tubing that includes: (1) an intake disposed within the liquid-storage chamber, (2) an outlet configured to dispense the liquid onto an outer surface of the end effector, and (3) a peristaltic section configured to compress against at least one of the one or more peristaltic-pump rollers as a result of the relative rotation between the actuator and the end effector.