Piezoelectric Pump Chamber Pressure Vibration Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid feed pumps face challenges in detecting mixing of bubbles, pumping pressure, and dissolved gas amounts, which affect their efficiency and accuracy, especially when integrated into circulation systems where direct measurement is difficult.
Innovation Solution
A liquid feed pump configuration that includes an outlet channel connected to a pump chamber and an outlet-side buffer chamber with higher compliance, forming a resonance system, which generates pressure vibrations that allow for the detection of internal pressure changes and operating states without the need for additional sensors, using a piezoelectric element to change the pump chamber volume and detect current flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a flow rate sensor or separate detection device is provided to measure liquid feed amount in a sealed circulation channel system, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the detection function into the existing pump structure by utilizing the pump chamber itself as the detection chamber. The piezoelectric element serves dual purposes: actuating the pump chamber volume changes and detecting pressure variations through its electrical characteristics, eliminating the need for separate sensors in the sealed circulation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump system performs self-detection by using its own operational components (piezoelectric element and pump chamber) to monitor liquid feed amount. The system detects changes in its own state through electrical characteristic variations of the piezoelectric element during normal operation, without requiring external detection devices.
2Measurement precision
If separate detection devices are added to detect bubbles, pumping pressure, and dissolved gas amounts, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piezoelectric element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the actuator for pump operation, a pressure sensor for detecting pumping pressure, and a detector for identifying bubbles and dissolved gas amounts through its electrical characteristic variations. This multi-functional approach enables comprehensive operating state detection without adding separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple detection functions (pressure measurement, bubble detection, dissolved gas detection) into a single integrated system using the piezoelectric element. By analyzing different aspects of the element's electrical characteristics during operation, the system can identify multiple operating conditions simultaneously without requiring separate detection hardware for each parameter.
3Productivity
If the pump chamber volume is decreased rapidly to improve pumping efficiency, then productivity is improved, but bubbles are crushed and liquid cannot be pressurized, worsening reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses real-time monitoring of the piezoelectric element's electrical characteristics to detect the presence of bubbles and dissolved gases in the liquid. When bubbles or excessive dissolved gas are detected, the control unit adjusts the pump operation parameters, such as the rate of volume decrease or the timing of suction and discharge phases, to prevent bubble crushing and ensure proper liquid pressurization while maintaining pumping efficiency.
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
Enables simple and accurate detection of bubble presence, pumping pressure, and dissolved gas amounts, allowing for improved operational monitoring and performance stabilization of the liquid feed pump, even in sealed circulation systems.
Implementation Method 1
a small piezoelectric element that can generate a large force as an actuator for increasing and decreasing the volume of the pump chamber
Implementation Method 2
Since the pump chamber and the outlet-side buffer chamber are connected via the outlet channel, these chambers constitute a resonance system. Here, the resonance system means a system that generates the pressure vibration for a while as a motive a change in the pressure when the pressure changes inside the system
Implementation Method 3
a pressure detection unit that detects the internal pressure of the pump chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A pump chamber is connected to an outlet-side buffer chamber via an outlet channel, and pumps a liquid from the outlet-side buffer chamber. A pressure vibration generated within the pump chamber when the volume of the pump chamber is decreased includes various kinds of information relating to the operating states of the liquid feed pump, such as mixing of bubbles, pumping pressure, dissolved gas amount, and liquid feed amount. Thus, it is possible to detect the pressure vibration, thereby simply and easily detecting the various kinds of information relating to the operating states of the liquid feed pump.