Piston Air Stop Sheet Bending Structure for Smooth Compressor Restart

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional air compressors experience reduced service life due to incomplete discharge of compressed air and increased loading when restarted, resulting in additional resistance and fatigue of the air stop sheet.

Innovation Solution

The air compressor incorporates a piston with an air stop sheet featuring a bending section and collapsible guide lines, allowing the air stop sheet to turn relative to the piston's conduit, creating an air flowing space and reducing back-pressure resistance, enabling smooth piston movement and extended service life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the air stop sheet is made rigid to ensure sealing, then sealing performance is improved, but the air stop sheet cannot turn when the compressor stops, causing back-pressure resistance and reduced service life

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidservice life
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The air stop sheet is designed with a bending section that includes collapsible guide lines, transforming it from a rigid structure to a dynamic one. This allows the air stop sheet to turn when the compressor stops, eliminating back-pressure resistance while maintaining sealing performance during operation through the positioning zone that guides proper placement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Duration of action of moving object

If the air stop sheet is made flexible to allow turning, then service life is improved, but sealing performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice lifeVSAvoidsealing performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The air stop sheet is segmented into different functional zones: a positioning zone with orifices that align with positioning holes in the piston head to maintain sealing, and a bending section with collapsible guide lines that provides flexibility for turning. This segmentation allows both sealing performance and service life to be improved simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If the air stop sheet covers the air channel completely, then sealing is improved, but additional resistance is generated when restarting

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesealingVSAvoidback-pressure resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The air stop sheet's bending section with collapsible guide lines enables it to turn dynamically when the compressor stops. This turning action creates clearance between the air stop sheet and the air channel, eliminating back-pressure resistance during restart while maintaining complete coverage and sealing during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Productivity

If the piston moves quickly to increase productivity, then output is improved, but the air stop sheet experiences increased fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveoutputVSAvoidservice life
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The collapsible guide lines in the bending section allow the air stop sheet to turn smoothly and quickly in response to rapid piston movements. This dynamic response reduces stress and fatigue on the air stop sheet, enabling high-speed operation while extending service life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4074971B1Air compressor
Publication Date: 2024.05.15 CHOU WEN SAN
  • EP4074971B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4074971B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4074971B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An air compressor (10) contains a piston actuated by a motor (12) to move in a cylinder (13). The piston includes an air stop sheet (7) mounted on a top support plate (21) thereof. The air stop sheet (7) includes a bending section (71) having a positioning zone (72) and an acting zone (73) located opposite to the positioning zone (72) and configured to cover an air channel (23) of the piston. The bending section (71) is a boundary axis of the acting area (73) and the positioning zone (72) of the air stop sheet (7) so that a top of the air stop sheet (7) facing the cylinder (13) forms an obtuse angle less than 180 degrees, and a back surface of the acting zone (73) of the air stop sheet (7) backing a top of the cylinder (13) turns on relative to a plane of a top of the top support plate (21) at an open angle θ, thus producing an air flowing space.