Air Compressor Piston Air Stop Sheet Spring Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air compressors experience reduced service life due to incomplete discharge of compressed air and increased loading and electric current when restarted, leading to piston resistance and fatigue.
Innovation Solution
The air compressor design features a piston with a bending air stop sheet having collapsible guide lines and a spring mechanism that balances cylinder pressure with atmosphere, allowing smooth piston movement and preventing back-pressure resistance, thus enhancing safety and service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air stop sheet is used to close the air channel when the air compressor stops, then the compressed air can be retained in the cylinder, but the piston hits the compressed air when restarted causing increased loading and reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is pre-loaded to automatically push the air stop sheet away from the air channel before the piston reaches it during the upward stroke. This preliminary action prevents the piston from hitting compressed air, eliminating the harmful impact and reducing loading on the piston and motor.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring applies a preliminary counter-force to the air stop sheet, creating an anti-action that prevents the sheet from blocking the air channel during piston restart. This counter-balancing force ensures the air channel remains open when needed, preventing the harmful effect of piston-compressed air collision.
2Power
If the air stop sheet closes the air channel completely, then compressed air is retained, but back-pressure resistance stops the piston in the upward moving stroke
Solution Approach 1:
The air stop sheet is designed with dynamic movement capability, allowing it to transition between closed and open positions based on piston motion. The spring mechanism enables the sheet to dynamically adjust its position, opening the air channel during the upward stroke to eliminate back-pressure resistance while maintaining closure during compression to preserve power efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If the air stop sheet is rigid and flat, then manufacturing is simple, but the piston movement is hindered by resistance and fatigue occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The air stop sheet is designed as a thin, flexible component that can bend and deform during operation. This flexibility allows the sheet to move smoothly with piston motion without creating excessive resistance or stress concentrations that would lead to fatigue. The thin-film structure maintains manufacturing simplicity while dramatically improving reliability through its ability to adapt to dynamic conditions.
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 ensures smooth piston movement and efficient air inflation by balancing cylinder pressure with atmosphere, reducing fatigue and extending the service life of the air compressor.
Implementation Method 1
a spring fitted on the column and inserting through the air channel of the head along the cavity of the piston rod so that the spring abuts against a back surface of an air stop sheet, the air stop sheet is forced by the spring to locate at the open angle
Data Source
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AI summary
An air compressor (10) contains a piston which is actuated by a motor (12) to move upward and downward in a cylinder (13). The piston includes an air stop sheet (7) mounted on a head (21) thereof, and the air stop sheet (7) has a bending section (71), a positioning zone (72), and an acting zone (73). A piston rod (5) extends downward from the head (21) and includes a cavity (50), an air conduit (52), a column (53) extending from a bottom thereof, and a spring (54) fitted on the column (50) and inserting through the air channel (23) of the head (21) along the cavity (50) of the piston rod (5) so that the spring (54) abuts against a back surface of an acting zone (72) of an air stop sheet (7), wherein the air stop sheet (7) is forced by the spring (54) to locate in the acting zone (73) at an open angle θ, and the air conduit (52) and the air channel (23) communicate with atmosphere.