Piston Fluid Meter Yoke Resilient Wear Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid meters face challenges such as complex manufacturing processes, wear-induced fluctuations in stroke length, and potential leakage, leading to inaccurate volume measurements.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates yoke slots with resilient portions that allow for a 'over-strung' system, maintaining consistent stroke length despite wear, and uses a single crank arm to achieve piston reciprocity, reducing manufacturing complexity and component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional rigid yoke slot design is used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but wear causes fluctuations in stroke length leading to measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The yoke slot design incorporates resilient portions that change the mechanical parameters of the system by allowing controlled play or clearance between the crank pin and yoke slot. This parameter change compensates for wear-induced variations in stroke length, maintaining measurement accuracy over time while using manufacturable components
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient portions in the yoke slot provide beforehand cushioning by pre-accommodating wear through controlled play. This design anticipates future wear and compensates for it in advance, ensuring that stroke length fluctuations do not lead to measurement errors even after extended operation
2Ease of operation
If multiple crank arms are used to achieve piston reciprocity, then piston phase differences are achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple crank arms into a single crank arm by incorporating resilient portions in the yoke slots. This combination allows the single crank arm to achieve the same piston reciprocity and phase differences that would otherwise require multiple rigid crank arms, thereby reducing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a static rigid crankshaft structure to a dynamic system where the resilient portions allow controlled movement and adjustment. This dynamics enables a single crank arm to accomplish what traditionally required multiple fixed crank arms, simplifying the overall structure
3Ease of operation
If angled cylinders are used to achieve piston phase differences, then the required piston reciprocity is achieved, but the construction becomes bulky and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetric positioning of the resilient portions in the yoke slots to achieve the required piston phase differences. Instead of symmetrically arranging cylinders at angles, the asymmetric resilient design allows in-line cylinders to produce the necessary phase differences, simplifying manufacturing
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 results in a more robust, precise, and cost-effective fluid meter with reduced manufacturing costs and improved reliability, maintaining accurate volume measurements over time.
Implementation Method 1
the circumferential periphery of each one of said yoke slots has at least one resilient portion. The resilient portion is configured to allow a play between the crank pin and the circumferential periphery of the yoke slot at the at least one resilient portion
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid meter (27) comprising a housing (28) defining at least one crankcase (29) and two cylinders (25, 26), a crankshaft (11) disposed in the crankcase (29), two pistons (3, 4) respectively mounted in the cylinders (25, 26) for reciprocal movement, a first connecting rod (12) connected to one of the pistons (3) and to the crankshaft (11) for rotating the crankshaft (11) in response to the movement of the one piston (3), and a second connecting rod (13) connected to the other piston (4) and to the crankshaft (11) for rotating the crankshaft (11) in response to the movement of the other piston (4), wherein the first and second connecting rods (12, 13) have yoke slots (16, 17) with a circumferential periphery (62) for receiving a crank pin (19) radially offset from the crankshaft (11). The fluid meter (27) is characterized in that the circumferential periphery (62) of each one of said yoke slots (16, 17) has at least one resilient portion (61) for allowing a play? between said crank pin (19) and said circumferential periphery (62) of said yoke slot (16, 17) at said at least one resilient portion (61). The invention further relates to a multiple fluid meter assembly (61) comprising at least two fluid meters (27) as defined above, and to a fuel dispensing unit comprising a fluid meter (27) or a multiple fluid meter (61) as defined above.