Reciprocating Pump Drive Unit Size Reduction via Vertical Cam Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing reciprocating pump design requires significant space for two cams and their supporting bearings, leading to an increase in the overall size of the drive unit, which is inefficient in terms of size utilization.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a configuration where multiple pump chambers are arranged adjacent to each other, with a single motor drive shaft positioned between the centers of the piston parts, allowing the cams to rotate parallel to the motor axis, and extending portions on the piston parts to abut the cams, reducing the need for additional space and minimizing the size of the drive unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If two cams are provided side-by-side with bearings supporting both ends of the rotation shaft, then the piston parts can be reciprocally moved, but the size of the drive unit increases in the left-right direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the motor's drive shaft from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, perpendicular to the pump chambers. The cams are arranged vertically along the drive shaft instead of horizontally, changing the spatial dimension from left-right to vertical. This dimensional change allows the drive unit to achieve the same functional output with reduced horizontal footprint.
2Power
If the rotation shaft is made long to accommodate the driven-side spur gear, then power transmission is achieved, but the overall size of the drive unit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the driven-side spur gear from the power transmission system. Instead of using a long rotation shaft with gears at both ends, the motor's drive shaft directly transmits power to the vertically arranged cams. This extraction of the intermediate gear mechanism shortens the required shaft length while maintaining effective power transmission.
3Stability of the object's composition
If bearings are provided at both ends of the rotation shaft, then the shaft is supported, but additional space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the motor's drive shaft with the cam rotation shaft. The motor's own drive shaft serves dual purposes: transmitting power and supporting the cams, eliminating the need for a separate rotation shaft and its supporting bearings. This consolidation reduces the number of components and the space required for bearing installations.
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 configuration effectively reduces the size of the drive unit in both the left-right and vertical directions, allowing for a more compact reciprocating pump setup without compromising the fluid delivery efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the plurality of cams are aligned adjacent to each other and rotate about an axis that is parallel to the axis of the drive shaft of the motor, and the plurality of cams are linked to the plurality of piston parts so that the plurality of cams respectively cause the reciprocal movement of the plurality of piston parts
Data Source
AI summary
A reciprocating pump capable of reducing its overall size by suppressing the size of an entire drive unit. A plurality of piston parts move in the same direction and draw fluid into a plurality of pump chambers and discharge the fluid. The pump chambers are adjacent to each other. A motor has a drive shaft between the centers of piston parts located at both ends in the installation direction of the pump chambers and oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the installation direction of the pump chambers and substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the piston parts. A plurality of cams are aligned adjacent each other in the axial direction on the motor drive shaft. The cams are linked to the piston parts so that the cams cause the reciprocal movement of the piston parts.