U.S. patent application number 11/141385 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-07 for air pump with air flow control.
Invention is credited to Hsin-Tsai Wu.
Application Number | 20060198741 11/141385 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36708619 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060198741 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu; Hsin-Tsai |
September 7, 2006 |
Air pump with air flow control
Abstract
An air pump includes a housing, a motor, an impeller and an air
flow controller. The housing confines a receiving space, and has a
first end portion formed with a first port unit, an opposite second
end portion formed with a second port unit, and an intermediate
portion between the first and second end portions and formed with a
third port unit. The motor is mounted in the receiving space. The
impeller is coupled to and driven rotatably by the motor, and
includes a base plate and first and second blade sets provided
respectively on opposite sides of the base plate. The first and
second blade sets face toward the first and second port units,
respectively. The air flow controller is mounted on the second end
portion of the housing, and is operable so as to block selectively
fluid communication between the second port unit and the receiving
space.
Inventors: |
Wu; Hsin-Tsai; (Taipei City,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DICKINSON WRIGHT PLLC
1901 L. STREET NW
SUITE 800
WASHINGTON
DC
20036
US
|
Family ID: |
36708619 |
Appl. No.: |
11/141385 |
Filed: |
June 1, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/406 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/424 20130101;
F04D 25/084 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/406 |
International
Class: |
F04B 17/00 20060101
F04B017/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 2, 2005 |
CN |
200520039912.6 |
Claims
1. An air pump comprising: a housing confining a receiving space,
and having a first end portion formed with a first port unit, a
second end portion opposite to said first end portion and formed
with a second port unit, and an intermediate portion between said
first and second end portions and formed with a third port unit,
each of said first and third port units being in fluid
communication with said receiving space; a motor mounted in said
receiving space; an impeller coupled to and driven rotatably by
said motor, said impeller including a base plate and first and
second blade sets provided respectively on opposite sides of said
base plate, each of said first and second blade sets facing toward
a corresponding one of said first and second port units; and an air
flow controller mounted movably on said second end portion of said
housing and operable so as to block selectively fluid communication
between said second port unit and said receiving space.
2. The air pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air pump is
operable in one of first and second modes, when said air pump is
operated in the first mode, said air flow controller is operated to
permit fluid communication between said second port unit and said
receiving space, and said motor is operated to drive rotation of
said impeller such that air is drawn into said receiving space
through said first and second port units and such that air exits
said receiving space through said third port unit, and when said
air pump is operated in the second mode, said air flow controller
is operated to block fluid communication between said second port
unit and said receiving space, and said motor is operated to drive
rotation of said impeller such that air is drawn into said
receiving space through said first port unit and such that air
exits said receiving space through said third port unit.
3. The air pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second end
portion of said housing is formed with a plurality of vent holes
that serve as said second port unit, said air flow controller
including a rotary disc disposed in said receiving space, formed
with a plurality of openings, retained rotatably at and disposed to
abut against said second end portion of said housing, and operable
so as to rotate in said receiving space between a first position,
where said openings in said rotary disc are registered with said
vent holes in said second end portion of said housing to permit
fluid communication between said second port unit and said
receiving space, and a second position, where said openings in said
rotary disc are offset from said vent holes in said second end
portion of said housing to block fluid communication between said
second port unit and said receiving space.
4. The air pump as claimed in claim 3, wherein said air flow
controller further includes: a rotary knob disposed outwardly of
said receiving space; and first and second engaging members
provided respectively on said rotary disc and said rotary knob,
said first and second engaging members being interconnected to
retain rotatably said rotary disc and said rotary knob at said
second end portion of said housing.
5. The air pump as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first engaging
member is a post that extends from the respective one of said
rotary disc and said rotary knob and through said second end
portion of said housing, and said second engaging member is a
socket that is formed in the respective one of said rotary disc and
said rotary knob and that engages said post.
6. The air pump as claimed in claim 3, wherein said rotary disc is
formed with a positioning stud that is extendable removably into
one of said vent holes in said second end portion of said housing
to position releasably said rotary disc is at one of the first and
second positions.
7. The air pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first port unit
is formed as an air duct that extends from said first end portion
of said housing and that is formed with a plurality of vent
holes.
8. The air pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third port unit
is formed as an air duct that extends from said intermediate
portion of said housing at a location proximate to said
impeller.
9. The air pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said impeller is
disposed proximate to said third port unit in said receiving
space.
10. The air pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing
includes a first housing part for mounting said motor therein and
formed with said first port unit, and a second housing part for
closing said first housing part and formed with said second port
unit 11. The air pump as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said
first and second housing parts has a surrounding wall formed with a
respective peripheral extension, said peripheral extensions of said
first and second housing parts cooperating to define an air duct
that serves as said third port unit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of Chinese Application No.
200520039912.6, filed on Mar. 2, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to an air pump, more particularly to
an air pump suitable for inflating and deflating articles and
provided with an air flow controller to promote efficiency when
deflating an article.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional air pump 1 for inflating
and deflating articles is shown to include a housing 11, a motor 12
mounted in the housing 12, an impeller 13 that is coupled to and
driven rotatably by the motor 12 and that includes first and second
blade sets 131, 132, and a housing cap 14 for covering an open end
of the housing 11. The housing 11 has an end wall formed with a
plurality of first vent holes 111, and a surrounding wall mounted
with a switch 112 for controlling motor operation. After assembly,
the housing 11 and the housing cap 14 cooperate to define an air
duct 15. Moreover, the housing cap 14 is formed with a plurality of
second vent holes 141. To pump air into an article (not shown), the
air duct 15 is connected to the article, and the motor 12 is
operated to drive rotation of the impeller 13 such that ambient air
is drawn into the housing 11 through the first and second vent
holes 111, 141, and such that the air is subsequently supplied into
the article through the air duct 15. On the other hand, to pump air
out of the article, the housing 11 is connected to the article such
that air flows out of the article and into the housing 11 via the
first vent holes 111 for subsequent venting through the air duct 15
when the impeller 13 is driven by the motor 12 to rotate.
[0006] However, since the conventional air pump 1 has both the
first and second vent holes 111, 141, when pumping air out of the
article, ambient air is also drawn into the housing 11 via the
second vent holes 141 upon rotation of the impeller 13. This
results in air turbulence in the housing 11, which has an adverse
affect on the air pumping efficiency during an article deflating
operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide
an air pump with an air flow controller so as to overcome the
aforesaid drawback of the prior art.
[0008] Accordingly, the air pump of this invention comprises a
housing, a motor, an impeller, and an air flow controller. The
housing confines a receiving space, and has a first end portion
formed with a first port unit, a second end portion opposite to the
first end portion and formed with a second port unit, and an
intermediate portion between the first and second end portions and
formed with a third port unit. Each of the first and third port
units is in fluid communication with the receiving space. The motor
is mounted in the receiving space. The impeller is coupled to and
driven rotatably by the motor, and includes a base plate and first
and second blade sets provided respectively on opposite sides of
the base plate. Each of the first and second blade sets faces
toward a corresponding one of the first and second port units. The
air flow controller is mounted movably on the second end portion of
the housing, and is operable so as to block selectively fluid
communication between the second port unit and the receiving
space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional air
pump;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred
embodiment of an air pump according to the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a partly sectional, schematic side view of the
preferred embodiment for illustrating a first operating mode of the
preferred embodiment; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a partly sectional, schematic side view of the
preferred embodiment for illustrating a second operating mode of
the preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of an air pump
3 according to the present invention is shown to comprise a housing
31, a motor 32, an impeller 33, and an air flow controller 34.
[0015] The housing 31 confines a receiving space 310, and has a
first end portion 311 formed with a first port end portion 311 and
formed with a second port unit 314, and an intermediate portion
between the first and second end portions 311, 312 and formed with
a third port unit 316. In this embodiment, the housing 31 includes
a first housing part (31A) for mounting the motor 32 therein and
formed with the first port unit 313, and a second housing part
(31B) for closing the first housing part (31A) and formed with the
second port unit 314. The first port unit 313 is formed as an air
duct that extends from the first end portion 311 of the housing 31
and that is formed with a plurality of vent holes 3130. The second
end portion 312 of the housing 31 is formed with a plurality of
vent holes 3140 that serve as the second port unit 314. The third
port unit 316 is formed as an air duct that extends from the
intermediate portion of the housing 31. In particular, each of the
first and second housing parts (31A, 31B) of the housing 31 has a
surrounding wall (311A, 311B) formed with a respective peripheral
extension 3160. The peripheral extensions 3160 of the first and
second housing parts (31A, 31B) cooperate to define the air duct
that serves as the third port unit 316. Each of the first and third
port units 313, 316 is in fluid communication with the receiving
space 310. A control switch 315 is mounted on the first housing
part (31A) for controlling motor operation in a conventional
manner.
[0016] The motor 32 is mounted in the receiving spare 310, and has
an output shaft 321.
[0017] The impeller 33 is coupled to the output shaft 321 of the
motor 32, and is driven rotatably by the motor 32. The impeller 33
includes a base plate 331 and first and second blade sets 332, 333
provided respectively on opposite sides of the base plate 331. Each
of the first and second blade sets 332, 333 faces toward a
corresponding one of the first and second port units 313, 314. The
impeller 33 is further formed with a coupling tube 334 for coupling
with the output shaft 321 of the motor 32. As best shown in FIG. 3,
the impeller 33 is disposed proximate to the third port unit 316 in
the receiving space 310.
[0018] The air flow controller 34 is mounted movably on the second
end portion 312 of the housing 31, and is operable so as to block
selectively fluid communication between the second port unit 314
and the receiving space 310. In this embodiment, the air flow
controller 34 includes a rotary disc 341 disposed in the receiving
space 310, formed with a plurality of openings 345, retained
rotatably at and disposed to abut against the second end portion
312 of the housing 31 (see FIG. 3), and operable so as to rotate in
the receiving space 310 between a first position, where the
openings 345 in the rotary disc 341 are registered with the vent
holes 3140 in the second end portion 312 of the housing 31 to
permit fluid communication between the second port unit 314 and the
receiving space 310 (see FIG. 3), and a second position, where the
openings 345 in the rotary disc 341 are offset from the vent holes
3140 in the second end portion 312 of the housing 31 to block fluid
communication between the second port unit 314 and the receiving
space 310 (see FIG. 4). The air flow controller 34 further includes
a rotary knob 343 disposed outwardly of the receiving space 310,
and first and second engaging members 342, 344 that are provided
respectively on the rotary disc 341 and the rotary knob 343 and
that are interconnected to retain rotatably the rotary disc 341 and
the rotary knob 343 at the second end portion 312 of the housing
31, thus permitting rotation control of the rotary disc 341 through
the rotary knob 343. In this embodiment, the first engaging member
342 is a post that extends from the rotary disc 341 and through the
second end portion 312 of the housing 31, and the second engaging
member 344 is a socket that is formed in the rotary knob 343 and
that engages the post. In practice, it possible to switch the
positions of the post and the socket on the rotary disc 341 and the
rotary knob 343. The rotary disc 341 is further formed with a
positioning stud 346 that is extendable removably into one of the
vent holes 3140 in the second end portion 312 of the housing 31 to
position releasably the rotary disc 341 at one of the first and
second positions, as In use, the air pump 3 is operable in one of
first and second modes to inflate or deflate an article, such as an
inflatable bed, an inflatable toy, etc. As shown in FIG. 3, to
inflate an article 4, the air pump 3 is operated in the first mode.
In the first mode, the third port unit 316 is connected to the
article 4, and the rotary knob 343 of the air flow controller 34 is
operated to rotate the rotary disc 31 to the first position,
thereby permitting fluid communication between the second port unit
314 and the receiving space 310 through the openings 345 in the
rotary disc 31. The control switch 315 (see FIG. 2) is then
operated to turn on the motor 32 for driving rotation of the
impeller 33 such that ambient air is drawn into the receiving space
310 through the first and second port units 313, 314, and such that
air exits the receiving space 310 and is supplied to the article 4
through the third port unit 316. At the end of the article
inflating operation, the control switch 315 is operated to turn off
the motor 32.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, to deflate the article 4, the air pump 3
is operated in the second mode. In the second mode, the first port
unit 313 is connected to the article 4, and the rotary knob 343 of
the air flow controller 34 is operated to rotate the rotary disc 31
to the second position, thereby blocking fluid communication
between the second port unit 314 and the receiving space 310. The
control switch 315 (see FIG. 2) is then operated to turn on the
motor 32 for driving rotation of the impeller 33 such that air in
the article 4 is drawn into the receiving space 310 through the
first port unit 313, and such that air exits the receiving space
310 through the third port unit 316. At the end of the article
deflating operation, the control switch 315 is operated to turn off
the motor 32.
[0020] It has thus been shown that the air pump 3 of this invention
is suitable for inflating and deflating articles without the need
to reassemble components thereof. Moreover, when the air pump 3 is
used to deflate an article, the air flow controller 34 can be
operated to block air flow through the second port unit 314. As a
result, air turbulence in the receiving space 310 during an article
deflating operation can be minimized to promote the air pumping
efficiency.
[0021] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *