U.S. patent application number 11/736166 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-23 for membrane pump device.
Invention is credited to Bo-Ren Hou, Ming-Chien Kuo, Hsiao-Kang Ma, Chang-Hung Peng, Hong-Yun Wu.
Application Number | 20080260553 11/736166 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39872369 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080260553 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ma; Hsiao-Kang ; et
al. |
October 23, 2008 |
MEMBRANE PUMP DEVICE
Abstract
A membrane pump device powered by an activating element includes
a chamber body and a second chamber body. The interior of the
chamber body is provided with a chamber. Both sides of the chamber
body are provided with an inlet pipeline and an outlet pipeline
that are in fluid communication with the aforementioned chamber,
respectively. A valve is provided on the inner wall face of the
chamber, thereby preventing the working fluid from generating a
backflow phenomenon. Furthermore, the top surface of the chamber
body is provided with a membrane. An activating element abuts on
the membrane for driving the membrane to swing up and down, thereby
pressing the working fluid within the chamber to circulatively flow
in one direction. Finally, the second chamber body is in fluid
communication with the chamber body. The interior of the second
chamber body is provided with another valve. Via this arrangement,
in addition to miniaturize the pump structure to a further extent,
the working performance of the pump and the flowing amount of the
working fluid are also increased.
Inventors: |
Ma; Hsiao-Kang; (Taipei,
TW) ; Peng; Chang-Hung; (Chung-Ho City, TW) ;
Hou; Bo-Ren; (Yonghe City, TW) ; Wu; Hong-Yun;
(Taipei City, TW) ; Kuo; Ming-Chien; (Chung-Ho
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HDSL
4331 STEVENS BATTLE LANE
FAIRFAX
VA
22033
US
|
Family ID: |
39872369 |
Appl. No.: |
11/736166 |
Filed: |
April 17, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/395 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 43/046
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/395 |
International
Class: |
F04B 43/06 20060101
F04B043/06 |
Claims
1. A membrane pump device, comprising: a chamber body having an
inlet pipeline and an outlet pipeline, respectively; a membrane
provided on the top surface of the chamber body; and an activating
element abutting flatly against the upper surface of the membrane,
the activating element having a fixed end and a swinging end, the
swinging end generating swinging action with one side thereof
swinging like a sector; a second chamber body being in fluid
communication with the chamber body; wherein a large range of the
swinging action generated by the activating element changes an
internal volume of the chamber body, so that the working fluid
remaining in the chamber body flows in the inlet pipeline and
drains out of the outlet pipeline to generate a flow in one
direction.
2. The membrane pump device according to claim 1, wherein the
second chamber body further comprises a second chamber, an inlet
pipeline and an outlet pipeline, and the inlet pipeline and the
outlet pipeline are in fluid communication with the second
chamber.
3. The membrane pump device according to claim 2, wherein the inlet
pipeline of the second chamber body is in fluid communication with
the outlet pipeline of the chamber body.
4. The membrane pump device according to claim 3, wherein an inner
wall face of the second chamber body is provided with a valve at a
position corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline.
5. The membrane pump device according to claim 3, wherein the
chamber body further comprises a chamber that is in fluid
communication with the inlet pipeline and the outlet pipeline of
the chamber body.
6. The membrane pump device according to claim 5, wherein the inner
wall face of the chamber is provided with a valve at the position
corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline.
7. The membrane pump device according to claim 2, wherein the
outlet pipeline of the second chamber body is in fluid
communication with the inlet pipeline of the chamber body.
8. The membrane pump device according to claim 7, wherein the
outlet pipeline of the chamber body is further connected to a third
chamber body.
9. The membrane pump device according to claim 8, wherein the third
chamber body further comprises a third chamber, an inlet pipeline
and an outlet pipeline, and the inlet pipeline and the outlet
pipeline are in fluid communication with the third chamber.
10. The membrane pump device according to claim 9, wherein the
inner wall face of the third chamber is provided with a valve at
the position corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline.
11. The membrane pump device according to claim 1, wherein the
chamber body is connected correspondingly with a casing, and the
casing is provided thereon with a plurality of penetrating troughs
to correspond to the fixed end and the swinging end of the
activating element.
12. The membrane pump device according to claim 11, wherein the
fixed end is electrically connected with a plurality of electrodes
leads.
13. The membrane pump device according to claim 12, wherein the
plurality of electrodes leads penetrates into the corresponding
penetrating troughs.
14. The membrane pump device according to claim 1, wherein the
activating element is a piezoelectric piece.
15. The membrane pump device according to claim 1, wherein the
fixed end is electrically connected with a plurality of electrode
leads.
16. The membrane pump device according to claim 1, wherein the
inlet pipeline and the outlet pipeline are provided respectively at
a position of one side of the chamber body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a membrane pump, and in
particular to a membrane pump which can be applied to a fluid
delivery or circulation system.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional common piezoelectric pump
includes a chamber body 10. The bottom surface of the chamber body
10 is provided with an inlet pipeline 101 and an outlet pipeline
102. The mouths of the inlet pipeline 101 and the outlet pipeline
102 are provided therein with a check valve 20 and 20a,
respectively. The top surface of the chamber body 10 is provided
with a membrane 103. An activating element 104 abuts flatly on the
membrane 103. The activating element 104 is a piezoelectric piece.
Via this arrangement, after the activating element 104 is supplied
with electricity, the middle portion of the membrane 103 is caused
to swing up and down, as indicated by the arrow in this figure.
Since the special positional design of such structure is
characterized in that the two check valves 20, 20a are located in
the inlet pipeline 101 and the outlet pipeline 102, when the
activating element 104 swings upwardly, the internal pressure of
the chamber body 10 is smaller than the external pressure thereof.
Accordingly, both check valves 20, 20a move upwardly. As a result,
the check valve 20 allows the channel between the inlet pipeline
101 and the chamber body 10 to be opened, so that the working fluid
within the inlet pipeline 101 can enter the chamber body 10. At the
same time, the check valve 20a blocks the channel between the
outlet pipeline 102 and the chamber body 10, so that the working
fluid 102 draining from the outlet pipeline 102 cannot flow back
into the chamber body 10. On the other hand, when the activating
element 104 is pressed, the membrane 103 is caused to compress the
space of the chamber body 10 and thus to generate a pressure, which
causes both check valve 20, 20a to move downwardly. As a result,
the check valve 20a allows the channel between the outlet pipeline
102 and the chamber body 10 to be opened, so that the compressed
working fluid within the chamber body 10 can drain away from the
outlet pipeline 102. The check valve 20 blocks the channel between
the inlet pipeline 101 and the chamber body 10, so that the water
within the chamber body 10 cannot drain away from the inlet
pipeline 101. With this continuously up-and-down swinging action,
the working fluid can sequentially enter the chamber body 10 from
the inlet pipeline 101, and then flow out of the outlet pipeline
102. Therefore, the pump becomes a source of driving the flow of
the working fluid.
[0005] However, such kind of piezoelectric pump has some drawbacks.
First of all, both the inlet pipeline 101 and the outlet pipeline
102 are provided on the bottom surface of the chamber body 10 so as
to miniaturize the structure itself to a larger extent than the
conventional structure, however, it is difficult to design the
position of the pipeline to a further reduced extent. Therefore, it
is difficult for such a structure to be applied to a further
thinned space, such as the current notebook or miniaturized
biological and medical instruments. Furthermore, the activating
element 104 swings in a manner that the middle portion thereof
generates an up-and-down swinging action. When the activating
element 104 is pressed, it simultaneously drives the membrane 103
to press the working fluid within the chamber body 10 downwardly,
so that the working fluid can flow toward both sides. Although the
check valves 20, 20a are provided respectively on the mouths of the
inlet pipeline 101 and the outlet pipeline 102 so as to prevent the
working fluid from entering the inlet pipeline 101 and generating a
so-called backflow phenomenon, in practice, only the middle portion
of the activating element 104 acts as the swinging region, causing
the swinging range of the activating element 104 too small.
Therefore, during each swinging action, the amount of the fluid
entering or draining from the chamber body 10 is small, which is
the primary drawback of the pump structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Therefore, in view of the above drawbacks, the present
invention is to provide a membrane pump device, in which one side
of an activating element is used to swing like a sector, so that a
larger range of up-and-down swinging action can be obtained to
press the working fluid within the pump, thereby forcing the
working fluid to flow in one direction. Via this arrangement, in
addition to compact the pump to a further thinned extent, the mode
of the one-side and large-range swinging action can cooperate with
the flowing direction of the fluid, thereby improving the working
efficiency of the pump device and the circulation system
thereof.
[0007] In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention
provides a membrane pump device that is constituted of a chamber
body and a second chamber body. The interior of the chamber body is
provided with a chamber. Both sides of the chamber body are
provided with an inlet pipeline and an outlet pipeline that are in
fluid communication with the aforementioned chamber, respectively.
A valve is provided on the inner wall face of the chamber, thereby
preventing the working fluid from generating a backflow phenomenon.
Furthermore, the top surface of the chamber body is provided with a
membrane. An activating element abuts on the membrane for driving
the membrane to swing up and down, thereby pressing the working
fluid within the chamber to circulatively flow in one direction.
Finally, the second chamber body is in fluid communication with the
chamber body. The interior of the second chamber body is provided
with another valve. Via this arrangement, in addition to
miniaturize the pump structure to a further extent, the working
performance of the pump and the flowing amount of the working fluid
are also increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional
structure;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure
of the membrane pump of the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a view showing the complete assembly of the
membrane pump of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a top view showing the structure of the present
invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (I) showing the operation
of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (II) showing the operation
of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a top view showing the structure of the second
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0015] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the comparison between
the swinging action of the present invention and that of prior
art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure
of the pump of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view showing
the complete assembly of the present invention. As shown in the
figures, the pump of the present invention is mainly constituted of
a chamber body 1. The interior of the chamber body 1 is provided
with a chamber 11 for accommodating a working fluid. On mutually
corresponding sides of the outer edge of the chamber body 1, such
as the left and right sides in the present embodiment, an inlet
pipeline 12 and an outlet pipeline 13 are provided respectively.
The inlet pipeline 12 and the outlet pipeline 13 are in fluid
communication with the chamber 11, respectively. The inner wall
face of the chamber 11 is provided with a valve 2 at a position
corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline 12. In the present
embodiment, one end of the valve 2 is provided with a pillar 21
that is located in a penetrating trough 111 on the inner wall face.
A plate 22 extends from the pillar 21 and corresponds to the
position of the mouth of the inlet pipeline 12. The plate is used
to block the working fluid from flowing back from the chamber 11 to
the inlet pipeline 12 and then flowing out of the chamber body
1.
[0017] With reference to FIG. 2, the upper end face of the chamber
body 1 is provided with a membrane 3 that is made of a material
having a large tension force. The size of the membrane 3 is
approximately the same as the area of an end surface of the chamber
body 1. Further, the membrane completely covers the chamber 11. An
activating element 4 is provided above the membrane 3. In the
present embodiment, the activating element 4 is a piezoelectric
piece and is provided above the first chamber 11 correspondingly to
abut flatly against the membrane 3. The activating element 4 has a
fixed end 41 and a swinging end 42. The fixed end 41 and the outlet
pipeline 13 are located on the same side. The fixed end 41 is
connected with a plurality of electrode leads 5 to supply the
necessary electricity for the activating element 4. The swinging
end 42 abuts flatly against the surface of the membrane 3. After
the electricity is supplied, the swinging end 42 forms a sector at
one side thereof and swings in a large range. As shown in FIG. 8,
under the same swinging angle .theta., the variation .delta.2
obtained by swinging like a sector is much larger than the
variation .delta.1 obtained by swinging with the middle portion
thereof. Therefore, swinging like a sector concentrates the working
fluid and causes it to flow in the same direction. At the same
time, the membrane 3 is caused to press toward the chamber 11,
thereby improving the drawbacks that the swinging range of the
conventional activating element and the amount of flow are too
small. Furthermore, the frequency of the swinging action of the
activating element 4 can be adjusted according to various desires.
The chamber body 1 can be correspondingly combined with a casing 6
for covering the membrane 3 and the activating element 4 therein.
The casing 6 is provided with a plurality of penetrating troughs 61
and 61a at the positions corresponding to those of the activating
element 4 and the electrode leads 5, respectively. In this way, the
activating element 4 is exposed to the outside and has a space for
expansion. The electrode leads 5 also penetrate through the
activating element 4. The complete assembly of the present
invention is shown in FIG. 3.
[0018] With reference to FIG. 4, it is a top view showing the
structure of the membrane pump device of the present invention. In
addition to the aforementioned membrane pump, the membrane pump
device further comprises a second chamber body 7. The interior of
the second chamber body 7 has a second chamber 71. Both sides of
the second chamber body 7 are provided with an inlet pipeline 72
and an outlet pipeline 73, respectively. The inlet pipeline 72 is
in fluid communication with the outlet pipeline 13 of the chamber
body 1 via a conduit 8. A valve 2a is provided on the inner wall
face of the second chamber 71 at the position corresponding to that
of the inlet pipeline 72. Furthermore, the outlet pipeline is also
connected with a conduit 8, thereby being brought into fluid
communication with the other components.
[0019] Please refer to FIGS. 5 and 6, which are the cross-sectional
views showing the operation of the present invention. As shown in
the figures, when the electricity is supplied to the activating
element 4 provided on the membrane pump, it starts to act and
generates a swinging action with one side thereof swinging like a
sector. After the activating element 4 is pressed, the membrane 3
is caused to press the inner space of the chamber 11 to increase
the internal pressure of the space. As a result, the working fluid
remaining in the chamber 11 is forced to generate a momentum
whereby it can drain from the outlet pipeline 13 and flow through
the valve 2a provided in the second chamber body 7 via the conduit
8. Then, the working fluid sequentially flows into the second
chamber 71, the outlet pipeline 73, the conduit 8 and other
components. On the other hand, a small portion of the working fluid
simultaneously impacts the valve 2 provided in the chamber 11 so as
to cause the valve 2 to close the inlet pipeline 12, thereby
preventing the working fluid outside the inlet pipeline 12 from
flowing back into the chamber 1. When the activating element 4
swings upwardly, the internal pressure of the chamber 11 returns to
a normal condition. As a result, the external pressure of the
chamber body 1 is larger than the internal pressure thereof, so
that the working fluid can enter the chamber 11 via the inlet
pipeline 12. At the same time, the working fluid in the second
chamber body 7 generates a momentum due to the pressure so as to
directly impact the valve 2a provided in the second chamber 71. As
a result, the valve 2a is forced to close the inlet pipeline 72
tightly, thereby blocking the working fluid from flowing back into
the chamber body 1. Therefore, the working fluid can generate a
circulation in one direction.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 7, it is a top view showing the
structure of another device comprising the membrane pump of the
present invention. As shown in this figure, such a structure
includes a chamber body 1. The interior of the chamber body 1 has a
chamber 11. Both sides of the chamber body 1 are provided with an
inlet pipeline 12 and an outlet pipeline 13, respectively. The top
surface of the chamber 11 is provided with a membrane 3. The upper
surface of the membrane 3 is provided with an activating element 4.
The activating element 4 has a fixed end 41 and a swinging end 42.
The fixed end 41 is electrically connected with a plurality of
electrode leads 5. After being supplied with electricity, the
swinging end 42 generates a swinging action with one side thereof
swinging like a sector. Furthermore, the chamber body 1 can be
combined with a casing 6, thereby covering the aforementioned
elements therein.
[0021] Moreover, the inlet pipeline 12 and the outlet pipeline 13
of the chamber body 1 are connected to a second chamber body 7 and
a third chamber body 9, respectively. The second chamber body 7 and
the third chamber body 9 have a second chamber 71 and a third
chamber 91 therein, respectively. Both sides of the second chamber
body 7 and the third chamber 9 have an inlet pipeline 72, 92 and an
outlet pipeline 73, 93, respectively. The outlet pipeline 73 of the
second chamber body 7 is in fluid communication with the inlet
pipeline 12 of the chamber body 1 via a conduit 8, while the inlet
pipeline 92 of the third chamber body 9 is in fluid communication
with the outlet pipeline 13 of the chamber body 1 via a conduit 8.
The inner wall face of the second chamber 71 is provided with a
valve 2 at the position corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline
72. At the same time, the inner wall face of the third chamber 91
is provided with another valve 2a at the position corresponding to
that of the outlet pipeline 13. Via this arrangement, when the
activating element 4 provided on the chamber body 1 starts to act
and generates a downwardly swinging action, the membrane 3 is
caused to press the inner space of the chamber 11 of the chamber
body 1 and thus to force the working fluid to flow toward the inlet
pipeline 12 and the outlet pipeline 13. As a result, the working
fluid is forced to generate a momentum whereby it can drain from
the outlet pipeline 13 and flow through the valve 2a. Then, the
working fluid sequentially flows into the third chamber 91, the
outlet pipeline 93, the conduit 8 and other components. At the same
time, the working fluid flowing into the inlet pipeline 12 impacts
the valve 2 provided in the second chamber body 7 so as to cause
the valve 2 to close the inlet pipeline 72 of the second chamber
body 7 tightly, thereby preventing the working fluid outside the
inlet pipeline 72 from flowing back into the second chamber 71.
When the activating element 4 swings upwardly, the chamber 11
returns to its original space. Since the external pressure of the
chamber 11 is larger than the internal pressure thereof, the
working fluid is forced to enter the chamber 11 from the inlet
pipeline 72 and via the valve 2 and then flows into the chamber 11.
At the same time, the working fluid in the third chamber body 9
also generates a momentum so as to directly impact the valve 2a
provided in the third chamber 91. As a result, the valve 2a is
forced to close the inlet pipeline 92 tightly, thereby preventing
the working fluid from flowing back into the chamber 11. Therefore,
the membrane pump can generate a circulation in one direction.
[0022] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be
understood that the invention is not limited to the details
thereof. Various equivalent variations and modifications may still
occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the
present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent
modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention
as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *